An Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) is an impulse or blast wave that’s generated by geomagnetic activity due to solar flares, solar storms, solar superstorms, or the detonation of nuclear weapons. The horrible truth is that an EMP can wipe out electronics by inducing inductive coupling on traces, wires, or any conductive media within hundreds to thousands […]
FAQ
Key factors to consider when choosing a microcontroller
When designing an embedded system with an MCU, which one should you pick? This guide provides you with a quick overview to help you narrow down your choices. A microcontroller (MCU), is the smallest and most basic computer. Running on a single chip, it has a CPU, memories (RAM and ROM), and interfaces (input/output ports) […]
The three approaches to AI design
One of the hottest tech trends is artificial intelligence (AI) and its applications. Various sectors are using AI to solve problems and gain productivity. For instance, a school recently deployed a virtual telephone assistant, also known as a conversational agent, to help students with questions on what classes to take. Students were happy with the […]
How to structure SystemVerilog for reuse as Portable Stimulus
by Matthew Ballance, Mentor, a Siemens Business In our previous article, The Nuts and Bolts of Verification: Recasting SystemVerilog for Portable Stimulus, we described how verification teams can jumpstart portable stimulus test description creation using existing SystemVerilog constructs and principles. Now, switching from analogy to idiom, we’ll dive into the “nuts and bolts” of how […]
New Bluetooth spec gives the IoT a sense of direction
The recently released Bluetooth 5.1 specification builds in an efficient way of zeroing in on the location of BLE transmitters and receivers. Mark de Clercq, Dialog Semiconductor The newest version of the Bluetooth communication standard emerged in January. The most noteworthy feature of Bluetooth 5.1 is an efficient way of discerning the direction of Bluetooth […]
Hidden pitfalls of IoT antenna design
It is easy for developers to get tripped up when cramming multiple antennas into the small spaces that characterize IoT applications. Rich Walters • Brian Petted, Laird Connectivity Traditionally there has been a wall between industrial design and RF (radio frequency) engineering when companies develop products that have wireless capabilities. The process typically starts with […]
Enabling embedded devices for the IoT
Automated onboarding and security features now help speed the integration of embedded devices into IoT systems. Arvind Raghuraman, Mentor Graphics, a Siemens company As the internet of things has evolved it has also grown more complicated. There are myriad choices when it comes to choosing the right cloud platform, cloud apps, device run-time components, communication […]
Understanding wireless across the spectrum
Waves are part of our world as both waves in the ocean and radio waves coming in from the Sun’s corona share fundamental properties.[i] Wireless communication was born from the science of waves and how they travel. After more than a hundred years of study, we’ve organized waves into a large electromagnetic spectrum (EM) that […]
The nuts and bolts of verification: Recasting SystemVerilog for Portable Stimulus
by Matthew Ballance, Mentor, a Siemens Business Nuts and bolts. So prosaic, yet so fundamental and essential. They can be reused, mixed-and-matched in endless ways. All those old jars and tins full of leftover nuts, bolts, and screws have saved many trips to the hardware store. Yet, if not for standardized gauge, thread count, and […]
IoT standards: The End Game
by Cees Links, Qorvo Quite regularly I get the question: with all these standards around, what should I choose? Zigbee, Thread, Bluetooth Mesh, or Wi-Fi? Or maybe LoRa? Or is it better to wait for 5G and NB-IoT? Of course, these questions create confusion and slow down the adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT). […]