It’s an exciting time to work with electronics. If you’re an engineer, there are opportunities to develop products as new technologies intersect and trends such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and wearables open up new possibilities.
This intersection also challenges engineers to be multi-disciplinary in their understanding of electronics, covering everything from memory and storage, to network and communications, to power supplies and batteries. While the internet is resplendent with all sorts of resources for the knowledge-hungry engineer, it’s easy to fall down a Google-search rabbit hole that leads deep into an aging message board. It’s easy to end up on a wild goose chase of stale links to outdated content.
This post brought to you by Arrow.com. The Arrow.com site is simple but expansive, pulling together resources on a wide array of components so that users spend more time doing than searching.
Arrow.com solves that problem by reducing the time engineers spend searching for information on their specific areas of interest. They do so by corralling together information on electronics across disciplines and where they intersect.
More Than Just Products
From a straightforward product perspective, Arrow.com is a repository of more than one million products, all searchable by keyword. Updated daily, it’s a treasure trove of everything from amplifiers, audio components and capacitors to transceivers, wires and cables. Drill deeper into product categories to find the specific component you’re looking for with detailed specifications with clear options on how to purchase that item.
If you already have item or aren’t sure you will need it, you can access a hoard of data sheets across product categories, as well a complete reference designs, which you can browse by application, end product or manufacturer. An added bonus: nearly a quarter of the designs on Arrow.com are interactive.
Insightful and Interactive
The site is not just about offering a great deal of static information about electronics – it’s also about providing insight and guidance for best practices so engineers can get the most from the datasheets and reference designs that are available to them.
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Arrow.com also offers a wealth of articles, compiled by a team of experts who work in the everyday trenches of engineering. They don’t stop at covering the products and components listed on the site at a high level; they also provide insight into how to better incorporate them into your designs.
Articles cover issues around power, such as how to battery-power your Pi (by highlighting three ways to get around your precise 5V requirements), how to protect your system when lightening strikes or why you need power factor correction. If you’re into the hot area of IoT, you can learn about the inner workings of BAC sensors, industrial connectivity protocols or the relationship between AVX and IoT devices. Explore technology in sports or see how you do at Arrow Tech Trivia. And if you’re more of a visual learner, Arrow.com has you covered with a library of videos that include specific product insights, broad overviews and lab demos.
Get Your Motor Running
March 11, 2015. Photo by Ellen Jaskol.
One segment that’s seeing even more electronics use is automotive. Cars are getting smarter, both in terms of the dashboard systems for the driver and throughout the vehicle. If you’re looking to build a better motor, Arrow has you covered. And it can give you some ideas that you may not have considered for innovative projects. Arrow.com’s IoT experts recently collaborated on modifying a car so that it can be controlled by head movements alone.
Arrow.com’s site is not just about imparting information. The Design Center offers tools to accelerate your design cycle. For example, the Arrow enVision tool helps engineers who want a simple block diagram or a full reference design, while the cloud-based Lighting Designer lets you design a complete LED lighting system in minutes. You can also find a specialist to help you out by connecting with one of nearly 200 engineers via the site.
While sometimes it’s fun to get lost clicking through sites to find resources to help you solve an electronics conundrum or discover a new way of doing something, deadlines mean it’s good to have a reliable online resource at your fingertips. Arrow’s easily navigable site pulls together a wide range of electronics information that makes it a first choice for engineers.
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Circuit Cellar's editorial team comprises professional engineers, technical editors, and digital media specialists. You can reach the Editorial Department at editorial@circuitcellar.com, @circuitcellar, and facebook.com/circuitcellar