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Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery vs Lithium Ion For Embedded Systems

Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery vs Lithium Ion For Embedded Systems Two of the most popular battery choices for embedded systems are lithium-ion batteries (Li-Ion) and lithium iron phosphate batteries (Li-phosphate or LiFePO 4). These two types of batteries have very different charging and discharging characteristics, although they have similar chemistry and use some of the same materials. In some systems, you could use either type of battery, but each has its advantages in different applications, which can Read Article

How Embedded Machine Learning Applications Will Benefit From 5G and the Cloud

How Embedded Machine Learning Applications Will Benefit From 5G and the Cloud Editorial credit: Anton_Ivanov / Shutterstock.com When I was studying late at night in college I often wished I had a cybernetic brain implant. Then I could just download any information I needed and instantly recall it later. No more studying, no more forgetting my girlfriend’s birthday, maybe I could even watch Netflix inside my own head. Sadly the illustrious electrical engineers who came before me designed Internet of Things (IoT) devices Read Article

How Internet of Things Wireless Sensor Networks Can Benefit From Multi-Sensor Platforms

How Internet of Things Wireless Sensor Networks Can Benefit From Multi-Sensor Platforms Some people like dogs or cats, but my family has always been a cat family. We have one important rule to keep us from graduating from a “crazy” cat family. We are not allowed to have more cats than we have family members. Sometimes we don’t want limits, but we still have to have them to keep things from getting out of hand. The same principle applies to the Internet of Things (IoT). While I do think many IoT devices are a bit overboard, their Read Article

PCB Design Tools

PCB Design Tools Utilizing the available PCB design tools to their maximum potential allows designers to strike the perfect balance of passion and productivity in their work. Data from top performing designers demonstrates how these tools can lead to more successful outcomes in both business and engineering when used correctly. Key findings include: Best-in-Class companies are more likely to improve designer productivity through tool and process efficiency. The Read Article

Data Management in Four Steps

Data Management in Four Steps When it comes to electronics design, data management is at the bottom of most engineers’ priority list. When you first enter the engineering field, you don’t learn about all the tiny details you need to keep track of during the design process. These minute details build up into the mountain that is data management. Something as simple as finding a previously used part can mean spending your day fumbling between spreadsheets, approved lists, and Read Article

Design Data: Organize to Optimize

Design Data: Organize to Optimize You’re Only as Strong as Your Weakest Link As engineers, we tend to focus on the end technology and forget about the important ECAD design data that actually makes up our designs. The links between technology and design data create something greater than the sum of their . We often overlook the benefits of establishing solid links between our design technology and our design data. The truth is data management provides organization, traceability Read Article

Professional PCB Design Data

Professional PCB Design Data Your PCB design is like a novel. The words of that novel are the buildings blocks you use. You wouldn’t write a novel without defining the language structure; you need syntax, grammar, organization, and diction. You know everything that you want to place in your design, you just have to define it. Once you define the in your ECAD environment, keeping them all organized in libraries can be a challenge. We tend to focus on the end product of our Read Article

Complete Component Library Management for PCB Design Data

Complete Component Library Management for PCB Design Data Complete Management Components are the basic building blocks of designs and even the slightest discrepancy can derail your whole design process. If one bad footprint makes its way through manufacturing, the rest of your design can be invalidated with necessary layout changes. Worst of all, you’ll have to identify everywhere a bad component has been utilized across several designs. The work required to change your layout grows exponentially the Read Article

Pros and Cons of Different High-Frequency Transmission Line Types

Pros and Cons of Different High-Frequency Transmission Line Types You already know that dating is something I struggle with. After my failed attempts at blind dates and speed dating, I decided it was time to try online dating. I found a nice woman who said she was my age and set up a date. Upon arrival, I found out that I’d been catfished--that wasn’t actually her in the picture! Needless to say, it didn’t go well. It made me realize that I should have done a bit more research about my date and online Read Article

Power Integrity: 5 Common Myths

Power Integrity: 5 Common Myths Power integrity is nothing new, but it is becoming more and more of a concern and will continue to be on the forefront of people's minds moving forward. With the continuing trend of faster and smaller products, we no longer have the luxury of space. Each millimeter is precious, and we need to design that way. If you’ve been in the industry for more than a few years, you may have heard many of the following PI myths. Throw Copper at It You may Read Article

Microvias in printed circuit design for HDI PCBs

Everything You Need to Know About Microvias in Printed Circuit Design Have you ever wondered how designers pack so much functionality into such a small space? You can thank HDI design techniques and microvias in printed circuit design. These small structures let traces reach inner layers of a PCB with high interconnect density and high layer count. These structures have been around for years, but they are becoming more common in a variety of systems that require multiple functions on a single circuit board. If you Read Article

17:04 PCB Design Tape Mylar To Moon Watch Video

PCB Layout Tips: How to Get Your Layer Stack Right - OnTrack Watch Video

Overcoming the Challenges with Rigid Flex Design

Overcoming the Challenges with Rigid Flex Design There is no question that wearable electronic devices qualify as “break-out products”. The market for wearables is forecasted to be $30 billion in 2016 and will grow to $150 billion by 2026[1]. Most of these devices are simply impossible without rigid-flex PCB design technology. This means that engineers and PCB designers need to become experts in designing, testing, and manufacturing in a wearable and “foldable” world. The most familiar products Read Article

The Pros and Cons of Different LPWAN Networks for Your IoT Application

The Pros and Cons of Different LPWAN Networks for Your IoT Application Right now, IoT is like a gladiator battle in the coliseum of market forces and public opinion. There are constant rankings of what protocol or stack to use, which IoT products are useful ( or not), and who’s going to win each element of the burgeoning IoT ecosystem. The best part is that each of these little battles is also a decision that you must face or plan for in your next IoT design. Awesome, right? Lucky for you, I’ve already considered Read Article

Design Release Management and Communicating Intent

Design Release Management and Communicating Intent We know that designing and releasing a product involves a multidisciplinary chain of command. Prior to its release, the ECAD side often goes through a series of adaptations to capture the incremental changes to the design. During this stage, the ECAD data is a moving target, which can impede the flow of communication to invested parties. Failure to effectively communicate these changes can have significant consequences on the design release Read Article

How to Design Micro SD Power Circuits Without Destabilizing the On-Board Voltage Supply

How to Design Stable Micro SD Card Power Circuits in PCB Layouts PCB designers often have the tough job of balancing perfection in design and keeping costs down. For PCB designs dealing with storage medias, like micro SD, neglecting simple terms like “hot insertion” or “inrush current” can result in a prototype that imperfect and costly. My philosophy is to keep my hardware designs simple. I am quick to discard any components that seem superficial in my design. Unfortunately, I learned the hard way that Read Article