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Developing standards for the rapidly expanding e-textile industry has become more vital than ever. This article discusses the standards put in place by the IPG, and those that are under [...]

'You will see a few warnings when you compile the code; you can safely ignore those,' the engineer claimed confidently. He had contacted me the previous day stating that he [...]

Most oscilloscopes ship with 10X attenuation passive probes because this type of probe is well-suited to making measurements across a broad range of applications. These probes are typically rated from [...]

Salaries are booming and satisfaction remains high, but many professionals harbor concerns about working conditions, ongoing education, shortsighted management, and outsourcing. Mounting demand for engineering talent could change all that, [...]

Distributor of interconnect, power, and electromechanical components expands its existing value-added location in Texas to include a 20,000sf power solutions center and 40,000sf of distribution center space. For example, as [...]

The advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) market is expected to reach $60 billion globally by 2020, according to Allied Market Research, representing a CAGR of 22.8% from the years 2014 to [...]

Many years ago, when I started working on electronic projects, there was Radio Shack and Heathkit. Most semiconductor vendors, though, didn't have kits to simplify evaluation and development. Building up [...]

THE 10GBASET STANDARD brings significant performance and power efficiency benefits to the data-center, enterprise, telco, and even small-to-medium business (SMB) market segments. However, increasing the data rate from 1 to [...]

The role of the analog designer--and, to some extent, the power-supply designer--has been evolving over the past decade or so. Recently, the trend has been accelerating, driven by ever higher [...]

Power-supply designs are often overlooked as part of a high-frequency electronic system. A wide range of approaches are used--from the simplest linear regulators to switching converters and complete distributed power [...]

A 'shift-left' PCB design verification solution within the engineer's authoring environment is the industry's first of its kind, claims developer Mentor, a Siemens business. This new Xpedition platform helps the [...]

In the classic board game Battleship, an adversary arranges a fleet of tiny, plastic combat vessels on a grid that's hidden from view. After an analogous fleet is set up […]

Just about every analog IC maker provides graphical circuit design and analysis tools. Most are Web-based. Some you download to your PC. Either way, companies put them there to harvest […]

Call them ultracapacitors. Or supercapacitors. Whatever the name, they exhibit vastly greater capacitance than conventional caps. Singly, you can buy radiallead board-mount devices rated for 5 to 10 F at […]

With a staggering number of design engineering graduates entering the workforce in places such as China and India, Asia remains an attractive market for electronic components distributors looking to expand [...]

How I would have loved to have National Instruments' (NI) ELVIS III (see figure) all-in-one electronics lab when I was a freshman studying to be an electrical engineer. The closest [...]

Enter 'motion control' or 'motor control' into your favorite search engine, and you'll be rewarded with links to an ad-hoc encyclopedia of solid design information. Freescale's site (www.freescale.com/webapp/sps/site/overview.jsp?nodeId=02M0zpbnQXGM0zpqCKS2&tid=tMCdr) is broad, […]

I remember the day it arrived. All of our design engineers gathered around the lab bench waiting for our technician to unpack the box. As it was slowly lifted from […]

For many years, aficionados of digital circuits and computers have bragged that their rapid advances will leave all analog circuits lying in the dust. The analog business is shrinking, at […]

Maurizio Di Paolo Emilio is the author of Microelectronic Circuit Design for Energy Harvesting Systems, a book covering the design of microelectronic circuits for energy harvesting, broadband energy conversion, and [...]

The article reports on the challenges of ever-greater signal complexity in several digital designs for oscilloscopes. Customer feedback suggests that several technicians stick with the old tried-and-true edge-based triggering and don't use triggering options. They also don't use some of the advanced trigger modes due to unfamiliarity and ease-of-use issues.

The article focuses on the impact of intense recession and a less-than-vigorous recovery on the engineers. It discusses Electronic Design's 12th Annual Salary and Opinion Survey which shows that most engineers feel reasonably compensated, satisfied with their current position, and sufficiently challenged by their work.

GROWING REQUIREMENTS FOR lower power and high performance in embedded devices could push electronics engineers toward more specialty memory chips. That could include chips based on Crossbar's resistive random-access memory, [...]

Flexible PCBs have gained popularity over the past decade because of their inherent advantages in packing, reliability, and overall cost saving. Industries including Military, Aerospace, Medical, Industrial and Consumer have [...]

...Or, Why Being an Applications Engineer is Sometimes Like Being Nibbled to Death by Ducks. When I first started to work for National 16 years ago, I thought I was […]

The article presents the results of a survey by the journal on the salaries of engineering professionals in the U.S. in 2012. The survey reveals that the industry is slowly recovering from the great recession with a modest salary increases for the third year in a row. It also suggests the need for engineering professionals to work harder to feel the slightly increased salaries.

The article focuses on the survey of engineers which experienced revenue losses in 2009 in the U.S. The extent of shortage problem in different corners of the industry was assessed through the inclusion of questions about component shortages. A pay increase of 1.2 percent is doled out by electronic original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

The article discusses the differing interests that define engineering dream jobs. The aim of individuals to pursue careers in electrical engineering started during the Space Race and the Cold War with subsequent waves of inspiration came during the computer hardware, software and Internet era. The range of innovative fields that motivate the latest generation of engineers are alternative energy, green engineering and nanotechnology. Also, feeling challenged is a vital element of a dream job which aligns with those defining characteristics of engineers such as creativity and problem solvers.

The article provides information on the salary of electrical engineers (EEs) in the U.S. As of 2007, the average engineer receives $102,748 in salary and bonuses. Meanwhile, engineering and technological services industry add 66,300 jobs in 2006. However, the author claims that whole base salaries increase by 7%, bonuses are flat. Also, companies continue to experience problems relative to the recruitment of highly qualified and educated individuals to work for them. It has been cited that one reason for the shortage of qualified individuals is the declining number of students who enrolled in math, science, and engineering programs.

The article discusses the importance of education and research and development (R&D) to engineers in the U.S. It is believed that the level of preparedness as well as the depth of subject matter effectively covered in terms of the industry requirements have been in constant decline and will possibly continue in the future. According to a survey, over 47% respondents believe that education prepared them for the industry's challenges, while less than 40% believe they were better educated. However, some believed that outdated knowledge is not the problem, instead the focus and subject matter of professors and universities are missing the mark. INSETS: STUDENTS NEED TO GET THEIR HANDS DIRTY TOO;FROM THE CLASSROOM TO THE REAL WORLD.

The article focuses on the effect of offshore outsourcing and lower-price labor on engineers in the U.S. According to the Reader Survey, 70% of engineers saw an increase in their paychecks while 8% saw their income drop. However, only about 10% of survey respondents reported that their company planned to scale back engineering staff. On the other hand, the percentage of those who said their company planned to increase the number of engineering jobs dropped to 35% from 40%. The job-related issues that cause stress to most engineers are insufficient human resources to get the job done, difficulties in finding the right components for their designs, time-to-market pressures, among others.

The article focuses on the development of software production outside the U.S. According to the author, U.S. companies are extending their outsourcing business to several countries that can work in the leading-edge technology space. Among the prospects they look forward are the countries of Eastern Europe and Asia especially in India and China. Jordan Selburn, semiconductor design principal analyst iSuppli, says that 70% savings of their production cost are being driven in offshore outsourcing. He added that the demand for analog design services is growing at a rate that surpasses the numbers of analog engineers.

The article discusses the key elements that will help ensure successful design in printed-circuit boards (PCBs). PCBs are regarded as the central nervous system for most electronics assemblies. The first element is the concept stage involving the collaboration of the circuit designers with PCB designers on technology evaluation. Next, it is emphasized that circuit design teams must clearly communicate with PCB design teams mainly for the design intent. The design-creation stage is considered, where it involves engineers who will move into final component selections and creation of their libraries. Discussions on the use of simulation tools, limitations of simulation, and the step to lay out the circuit for physical prototyping are provided.

The article presents information on the increasing infotainment features in cars. The increasing electronic contents include from GPS satellite navigation to entertainment, roadside assistance, real-time traffic updates and stolen-car tracking. According to an estimate, the electronic contents of a car will constitute 40% of the price by 2010, that is 23% higher than that was in 2004. Each infotainment feature in a car needs more CPUs and processor boards to manage real-time audio and video signals. In this scenario, electronic engineers are required to develop systems to handle and manage these infotainment features. New chips and products are rapidly entering the market to handle the situation such chips that can handle audio compression, encoding and decoding. INSETS: PUTTING THE PC IN CHARGE;MOST: A COOPERATIVE DEVELOPMENT EFFORT.

Today’s electronics distributors offer value-added services that smooth the path from concept to manufacturing in the United States. Because design engineers must be more productive with fewer resources, many rely on distributors' value-added services at various design cycles. Distributors help with component selection early in the design cycle, deliver technical support during design, and offer inventory control during manufacturing. As a result, original equipment manufacturers increasingly turn to distributors to help with tasks they used to handle in-house. Once the design is complete, distributors offer value-added services that help manage the manufacturing phase of the product design cycle.

Employment remains below the 363,000 quarterly average in 2003, putting downward pressure on wages and essentially slamming the lid on engineering compensation in the U.S. in 2004. In fact, according to the "Electronic Design 2004" Reader Profile Survey, the average engineering salary actually dipped 2.3% in 2004 to $84,760. Average total compensation across all job titles and functions now stands at $92,840. According to the survey, base pay rates for design and development engineers were virtually flat in 2004, averaging $82,669 in salary and just over $90,000 in total compensation. INSET: GLASS CEILING SHOWS SIGN OF CRACKING.

It has become abundantly clear to all electronics engineers that the workplace is morphing at a rapid clip. In fact, you could say the change is as drastic, if not more so, than when the electronic calculator and the personal computer replaced the slide rule. This time it's more a sociological than a technological evolution, though. Younger engineers are coming out of school heavily reliant upon the latest software tools. They lack an understanding of the underlying math and physics and are largely unable or unwilling to pick up a soldering iron.

Short product life cycles. Fast turnarounds. A constant barrage of new information. A race to stay on top of technology while getting new products out the door. To win the race, America must lure college students into engineering. Otherwise, the nation could compromise its position as world leader in technology innovation as more baby boomers retire. What's important to older, experienced engineers? One answer dominates the list of responses to the question: staying on top of the barrage of information.

Innovation, problem-solving and the compensation keep electronics engineers in the business. Add to that the impact of such issues as the economy and national security, and it would be reasonable to expect engineers to be more than a little sour about their lot in life. Yet 61% of 2004 survey respondents feel adequately compensated for their work. Remarkably, this percentage exceeds 2003's salary satisfaction levels of 53%. Plus, over three-quarters still have a positive outlook toward engineering as a calling. INSET: ARE ENGINEERS CURBING THEIR ENTHUSIASM FOR THE ENGINEERING....

Reports on the design project with engineers in the electronic industry in the U.S. Product developments; Establishment of design teams; Cost cutting in the industry.

Discusses the importance for engineers to have a continuing education in the engineering industry. Key benefits of continuing learning; Suggested approach on how to start self-learning; Table showing the results of continuing education survey. INSET: HOW TO TEACH YOURSELF ALMOST ANYTHING.

Focuses on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers' effort to promote the adoption of interface standards for smart sensor networking in the U.S. Definition of a transducer electronic data sheet template; Support of integrated circuit manufacturers to the effort. INSET: THE IEEE FAMILY OF TRANSDUCER INTERFACE STANDARDS.

Reports the importance of embedded designs for design engineers. Development of bus-functional models for embedded ATM; Importance of intellectual property design; Distinction of an embedded software and silicon manufacturing.

The continual struggle to meet work's daily design challenges can make us all feel a little like Don Quixote, the errant knight created by the Spanish novelist Cervantes. We tackle […]

Tired of the same design engineering job that doesn't seem to be going anywhere? You may even be well paid, but are you really doing what you'd like to do? […]

Every year, more and more reports explain how the U.S. school system is falling behind the rest of the world in math and science. Yet little is done to change […]

Don Reinertsen is a consultant specializing in product development management. He is coauthor of 'Developing Products in Half the Time' and author of the new book, 'Managing the Design Factory.' […]

ANYONE WHO USES Excel owes a debt of gratitude to Dan BricMin and Bob Frankston, the inventors of VisiCale, the first personal computer spreadsheet. The two first met at the [...]

ENERGY MARKETS REPRESENT big opportunities for distributors these days, especially as alternative energy solutions become more affordable and popular. Although the debate over fossil fuels versus alternatives rages on--especially in [...]

The article focuses on the 2013 Markets and Markets forecast which is focused on the growth of the building automation industry. Benefits of automated products includes fast modification, expansion and installation of wireless networks. Engineers of the industry are trying to increase the life of battery for reducing the energy loss. Benefits of long sleep cycle on the life of a battery-powered wireless sensor has been discussed.