Documenting code is something most people dislike doing. By the time you are done with writing, debugging, testing, fixing and re-testing, you are so sick of it that you just don’t want to look at it anymore. But most of us have already been on the other side of the code: a recipient of some […]
FAQ
Metal Oxide Field Effect Transistor: What is RDS(on)?
RDS(on) stands for “drain-source on resistance,” or the total resistance between the drain and source in a Metal Oxide Field Effect Transistor, or MOSFET when the MOSFET is “on.” RDS(on) is the basis for a maximum current rating of the MOSFET and is also associated with current loss. All things being equal, the lower the […]
RF cable and RF wireless transmission
What is RF? RF stands for “Radio Frequency” and has become a catch-all term for certain wired communications and a large (spectral) range of wirelessly transmitted waves. It’s easy to find wireless RF modules for microcontroller development kits and other design-ready products, but where does RF cable fit in? What does Ethernet have to do […]
Modulating 5G
The IoT will make heavy use of fifth-generation mobile networks that use a yet-to-be-determined modulation scheme. Here are the major contenders. LEE TESCHLER | EXECUTIVE EDITOR Fifth-generation mobile networks, abbreviated 5G, will form the telecommunications standards for the internet of things. Planners say 5G will have a higher capacity than the current 4G equipment partly […]
Supervisory IC vs. RC circuit: delaying MCU start-up until supply voltage is good
Engineers use external microcontroller (MCU) supervisory circuits as a fail-safe to ensure that their systems operate in a safe manner when unforeseen, unpredictable events occur when their systems are sent out “into the wild,” that is, when their systems are no longer in a controlled environment. (Here, we will consider microprocessors and central processing units […]
Top microcontroller threads on EDAboard.com — March
(editor’s note: Intrigued by the problem? Have a similar challenge? Have a question or another solution? Then click the “Read more” link and follow the conversation on EDAboard.com or log in to EDAboard and participate in the microcontroller forum thread.) SCR bridge control – I am using a PIC18F4520 to control an SCR bridge. I […]
Pardon the interruption: speeding up responsiveness
Many of the abilities that modern digital electronics enable rely on the fact that common processors can perform millions or billions of operations every second. This blindingly fast speed can make it appear that a device is handling many operations at once when in fact, it is rapidly following a sequential set of instructions, often […]
Overview of embedded systems
An embedded system is much more than a computer, because they often must have a real time response and several constraints to work within a given system that is tailored by industry and function. Real-time operation requires a response to input within microseconds. Delays in responding, termed latency, are often unacceptable, especially in real-time systems. […]
What does an eye diagram or eye pattern on an oscilloscope mean?
Eye diagrams are a quick, visual means of identifying signal integrity issues before moving on to more refined analysis. They help with the effective analysis of serial data and offer both qualitative and quantitative insight regarding the data communications signal path itself and what might be affecting signal integrity. Circuit designs that reach the prototype […]
General tips on debugging embedded hardware
When you first start out after graduating from college with a B.S. in electrical engineering, you have a bright, shiny new degree that might not be exactly what you expected. You had to take a series of fundamental courses in math and science for the first year or two. The third year is spent learning […]
