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Here’s a neat and novel way of using a long-tailed pair to drive not just two but three LEDs.

As everyone knows, rainbows always have pots of gold at their ends. This Design Idea reverses that, starting with a pot (no gold, alas) and ending with a rainbow.

Wow the engineering world with your unique design: Design Ideas Submission Guide

Bi-color LEDs can be useful animals for indicating circuit balance or battery condition, and the common-cathode types are easily driven with a long-tailed pair, with various proportions of red and green giving oranges and yellows. Tri-color (RGB) types, capable of producing a much wider spectrum, usually need three separate drive sources.

So what happens if we drive drive the red and blue LEDs with a modified long-tailed pair, adding in the green as some function of the other two? Read on to find out.

Figure 1 shows the first attempt.

Figure 1 The red and blue LEDs are driven by a long-tailed pair and controlled by pot (potentiometer) R4, whose wiper voltage varies according to its position and is used to control the green LED’s drive, producing a decently wide spectrum.

Figure 2 gives plots of the three LED currents as calculated by LTspice, which did most of this Design Idea’s heavy lifting. When pot R4’s wiper is at either end of its travel, Q1 or Q2 will be fully on and the voltage across R5 will be high (~3 V). When it’s centered, Q1 and Q2 and thus the red and blue LEDs will be largely off, but the top of R5 will fall to ~1.7 V. That 3 V is enough to hold the Darlington-pair current source Q3/4 off, while reducing it towards 1.7 V gently turns it on, proportionately driving the green LED.

Figure 2 This graph plots the LED currents against pot rotation.

This result is optimized, meaning it’s the best that Figure 1 can do, but is still rather unsatisfactory because the drives for intermediate colors—oranges, lemons, and the interesting cyans and turquoises—are badly matched, giving rather sludgy shades compared with the pure ones. Breadboarding confirmed the problem.

Take two

Some thought and a rearrangement of the circuit gave Figure 3.

Figure 3 Rearranging the circuit and adding an op-amp to drive the green LED gives better, more linear control of the LED currents.

The pot now gives a lower, more linear, drive to Q1/Q2, the green-controlling voltage being picked off from the tail resistor R1. Obviously, the voltage across R1 is at a maximum with the pot at either extreme and falls to near zero with the pot centered, when red and blue LEDs are off. A1 amplifies that voltage and drives the green LED through R7.

Figure 4 shows the sim plot, which implies that it should work much better when built…

Figure 4 The response of the revised design has more linear curves, giving a smoother spectrum.

…as indeed it does! Owing to brightness mismatches in my 10 mm diffused LEDs (common to most tri-color types) I had to drop the green drive by increasing R7 to 1k2. That drive is also affected by LED1_G’s forward voltage; turning A1 into a proper current source worked well but added more components and didn’t look any better. After fixing R7, the brightness was fairly constant over the whole available spectrum.

A rainbow, or only a portion thereof?

Ah, that weasel word “available”! This can never quite match a real rainbow or other white-light spectrum because the deepest reds and the furthest indigos and violets are outside its range—even rainbows have rather a limited palette compared with a full RGB mix. Swapping the LEDs around gives some interesting spectra (to use the word loosely) in other parts of the chromaticity diagram.

A digital departure

While the basic analog circuit may find applications where three interdependent values need to be controlled by a single pot, there is a better way to drive LEDs like this: use a micro that can read the voltage tapped from a pot and generate appropriate PWM signals to drive the LEDs, perhaps indirectly should you need kilo-lumen rainbows. This approach would also allow direct voltage control of the effects.

I have some solar-powered garden lights that use this principle to span the whole (again, “available”) RGB gamut, using what looks like my my favorite PIC 12F1501 nanocontroller containing a mere 64 bytes of RAM, but more peripherals than pins. Internal demons crank three virtual pots up and down, although low-powered operation means a low and flickery PWM rate. Time to put on the coding hat—waterproof, because rainbows imply rain—and have some digital fun doing it properly.

—Nick Cornford built his first crystal set at 10, and since then has designed professional audio equipment, many datacomm products, and technical security kit. He has at last retired. Mostly. Sort of.

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Helen Duncan’s father took her to a trade show in London when she was 10 years old. She was fascinated by watching CNC machines make large mechanical parts without human involvement. Her father worked in mechanical engineering as a skilled toolmaker and later as an estimator, and he encouraged Helen to help him with car maintenance.

Helen Duncan is CEO of Blueshift Memory, a Cambridge, England-based design outfit that optimizes memory architecture to more efficiently handle large datasets and time-critical data. Its Cambridge Architecture for stored-program machines is designed to replace the current modified Harvard architecture and to overcome the traditional constraints of the von Neumann bottleneck.

Helen was talking to EDN on the eve of “International Women in Engineering Day,” which is celebrated on 23 June this year. When asked what motivated her to enter the engineering world, she pointed to physics being one of her favorite subjects in high school. “When we had to make an electric motor from scratch in a practical lesson, mine was the only one in the class that worked,” she recalled. “I was thrilled by this.”

At 13, Helen decided that electrical and electronic engineering was what she wanted to study. The more some of her teachers tried to discourage her, the more determined she became to pursue that course. “My wonderful physics teacher, Mr. Wood, a Star Trek fan, was unfailingly supportive though,” Helen acknowledged.

In the field

Helen joined the workforce in the late 1970s when only 1-2% of electronics engineers were women. “With a good degree, I had a choice of several jobs, and I accepted a position as an R&D engineer with Plessey, working on RF and microwave projects for both defense and commercial applications,” she told EDN.

Over there, direction-sensing Doppler radar modules for automatic door openers were an early design project. Later, she became a product engineering manager and hence the design authority for all the company’s microwave source products, including two mmWave subsystems for airborne radar. During those days, there was only one other female engineer working alongside Helen: a Turkish lady a few years older than her, who had a PhD from Oxford University.

Figure 1 Helen Duncan began her design work on RF and microwave projects for defense and commercial applications.

By the mid-1980s, Plessey had recruited several new graduate engineers, and surprisingly, women then made up around 25% of the engineering department, much more than the national average, which was still less than 10% at that time. “I like to think that, as I was a member of the interview panel, they were encouraged to see me as a role model who was already in a management position,” Helen recounted.

Mistaken as a caterer

When asked about the challenges of being a minority in those early days and the advantages as well, Helen said she was incredibly lucky to have some very supportive managers. “Within the company, I was unfailingly treated with respect.”

However, sometimes it was more of a problem with outsiders meeting her for the first time. Helen recalled a senior Royal Air Force officer visiting with a defense procurement team; he mistook her for a member of the catering staff, but then instantly recognized his mistake when she stood up to give a presentation.

When asked for a piece of advice she could give to young female engineers entering the electronics industry, Helen said: Believe in yourself and your abilities, and don’t allow others to undermine you or try to mansplain. “Always remain open to any opportunities that may come along, as your career may not always take the course you would expect,” she added.

Figure 2 EDN spoke with Helen Duncan, CEO of Blueshift Memory, on the eve of the “International Women in Engineering Day,” observed on June 23, 2026.

Career advice for female engineers

EDN concluded the talk with Helen by asking her which areas and disciplines female engineers should consider for long-term career prospects. “In general, I would say that no disciplines are off limits for female engineers,” she said. “However, it can be easier to progress in some of the areas that require better communication skills or a more consultative management style.”

She recalled her career trajectory over the years: she has worked in marketing at both Plessey and Rohm, and then in journalism as editor-in-chief of Microwave Engineering. “I have also been a semiconductor market analyst, a technical conference organizer, and a marketing consultant,” she said. “And I managed some of these roles concurrently.”

Most recently, Helen was headhunted for a marketing role at Blueshift Memory and later became CEO. Blueshift targets its smart memory architecture at CPU vendors, AI chip companies, and memory manufacturers; it can be used in combination with GPUs or AI accelerators, or anywhere the von Neumann bottleneck is a problem.

Figure 3 Blueshift Memory appointed Helen Duncan as its CEO in October 2024.

My career has been full of surprise opportunities and unexpected role changes, but it’s been an exciting journey,” she concluded. “And if I were starting today, I wouldn’t change anything.” That’s quite a career statement.

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• Pioneering female engineers
• Women in Tech: Profiles in Persistence
• Memory Startup Targets High-Performance Computing
• A Female Analog Designer Shares Traits for Career Success
• Blueshift Breaks Memory Wall in Data-Intensive Applications

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🎥 Випускний вечір Політехнічного ліцею НТУУ «КПІ» 2026 kpi вт, 06/23/2026 - 13:12

AXT Inc of Fremont, CA, USA — which makes gallium arsenide (GaAs), indium phosphide (InP) and germanium (Ge) substrates and raw materials at plants in China — says that Tracy Liu has been appointed to its board of directors, which has hence expanded from four to five directors...

DigiKey, the global distribution leader of electronic components and automation products, showcases its commitment to innovation and customer engagement at electronica Shanghai 2026.

DigiKey features an “in the wild” brand experience with in-booth and online giveaways, live demonstrations, hands-on workshops, and a live DigiKey Moment interview series featuring leading suppliers such as Analog Devices, Molex, Omron, NXP, TE Connectivity, YAGEO, and STMicroelectronics. These dynamic interviews are accessible to online audiences via DigiKey’s Bilibili channel and focus on trending topics in robotics and AI that are shaping the industry’s future.

“DigiKey is excited to participate in electronica Shanghai 2026 and meet face-to-face with our customers while offering insights and support to engineers, builders, and designers in China and beyond,” said Dave Doherty, DigiKey CEO. “In particular, our DigiKey team is thrilled to present an immersive ‘in the wild’ booth experience that celebrates the people and technology shaping our industry.”

Attendees get the opportunity to engage directly with DigiKey’s customer and application experts on-site. The DigiKey fulfillment zone also offers attendees the opportunity to sign up for a chance to win a box featuring one of five component-shaped pouch designs, with winners selected at random during the show.

DigiKey hosts The Powerhouse Panel, featuring an exclusive discussion with technology experts and industry leaders from Microchip, Molex, and NXP. Additionally, a central product showcase wall highlights a curated gallery of current electronics trends, including AI, robotics, sensing, connectivity, and power solutions from DigiKey’s supplier partners.

The post DigiKey to Stream Live Robotics and AI Supplier Interviews with Analog Devices, NXP, and STMicroelectronics appeared first on ELE Times.

In partnership with equipment provider Advanced Semiconductor Materials Lithography (ASML) of Veldhoven, The Netherlands and foundry Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp (TSMC), nanoelectronics research center imec of Leuven, Belgium has presented a novel, robust and scalable 300mm integration route for 2D-material-based nFETs and pFETs at the 2026 IEEE/JSAP Symposium on VLSI Technology & Circuits in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA (14–18 June)...

КПІ ім. Ігоря Сікорського став лауреатом Organizational Supporting Friend of IEEE Member and Geographic Activities Award 2026 kpi пн, 06/22/2026 - 17:59

I've been building an open-source embedded systems simulator called Velxio. It supports: Arduino, ESP32, Raspberry Pi Pico and Raspberry Pi emulation Multi-board systems communicating over UART, I2C and SPI SPICE-based analog circuit simulation with ngspice Retro CPUs including Z80, Intel 8080, 4004 and 8086 MicroSD and ePaper emulation An AI agent that can generate circuits and firmware from natural language Everything runs directly in the browser. No installation, no account required. You can try it at http://velxio.dev submitted by /u/LeadingFun1849 [link] [comments]

High power density power-supply modules based on gallium nitride (GaN) devices are core components in the automotive, industrial and data-center sectors. As their integration level and power density continue to rise, the issue of dissipation of concentrated internal heat becomes increasingly prominent. Device overheating leads to thermal failure and degrades system reliability; therefore, sound thermal design is of paramount importance.

Thermal resistance analysis and power-loss calculations form the theoretical foundation of thermal design. The thermal resistance (RQJA) of a complex power system represents a coupling of the thermal resistances of numerous components, however, making it difficult to calculate precisely using theoretical formulas alone. Thermal simulation software can directly yield the coupled RQJA of the system and rapidly identify a significant operating condition – the maximum power dissipation sustainable at a given ambient temperature – thereby providing precise data guidance for thermal designs. Figure 1 shows the simulation of temperature distribution of a GaN-based power-supply system using Ansys Electronics Desktop (AEDT) Icepak software. By referring to the temperature color scale on the left, we can intuitively observe the temperature distribution and heat dissipation status of different areas based on their colors.

Figure 1 This simulation of the temperature distribution of a GaN-based power-supply system uses Ansys’ Electronics Desktop Icepak software. Source: Texas Instruments

Understanding conduction, convection and radiation RQJA

Heat transfer in a power supply occurs in three forms: conduction, convection and radiation. Thermal resistance is the core parameter for characterizing the ease or difficulty of heat transfer. Within a power supply, heat generated by semiconductor chips is transferred layer by layer through the package, solder joints, printed circuit board (PCB) copper traces, thermal interface materials and heat sinks – a process that constitutes classic thermal conduction but requires direct physical contact between materials. Equation 1 gives the thermal conduction resistance as:

where L is the length of the conduction path, k is the thermal conductivity, and A is the cross-sectional area of heat transfer.

Once heat reaches a material surface, it is transferred to the surrounding air. Taking a heat sink as an example, its fins transfer heat to the adjacent air, which rises upon heating to form natural convection, or is driven by a fan for forced convection cooling. Convective thermal resistance represents the resistance to heat exchange between a solid surface and a cooling medium, expressed in Equation 2 as:

where h is the convective heat-transfer coefficient and A is the convective heat-transfer surface area.

In addition, heat radiating from the enclosure and heat sink rises toward cooler surrounding walls or the ambient environment. Particularly under natural cooling conditions with a high temperature rise, radiated heat can account for 20% to 30% or even more of the total heat dissipation and therefore requires attention. Equation 3 gives the radiative heat flux as:

where ε is the surface emissivity, σ is the Stefan-Boltzmann constant, A is the radiating surface area, Ts is the absolute temperature of the solid surface, and Tsurf is the absolute temperature of the surrounding ambient walls.

In a practical power-supply thermal design, the three conduction, convection and radiation modes of heat transfer occur simultaneously and are mutually coupled: heat from the chip first reaches the heat sink by conduction and then flows into the environment from the heat sink’s surface by convection and radiation. Thoroughly understanding their physical meanings and governing equations is the foundation for performing thermal design and estimating RQJA.

Calculating MOSFET and magnetic component power losses as heat sources

The heat sources in a power supply originate from the power losses of its core devices, which constitute the fundamental input to thermal design.

The losses of a GaN metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) consist primarily of conduction losses and switching losses. Conduction loss (Pcond) is the loss produced by the root-mean-square (RMS) drain current flowing through the on-state resistance during conduction, calculated using Equation 4:

Equation 5 and Equation 6 calculate the turnon (Pon) and turnoff (Poff) losses of the MOSFET, respectively:

where VDS is the drain-to-source voltage before turnon or after turnoff; tfv and tri are the drain-to-source voltage fall time and current rise time during turnon; fsw is the switching frequency; and trv and tfi are the drain-to-source voltage rise time and current fall time during turnoff. Equation 7 expresses the total losses of each MOSFET as:

The losses of magnetic components such as transformers and inductors are the sum of core losses and winding losses. Core losses (Pcore) comprise hysteresis losses and eddy current losses, while winding losses (Pcoil) comprise DC losses and AC losses, making it one of the primary heat sources in high-frequency power supplies. Equation 8 and Equation 9 are the relevant expressions:

where PCV is the volumetric core loss, Ve is the effective core volume, RDC is the DC winding resistance, Icoil(RMS) is the RMS winding current, and RAC is the AC winding resistance.

Using Icepak simulation to extract RΘJA and determine the maximum current and temperature limits

The RΘJA of a complex power system is difficult to solve precisely through analytical methods. Icepak, a thermal simulation software package for electronic equipment from Ansys, enables system-level modeling and thermal field solving, allowing you to directly obtain the total RΘJA from simulation results, thereby compensating for the limitations of theoretical calculations.

The Icepak thermal simulation workflow comprises three broad steps:

• Model construction, which retains the heat-generating components and thermal-management structures (including chips, PCBs, magnetic components, heat sinks and enclosures); assigns the corresponding material thermal parameters; and generates the mesh.
• A boundary condition setup that applies theoretically calculated device losses as heat sources and specifies the ambient temperature, air-domain boundaries and convection mode.

Solution and output: after iterative solving, the Icepak tool obtains the temperature field distribution and junction temperatures of important devices, which it then uses to compute the total RΘJA along with the heat dissipation path from chip to ambient. Equation 10 is the formula for RΘJA:

where Tj is the chip’s junction temperature, Ta is the ambient temperature, and Ploss is the chip’s power dissipation.

After obtaining RΘJA through simulation, Equation 11 is the fundamental heat-transfer equation:

Applying this formula determines the most significant operating conditions of the power supply, yielding both the maximum permissible power dissipation at different ambient temperatures and the maximum safe ambient temperature at the rated power dissipation.

Here is an example. As shown in Figure 2, under a certain working condition, the GaN device’s power consumption is 1.16W, the ambient temperature is 70°C, and the simulation results show that the chip’s temperature is about 95°C. According to the thermal resistance formula, RΘJA is 21.55°C/W.

Figure 2 The temperature distribution of chips and the PCB they’re mounted on commonly varies. Source: Texas Instruments

After obtaining the RΘJA parameter, it is possible to calculate the chip’s power dissipation based on the specified junction temperature and ambient temperature. The chip’s power dissipation formula then determines the maximum current that can pass under different operating conditions (for calculation convenience, assume that the chip’s power dissipation equals the conduction losses, although in reality they are different). Table 1 shows the maximum allowable load current under various ambient and junction temperatures.

Tj (°C)	Ambient temperature (°C)	Power losses per GaN (W)	RDS(on) (Ω)	Imax (A)
150	25	5.80	0.00210	74.33
110	70	1.86	0.00188	44.4
125	25	4.64	0.00196	68.8

Table 1 This table documents the maximum allowable load current under various ambient and junction temperatures.

Conclusion

Thermal design is one of the most important steps to help ensure the reliability of high-power-density power supplies. Theoretical calculations of power losses and thermal resistance can clarify the heat generation and heat-transfer behavior of individual components, but cannot accurately characterize the coupled thermal resistance of complex systems.

Thermal simulation software enables efficient extraction of the total system RQJA, rapidly determining operating boundaries under varying power dissipation and ambient temperature conditions, and achieving quantitative analysis and precise optimization of thermal design.

The combination of theoretical calculation and simulation represents an efficient methodology for modern power-supply thermal design and can significantly enhance heat dissipation capability and system reliability, particularly for high-power-density GaN-based designs.

Bert Zhang (Haobo Zhang) currently works as a systems engineer in Texas Instruments’ Power Design Services team to develop power solutions using thermal simulation, magnetic simulation, and power design techniques. He earned a Master’s degree from Nankai University.

 

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• Power Tips #146: Design functional safety power supplies with reduced complexity

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Infineon Technologies AG and Amazon Web Services (AWS) to accelerate microcontroller (MCU) evaluation to shorten development cycles for automotive systems. As part of this collaboration, Infineon is launching a cloud-based platform for virtual evaluation of Infineon automotive MCUs, powered by AWS. The new platform removes dependency on physical hardware, helps to reduce evaluation cycles from multiple weeks to minutes, and significantly lowers evaluation cost per user, while supporting hundreds of concurrent users globally. The platform already includes Infineon’s next-generation RISC-V architecture.

“Development speed is a decisive competitive factor for the automotive industry and has become even more important with software-defined vehicles,” said Thomas Schneid, Vice President Software, Partner & Ecosystem Management at Infineon Technologies. “While hardware-dependent MCU evaluation has been a bottleneck for many engineering teams, our cloud-based platform is making it significantly easier for customers to get hands-on with our microcontrollers early in their development cycle. This is particularly helpful when evaluating entirely new MCUs such as our future RISC-V-based family.”

The new platform is based on the Virtual Engineering Workbench, an AWS open-source offering for automotive and manufacturing customers for digital toolchains, hardware virtualization, and infrastructure management. Infineon’s semiconductor expertise delivers a comprehensive, cloud-native virtual MCU evaluation experience. A browser-based interface eliminates local tool installation and provides a consistent workflow across operating systems, while isolated cloud environments help ensure users can experiment without impacting others. Users receive immediate feedback throughout their MCU evaluation journey.

The platform supports two primary workflows. Quick Mode enables rapid testing using pre-configured reference applications for immediate validation of MCU capabilities. Expert Mode provides a full in-browser virtual machine development environment, including compilation, flashing, debugging, and performance analysis, enabling experienced embedded developers to move from evaluation to deeper prototyping without locally installed tool chains.

The platform also introduces automation for Infineon product teams to package and release new MCU variants with minimal effort, making them available for customer evaluation instantly. Usage tracking provides insights into which MCUs and applications are evaluated most frequently, helping to optimize future product planning.

The post Infineon and AWS Launch Cloud Platform to Speed Up Automotive MCU Evaluation appeared first on ELE Times.

India’s electronics manufacturing ecosystem reaches a critical inflection point, formalizing its position as the world’s sixth-largest electronics exporter, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw highlights this milestone.

The scaling of India’s domestic manufacturing capacity is part of a broader macroeconomic strategy aim at capturing secondary placement in the global electronics export hierarchy. Expanding the Semiconductor and Components Value Chain to mitigate supply chain vulnerabilities and increase Domestic Value Addition (DVA), the government is pivoting from simple assembly to deep-tech infrastructure. A core pillar of this transition is the acceleration of the domestic semiconductor Fab and ATMP (Assembly, Testing, Marking, and Packaging) ecosystem. Two semiconductor fabrication plants are currently under active construction, with structural frameworks for two additional facilities slated to break ground by the end of the standard fourth quarter. Integration verticality is being expanded in the Pune cluster with upcoming facilities dedicated to the fabrication of high-tolerance mechanical precision parts, a critical move to localize the component supply chain for semiconductor and aerospace hardware.

To further strengthen the electronics ecosystem, the government is accelerating semiconductor development, with two semiconductor plants currently under construction and two more expected to be added by the end of the year. Moreover, the statement outlined that plans are underway to begin manufacturing mechanical precision parts in Pune, enhancing domestic capabilities across the electronics and semiconductor value chain. Maharashtra is emerging as a key beneficiary of this growth, aided by investor-friendly reforms and robust infrastructure, nearly 60% of India’s data centre capacity is located in Maharashtra, reinforcing its status as a leading technology investment destination. The statement also underscores that the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train and the upcoming Wadhvan Port project are set to boost logistics efficiency, trade, exports, and industrial development while creating one of India’s most significant economic corridors.

The post India’s Tech Manufacturing Surge Propels it to 6th Largest Electronics Exporter appeared first on ELE Times.

A gallium nitride (GaN) high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) incorporating the proprietary reGaN selective regrowth technology of IVWorks Co Ltd of Daejeon, South Korea has become the world’s first GaN transistor to achieve a maximum oscillation frequency (fmax) exceeding 700GHz. This was demonstrated through a 45nm GaN HEMT device developed by professor Dae-hyun Kim’s research team in the School of Electronics Engineering at Kyungpook National University and was unveiled on 18 June at the 2026 IEEE/JSAP Symposium on VLSI Technology & Circuits in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA...

Mordor Intelligence publishes its latest analysis of the semiconductor industry, highlighting sustained expansion driven by artificial intelligence infrastructure, electric vehicle adoption, advanced packaging technologies, and increasing investments in domestic chip manufacturing ecosystems.

According to the industry analysis, the semiconductor industry size stands at USD 0.74 trillion in 2026 and is projected to reach USD 1.01 trillion by 2031, registering a CAGR of 6.42% during the forecast period. Market estimates indicate that rising demand for AI processors, high-bandwidth memory, automotive electronics, and edge-computing devices will continue to strengthen the global semiconductor market over the next five years.

According to reports, the growing integration of semiconductors across data centers, connected vehicles, industrial automation, consumer electronics, and telecommunications is creating new revenue streams. The evolving competitive landscape, supported by government-backed manufacturing initiatives and supply-chain diversification strategies, is expected to accelerate semiconductor industry growth while reshaping the global value chain. Semiconductor Industry Trends Reshaping Global Technology Markets

Vehicle Electrification Creating New Semiconductor Opportunities

The transition toward electric and software-defined vehicles is increasing the need for an advance semiconductor components across automotive systems. Modern vehicles rely on chips for power management, connectivity, safety features, and autonomous driving capabilities. As automakers continue integrating smarter technologies and over-the-air update capabilities, demand for automotive semiconductors is expected to remain a key growth driver for the industry.

Ashish Gautam, Senior Research Manager, Mordor Intelligence, says, “As the semiconductor industry continues to evolve alongside advances in artificial intelligence, automotive electronics, and high-performance computing, decision-makers require research that combines transparent sourcing with consistent market assessment. Mordor Intelligence applies a structured methodology designed to provide a balanced view of industry developments, competitive activity, and the factors influencing market growth.”

AI Infrastructure Driving Advanced Chip Demand

The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence applications is creating strong demand for advanced processors, memory solutions, and specialized chips used in data centers. As cloud providers and technology companies continue investing in AI infrastructure, semiconductor manufacturers are benefiting from increased demand for high-performance computing components, supporting sustained growth across the industry.

The post Semiconductor Industry to Hit USD 1.01 Trillion by 2031 appeared first on ELE Times.

In the modern engineering landscape, the definition of a “complete lab” is undergoing a radical transformation. It’s no longer measured by the square footage of your workbench or the number of cooling fans humming in the background, but by the versatility of the gear in your bag.

As universal standards like USB bridge the gap between consumer tech and professional hardware, the barrier to high-performance analysis is collapsing. We are entering an era where ownership means having world-class diagnostic power available anywhere, at any time, redefining what it means to be a “ready” engineer.

Death of the benchtop monolith

Remember the days when an oscilloscope wasn’t just a tool, but a structural component of your lab bench? We called them “Boat Anchors” for a reason—those massive, whirring monoliths that required a two-person lift and a dedicated circuit breaker just to warm up the CRT. But the era of the benchtop titan is fading.

Today, the core premise has shifted: USB is no longer just a port; it’s a design philosophy. We are witnessing a fundamental migration where the “guts” of our test and measurement (T&M) gear are shrinking from heavy chassis directly into our pockets. This isn’t just a win for portability or cluttered desks; it’s a technical milestone where the fundamentals of high-speed data transfer and power delivery have finally caught up to the rigorous demands of precision engineering.

Figure 1 Tektronix 564B anchors the lab bench as a 1969 solid-state refinement of the classic tube-based 564 storage scope. Source: TekWiki

USB: More than just a connector

To understand why USB has successfully staged this takeover, we have to look past the plastic housing and into the silicon. At its core, the modern USB-C connector is a marvel of high-density engineering, packing 24 pins into a footprint smaller than a fingernail. Within that cramped space, it manages multiple high-speed differential pairs capable of gigabit-per-second throughput while maintaining strict signal integrity—a necessity for streaming raw, high-resolution waveform data to a host PC without lag.

But speed is only half the story; the real game changer is the evolution of USB Power Delivery (PD). We’ve come a long way from the meager 2.5-W limits of USB 2.0, which could barely keep a mouse alive. With the advent of USB PD 3.1, the interface can now negotiate up to 240 W of power. This massive overhead allows engineers to run high-performance FPGAs and sophisticated analog front-ends directly from the port, eliminating the need for bulky external power bricks.

However, with great power comes the “ownership” challenge. Designing for USB means the instrument must effectively “own” its power rail. In T&M, the primary enemy is a noisy laptop power supply. To prevent switching noise from leaking into the signal chain and ruining the noise floor of a sensitive 16-bit ADC, modern USB instruments must employ sophisticated internal isolation and filtering.

It’s a delicate balancing act: leveraging the convenience of a universal port while building a fortress around the precision electronics to ensure the data stays as clean as it would on a dedicated benchtop rig.

Figure 2 A compact power supply accepts both USB-PD and standard DC inputs, facilitating high-precision power delivery in both lab and field environments. Source: Fnirsi

Pocket T&M: The “software-defined” revolution

This shift in hardware is fueled by a fundamental change in architecture: the rise of software-defined instrumentation. In this new paradigm, the pocket-sized device serves primarily as a high-precision hardware front-end—responsible for signal conditioning and high-speed digitization—while the heavy lifting of signal processing, rendering, and complex analysis is offloaded to the host PC.

By leveraging the gigahertz-class processors and high-resolution displays, we already carry in our laptop bags, these instruments provide a user interface that is often more responsive and intuitive than the embedded systems of traditional benchtop gear.

The real turning point for this revolution was the leap in interface speed. While legacy ports like RS-232 or even USB 2.0 acted as frustrating bottlenecks, USB 3.x and USB4 changed the game. Bandwidth is king in T&M; if you can’t move the data fast enough, you can’t see the signal in real time.

A technical note: To put this in perspective, consider a 100 MHz real-time sample stream. At 8-bit resolution, you are looking at a raw data throughput of roughly 800 Mbps. Legacy USB 2.0, with its theoretical max of 480 Mbps (and much lower real-world performance), simply couldn’t keep up, forcing instruments to rely on expensive internal memory and “burst” captures. USB 3.0, providing 5 Gbps and beyond, handles that stream with room to spare, allowing for continuous, gapless data visualization.

So, why are engineers flocking to this setup? The analytics are clear: portability and seamless laptop integration have become the top priorities for the modern “on-the-go” engineer. Whether you are debugging a sensor array in a remote field, troubleshooting an automotive ECU in a cramped cabin, or simply moving between lab benches, the ability to have your entire diagnostic suite integrated directly into your primary workstation isn’t just a luxury, it’s the new standard for efficiency.

Figure 3 A PC-based USB oscilloscope, specifically designed for automotive diagnostics, uses the computer’s monitor and processing power to display and analyze waveforms. Source: Hantek

The benchtop perspective: USB as the “host”

While “portable” might be the buzzword of the decade, the heavy-duty benchtop gear isn’t going extinct—it’s evolving. Even the most robust, high-bandwidth oscilloscopes and analyzers have stopped treating USB as a mere port for firmware updates and thumb drives. Today, the benchtop instrument has effectively become a USB host, centralizing control over an increasingly modular desk.

The back panel of a modern benchtop unit now looks more like a high-end workstation, unlocking key use cases that are redefining workflow. We’ve moved past the era where every accessory needed its own bulky wall wart.

Manufacturers now offer high-performance current probes that pull both power and data directly from scope’s USB bus, simplifying the cable spaghetti that usually plagues complex setups. Furthermore, we are seeing the rise of LXI over USB, allowing instruments to maintain sophisticated triggering and synchronization while utilizing a ubiquitous physical connection.

The manual era is ending as direct-to-PC automation becomes the standard. Using Python and the VISA protocol, engineers can bridge the gap between a standalone box and a PC in seconds, allowing the benchtop unit to function as a high-speed data acquisition node that streams results directly into a script for real-time analysis.

This shift represents a strategic move in design ownership. Manufacturers are increasingly moving away from generic interfaces in favor of specialized, high-performance USB peripherals. By designing proprietary USB-based ecosystems—like specialized active probes or smart sensors—vendors are creating a locked-in environment.

While this can feel restrictive, the trade-off is significant: by controlling the entire signal path from the probe tip through the USB bus to the processor, they can guarantee a level of signal integrity and auto-calibration that generic components simply cannot match. In this new world, your benchtop gear isn’t just a tool; it’s the hub of a bespoke, high-speed digital network.

Challenges: “Fun” in the fundamentals

The transition to USB-centric instrumentation isn’t without its technical hurdles, often referred to by seasoned engineers as the “fun” part of the design process. The most notorious of these is the dreaded ground loop. When you connect a benchtop scope ground to a PC ground via a standard USB cable, you are often inadvertently tying two different power system references together.

This can create a low-impedance path for circulating currents, which at best introduces significant noise into your measurements and at worst leads to a “recipe for disaster” involving magic smoke and fried motherboards.

To combat these reference issues, galvanic isolation has become a cornerstone of high-quality USB T&M design. This process involves physically separating the input and output sections of the measurement circuit to ensure there is no direct conduction path, usually through the use of optoisolators or transformer-based coupling.

Without robust isolation, a USB instrument is essentially a bridge that can carry high-voltage transients from the device under test (DUT) directly into the heart of your laptop. Implementing this isolation while maintaining high data throughput is one of the most expensive and critical engineering feats in modern portable gear.

Figure 4 An ADuM4160 USB isolator module reflects the industry’s shift toward “hardened” portability by shielding sensitive PC-based instruments from high-voltage transients. Source: Author

Beyond grounding, maintaining signal integrity at the physical layer presents its own set of problems. As T&M gear pushes into the territory of USB 3.2 and beyond, we are dealing with multi-gigabit transfer rates that are incredibly sensitive to electromagnetic interference.

Maintaining a stable 10-Gbps link in a noisy lab environment—surrounded by high-frequency switching power supplies and RF emitters—requires meticulous shielding and advanced equalization techniques. If the physical link degrades, the “real-time” nature of the instrument vanishes, replaced by dropped packets and frustrating latency that can mask the very signal anomalies you are trying to find.

Engineer’s watchouts for USB T&M

The USB-centric test gear delivers impressive portability, but engineers must stay alert to practical hurdles. Real-world throughput rarely matches theoretical USB 3.x speeds, so designs should budget for only 70–80% of the rated bandwidth.

Galvanic isolation remains essential to prevent destructive ground loops, though it adds cost and complexity. Power delivery noise from laptop supplies can easily corrupt sensitive ADC measurements unless robust filtering and regulation are in place. At multi-gigabit rates, electromagnetic interference becomes a serious threat, demanding meticulous shielding and equalization to preserve real-time performance.

Finally, proprietary USB ecosystems may feel restrictive, yet they ensure calibration and signal-path integrity from probe tip to processor—something generic setups often struggle to guarantee.

The future is universal

The evolution of T&M has made one thing clear: to own the design of a tool in the modern era is to own its USB implementation. We have reached a point where the physical box is secondary to the interface that connects it to the user. By mastering the complexities of power delivery, isolation, and high-speed data transfer, manufacturers aren’t just making gear smaller; they are creating a seamless, software-defined ecosystem that lives in your pocket but performs on the bench.

If the fundamental goal of T&M is to measure the world, USB is the bridge that finally makes that world portable. It has transformed the industry from a collection of isolated, heavy machines into a fluid network of high-performance peripherals.

As we look forward, the distinction between “benchtop” and “mobile” will continue to blur until the only thing that matters is the integrity of the data and the speed at which we can see it. The universal port has lived up to its name, becoming the definitive backbone of the next generation of engineering discovery.

So, to the makers and engineers standing at the bench: the barrier to entry has never been thinner, but the complexity has never been higher. Don’t just be a consumer of these new portable ecosystems—challenge them. Use these high-speed interfaces to push your projects out of the basement and into the field; but stay sharp on the fundamentals of isolation and noise that the marketing glossies tend to skip over. The world is now your lab; go out and measure it.

T. K. Hareendran is a self-taught electronics enthusiast with a strong passion for innovative circuit design and hands-on technology. He develops both experimental and practical electronic projects, documenting and sharing his work to support fellow tinkerers and learners. Beyond the workbench, he dedicates time to technical writing and hardware evaluations to contribute meaningfully to the maker community.

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The post The USB takeover: Why modern T&M is moving to your pocket appeared first on EDN.

QS World University Rankings 2027 kpi сб, 06/20/2026 - 18:02

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A regular poster here exhorted us to reduce tantalum usage, especially now that X5U ceramic capacitors are so good. Here's link showing how some of that tantalum is mined, and the associated landslides: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/africa/2026/05/12/congos-coltan-belt-verifying-deadly-landslides-at-mines-under-m23-control/ submitted by /u/BigPurpleBlob [link] [comments]

Line scan cameras occupy a distinctive niche in machine vision: rather than freezing a full frame, they assemble an image one line at a time as the subject moves past the sensor. This scanning method makes them indispensable for inspecting continuous materials, fast conveyor flows, and wide surfaces where resolution and throughput must work in tandem.

In this post, we will offer a glimpse into how line-scan imaging turns motion into precision, sharing a few practical clues along the way.

Line scan camera imaging principles

An industrial line scan camera is a specialized imaging device that uses a single line of pixels instead of a two-dimensional sensor. Unlike conventional cameras, which capture an entire frame at once, a line scan camera records one line at a time in rapid succession. To build a two-dimensional image, the object must move relative to the camera—either conveyed past the sensor or kept stationary while the camera itself moves.

Operating at very high speeds (10–400 kHz), these cameras can scan moving objects without motion blur. Because of their extremely short exposure times, they require bright, uniform line illumination to ensure accurate imaging.

As with conventional 2D imaging, a line scan camera requires both a lens and dedicated line illumination to ensure accurate image capture. Several sensor configurations are available: a single sensor line is typically sufficient for producing monochrome images, while dual-line or quad-line sensors can capture the same image multiple times to increase brightness. This approach reduces the intensity of illumination required, making image acquisition more efficient.

So, in a nutshell, a line scan camera consists of a single row of pixels—or multiple rows in certain configurations—that captures one line of an image at a time. As the object moves past the camera or the camera scans across the object, the system constructs a complete image line by line.

This arrangement is particularly effective in conveyor-based or web inspection systems, where materials move continuously in a linear path. For precision inspection and high-speed applications, line scan cameras are indispensable in modern industrial imaging, delivering continuous, high-resolution images of fast-moving objects or large surfaces with remarkable accuracy.

Figure 1 Pencil sketch demonstrates a line scan camera capturing a flat object line by line to assemble a complete, high-resolution image during continuous motion. Source: Author

As a worthy aside, maintaining image proportions in line scan systems requires precise synchronization between the camera and the movement of the subject. This is typically managed by a rotary encoder, a mechanical sensor connected to the conveyor system that sends electrical pulses to the camera.

These pulses act as external triggers, ensuring that the camera captures each new line only when the object has travelled a specific, pre-defined distance. Without this hardware-level coordination, any fluctuations in the conveyor’s motor speed would cause the resulting image to appear vertically stretched or compressed.

Suitable applications for line scan cameras

Line scan cameras excel in scenarios where continuous movement and fine detail must be monitored with precision. In web inspection, they track paper, textiles, and films for defects across wide surfaces. In electronics manufacturing, they ensure accuracy in PCB production by detecting misalignments or flaws at high speed.

They are equally valuable in glass and surface evaluation, where even subtle scratches or irregularities must be identified. In food and beverage packaging, they verify labeling and seal integrity on fast conveyor lines.

Recycling and sorting operations also benefit, as line scan systems can distinguish materials in real time for efficient separation. Across these varied domains, technology delivers speed, reliability, and resolution that conventional imaging methods cannot match.

Line scan vs. area scan cameras

Choosing the right camera technology is a critical step in designing a machine vision system, and the decision often comes down to whether a line scan or an area scan camera is better suited to the task.

Line scan cameras capture images one line at a time, making them ideal for continuous inspection of fast-moving objects or large surfaces, such as materials on conveyor belts or webs of paper, textiles, and films. Their strength lies in producing seamless, high-resolution images without motion blur, even at very high speeds.

Area scan cameras, on the other hand, use a two-dimensional sensor to capture an entire frame in a single exposure. This makes them well suited for applications where objects are stationary or where the field of view is limited, such as component placement verification, barcode reading, or general object recognition.

In essence, line scan technology excels in continuous, high-speed imaging of extended surfaces, while area scan technology is more versatile for static or discrete object inspection. The choice depends on the nature of the material flow, the required resolution, and the inspection environment.

Figure 2 Line scan and area scan cameras drive machine vision efficiency by capturing high-fidelity visual data for real-time processing. Source: Author (composite); individual images belong to their respective producers

Power and I/O interfaces

Line scan cameras depend on robust power and data interfaces to ensure seamless integration with machine vision systems. Camera Link delivers deterministic, low-latency transmission for high-speed inspection tasks, while CoaXPress (CXP) combines ultra-fast data throughput with power delivery over coaxial cable.

GigE Vision, built on standard LAN/Ethernet infrastructure, is widely adopted because it supports cable runs up to 100 m, scales easily across factory networks, and leverages cost-effective switches and routers. HD-SDI enables real-time, uncompressed video transmission over coaxial lines, often used in broadcast or specialized imaging environments.

For simpler or lower-bandwidth setups, USB 3.0/3.1 provides plug-and-play connectivity with broad compatibility. The choice of interface depends on throughput, cable length, synchronization, and system architecture, with LAN-based GigE Vision standing out as a versatile option for PCB inspection and other industrial imaging applications.

Architecture of linear image sensors in line scan systems

Linear image sensors form the foundation of line scan cameras, capturing one row of pixels at a time to assemble seamless two-dimensional images of moving objects. Charge-coupled device (CCD) sensors shift accumulated charge through a common output register, preserving signal integrity and delivering high dynamic range—a valuable trait for detecting subtle defects on fast conveyor lines.

In contrast, CMOS sensors have become the dominant choice in modern industrial imaging. By converting charge to voltage directly at each pixel, CMOS sensors achieve faster readout speeds, lower power consumption, and greater integration flexibility, making them well suited for today’s extreme production line velocities. Note at this point that while CCDs remain a niche choice for specific scientific spectroscopy, CMOS has become the industry standard due to its superior speed, integration, and cost-efficiency.

For color imaging, line scan cameras often employ a trilinear architecture, consisting of three parallel rows of pixels filtered for red, green, and blue. As the target moves beneath the sensor, each row captures its respective color channel in sequence, and the system reconstructs a full-color line. Advanced designs may also use prism-based multi-sensor configurations to enhance color fidelity.

Figure 3 The S13774 CMOS linear image sensor enables high-speed industrial imaging for machine vision and inspection. Source: Hamamatsu

Because the final image is generated line by line, precise synchronization between the sensor’s line rate and the object’s motion is essential. Any mismatch can introduce spatial distortion, while perfect timing ensures distortion-free, high-resolution composite images. This architecture makes linear sensors indispensable for high-speed inspection tasks such as web monitoring, bare PCB analysis, print verification, and sorting, where continuous imaging of moving materials is required.

Evolution and role of contact image sensors

In modern industrial imaging, contact image sensor (CIS) has advanced from a basic document-scanning component into a high-performance alternative to traditional line scan cameras. Unlike reduction-type CCDs that rely on lenses to project a wide field of view onto a small chip, an industrial CIS functions as a 1:1 imaging system spanning the full width of the production line.

This compact design integrates a dense sensor array, gradient-index fiber lenses, and high-intensity LED lighting into a single housing. Because the sensor matches the width of the material being inspected, CIS modules eliminate edge distortion and uneven illumination often seen in conventional optics.

Over time, CIS technology has become the primary choice for web inspection—monitoring continuous materials such lithium-ion battery electrodes, solar wafers, and high-speed print rolls. Mounted just millimeters from the target, CIS units save valuable machine space while delivering uniform, high-resolution data across wide surfaces without the need for complex stitching software. Although they lack the depth of field offered by CCD-and-lens systems, their ability to provide distortion-free imaging over massive widths has made them the dominant standard for flat-surface industrial automation.

Repurposing surplus sensors for discovery

Whether you’re a seasoned tinkerer or just beginning to explore the world of line scan cameras, this session invites you to see electronic waste through a new lens. Hidden inside discarded flatbed scanners is a frontier of high-speed discovery: a high-resolution CCD, a precision-engineered slice of silicon that once mapped physical reality into the digital realm with sub-millimeter accuracy.

For makers, these surplus sensors aren’t leftovers—they’re the eyes of new projects. Repurposed linear arrays can power DIY Raman spectrometers to identify chemical substances, serve as “finish line” cameras for high-speed photography, even build experimental line scan cameras, or form the core of custom laser-based 3D scanners. It’s a chance to work directly with the physics of light, transforming a few dollars’ worth of surplus electronics into professional-grade instruments that reveal one thin, brilliant line at a time.

From my lab diary, I experimented some time ago with the CJMCU TSL1401CL module, along with discrete linear sensors such as the ILX555K, TCD1304AP, and KLI-8023. Those sessions helped me grasp the subtleties of line scan imaging—from timing control and signal conditioning to noise suppression and optical alignment.

Figure 4 The TCD1304AP CCD Linear Image Sensor upholds its legacy as a POS scanner workhorse by utilizing a precision electronic shutter to stabilize signal output against the unpredictability of ambient lighting. Source: Toshiba

Each component revealed its own quirks, turning datasheet specifications into hands-on lessons. That tinkering not only deepened my understanding of sensor behavior but also gave me the confidence to repurpose surplus parts into meaningful experiments, bridging theory with practical discovery.

This marks the end of the post. The journey through line scan cameras may also reveal a gateway to learning, invention, and the thrill of seeing light itself transformed into knowledge one line at a time.

T. K. Hareendran is a self-taught electronics enthusiast with a strong passion for innovative circuit design and hands-on technology. He develops both experimental and practical electronic projects, documenting and sharing his work to support fellow tinkerers and learners. Beyond the workbench, he dedicates time to technical writing and hardware evaluations to contribute meaningfully to the maker community.

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The post Line scan cameras: Fundamentals in focus appeared first on EDN.

Infineon Technologies AG of Munich, Germany says that the Munich District Court (Landgericht München I) has ruled in its favor in two further patent infringement cases – specifically one based on a patent and one based on a utility model – concerning gallium nitride (GaN) technology between Infineon and Innoscience...