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Today in Science History -
 Each week, for the sake of all avid cruciverbalists
amongst us, I create a new
technology-themed crossword puzzle using only words from my custom-created lexicon
related to engineering, science, mathematics, chemistry, physics, astronomy, etc. You
will never find among the words names of politicians, mountain ranges, exotic foods or
plants, movie stars, or anything of the sort. You might, however, see someone or something
in the exclusion list who or that is directly related to this puzzle's theme, such as
Hedy Lamarr or the Bikini Atoll, respectively. This week's crossword contains a shameless
plug for my custom software products - they're inexpensive and will save you a lot of
time ...
 Triad RF Systems, a top-tier designer and manufacturer
of RF and microwave amplifiers, announces the introduction of their
TTRM1123 high power bi-directional amplifier (BDA) that utilizes the latest LDMOS
technology to provide over 60 W of linear power in S-Band. The unit is designed
to be integrated in any system that requires high power, high efficiency and high linearity
in the entire 2200 - 2500 MHz band. In transmit mode, the amplifier provides 28 dB
of small signal gain and can produce over 10 W of 64 QAM OFDM power across the band!
In receive mode, the unit has 11 dB of small signal gain with a noise figure of
2 dB. The unit can be configured to auto switch to transmit when RF is present ...
 "The boy and his father had just witnessed a demonstration
of one of the most promising and fastest developing technological devices ever conceived
by man - the laser. In only three whirlwind years, the laser - which gets its name from
the initials of Light
Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation - has moved out of the theory stage,
out of the laboratory curiosity category, and into a whole new, exciting world of applications."
That's the opening of an article in the July 1963 edition of Popular Electronics.
I remember when ruby lasers were the the rule rather than the exception for lasers. Power
levels were measured in units of 'Gillettes' in reference in the number of razor blades
they could cut through. Next came chemical lasers with power levels in the megawatts
and now even gigawatts that can take out ICBM warheads as they reenter the atmosphere
and can fry orbiting satellites ...
 For some inexplicable reason, inquires have been
coming in regarding whatever happened to the RF Cafe
Forums, which I discontinued in 2012 due to high maintenance. Spam got so bad, even
with Captcha and other filtering schemes, that I got tired of spending time every day
cleaning out the posts. Maybe people are getting weary of Facebook and Twitter. I stopped
using both of them, and only do LinkedIn now. Anyway, I dug out the old posts and republished them
as an archive. There's lots of good information there. At some point I'll look into the
phpBB software to see if it has gotten any better at thwarting spammers, and re-start
the RF Cafe Forums if so ...
 Fairview Microwave, a leading provider of on-demand
RF and microwave components, has unveiled a new line of
seamless and twistable flexible waveguides covering 10 frequency bands from WR-137
to WR-22 and operating in the 5.85 GHz to 50 GHz range. Typical applications
include base stations, DAS systems, antennas and test instrumentation. Fairview Microwave's
new line of flexible waveguides consists of 78 models - 39 seamless and 39 twistable,
all operating in the same wide range of frequencies. All models are offered with UG-style
square/round cover and CPR-style flanges, and are available in lengths of 6 to 36-inches ...
 Anatech Electronics (AEI) manufactures and supplies
RF and microwave
filters for military and commercial communication systems, providing standard LP,
HP, BP, BS, notch, diplexer, and custom RF filters, and RF products. Standard RF filter
and cable assembly products are published in our website database for ease of procurement.
Custom RF filters designs are used when a standard cannot be found, or the requirements
dictate a custom approach. Please visit Anatech today to see how they can help your project
succeed ...
 "The gyroscope is smaller than a grain of rice
- about 500 times smaller than the current state-of-the-art device.
Gyroscopes are devices that help vehicles, drones, and wearable and
handheld electronic devices know their orientation in three-dimensional space. Originally,
gyroscopes were sets of nested wheels, each spinning on a different axis. But in a cellphone,
a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) sensor measures changes in the forces acting
on two identical masses that are oscillating and moving in opposite directions. These
MEMS gyroscopes are limited in their sensitivity, so optical gyroscopes have been developed
to perform the same function but with no moving parts and a greater degree of accuracy
using a phenomenon called the Sagnac effect ..."
 Popular Electronics editor Milton Snitzer
announced to readers in the final issue of 1971 that the first issue of 1972 will represent
a merging with its sister magazine, Electronics World. It also adopted the larger
physical format of Electronics World. Although both magazines provided a mix
of product reviews, experimental and DIY circuit articles, Ham radio, tutorials on components
(transistors, speakers, printed circuit boards, etc.), and industry news,
Popular Electronics tended to be directed more toward hobbyists while Electronics
World catered more to the professional reader. The new format began incorporating
troubleshooting tips, business tips on customer relations and finance, and defense /
commercial applications. Fortunately, it also inherited the "Mac's Service Shop" stories,
which was really nice since the Carl & Jerry episodes ended in 1964. BTW, Electronics
World was a re-branding of the previous Radio & TV News magazine ...
 Skyworks Solutions, an innovator of high performance
analog semiconductors connecting people, has unveiled its latest cellular infrastructure
innovation, the
SKY66313-11, a wide instantaneous bandwidth power amplifier with
industry-leading efficiency for FDD/TDD 4G LTE and 5G applications. This breakthrough
solution is utilized in small cell and massive MIMO base stations to deliver higher data
rates and enhanced network efficiency that result in improved carrier capacity and greater
coverage for data-intensive, multimedia and Internet of Things devices. The amplifier’s
highly efficient design boasts fully-matched input/output and high gain for best-in-class
operation. With an integrated on-chip active bias circuit, the device provides excellent
performance ...
 Arrow Electronics has a deal worked out with OrCAD
that provides free access to an online version of the schematic drawing tool. "OrCAD® Capture Cloud is a cloud-based
design capture tool that provides the design capabilities of OrCAD Capture on Web. This
web interface provides you a collaborative, quick, intuitive, and easy method of capturing
your designs, without having to worry about downloading and installing the tool, or configuring
the licenses. OrCAD Capture Cloud integration with Arrow allows you to access a huge
repository of parts and reference designs, thereby accelerating your design capture cycle."
OrCAD PCB Designer does not appear to be part of the package, nor is their
PSpice Designer simulator. Keep in mind that anything you create
there is accessible to others, so no proprietary work should be done with it ...
 There are still a lot of people who wind their
own coils, whether it be for an amateur radio rig or for work in the lab. I know I've
wound many a coil around a drill bit or wooden dowel - a somewhat awkward task. This
simple
coil
winding machine that appeared in a 1931 edition of the ARRL's QST magazine
would be a handy addition to anyone's bag of tricks, especially if you find yourself
winding single-layer coils that have a precise, fixed space between the windings. The
home stores like Lowes and Home Depot sell small pieces of oak and maple that would be
perfect for this kind of project. Soft woods like pine and poplar would not hold up as
well under the strain of winding wire. Use your soldering iron to burn your name onto
the base. A little stain and a coat of varnish would give it a real vintage look ...
 Res-Net Microwave has a complete line of precision
RF &
microwave components including attenuators, terminations, resistors, and diode detectors
for commercial, military, and space applications. Products range from the small flange
type to large 2,000 watt connectorized power attenuators and/or terminations at frequencies
up to 26.5 GHz. In-house photo etch and laser trim capability. Please check out
Res-Net Microwave's website to see how they can help with your current project ...
 "Mutliferroics are promising candidates for new type of memory and
logic circuits. Scientists in industry and academia are looking for new materials to
succeed highly successful semiconductor transistors. Scientists have hit on a very promising
post-transistor technology: multiferroics, which use magnetic spin states instead of
electron charge to store binary data. They have shown that these MESO (magneto-electric
spin-orbit) devices can greatly improve energy efficiency and pack more logic devices
onto a chip. Researchers from Intel Corp. and UC Berkeley, are looking beyond current
transistor technology and preparing the way for a new type of memory and logic circuit
that could someday be in every computer on the planet ..."
 When I originally tagged this Electronics
magazine article for posting, it was before Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry
tapped into his immense cerebral power to inform us all that NASA has been faking its
accomplishments in space - notably all the moon landings. Now, based on such unimpeachable
authority, I'm not so sure this story should even be posted, lest it potentially perpetuate
a long-running ruse. In the manner of contemporary news pieces reporting on criminal
activity while avoiding legal claims of libel or character assassination, please mentally
preface all of the claims herein with "alleged" or "allegedly." The world's first successful
spacecraft rendezvous, accomplished by
Gemini 6 and Gemini 7, happened on December 15, 1965, nearly 53 years ago.
Both astronaut crews participated in many communications experiments that included radio,
visual, and laser media ...
 Stop me if you've heard this one before. It starts
out: "Five bald guys walk up to a bar and say, 'We work for a company called
Koaxis that makes premium small
diameter coaxial RF and microwave cable assemblies...'" Now, lest you think me rude to
refer to the follicle-challenged gents on the Koaxis website in this manner, know that
they proudly own their condition. In fact Koaxis offers you as its contact means: Call
a Bald Guy +1 (610) 222-0154, Email a Bald Guy sales@koaxis.com,
and Find a Bald Rep click
here. Be it known also that Koaxis is a woman-owned small business. The
5 Bald Guys have anticipated
your logically-asked question and answer preemptively, "Yes, she has hair and No, she
does not like the spotlight." They deserve a call from you, don't you think so?...
 This is the first of a three-part series on
radio
detector circuits by Mr. Robert Scott. He begins in this article with describing
diode action and progresses to uses in various types of signal detectors in radio receivers.
A discussion of modulation and distortion sources is included as well. The strange-looking
round schematic symbols are vacuum tubes, which used metallic elements separated by space
as functional elements rather than fused sand containing traces of impurities. Don't
be intimidated, though; just think of them as field effect transistors (FETs) where the
plate is the drain, the grid is the gate, and the cathode is the source. The next article
in the series discusses hi-fidelity triode detectors; the plate rectifier, infinite-impedance
detectors, grid rectification, and regenerative circuits ...
 QuinStar Technology designs and manufactures
mm-wave products
for communication, scientific, and test applications along with providing microelectronic
assembly, rapid prototyping, and mass customization. Amplifiers, Oscillators, Switches,
Attenuators, Circulators, Isolators, Filters, Waveguide, Antennas, Phase Shifters, Transceivers,
Mixers, Detectors. QuinStar specializes in cryogenic amplifiers,
circulators, and isolators. Please visit QuinStar today to see how they can help your
project ...
 With more than 780 custom-built symbols,
this has got to be the most comprehensive set of
Visio Stencils available
for RF, analog, and digital system and schematic drawings! Every object has been built
from scratch to fit proportionally on the provided A- and B-size drawing page templates
(you can use your own page if preferred). Components are
provided for equipment racks (EIA and ETSI) and test equipment,
system block diagrams and conceptual drawings, and for schematics
...
 Advanced Test Equipment Corporation (ATEC) today
announced the launch of a new line of RF and microwave power amplifiers.
Advanced Amplifiers is a provider of next generation solid state RF power amplifiers
and microwave amplifiers, offering continuous wave and pulse amplifiers with a variety
of frequencies and power. Launched by Advanced Test Equipment Corp., a rental and sales
industry leader in test and measurement equipment technology, Advanced Amplifiers offers
"state-of-the-art" technology to a variety of industries. The Advanced Amplifiers line
of ultra-high linearity amplifiers revolutionizes RF power amplifier design with their
unique high-power density and small size form factor, high energy efficiency and simple
front panel ...
 Axiom Test Equipment allows
you to rent
or buy test
equipment, repair test
equipment, or sell or trade
test equipment. They are committed to providing superior customer service and high quality
electronic test equipment. Axiom offers customers several practical, efficient, and cost
effective solutions for their projects' TE needs and is committed to providing superior
customer service and high quality electronic test equipment. Please check out Axiom Test
Equipment today! ...
 "NASA spacecraft typically rely on human-controlled
radio systems to communicate with Earth. As collection of space data increases, NASA
looks to alternative radio technologies to meet demand and increase efficiency. The growth
of Software Defined Radios (SDRs), such as
cognitive radio, offers NASA the opportunity to improve the way space
missions develop and operate space transceivers for communications, networking, and navigation.
Reconfigurable SDRs provide the capability to change the functionality of the radio during
a mission and optimize the data capabilities. The ability to change the operating characteristics
of a radio through software once deployed to space ..."
 Steerable phased array antenna systems used to
be the exclusive domain of military and aerospace radar and electronics warfare systems.
The expense involved in both the hardware and the electronics required for controlling
the beam was expensive and complicated. Larger
phased array antennas for lower frequency bands are still relatively expensive. However,
small cell wireless phone and WiFi applications in the 2.4 GHz and higher bands
are seeing the development and deployment of phased arrays that will search for and track
individual users in order to allocate antenna gain and signal power where it is needed,
rather than using an omnidirectional radiation pattern. Physically steered directional
antennas are not capable of the speeds needed to do the job. In the last couple years,
MMIC phased antenna arrays have begun appearing in the news for millimeter-wave systems ...
 Axiom Test Equipment, a premier provider of electronic
test and measurement equipment rentals and sales, has posted a white paper titled, "Analyzers Open Eyes to Optical Measurements." Optical communications
systems are highly regarded for their generous bandwidths and capabilities of transferring
massive amounts of data during extremely short transmission times. Of course, those systems
rely on durable, high-performance components connected by single-mode (SM) and multi-mode
(MM) cables, which must be checked and maintained at regular intervals. That can be done
using fiber-optic test equipment designed specifically for the task ...
 When you read a lot of tutorials about
introductory electronics on the Internet, most are the same format where stoic, scholarly
presentations of the facts are given. Those of you who don't have enough fingers and
toes to count all of the college textbooks like that which you have read know of what
I speak. When hobby articles are written in a similar fashion, it can quickly discourage
the neophyte tinkerer or maybe even a future Bob Pease. QST has printed a plethora
of articles over the years that are more of a story than just a presentation of the facts.
My guess is the reason is because often the authors are not university professors who
have forgotten how to speak to beginners. This article on basic calculations for AC series
and parallel circuits is a prime example ...
 RF Cafe typically receives
810,000-15,000 website visits
each weekday and about half that on weekends. RF Cafe is a
favorite of engineers, technicians, hobbyists, and students all over the world. With
more than 7,000 pages in the Google search index, RF Cafe returns in favorable positions
on many types of key searches, both for text and images. New content is added on a daily
basis, which keeps the major search engines interested enough to spider it multiple times
each day. Items added on the homepage often can be found in a Google search within a
few hours of being posted. I also re-broadcast homepage items on LinkedIn, Facebook,
and Twitter. If you need your company news to be seen, RF Cafe is the place to be.
Banner advertising begins at $150/month ...
 I
am in the process of building a Douglas DC-3 control line model that uses a pair of ElectriFly
Rimfire .10 motors, and wanted to know whether it would be possible to use a single electronic
speed controller (ESC) for them. Unlike brushed DC motors with which you can - and I
have in the past - gotten away with
powering two motors from a single ESC, the brushless motors use a
three-phase signal that is both amplitude and pulse width modulated. Such a waveform
is not likely to be able to drive more than one motor properly, particularly given the
motor's interaction with the ESC due to its time-variable complex impedance. I did a
fairly extensive Internet search trying to find a definitive answer as to whether it
can be done, but they were all just guesses. Many people seemed very
knowledgeable on brushless motors and their controllers ...
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