A quick primer demystifies parabolic microphones

Parabolic microphones offer a fascinating blend of geometry and acoustics, enabling long-distance sound capture with surprising clarity. From dish-shaped reflectors to pinpoint audio focus, this quick primer distills the essentials for engineers…

Tapo or Kasa: Which TP-Link ecosystem best suits ya?

The “smart home” market segment is, I’ve deduced after many years of observing it and, in a notable number of “guinea pig” cases, personally participating in it (with no shortage of scars to show for my experiments and experiences),…

Silicon MOS quantum dot spin qubits: Roads to upscaling

Using quantum states for processing information has the potential to swiftly address complex problems that are beyond the reach of classical computers. Over the past decades, tremendous progress has been made in developing the critical building…

The Big Allis generator sixty years ago 

Think back to the 1965 electrical power blackout in the Northeast United States of just over sixty years ago. It was on November 9, 1965. There was a huge consequence for Consolidated Edison in New York City. Their power-generating facility…

Design specification: The cornerstone of an ASIC collaboration

Engaging with an ASIC development partner can take many forms. The intended chip may be as simple as a microcontroller, as sophisticated as an AI-based edge computing system-on-chip (SoC), or even a large language model (LLM) AI accelerator…

High-voltage SiC MOSFETs power critical energy systems

Navitas is now sampling 2.3-kV and 3.3-kV SiC MOSFETs in power-module, discrete, and known-good-die (KGD) formats. Leveraging fourth-generation GeneSiC Trench-Assisted Planar (TAP) technology, these ultra-high-voltage devices offer improved…

Thermistors suppress inrush currents

S series NTC thermistors from TDK Electronics handle steady-state currents up to 35 A and absorb energy up to 750 J. They enable reliable inrush current suppression in switch-mode power supplies, frequency converters, photovoltaic inverters,…

Compact 1.25-kV MLCCs ensure stability

Murata has begun mass production of 1.25‑kV multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) with a capacitance of 15 nF in a 1210-size (3.2×2.5 mm) package. These MLCCs use a Class 1 ceramic dielectric (C0G, also known as NP0), making them a…

Enhanced hybrid caps handle increased ripple current

Taiyo Yuden has launched the HVX(-J) and HTX(-J) series of conductive polymer hybrid aluminum electrolytic capacitors. These updated models offer a higher rated ripple current and a lower profile than previous HVX and HTX capacitors. They also…

Chip antennas boost Wi-Fi and UWB signal integrity

Three chip antennas from Taoglas—the ILA.257, ILA.68, and ILA.89—provide Wi-Fi 6/7, ultra-wideband (UWB), and ISM connectivity. Manufactured using a low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) process, the antennas deliver high radiation efficiency…

Handheld enclosures add integrated cable glands

OKW now offers CONNECT fast-assembly handheld plastic enclosures with optional integrated cable glands, making it easier to install power and data cables. Cost-effective CONNECT is ideal for network technology, building services, safety engineering,…

Through-hole connector resolves surface-mount dilemma

Manufacturing of a modern component-laded printed circuit board (PCB) is an amazing fusion and coordination of diverse technologies. There’s the board as substrate itself, the stencils and masks that enable precise placement of solder paster,…