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Piezoelectric Accelerometers: IEPE Sensors vs. Charge Output Sensors

Learn about integrated electronics piezoelectrics (IEPE) sensors, powering them, and how they compare to charge output (non-IEPE) systems.

June 26, 2022 by Dr. Steve Arar

PCB Layout Challenges—Improve Your Switched-mode Power Supply Designs

Switched-mode power supplies (SMPS) appear simple to route on your PCB, but are they? This article identifies two noise sources and simple fixes to improve your EMC performance.

June 02, 2022 by Adrian Gibbons

Learn How Integrated Solutions Can Increase the Accuracy of Resistive Current Sensing

In this article, we’ll discuss why a discrete implementation cannot provide a high accuracy in resistive current sensing.

August 15, 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

Assessing the Effect of Load Capacitance on the Frequency of a Quartz Crystal

Learn how the load capacitance mismatch can “pull” the crystal to oscillate at a different frequency and how we can circumvent this problem.

June 16, 2021 by Dr. Steve Arar

Assessing the Advantages of Ultra-wideband Systems Through Impulse Radios

Using impulse radios as an example, we'll examine the advantages of ultra-wideband (UWB) technology compared to other short-range wireless communication technologies.

April 11, 2021 by Dr. Steve Arar

What Is the Power Spectrum of Quantization Noise?

Our series on quantization noise begins with a clarification of the framework the author used to determine the scope of his investigation into quantization noise.

March 07, 2021 by Wes Brodsky

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

How to Use Decoupling Capacitor Placement to Reduce Harmonic Distortion

Learn how to reduce second harmonic distortion by following some guidelines for placing decoupling capacitors in your PCB layout.

February 12, 2021 by Dr. Steve Arar

Introduction to Battery Management Systems

Learn the high-level basics of what role battery management systems (BMSs) play in power design and what components are necessary for their basic functions.

February 08, 2021 by Enrico Sanino

Understanding Electromagnetic Compatibility Tests: Conducted EMC

This article is the first in a two-part series that reviews the basics of electromagnetic compatibility tests. First, we'll focus on a main category of EMC tests—conducted EMC—and the relevant test setup.

October 07, 2020 by Ignacio de Mendizábal

Quantum Efficiency and Signal-to-Noise Ratio in CCD Image Sensors

In this article, we’ll draw upon our knowledge of noise sources and combine it with some new information to create a comprehensive model for CCD noise performance.

May 25, 2020 by Robert Keim

Simulating SiC MOSFET Thermal and Switching Behavior in LTspice

In this article, we’ll set up a basic SiC switching circuit and perform some transient simulations.

March 17, 2020 by Robert Keim

How to Boost the Output Current Drive Capability of an Op-Amp

In the first part of this series on composite amplifiers, we'll investigate one method of boosting an op-amp’s output current drive capability.

February 20, 2020 by Dr. Sergio Franco

Using Power Spectral Density (PSD) to Characterize Noise

In this article, we’ll see that PSD is the main tool that allows us to examine the effect of a noise source on the output of a linear time-invariant (LTI) system.

February 11, 2020 by Dr. Steve Arar

Introduction to the Synchronous Demodulation

This article will discuss the basic idea behind the synchronous demodulation technique.

December 11, 2019 by Dr. Steve Arar

Noise in Electronics Engineering: Distribution, Noise RMS and Peak-to-Peak Value, and Power Spectral Density

In this article, we’ll first examine an important feature of common noise sources: the relationship between the noise root mean square (RMS) and peak-to-peak value.

November 20, 2019 by Dr. Steve Arar

Introduction to Vibration Energy Harvesting

Learn more about vibration energy harvesting as a source of power for electronic systems.

August 19, 2019 by Francesco Orfei

Mitigating Noise in Double-sided PCBs: Multipoint Grounding (Gridded Ground) in Two-layer PCB Design

Learn how to use the gridded ground technique to reduce noise in a double-sided PCB.

August 15, 2019 by Dr. Steve Arar