Articles – Page 5

Ultralight Edge AI Platform Unveiled

September 17, 2024

On occasion I amaze even myself. Sometimes this is in a good way. Other times… not so much. My wife (Gina the Gorgeous) often says I’m clueless as to what’s going on around me (she says this with love). I can’t argue with her. Well, I can try, but I never win, so what’s the point?

One of the things I’m particularly good at is not having much of a clue about what behemoth corporations are doing at the enterprise level. I have, of course, heard the name < … Read More → "Ultralight Edge AI Platform Unveiled"

How the FPGA Came To Be, Part 7: Did General Electric invent the PLD and EPLD in 1971?

by Steven Leibson

September 16, 2024

My long running series titled “How the FPGA Came To Be” (referenced below) chronicles the development of programmable logic starting with programmable diode matrices developed and marketed by Harris Semiconductor starting in the mid-1960s. These diode matrices along with a Mask Programmable Logic Array (MPLA) from National Semiconductor were the inspirations for the short-lived Intersil IM5200 Field Programmable Logic Array (FPLA) and the more successful Signetics 82S100 FPLA, both introduced in 1975. John Birkner streamlined the FPLA concept, leading to MMI’s introduction of the first PAL in 1978. These were all fuse-based devices based on bipolar semiconductor … Read More → "How the FPGA Came To Be, Part 7: Did General Electric invent the PLD and EPLD in 1971?"

Want Automated, Certification-Level RISC-V Verification Coverage?

by Max Maxfield

September 12, 2024

I feel like an old fool (but where are we going to find one at this time of the day?). Almost everything I hear on the technology front these days causes me to have a knee-jerk reaction along the lines of, “Things have certainly changed since those far-off days when I was a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, newly-minted engineer!”

As I’ve mentioned before, I now predate almost every modern electronic design tool and technology. Take hardware description languages (HDLs) for example. The term HDL is typically associated with languages like Verilog and VHDL that … Read More → "Want Automated, Certification-Level RISC-V Verification Coverage?"

Is Jeff Goldblum Hollywood’s go-to person for an on-screen engineer?

by Steven Leibson

September 11, 2024

Actor Jeff Goldblum recently appeared as a guest host for the Jimmy Kimmel Live! TV show. Kimmel was on vacation. As part of his first-night monologue, Goldblum played piano (he’s an accomplished jazz pianist) and sang a song with references to several of the movies that he’s appeared in over the last four decades. While he was singing, I realized that Goldblum’s comedic and acting talents have been go-to material for Hollywood when it needs a quirky engineer or scientist. Goldblum can spout technical bafflegab with authentic fluency, and some of the … Read More → "Is Jeff Goldblum Hollywood’s go-to person for an on-screen engineer?"

The Moon Needs Its Own Time Zone. Relativity Says It Also Needs Its Own Clocks

by Steven Leibson

September 9, 2024

A CNN article written by Jackie Wattles and titled “Why scientists say we need to send clocks to the moon — soon” grabbed my attention and quickly sent me down several rabbit holes that involved some ideas in physics that I knew but had not internalized. First, the moon needs its own timekeeping system because it sits in a different spacetime gravity well. The moon’s gravity is roughly one sixth that of the Earth’s so time flows faster on the moon – … Read More → "The Moon Needs Its Own Time Zone. Relativity Says It Also Needs Its Own Clocks"

No Slacking! Put Your Sem;colons to Work [Exclamation Mark Goes Here]

by Max Maxfield

September 5, 2024

I’m still chafing under the impositions imposed by the punctuation police. I speak of those who don the undergarments of authority and stride the corridors of power. Those despicable despots who dictate I can no longer terminate the titles to my columns with exclamation marks, all the time muttering inscrutable incantations to their SEO gods. Fortunately, I’m not bitter. … Read More →

There’s More Than One Way to Become an Engineer (Part 2)

by Max Maxfield

September 3, 2024

As we discussed in the initial installment of this 2-part extravaganza, some people pursue a predictable path on their way to engineer-hood (where “-hood” comes from the Middle English “-hode,” which itself comes from the Old English “-hād,” meaning “state of being”). Others, like your humble narrator, end up taking a more circuitous route, which may involve Lady Luck finagling the dice in their favor (I owe her one).

In Part 1, we focused on my story, but it’s … Read More → "There’s More Than One Way to Become an Engineer (Part 2)"

Apple’s iPhone 15 debunks the “full-line” semiconductor supplier myth

by Steven Leibson

September 2, 2024

From time to time, I’ll get a presentation from a company announcing a new product, usually a new chip, that includes a statement like this:

“We’re the only semiconductor maker with a full line of FPGAs, from the smallest, most cost-efficient devices to the most advanced, leading-edge devices.”

or this:

“We’re the only full-line semiconductor supplier, offering everything from diodes to the most advanced processors and FPGAs.”

Perhaps these companies are channeling Walter Brennan, who often said “No … Read More → "Apple’s iPhone 15 debunks the “full-line” semiconductor supplier myth"

There’s More Than One Way to Become an Engineer (Part 1)

by Max Maxfield

August 29, 2024

I was born in 1957. If you are on the younger side of things, I bet you’re thinking something along the lines of, “Wow! That’s AGES ago!” You’re right. It is. That’s why it’s taken me such a long time to get from then to now (I took the scenic route).

Along my rambling (some may say “bumbling”) journey through life, I’ve met people who desired to be engineers but who feel they messed up and “dropped the ball” in one way or another. First, … Read More → "There’s More Than One Way to Become an Engineer (Part 1)"

The Past, Present, and Future of Electronics as a Hobby

by Steven Leibson

August 25, 2024

My recent article about language drift in electronics over the past half century or so (see “Old Electronics Terms Show Language Drift Over the Decades”) seems to have generated a lot of interest, so let’s take another time-traveling walk through the same time period, and let’s focus on how young people might get interested in electronics. I’m going to use my own experience and compare it with today’s opportunities. Some things have changed; some things have stayed the same; and … Read More → "The Past, Present, and Future of Electronics as a Hobby"