All About Circuits

Latest IC Design Articles and Videos

Categories

Wireless RF Energy Harvesting: RF-to-DC Conversion and a Look at Powercast Hardware

Wireless RF Energy Harvesting: RF-to-DC Conversion and a Look at Powercast Hardware

This article looks at the technology and the sample kits that Powercast provides users who want to learn more about the technology.


ASICs Wanted: The BM1387 and the Hardware Designed for Cryptocurrency Mining

ASICs Wanted: The BM1387 and the Hardware Designed for Cryptocurrency Mining

Cryptocurrencies have been in and out of the news for a while now. Because "mining" is the only source of new cryptocurrency units, complex ASIC devices such as the BM1387 have been created to aid in the mining process. Here's a look at some ASICs that aims to make mining faster and more effective.


News Aug 02, 2018 by Robin Mitchell
Electronic Design Automation Beyond ICs: CIDAR Labs’ EDA Programs for Designing Genetic Circuits

Electronic Design Automation Beyond ICs: CIDAR Labs’ EDA Programs for Designing Genetic Circuits

Ever wonder what it would be like to alter your DNA? Researchers at Boston University and MIT are working on genetic circuit design automation that might allow you to do just that.


News Aug 01, 2018 by Donald Krambeck
Considerations for Adding Reset Capability to an FPGA Design

Considerations for Adding Reset Capability to an FPGA Design

This article will look at some of the consequences of adding a reset input to an FPGA design.


How Do Satellites Communicate with a GPS System? A Look at the GPS Antenna

How Do Satellites Communicate with a GPS System? A Look at the GPS Antenna

Antennas provide the wireless linkage required for any satellite-based system. Here's a look at the many antennas of GPS.


News Brief: ON Semiconductor Releases DC-DC Buck Converter Family with Efficiency in Mind

News Brief: ON Semiconductor Releases DC-DC Buck Converter Family with Efficiency in Mind

This article takes a look at a recent range of DC-DC buck converters released by ON Semiconductor, the FAN6500xx family.


News Jul 19, 2018 by Robin Mitchell
PCB Layout Tips and Tricks: How to Optimize Your Decoupling Connection

PCB Layout Tips and Tricks: How to Optimize Your Decoupling Connection

This article explores the somewhat complicated issue of how exactly to connect a decoupling capacitor to a power pin.


What Is an eSIM? The Pros, Cons, and Seeming Inevitability of Embedded SIM ICs

What Is an eSIM? The Pros, Cons, and Seeming Inevitability of Embedded SIM ICs

STMicroelectronics announced in June that it is the world's first eSIM manufacturer accredited by the GSMA to personalize eSIMs for mobile and connected IoT devices. What is an eSIM? How could it benefit designers?


News Jul 16, 2018 by Robin Mitchell
Evaluating the Robustness of 1200 V SiC MOSFETs Under Short Circuit Conditions

Evaluating the Robustness of 1200 V SiC MOSFETs Under Short Circuit Conditions

Are SiC MOSFETs the best answer for maximizing a power converter's efficiency? This article explores a recent study performed on a 1200 V, 80 mΩ SiC MOSFET, highlighting its short circuit capabilities.


The Basics of Emitter-Coupled Logic

The Basics of Emitter-Coupled Logic

This article will review the operation of a basic ECL inverter/buffer, and then we’ll look at some of the most important features of this logic family.


PCB Layout Tips and Tricks: Use a Ground Plane Whenever Possible

PCB Layout Tips and Tricks: Use a Ground Plane Whenever Possible

This article discusses the importance of proper grounding techniques in PCB design.


Design Solution: Using a Small Amount of Space to Add More USB Ports to a Vehicle

Design Solution: Using a Small Amount of Space to Add More USB Ports to a Vehicle

This article looks at a solution to add additional USB charging ports to a vehicle using a single chip containing all the necessary parts and delivers 5V to the device.


Hardware Assessment: LightCrafter Evaluation Kit for BeagleBoard Black from Texas Instruments

Hardware Assessment: LightCrafter Evaluation Kit for BeagleBoard Black from Texas Instruments

The Texas Instruments DLPDLCR2000EVM is a demonstration cape designed to plug into a BeagleBone Black (BBB) and provide instant-on projection capabilities using a digital micromirror device and a relatively high-power RGB LED.


Projects Jul 09, 2018 by Mark Hughes
What Is Mutual Inductance? A Guide for Circuit Designers

What Is Mutual Inductance? A Guide for Circuit Designers

Learn about mutual inductance and how it can influence an engineer’s approach to circuit and system design.


The Incredible Shrinking Circuit: Small PCBs and Smaller ICs in 2018

The Incredible Shrinking Circuit: Small PCBs and Smaller ICs in 2018

Electronic circuits are already small but they're getting smaller all the time. Micronnex and Invensas are two manufacturers whose technologies cannot be easily seen with the naked eye.


News Jul 06, 2018 by Mark Hughes
Preparing for the Narrow Band IoT: New CEVA-Dragonfly NB2 Aims to Support Low-Power IoT Devices

Preparing for the Narrow Band IoT: New CEVA-Dragonfly NB2 Aims to Support Low-Power IoT Devices

IoT devices are increasingly reliant on batteries, making the conservation of power even more critical. In response, CEVA has announced their Dragonfly NB2 IoT solution that aims to tackle the emerging field of Narrow Band Internet of Things or NB-IoT.


News Jul 04, 2018 by Robin Mitchell
Resolving the Signal Part 7: The Effects of Amplifier Noise on Delta-Sigma ADCs

Resolving the Signal Part 7: The Effects of Amplifier Noise on Delta-Sigma ADCs

This 12-part article series focuses on the impact of noise in delta-sigma ADCs. Part 7 shows how to analyze different amplifiers' effect on the noise of the same ADC.


Use the Xilinx System Generator to Implement a Simple DDS

Use the Xilinx System Generator to Implement a Simple DDS

In this article, we’ll discuss implementing a simple direct digital synthesizer (DDS) using the Xilinx System Generator.


Power Line Communication (PLC) Modem Chips Streamline Smart Meter Design

Power Line Communication (PLC) Modem Chips Streamline Smart Meter Design

An overview of two PLC design solutions shows the progress in the realization of smart grid infrastructure.


News Jun 29, 2018 by Majeed Ahmad
RISC-V: Opening a New Era of Innovation for Embedded Design

RISC-V: Opening a New Era of Innovation for Embedded Design

This article explores the benefits behind RISC-V's open-source hardware model, discussing it's longevity, portability, and reliability.