A short primer on optoelectronic transistors, their apps

Optoelectronics, the use of electronic devices for the detection and control of light, has become a preferred means for broadband and transoceanic communication networks. Below is a sneak peek at the basics of optoelectronic transistors, their…

Cadence develops next-gen Xtensa LX processor

Representing the 8th generation of the Tensilica Xtensa LX processor family from Cadence, the LX8 improves system-level performance by as much as 50%. The 32-bit RISC processor IP serves as a foundation for processor and system-level designs,…

Cisco Linksys’ DPC3008: A DOCSIS 3 cable modem that worked great

Way back in November 2012, I told you of my travails trying (and ultimately prevailing) to get a Linksys DPC3008 cable modem activated on Comcast/Xfinity’s broadband service. The DPC3008 was already used (factory refurbished, to be precise)…

Intel Pathfinder for RISC-V unifies platform, adds features

Intel Pathfinder for RISC-V—a pre-silicon development environment that supports IP selection via testing for compatibility and performance—is unifying its Starter and Professional Editions into a single version. Intel is expected to share…

The most useful application note I’ve ever read

I have read that we humans have to see or read some information many times until it sinks in, and we remember it. That’s probably true for information that you may casually need to know. Then there are moments of serendipity when you stumble…

Hot resistance versus cold resistance

Incandescent lamp filaments have ratios of hot resistance versus cold resistance that really startled me even though I thought I knew all about such things. It turns out I did not know “all about” and the consequences of my ignorance were…

Resolution explained for magnetic angle sensors

Because optical encoders are functionally similar, “resolution” is often used as a main characteristic for magnetic encoders, a device providing the angle of a magnet attached to a mechanical shaft under a digital form. Resolution is a key…

Microphones: An abundance of options for capturing tones

Having just covered the topic of speaker construction (specifically as it relates to in-ear headphones), both in one of last month’s blog posts and one of the prior month’s teardowns, I thought now would as good a time as any to tackle the…

Hall effect split-core current sensor calibration station

Recently, I’ve been working on a solar off-grid monitoring system. In the system are a few split-core Hall effect sensors to monitor DC current in the solar panel current, the battery charge current, and the inverter input current. These currents…

Fundamentals of I3C interface communication

I3C is a new serial communication protocol for embedded systems that offers significantly higher data throughput and more advanced features than I2C. With I3C, engineers and designers can improve the performance of their designs while also adding…

28-nm smart-card chip secures payment processing

Built on the mature 28-nm process node, Infineon’s SLC26P security controller targets high-volume payment applications using smart cards. By enabling the 28-nm node for security ICs, Infineon not only offers long-term, dependable sourcing,…

Bluetooth LE transceiver delivers multiple audio streams

Certified to the Bluetooth 5.3 LE audio standard, the NXH3675 single-chip 2.4-GHz transceiver provides high-quality audio with ultra-low power consumption and latency. The highly integrated chip will allow developers to create innovative audio…