The Blue (now Logitech) Snowball iCE: This mic sounds nice

This audio-capture computer peripheral contains an integrated-transistor pickup capsule and a hunk of metal. Back in November 2022, EDN published my introductory tutorial on standalone microphones—single- vs. multi-element, electret condenser…

From lichens to digits: The evolution of electronic litmus paper

The science of pH measurement has progressed from the crude color changes of lichen-based litmus paper to the precision of modern electronic meters. What began as a qualitative test has become a cornerstone of quantitative analysis, enabled…

Tale of 3 sensors operating in smart factory environments

Sensors—on the front lines of the technological revolution in factory automation—are embedding microprocessors, memory, and communication protocols within the ASIC to offer multiple functions in a single chip, facilitating a new generation…

Piezo resonator offers alternative DC/DC step-down topology

Power-supply inductors may be supplanted by piezoelectric energy-storage elements…maybe. And someday. Today’s step-down DC/DC converters – often converting 48 V down to single-digit voltages — are highly refined topologies, offering…

PCIe 7.0: Addressing legacy ordering limitations with UIO

Part 1 of this mini-series about PCIe 7.0 fundamentals explained ordering rules and the distinction between relaxed ordering and ID-based ordering. Part 2 elaborates why PCIe 7.0 bandwidth alone isn’t enough and how UIO addresses legacy ordering…

Quantifying a power surge: Insufficient supplier-sourced knowledge

Portable power units have both instantaneous-output and run-time limits, of course, but this situation seems a bit ridiculous. Or, then again, maybe not. But how to tell? Last December, a few hours after the “kickoff” of our high wind-induced…

Transceivers boost in-vehicle audio bandwidth

ADI’s ADAA245x series of A2B 2.0 Automotive Audio Bus transceivers delivers 4× higher bus bandwidth (98.3 Mbps full-duplex) than A2B 1.0 devices. Now in production, the transceivers handle up to 119 upstream and downstream audio channels…

Rohm shrinks NFC charging for wearables

Rohm’s ML7670/ML7671 wireless charging chipset provides NFC charging for compact wearables such as smart rings and fitness trackers. Operating in the 13.56-MHz band, NFC charging enables antenna miniaturization for ultra-compact devices. Following…

Rectifiers combine low profile and high current

Vishay has released 16 single and dual FRED Pt ultrafast rectifiers in low-profile DFN6546A packages with wettable flanks. The 200-V devices occupy a 6.5×4.6-mm footprint with a typical height of 0.88 mm. Rated from 6 A to 15 A, they offer…

Timing module enables vRAN synchronization

Microchip’s MD-990-0011-B M.2 plug-in timing module delivers precise synchronization for data center servers and 5G vRAN. Developed with Intel, it is compatible with Xeon 6 SoC–based server platforms. It leverages Intel’s vRAN architecture…

MCUs pair high flash capacity with security

The GD32F5HC series of 32-bit general-purpose MCUs from GigaDevice features a 200-MHz Arm Cortex-M33 core with DSP and FPU capabilities. Hardware-based security, ample on-chip memory, and integrated peripherals target both consumer and industrial…

ΔVbe + DMM = Celsius, Kelvin, Fahrenheit, and Rankine thermometer

Combining an accurate temperature sensor with a standard digital multimeter can make an inexpensive, accurate, and useful thermometer. A recent Design Idea, BJT is accurate sensor for absolute temperature in Kelvin and Rankine, was based on…