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Op-Amp Versus Comparator (EE Tip #128)

2014/04/17

Practically every lecture course or textbook on electronics describes how to use an operational amplifier as a comparator. Here we look at the possibility in more detail, and see how it can often be a...

Read more

A Timely Look at RFID Technology

2014/04/16

Most of us have had that annoying experience of setting off an alarm as we leave a store because one item in our bags has a still-active radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag. So it’s back to the ...

Read more

Build an Adequate Test Bench (EE Tip #127)

2014/04/09

It’s in our makeup as engineers that we want to test our newly received boards as soon as possible. We just can’t wait to connect them to a power supply and then use our test bench equipment (e.g., ge...

Read more

Specialized Linux File Systems

2014/04/07

Since Linux was released in 1991, it has become the operating system for “98% of the world’s super computers, most of the servers powering the Internet, the majority of financial trades worldwide, and...

Read more

Raspberry Pi-Based Network Monitoring Device

2014/04/06

In 2012, Al Anderson, IT director at Salish Kootenai College in Pablo, MT, and his team wired the dorms and student housing units at the small tribal college with fiber and outdoor CAT 5 cable to prov...

Read more

Pulse-Shaping Basics

2014/04/04

Pulse shaping (i.e., base-band filtering) can vastly improve the behavior of wired or wireless communication links in an electrical system. With that in mind, Circuit Cellar columnist Robert Lacoste e...

Read more
  • Op-Amp Versus Comparator (EE Tip #128)
  • A Timely Look at RFID Technology
  • Build an Adequate Test Bench (EE Tip #127)
  • Specialized Linux File Systems
  • Raspberry Pi-Based Network Monitoring Device
  • Pulse-Shaping Basics

Recent Posts

Op-Amp Versus Comparator (EE Tip #128)
by Circuit Cellar Staff on 2014/04/17
in EE Tips
SPICE-Sim-Feat

Practically every lecture course or textbook on electronics describes how to use an operational amplifier as a comparator. Here we look at the possibility in more detail, and see how it can often be a very poor idea. The idea … Continue reading →

A Timely Look at RFID Technology
by Mary Wilson on 2014/04/16
in Editor's Letter
RFID

Most of us have had that annoying experience of setting off an alarm as we leave a store because one item in our bags has a still-active radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag. So it’s back to the cashier for some deactivation … Continue reading →

A Engineering Workspace with Cost-Effective Solid Equipment
by Mary Wilson on 2014/04/11
in Workspaces
This basement workspace reflects Steven's diverse projects and clients.

Engineering consultant Steve Hendrix of Sagamore Hills, OH, says the “corporate headquarters” of Hx Engineering, LLC, pictured below, “is pure function, minimal form, and barely fits.” It’s a home basement workspace that reflects a variety of projects and clients. “I … Continue reading →

Build an Adequate Test Bench (EE Tip #127)
by Circuit Cellar Staff on 2014/04/09
in EE Tips
Test Board

It’s in our makeup as engineers that we want to test our newly received boards as soon as possible. We just can’t wait to connect them to a power supply and then use our test bench equipment (e.g., generators, oscilloscopes, … Continue reading →

Specialized Linux File Systems
by Mary Wilson on 2014/04/07
in CC Blog
Figure 1: An example of a network file system is shown.

Since Linux was released in 1991, it has become the operating system for “98% of the world’s super computers, most of the servers powering the Internet, the majority of financial trades worldwide, and tens of millions of Android mobile phones … Continue reading →

Raspberry Pi-Based Network Monitoring Device
by Mary Wilson on 2014/04/06
in CC Blog
The Raspberry Pi’s final installation is shown. The clear acrylic case can be seen along with the Texas Instruments TMP102 temperature sensor, which is glued below the air hole drilled into the case. We used a modified ribbon cable to connect the various TMP102 pins to the Raspberry Pi.

In 2012, Al Anderson, IT director at Salish Kootenai College in Pablo, MT, and his team wired the dorms and student housing units at the small tribal college with fiber and outdoor CAT 5 cable to provide reliable Internet service … Continue reading →

Pulse-Shaping Basics
by Mary Wilson on 2014/04/04
in CC Blog
Directly transmitting a raw digital signal, such as this 1-Mbps non-return-to-zero (NRZ) stream (at top), is a waste of bandwidth. b—Using a pulse-shaping filter (bottom) reduces the required bandwidth for the same bit rate, but with a risk of increased transmission errors.

Pulse shaping (i.e., base-band filtering) can vastly improve the behavior of wired or wireless communication links in an electrical system. With that in mind, Circuit Cellar columnist Robert Lacoste explains the advantages of filtering and examines Fourier transforms; random non-return-to-zero … Continue reading →

A Trace Tool for Embedded Systems
by Mary Wilson on 2014/04/03
in CC Blog
This is the trace dongle.

Tracing tools monitor what is going in a program’s execution by logging low-level and frequent events. Thus tracing can detect and help debug performance issues in embedded system applications. In Circuit Cellar’s April issue, Thiadmer Riemersma describes his DIY tracing … Continue reading →

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