Rowe's and Columns
Senior Technical Editor Martin Rowe covers topics relating to general-purpose instrumentation, compliance, communications test, and anything else that comes along.
DesignCon 2012: “Closing eye” panel discusses crosstalk
DesignCon 2012 opened on Monday, January 30 with “Case of the closing eye” panel discussion. Representatives of Agilent Technologies, LeCroy, and Tektronix joined “Engineers who actually do something,” said Ransom Stephens, for this annual gathering. The lively discussion filled the large room at the Santa Clara Convention Center. Click here to listen to the entire dis ...... Read More
Comments (0)How might mobile apps change test?
On January 27, I posted a product tryout of an iOS Wifi spectrum analyzer. It’s the third iOS hardware measurement product that I’ve seen, the others being an oscilloscope and a wireless multimeter. There’s also an Android app that lets LTE phones monitor the network. What should be next for measurement mobile apps?I’d like to see a device that lets you monitor a genera ...... Read More
Comments (0)Engineers discuss measurements at DesignCon
Engineers have found that using just one or even two instruments isn’t enough to sufficiently characterize high-speed serial devices. On January 31, five engineers will discuss “The Future of Measurements” at DesignCon. The engineers, from Altera, Intel, AMD, PLX Technology, and the University of New Hampshire Interoperability Lab will share their experiences and explain how t ...... Read More
Comments (0)What's your least favorite test instrument?
My December 6 post “What is your favorite test instrument?” resulted in many engineers telling what they like. (Analog oscilloscopes seemed to lead the way.) Now, it’s time to hear what instruments you’ve purchased or rented, but wish you hadn’t. Be careful what you say though, for you might find it best not to name a manufacturer or a model number because your c ...... Read More
Comments (11)An autographed HP instrument
My colleague Bill Schweber sent me a link to a PBS Antique Roadshow archive that shows an HP 200D audio oscillator signed by Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard. A former HP employee found the oscillator at a flea market in the early 1990s, bought it for $25, and called HP asking Bill and Dave to sign it, which they did. The link touched of a discussion among several T&MW contributors as to the tr ...... Read More
Comments (2)Measure light in lumens
Home lighting is changing. Incandescent bulbs are being replaced by CFL (compact florescent) bulbs and LEDs. According to a press release from the American Lighting Association, Starting January 1 2012, lighting products must carry labels that state light output in lumens, the unit of luminous flux, which is derived from the candela, the basic unit of luminous intensity. Unfortunately, we’r ...... Read More
Comments (3)What's your favorite test instrument?
Many engineers have a favorite test instrument. It could be a trusty DMM or oscilloscope. What do you like about your favorite or favorites? If your favorite is no longer in production, why do you keep using it? I’d bet it’s because it does something to a newer instrument might not do or do as well as your old one. Tell us your stories. You may have a different favorite at home and a ...... Read More
Comments (30)A different Thanksgiving competition
Thanksgiving occurred last week and chances are you watched football. But, there was another competition on TV that night: Punkin Chunkin on The Discovery Channel. The point behind Punkin Chunkin is to build a machine that can hurl pumpkins. The pumpkins, which weigh between 8 lbs. and 10 lbs., fly through the air propelled by air cannons, torsion catapults, centrifugal-force machines, and other ...... Read More
Comments (1)Society trade show draws safety and EMC engineers
Society trade show draws safety and EMC engineersOn November 16, the Northeast Product Safety Society hosted its 17th annual Vendor’s Night. Many Boston-area engineers drove through the rain to see the latest in test equipment, shielding products, and product-safety devices. Local test labs and consultants also exhibited. EMC products included those from Teseq (see photo), ETS-Lindgren , ...... Read More
Comments (1)Moving and renovating
“Moving is a monumental task” tells the story of the Northrop Grumman’s Electronic Systems sector in Baltimore where two of the company’s calibration labs moved to a new building. The building required a complete renovation, which meant planning and constructing walls, wires, and pipes. Like any renovation project, oversights and unexpected problems arose.Listening to t ...... Read More
Comments (1)EMC/safety trade show coming Nov. 16
On Wednesday, November 16, the Northeast Product Safety Society will hold its 17th annual “Vendor’s Night.” About 50 companies will exhibit EMC and product safety products and services for engineers. The event runs from 5:00 to 9:00 at the Marlborough, MA Holiday Inn. Exhibitors include test equipment, components, test labs, and consultants. There is no cost for to attend the ...... Read More
Comments (0)TDR technology could sense touch
Time-domain reflectometry, the technology used to find breaks in cables and to characterize transmission channels at high frequencies, could find use as a touch application, according to an article in Technology Review. Researchers at the University of Munich and the Hasso Plattner Institute have used the decades-old technique to sense touch in wires by sending a pulse and measuring reflections wi ...... Read More
Comments (0)
