Latest Digital ICs Technical Articles

Is Assembly Language Still Relevant for Embedded Software Development?

As embedded systems continue to evolve, you might wonder: should I learn assembly language for embedded software development? Learn the answer in this article.

November 06, 2022 by Darby Hewitt

What is Clock Skew? Understanding Clock Skew in a Clock Distribution Network

Learn about clock skew, what it is, and its impact on modern systems through understanding synchronous circuitry, clock delivery, and clock distribution networks.

October 21, 2022 by Jake Hertz

Analyzing 2nd-Order Circuits in Laplace Space Using Python

Learn about simplifying the mathematics of circuit analysis using the Laplace transform, Python, and SymPy using a series RLC circuit as an example.

August 07, 2022 by Darby Hewitt

Boolean Algebra Laws—Delving Into Boolean Identities

Learn about the main Boolean algebra identities or laws associated with Boolean logic or digital logic.

August 04, 2022 by William Bahn

Boolean Algebra Basics—An Overview of Boolean Logic

New to digital logic, want a refresher, or to dive deeper into Boolean algebra? This article teaches the basics of Boolean algebra and prepares you for further learning.

July 28, 2022 by William Bahn

An Introduction to RISC-V—Understanding RISC’s Open ISA

This article is a primer into the basics of RISC-V. The open architecture philosophy is exposed, along with a technical description of the modular ISA, and some commercial RISC-V microprocessor implementations.

June 12, 2022 by Eduardo Corpeño

Understanding Side Channel Attack Basics

Learn the basics of side channel attacks (SCAs), the threat they pose security for hardware-level security, and why they can be so powerful.

March 27, 2022 by Jake Hertz

Hazards in Combinational Logic Circuits

This article covers undesired switching events, known as hazards, that can occur when developing combinational logic circuits.

December 30, 2021 by Dale Wilson

Combinational Logic Circuit Design and Simulation Using Gates

Gate-level implementation of logic functions is limited by the gate fan-in. This article examines logic factoring, grouping, and level increases to implement logic functions with limited input gates.

December 29, 2021 by Dale Wilson

Intro to 5G NR

Learn the basics of 5G NR (New Radio), including its frequency bands, applications, and what technologies make it possible.

October 15, 2021 by Dale Wilson

Digital (ON/OFF) Hall Effect Devices: Switches and Latches

Learn about the polarity of the B-field, unipolar switches, omnipolar switches, Hall effect latches, and bipolar switches in this technical article.

July 22, 2021 by Dr. Steve Arar

An Introduction to Digital Signal Processing

This article provides a general understanding of what DSP is, how it works, and what advantages it can offer. To appreciate the advantages of DSP, let’s first have a look at the conventional method of signal processing, i.e., analog signal processing.

June 30, 2021 by Dr. Steve Arar

Adding a Low-pass Filter to an ADC Model and DAC Modeling

In the final part of this series on modeling ADCs, we discuss one more model and also briefly cover DAC models.

March 02, 2021 by Wes Brodsky

Modeling ADCs Using Effective Number of Bits (ENOB)

Learn about the concept of ENOB (effective number of bits) and how it can be used in modeling data converters in system simulations.

February 26, 2021 by Wes Brodsky

Digital or Analog? How Should I and Q Combining and Separation Be Done?

How should I and Q combining be done? Through analog or digital means? This article will discuss the basics of the analog and digital IQ approaches.

February 22, 2021 by Wes Brodsky

All About Seeing Your Projects: Optical and Digital Magnification

Smaller electronics call for more powerful inspection equipment. If you're building a collection of at-home lab equipment, these visual tools may help you see where you're going on minuscule boards.

February 14, 2021 by Mark Hughes

Which Encoding Type Should I Use? Example FPGA Applications

Follow three experiments that show the process of determining which kind of encoding suits a given FPGA.

January 06, 2021 by Eduardo Corpeño

Comparing Binary, Gray, and One-Hot Encoding

This article shows a comparison of the implementations that result from using binary, Gray, and one-hot encodings to implement state machines in an FPGA. These encodings are often evaluated and applied by the synthesis and implementation tools, so it’s important to know why the software makes these decisions.

January 05, 2021 by Eduardo Corpeño

The Initial State of Finite State Machines and the Memory Debate

This article discusses the use of finite state machines (or FSMs) in design, including the initial state and the way memory configuration affects FPGA design.

January 04, 2021 by Eduardo Corpeño

Creating Finite State Machines in Verilog

This article describes the basics of finite state machines and shows a practical way of implementing them in the Verilog Hardware Description Language.

January 01, 2021 by Eduardo Corpeño