Why gold-plated tactile switches matter for reliability

In electronic product design, the smallest components often have the biggest impact on system reliability. Tactile switches—used in control panels, wearables, medical devices, instrumentation, and industrial automation—are a prime example.…

CES 2026: Multi-link, 20-MHz IoT boost Wi-Fi 7 prospects

Wi-Fi 7 enters 2026 with a crucial announcement made at the CES 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Wi-Fi Alliance is introducing the 20-MHz device category for Wi-Fi 7, aimed at addressing the needs of the broader Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem.…

LiDAR’s power and size problem

Awareness of LiDAR and advanced laser technologies has grown significantly in recent years. This is in no small part due to their use in autonomous vehicles such as those from Waymo, Nuro, and Cruise, plus those from traditional brands such…

CES 2026: Wi-Fi 8 silicon on the horizon with an AI touch

While Wi-Fi 7 adoption is accelerating among enterprises, Wi-Fi 8 routers and mesh systems could arrive as early as summer 2026. It’s important to note that the IEEE 802.11bn standard, widely known as Wi-Fi 8, is expected to be ratified in…

Simple speedy single-slope ADC

Ages ago, humankind crawled out of the primordial analog ooze and began to do digital. They soon noticed and quantified a fundamental need to interconnect their new quantized numerical novelties with the classic continuum of the ancestral engineer’s…

Amazon’s Smart Plug: Getting inside requires more than just a tug

Amazon wisely doesn’t want naïve consumers poking around inside its high-voltage AC-switching devices. This engineer was also thwarted in his exploratory efforts…initially, at least. Early last month, within a post detailing my forced-by-phaseout…

Researchers shrink ferroelectric memory stacks

Researchers in Japan have developed ultrathin ferroelectric capacitors that maintain strong polarization at a stack thickness of just 30 nm, including top and bottom electrodes. Using scandium-doped aluminum nitride films sandwiched between…

Inturai launches quantum-safe ESP32 security

Inturai Ventures, in partnership with cybersecurity firm PQStation, has unveiled quantum-safe encryption for connected devices across the defense, aged care, and home security sectors. Under the agreement, Inturai holds exclusive rights to deploy…

OWC rolls out 2-meter Thunderbolt 5 cable

Other World Computing (OWC) offers a fully certified 2-meter Thunderbolt 5 (USB-C) cable for both Macs and PCs. Engineered with signal amplification, precision shielding, and end-to-end signal integrity, the cable delivers a long-length solution…

PicoScope 7.2 enables smarter waveform analysis

Pico Technology has released a major upgrade to its PicoScope software, improving waveform capture, analysis, and measurement. Version 7.2 adds built-in features like waveform overlays and advanced serial filtering, enabling faster, clearer,…

Compute modules are built for industrial AI

Based on Qualcomm’s Dragonwing IQ-X platform, Advantech’s three edge AI compute boards deliver up to 45 TOPS of AI acceleration for industrial applications. The AOM-6731 AI module, AIMB-293 mini-ITX motherboard, and SOM-6820 COM Express…

An intimidating vacuum tube

Older table-top AC-DC radios used a classic line-up of tubes. Think 12SA7, 12SK7,12SQ7, 35Z5GT, and 50L6GT. As I grew into my teens, I got interested in how these radios worked and soon discovered that their vacuum tubes could get very hot,…