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Ascent Solar Technologies Inc of Thornton, CO, USA – which designs and makes lightweight, flexible copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) thin-film photovoltaic (PV) modules that can be integrated into consumer products, off-grid applications and aerospace applications – has signed a master services agreement with NOVI Space Inc, a Virginia-based space AI infrastructure & compute company that develops and operates AI-powered satellites with their TRL-9 edge computing technology...

🔎 Нові вакансії в НАЗК kpi пт, 06/20/2025 - 17:03

I went to start my car (a 2006 Toyota Camry) and when I turned the key in the ignition switch, NOTHING happened. The car was utterly inert. The radio wouldn’t play, the passenger cabin ceiling light was dark and I wasn’t going anywhere, at least not in that vehicle.

I guessed that the car’s battery had failed, but being an engineer (you know the type.) I just had to measure the battery’s terminal voltage. I went and got my trusty Sears digital multimeter, raised the hood of the car to expose the battery and touched one of the multimeter probes to the positive post of the battery at the exact spot you see in the image below. That one probe slipped into a small crevice between the battery’s positive post and that post’s clamp and when it did, there was a spark right there at the spot where I’d stuck my probe. Nothing was connected (yet) to the other multimeter probe which left me wondering “Why did I see that spark?”

Figure 1 The battery that was probed and the location where the unexpected spark occurred.

This was in May of 2025 which meant that battery was two years old having been installed in May of 2023. The battery had not been touched at all during those two years which led to the

problem at hand. Gradually, the two post clamps had worked themselves loose. The clamp serving the positive post had actually lost its electrical connection to that post. When my multimeter probe got involved, the spark arose from the battery making connection again via the metal of the probe tip to all of the stuff the battery was normally called upon to feed.

Now that I knew what was wrong, I set about making repairs by tightening the two post clamps, BUT there was a very specific safety issue at hand to which I want to draw your most alert attention.

My car uses an internal combustion engine, which incorporates a 12-V lead-acid battery whose negative post is grounded to the frame of the car. This has been a conventional design approach for many years. I think that pre-1950 or so cars with 6-V lead-acid batteries had their positive posts grounded to the car frames, but that’s a whole other thing.

When you are going to do any work on a car such as my own, where that work involves the car’s battery, you MUST, MUST, MUST first disconnect the clamp that connects to the battery’s negative post. If you fail to do so and you accidentally happen to make a connection with some tool (a socket wrench, maybe) from the battery’s positive post to the car frame, that accidental connection will short-circuit the battery. There will be a flash, and according to something I once read, the battery might even explode.

You do not want to risk having that happen.

I disconnected the clamp from the negative post. I then disconnected the clamp from the positive post and scoured both post surfaces and their clamp surfaces. Next, I reattached the positive post’s clamp, I reattached the negative post’s clamp (in that order) and I started the car.

Everything worked. Everything was back to normal. I drove it to the grocery store and back again. We needed some milk.

John Dunn is an electronics consultant, and a graduate of The Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn (BSEE) and of New York University (MSEE).

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• Fractured wires and automotive safety

The post Installing a car battery appeared first on EDN.

I built this two years ago over the course of several months. The initial idea was to build my own portable Atari 2600 as I've seen other people do, but with my own spin. It kind of morphed into a 1920s steampunk project, when I wondered what the Atari would look like if it were designed and built in 1926. So I used and old gauge, old dial, brass button, metal toggle switches, and terminology to label it. I used the screen from a portable LCD TV and the speaker from a computer speaker. The battery is a new Lithium Ion rechargeable. The Atari itself was an Atari Junior, with wires remoted out to the switches and controls. The circuit had to have some modifications for the battery input and controls. "Version 2" had all new labels as can be seen in the photos, and I added a blinking/flashing orange light inside to add some color to the inside. The concept is that the game cartridges are called "Novelties." Inside each novelty is a spinning disk like a record. The electromechanical device inside the case reads the information on the disc and projects it onto the screen. The "stick" on the upper right controls the movement, and the button on the left is the joystick button. The AtariGraph is from "phonograph." It plays any Atari 2600 game and has an input for a second joystick. It's basically a usable work of art. I can't imagine making a second one. submitted by /u/Alman54 [link] [comments]

Cost-efficient electric car battery tests in automotive development and production

For fast quality testing of battery cells, GÖPEL electronic has developed a powerful and quickly configurable battery test bench that features a modular design and high flexibility. The system consists of a central measurement technology unit with a computer and monitor, a control cabinet, and a unit with all the power electronics, and can be adapted to the user’s needs in a modular fashion.

The battery test bench offers a power range up to 500 kW and tests in the voltage range up to 1,000 V DC with test currents of up to 800 A DC. Insulation tests can be performed with up to 7.5 kV. Thanks to its regenerative capability, the test solution is also designed to be highly energy-efficient. The scope of services includes safety tests and functional tests. These tests evaluate the condition of the cells, the impedance of the battery under alternating current, and the alternating current dynamics of the cell, and detect critical defects. The test results provide information about electrochemical processes in the cell, aging effects, and internal resistance fluctuations across different frequencies.

As part of the functional test, the GÖPEL electronic test system communicates with the battery management system (BMS) via CAN-BUS. The battery is charged with a prescribed and defined charging pulse, discharged, and finally the “state of charge” is checked. After the battery is discharged, the energy required for this is fed back into the power grid by the test solution, ensuring high energy efficiency and cost savings.

At the end of the security and functional tests, all test results are automatically exported to a database in the production department in individually configurable reports. Before delivery, the system checks the quiescent current to ensure that no unnecessary consumers can drain the battery. In addition, the desired state of charge is ensured, the final sensor data is read out, error memory entries are compared, and finally, the end customer software is flashed onto the battery.

The post Quickly configurable battery test bench for security and function tests on automotive high-voltage batteries appeared first on ELE Times.

After all these years I was pleased to finally make use of an old RadioShack DIP-1 IC proto-board that I had tucked away in a box! It was perfect for a mini Arduino shield when I built this cardboard Puzzle Bobble controller. submitted by /u/Tominator2000 [link] [comments]

Ascent Solar Technologies Inc of Thornton, CO, USA says that its flexible thin-film copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) photovoltaic (PV) technology has reached record energy conversion efficiency of 15.7% (AM0) at production scale. The achievement aligns with the firm’s previously announced 2025 strategy, which aimed to continue improving on its thin-film PV’s material quality, technological efficiency and production design optimization to increase the applicability of the technology in the space market...

Materials, networking and laser technology firm Coherent Corp of Saxonburg, PA, USA has launched the COMPACT EVOLUTION AC, a next-generation compact, air-cooled 500W diode laser system for polymer welding...

Know you can buy these, but this cost next to nothing. The probes are pin headers (without the little holding square thing, don't know what to call em), the Y shape they make fit perfectly around the tweezer center. Cheap plastic tweezers from Walmart worked just fine. Only purchase was the plugs. Amazingly helpful for testing SMD components on boards due to one handed operation. submitted by /u/AllHailSeizure [link] [comments]

Depotted a spare grill igniter. submitted by /u/aspie_electrician [link] [comments]

Something for all handmade PCB lovers. It's a radio circuit built around TDA7000 chip, with transistor signal amplifier, signal strenght indicator and homemade 1W AB class amplifier with TIP29 and TIP30. It needs it's own casing, as the one in the photo is a prototype with slightly different internal working and messy wiring. There is an internal antenna underneath top cover, but this radio needs proper whip, or better a outdoor dipole to work best. I was able to receive a clear transmission from 150km afar with standard portable radio antenna, but I will make a balcony mounted dipole for maximum fun. I'm completing documentation for this project, so when it will be ready, I will publish it for free for everyone. submitted by /u/ZaznaczonyKK [link] [comments]

The PE42448 SP4T RF switch from pSemi spans 10 MHz to 6 GHz, handling peak power of 52 dBm with IIP3 linearity of 88.5 dBm. The UltraCMOS SOI switch also offers low insertion loss, with typical values of 0.6 dB at 2.6 GHz and 0.7 dB at 3.8 GHz. These characteristics make the PE42448 well-suited for hybrid analog beamforming and 5G massive MIMO systems.

Housed in a 20-lead, 4×4-mm LGA package, the PE42448 offers a compact monolithic alternative to complex RF switch assemblies. Features like single logic control for device pairing and straightforward power sequencing ease integration in beamforming systems, as well as in test, land mobile radio, and general-purpose applications. Additionally, the absence of DC bias on the RF ports eliminates the need for blocking capacitors—simplifying system design.

The PE42448 switch operates with a 5-V supply and 1.8-V control voltage across a temperature range of –40°C to +115°C. Pin-for-pin compatibility with the earlier PE42443 and PE42444 SP4T RF switches enables seamless integration.

PE42448 samples are available now with commercial availability in July 2025.

PE42448 product page 

pSemi

The post SP4T RF switch delivers strong linearity, low loss appeared first on EDN.

ST’s FlightSense 8×8 multizone ToF ranging sensor employs tailored AI algorithms for enhanced human presence detection (HPD) in laptops and PCs. The fifth-generation VL53L8CP reduces power consumption by over 20% with adaptive screen dimming, which tracks head orientation to dim the screen when the user isn’t looking. This also helps extend battery life by reducing unnecessary energy use.

In addition to HPD and multi-person detection, the VL53L8CP supports gesture and hand posture recognition, along with wellness monitoring through human posture analysis. Features such as walk-away lock and wake-on-approach enhance both security and convenience. Unlike webcam-based solutions, the sensor protects user privacy without capturing images or relying on the camera.

With AI-based, low-power algorithms, the VL53L8CP ToF ranging sensor integrates seamlessly into PC sensor hubs, offering a complete hardware and software solution. All FlightSense proximity and ranging sensors include comprehensive documentation, example source code, and software APIs compatible with a wide range of MCUs and processors.

FlightSense product page

STMicroelectronics

The post Smart ToF sensor tracks presence and gestures appeared first on EDN.

Qorvo offers two S-band switched filter bank (SFB) modules that enhance frequency agility and spectral control in defense and aerospace radar systems. The QPB1034 and QPB1036 integrate bulk acoustic wave (BAW) filters and fast-switching logic in a compact 6.0×6.0×0.78-mm surface-mount package.

Optimized for lower S-band frequencies, the QPB1034 provides two switches flanking four filters and a bypass path. The QPB1036 supports broader frequency coverage and higher channel density, incorporating six filters and a bypass. Both modules improve radar system performance with low insertion loss and BAW technology’s high out-of-band rejection.

“Qorvo’s switched filter bank modules enable radar designers to reduce size and complexity without sacrificing performance,” said Dean White, senior director of Defense and Aerospace Market Strategy at Qorvo. “Our BAW technology enables unmatched rejection and channel density in a fully integrated form factor—making these solutions ideal for agile radar front ends.”

Both the QPB1034 and QPB1036 SFB modules are now sampling.

QPB1034 product page 

QPB1036 product page 

Qorvo

The post S-band switched filters sharpen radar agility appeared first on EDN.

Two digital humidity and temperature sensors from Sensirion come in compact DFN packages with removable protective covers for added durability during handling and deployment. With package dimensions of just 1.5×1.5×0.5 mm, the SHT40-AD1P-R2 and SHT41-AD1P-R2 provide accurate measurements in space-constrained applications.

The SHT40-AD1P-R2 delivers ±1.8% RH accuracy (maximum ±3.5%) across 0 to 100% RH, with a response time (τ63%) of 4 s. Temperature accuracy is ±0.2°C, with a response time of 2 s. The SHT41-AD1P-R2 offers the same temperature performance and a tighter maximum RH accuracy of ±2.5%.

Both sensors integrate easily into a wide range of devices and systems via an I²C interface with a fixed 0x45 address. They require a 1.08-V to 3.6-V supply, draw 0.4 µA on average, and operate across a -40°C to +125°C temperature range.

The SHT40-AD1P-R2 and SHT41-AD1P-R2 digital humidity and temperature sensors are now available through Sensirion’s global distribution network.

SHT40-AD1P-R2 product page 

SHT41-AD1P-R2 product page 

Sensirion

The post Sensors track RH/temp in tight spaces appeared first on EDN.

Siemens Digital Industries Software expands Samsung Foundry collaboration, certifying more EDA tools for Samsung’s most advanced process technologies. The certifications cover Samsung’s FinFET and MCBFET processes, spanning 14-nm to 2-nm nodes (SF2/SF2P). Customers can use Siemens’ comprehensive Calibre, Solido, and Aprisa EDA software to design advanced semiconductor devices for manufacture at Samsung Foundry.

The two companies are also deepening their collaboration through joint research efforts and the development of several new solutions aimed at addressing some of the semiconductor industry’s most pressing challenges. As part of this partnership, the companies have introduced innovations that tackle critical design issues in areas such as power integrity, silicon photonics, analog mixed-signal reliability verification, and other essential domains.

Read Siemens’ full announcement about this expansion for more details.

Siemens Digital Industries Software 

The post Siemens certifies EDA tools for Samsung nodes appeared first on EDN.

Applications for using a single pushbutton to advance a circuit to its next logical state are legion. Typically, there are just “on” and “off” states, but there can be more. The heart of the circuit is a toggle flip-flop (or, for more states, a counter or shift register) which responds to a clock transition.

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

The successful circuit prevents the contact bounce of the mechanical pushbutton from generating more than one “clock” for every push and release of the button. It’s also desirable for the circuit to initialize upon power-up to a specific state and for the press of the pushbutton (from a human point of view) to immediately cause a state change. The basic circuit of Figure 1 has these features.

Figure 1 U1 is a Schottky inverter and U2 a D-type flip-flop. The diodes are small-signal Schottky types. The pushbutton is normally open. See the text for a discussion of resistor and capacitor values.

Upon loss and discharge of the VDD supply, the Schottky diodes discharge C1 and C2 to nearly zero volts. Time constant R1C1 should be at least 10 times larger than the supply turn-on time so that the power-up sequence starts and ends with U2’s Q being cleared.

Also, upon power up, U1’s output starts out as a logic high and transitions low after R2 charges C2. Since U2’s active clocking transition is low to high, this leaves Q initialized low. The R2C2 time constant should be on the order of 1 second.

R3 is optional and limits initial C2 discharge currents when the normally open pushbutton is pressed. If R3 is used, it should be chosen so that momentary contact bounce closures nearly completely discharge C2 in 10 ms or less.

C2 and R2, along with the Schottky inverter U1, work to prevent contact bounce from producing extra transitions, which would otherwise toggle flip-flop U2. After the pushbutton is released and R2 is starting to charge C2, additional button pushes will not toggle U2. This is because the output of U1 is still high and so cannot transition from low-to-high to toggle U2. This is an argument against making the R2C2 time constant too large.

Figure 2 shows how the circuit of Figure 1 can be extended into a multi-state 10-position switch with only one active high output at a time, or into a digital-to-analog converter (DAC).

Figure 2 A 10-position switch with only one active high output at a time, and a DAC are shown.

If fewer than 10 states are desired for the switch, the U2a “D” input can be connected to a different U3 output. For the DAC, resolution can be extended to 12 bits with 12 resistors. Monotonicity will be somewhat less than that, and even with 0.1% resistors, accuracy will be even less than that. To avoid excessive loading of the outputs, no resistor should be less than 10 kΩ.

Christopher Paul has worked in various engineering positions in the communications industry for over 40 years.

Related Content

• Flip ON flop OFF
• Flip ON flop OFF without a flip/flop
• Latching D-type CMOS power switch: A “Flip ON Flop OFF” alternative
• Another simple flip ON flop OFF circuit

The post Elaborations of yet another Flip-On Flop-Off circuit appeared first on EDN.

I love designing a PCB as much as the next guy. But what I often see missing in YouTube videos about designing is the preparation. This goes independent of what program you use. Get yourself a good parts library for your program (unless the built-in is good enough for you) Set up your design rules, Stack up and constraints (check what the PCB manufacturer can handle, some may already have design rules as a file for your program) Set up your Filepaths (Gerber output, drawings, etc. Quick Tip: using .\ in front of your path uses the path of your current project path. Example: .\Output\ puts files into an additional folder called Output in your project directory) (optional) create a template project file where everything is already setup (like Vias and the whole constraints and design rules). Some programs may only remeber your setup per project and not globally (kicad). Doing your own layouts is fun and in someway calming. It's useful if you have projects that require more than a breadboard or a hot glued Arduino. I understand that many want to jump directly into the layout part but without good preparation the process can be frustrating and burn you out quickly. I have been there and I want to get that out into the community. submitted by /u/an_redditoor [link] [comments]

📰 Газета "Київський політехнік" № 25-26 за 2025 (.pdf) kpi чт, 06/19/2025 - 16:23

Process equipment maker Applied Materials Inc of Santa Clara, CA, USA and micro/nanotechnology R&D center CEA-Leti of Grenoble, France have announced the next phase of their longstanding collaboration to accelerate innovation in specialty semiconductors. Through an expansion of their joint lab, the organizations plan to develop materials engineering solutions to address emerging infrastructure challenges in AI data centers...