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Electrical Symbols for Electronic Components: Passive Components

Electrical Symbols for Electronic Components: Passive Components

This two-article series provides an overview of circuit symbols, along with some information on the components that they represent.


How to Reduce Ground Bounce: Mitigating Noise with PCB Design Best Practices

How to Reduce Ground Bounce: Mitigating Noise with PCB Design Best Practices

Learn what ground bounce is and how you can avoid it with design decisions from PCB layout to programming.


The Path of Least Impedance: How to Use Return Paths for Better PCB Design

The Path of Least Impedance: How to Use Return Paths for Better PCB Design

High-speed signals don't follow the path of least resistance; they follow the path of least impedance.


Use It Or Lose It? What Should You Do with Non-Functional Pads?

Use It Or Lose It? What Should You Do with Non-Functional Pads?

Circuit board stacks of four or more layers often have through vias that attach to pads on layers where there is no electrical connection. Should those non-function pads stay, or should they go? This article presents the problem and provides resources.


Rigid-Flex PCB Design: Benefits and Design Best Practices

Rigid-Flex PCB Design: Benefits and Design Best Practices

This article will discuss what rigid-flex PCBs are, the advantages of using them, and the rules for designing with them for an application.


Clock Signal Management: Clock Resources of FPGAs

Clock Signal Management: Clock Resources of FPGAs

This article will review the common FPGA resources that allow us to efficiently generate and distribute clock signals throughout a system.


How to Design a Super Simple Sensor System for Industrial Monitoring Applications

How to Design a Super Simple Sensor System for Industrial Monitoring Applications

This article describes an Ethernet-connected subsystem of a larger modular sensor system designed for industrial or smart home sensing and monitoring. We will discuss a custom sensor subsystem developed for this application.


Projects Sep 12, 2018 by Mark Hughes
How to Build a Class-D Power Amp

How to Build a Class-D Power Amp

Learn how to build your own Class D power amplifier—one of the most efficient ways to listen to music.


Projects Aug 29, 2018 by Cezar Chirila
Guide to PCB Design: How to Choose a PCB Manufacturer

Guide to PCB Design: How to Choose a PCB Manufacturer

In this article, we will discuss some best practices for how to choose a manufacturer to produce your custom PCB board.


Guide to PCB Design: How to Generate Manufacturing Files for Custom Printed Circuit Boards

Guide to PCB Design: How to Generate Manufacturing Files for Custom Printed Circuit Boards

In this article, we'll go over the basics of generating manufacturing files for PCB design and manufacturing.


Guide to PCB Design: From PCB Schematic to Board Layout

Guide to PCB Design: From PCB Schematic to Board Layout

In this article, you will learn the basics of how to plan a schematic for a custom PCB and lay out your PCB prototype design.


Hardware Assessment: OPB9000 Reflective Light Sensor from TTElectronics

Hardware Assessment: OPB9000 Reflective Light Sensor from TTElectronics

The OPB9000 is a reflective light sensor from TTElectronics with programmable output and sensitivity levels.


Projects Jul 27, 2018 by Mark Hughes
PCB Layout Tips and Tricks: Minimizing Decoupling Inductance

PCB Layout Tips and Tricks: Minimizing Decoupling Inductance

This article examines some subtle details associated with the high-frequency performance of decoupling capacitors.


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.


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.


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.


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.


I2C Design Mathematics: Capacitance and Resistance

I2C Design Mathematics: Capacitance and Resistance

This article looks at the mathematical calculations used to size the pull-up resistors and determine the maximum length of circuit traces.


A Simple, Compact Power Supply for Analog and Mixed-Signal Systems

A Simple, Compact Power Supply for Analog and Mixed-Signal Systems

This project demonstrates and discusses the performance and functionality of an inductorless ±5 V power-supply circuit.


Projects Jun 18, 2018 by Robert Keim
How to Choose the Frequency of Your Switching Regulator

How to Choose the Frequency of Your Switching Regulator

This article discusses some details—efficiency, noise, etc.—that influence the choice of operational frequencies for switch-mode power supplies.