In Memoriam: Charlie Sporck, Former CEO of National Semiconductor

Charles (Charlie) Sporck, a former CEO of National Semiconductor, died in October. He was a true semiconductor pioneer – a contemporary of Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore – who started working at Fairchild Semiconductor as a production manager in 1959 when he knew virtually nothing about semiconductors. Sporck’s claim to fame is transforming National Semiconductor from a failing enterprise into a chip-making powerhouse and analog IC leader during the 1970 … Read More → "In Memoriam: Charlie Sporck, Former CEO of National Semiconductor"

Altera unveils slightly more detail about the Agilex 3 FPGA family a year after announcing it

At Altera’s recent Innovators Day, the company’s CEO Sandra Rivera mostly rehashed the newly freed FPGA company’s goals and plans. She also disclosed just a little more information about the upcoming Agilex 3 FPGA family, slated to become Altera’s low-end offering in the growing Agilex FPGA family of families. In her keynote presentation, Rivera said that the Agilex 3 FPGA family would include devices with 25 … Read More → "Altera unveils slightly more detail about the Agilex 3 FPGA family a year after announcing it"

Copilot AI: A Revolution in Hardware Design with Zenode

I am happy to welcome Brandon Bourn from Zenode to my podcast this week! Brandon and I discuss how monotonous repetitive tasks and hardware design pain points motivated the creation of the Zenode platform, how large language models can be utilized to solve these issues and how Zenode is looking to revolutionize hardware design with their new electronic component search engine. Also this week, I check out a new … Read More → "Copilot AI: A Revolution in Hardware Design with Zenode"

Arrggghhh! Now I Want an NI mioDAQ! (Ignore the ‘!’)

For those who don the undergarments of authority and stride the corridors of power, pompously parading the insignia of the punctuation police and SEO security, it should be noted that the title to this column in no way ends with an exclamation mark, so there are no SEO concerns to concern you there!

Moving on… have you ever found yourself desperately wanting to … Read More → "Arrggghhh! Now I Want an NI mioDAQ! (Ignore the ‘!’)"

What if Your Strawberries Could Talk?

So, there I was, happily minding my own business, when my email system went “ping” and I looked up to see a message with a subject line saying, “What if Your Strawberries Could Talk? Now They Can!” Unfortunately, I was obliged to lose the “Now They Can!” part from my column title. This is because—as I’ve mentioned before—those who don the undergarments of authority … Read More → "What if Your Strawberries Could Talk?"

Welcome to the Wild Goose Lodge, a LoRaWAN hotel where you can check in and out any time you like

On a recent trip through Oregon, my wife and I stopped in a very small town named Merrill, which is the closest town to the Lava Beds National Monument in northern California – a must-see part of the country managed by US National Park Service. We spent the night in Merrill at a tiny motel called the Wild Goose Lodge, with 13 rooms and two larger “cabins.” … Read More → "Welcome to the Wild Goose Lodge, a LoRaWAN hotel where you can check in and out any time you like"
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featured chalk talk

Advanced Gate Drive for Motor Control
Sponsored by Infineon
Passing EMC testing, reducing power dissipation, and mitigating supply chain issues are crucial design concerns to keep in mind when it comes to motor control applications. In this episode of Chalk Talk, Amelia Dalton and Rick Browarski from Infineon explore the role that MOSFETs play in motor control design, the value that adaptive MOSFET control can have for motor control designs, and how Infineon can help you jump start your next motor control design.
Feb 6, 2024
50,284 views
discussion
Posted on Nov 4 at 10:15am by Max Maxfield
Arrggghhh (and I mean that most sincerely LOL)
Posted on Nov 1 at 11:37am by Tacitus
Depends on what they’ve heard, but uh, strawberries that talk too much can find themselves “in a jam”. You know they can be pretty seedy sometimes… Dr. Sigismund Odin Smythe, OBE, GED, DBS (retired)
Posted on Nov 1 at 11:04am by Max Maxfield
I suppose you are going to deny any talk of public floggings for title punctuation miscreants.
Posted on Oct 31 at 8:10am by Larra Morris
Man, you send one work email about title punctuation - one! - and Max *goes to war*
Posted on Oct 25 at 7:10am by Max Maxfield
After my third cocktail, I really don;t care if they are shaken or stirred LOL
Posted on Oct 25 at 12:41am by John
Better than a grumpy human, but can it *shake* a cocktail?
Posted on Oct 24 at 8:18am by Steven Leibson
It's amazing how the anonymity of Internet avatars can bring out the worst tendencies in some.
Posted on Oct 24 at 8:14am by Steven Leibson
Perhaps you're confusing the Raspberry Pi, based on a cellphone processor and often used as an entry-level tool for learning how to program, with the Raspberry Pi Pico, which is a very capable microcontroller. The two are very different. I'm aware of some very advanced embedded products based on the ...
Posted on Oct 23 at 11:26pm by Ansi_Kenabi17
RasPi has a strong tendency to attract morons that couldn't initialize a microcontroller, much less program even a simple loop if their life depended on it. Their "projects" and "solutions" are usually heavilly duck-taped braindead blobs that one wouldn't want to stand anywhere near, let alone use them.
Posted on Oct 23 at 11:24pm by Ansi_Kenabi17
F*#k NE555. GreenPaks eat them for dinner. They are at similar price, but MUCH smaller, programmable and WAY more powerful. And they can do MANY mroe things. some have FET switch, some have ADC or DAC, there is at leasst one with a FRIGGIN "H" MOSFET BRIDGE. GreenPaks rule.
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MCX Enablement: MCUXpresso Ecosystem
In this episode of Chalk Talk, Kyle Dando from NXP and Amelia Dalton discuss the multitude of benefits of the NXP’s MCUXpresso Ecosystem. They also explore how the Visual Studio Code, Application Code Hub and improved software delivery enhance MCX microcontroller development and how you can get started using the MCUXpresso ecosystem for your  next design. 
Nov 6, 2024
34 views
Introducing the TCKE9 eFuse: Advanced Circuit Protection for Modern Electronics
Sponsored by Mouser Electronics and Toshiba
eFuse ICs provide better protection performance than conventional mechanical fuses. In this episode of Chalk Talk, Amelia Dalton and Talayeh Saderi from Toshiba chat about the what, where, and how of eFuse technology. They also investigate the benefits that Toshiba’s TCKE9 eFuses bring to server power management and how you can get started using a TCKE9 eFuse in your next design. 
Oct 29, 2024
9,264 views
MEG-Array and M Series
Sponsored by Mouser Electronics and Amphenol
In this episode of Chalk Talk, Jeremy Ellis from Amphenol Communications Solutions and Amelia Dalton chat about the benefits of Amphenol’s MEG-Array and M-Series connector solutions. They also investigate the tooling configurations available for these solutions and how Amphenol’s ball and socket BGA interface can simplify board routing, eliminate press-fit constraints on via and provide excellent SI performance.
Oct 21, 2024
17,670 views
XENSIV™ MEMS Microphones Qualified According AEC-Q103
Sponsored by Mouser Electronics and Infineon
MEMS based microphone technology can bring a variety of benefits to automotive applications. In this episode of Chalk Talk, Amelia Dalton chats with James Sterling from Infineon about the components included in a MEMS microphone system, the roles that frequency and sensitivity play in microphone enhanced automotive systems, and the benefits that Infineon’s XENSIV™ automotive qualified microphones bring to interior and exterior automotive applications.
Oct 15, 2024
22,150 views
High Power Charging Inlets
All major truck and bus OEMs will be launching electric vehicle platforms within the next few years and in order to keep pace with on-highway and off-highway EV innovation, our charging inlets must also provide the voltage, current and charging requirements needed for these vehicles. In this episode of Chalk Talk, Amelia Dalton and Drew Reetz from TE Connectivity investigate charging inlet design considerations for the next generation of industrial and commercial transportation, the differences between AC only charging and fast charge and high power charging inlets, and the benefits that TE Connectivity’s ICT high power charging inlets bring to these kinds of designs.
Aug 30, 2024
36,091 views
Power Modules and Why You Should Use Them in Your Next Power Design
In this episode of Chalk Talk, Amelia Dalton and Christine Chacko from Texas Instruments explore a variety of power module package technologies, examine the many ways that power modules can help save on total design solution cost, and the unique benefits that Texas Instruments power modules can bring to your next design.
Aug 22, 2024
42,966 views