Member Profile: Thomas Struzik
Member Thomas Struzik at his bench.

  Member Name: Thomas Struzik Location: Houston, TX Education: BSEE, Purdue University Occupation: Software architect Member Status: He has been a subscriber since day one. “I’ve got Issue 1 sitting in a box somewhere,” he said. Thomas adds that he … Continue reading

The Future of 8-Bit Chips (CC 25th Anniversary Preview)
Photo 1: Ongoing innovation, such as the FRAM-based “Wolverine” MCU from Texas Instruments, continues to expand the market for mini-me MCUs. (Source: Cantrell CC25)

Ever since the time when a Sony Walkman retailed for around $200, engineers of all backgrounds and skill levels have been prognosticating the imminent death of 8-bit chips. No matter your age, you’ve likely heard the “8-bit is dead” argument … Continue reading

Do Small-RAM Devices Have a Future? (CC 25th Anniversary Preview)
board-chip

What does the future hold for small-RAM microcontrollers? Will there be any reason to put up with the constraints of parts that have little RAM, no floating point, and 8-bit registers? The answer matters to engineers who have spent years … Continue reading

CC269: Break Through Designer’s Block
A heatsink epoxied atop the linear regulator on this Arduino MEGA board helped reduce the operating temperature to a comfortable level. This is certainly not recommended engineering practice, but it’s an acceptable hack. (Source: E. Nisley, CC269)

Are you experiencing designer’s block? Having a hard time starting a new project? You aren’t alone. After more than 11 months of designing and programming (which invariably involved numerous successes and failures), many engineers are simply spent. But don’t worry. … Continue reading

Microcontroller-Based Markov Music Box
Check out the spectrogram for two FM notes produced by FM modulation. Red indicates higher energy at a given time and frequency.

Cornell University senior lecturer Bruce Land had two reasons for developing an Atmel AVR micrcontroller-based music box. One, he wanted to present synthesis/sequencing algorithms to his students. And two, he wanted the challenge of creating an interactive music box. Interactive … Continue reading