Monday, May 05, 2008

Inexpensive High-Speed Amplifiers Make Flexible Clock Buffers

Consumer electronics, which tends to be lower frequency and less demanding than typical clock buffering applications, can use inexpensive high-speed op amps as an alternative to traditional clock buffers. High-speed amplifiers are less expensive than traditional clock buffers, yet can accommodate a wide range of designs.

AC Shield Enhances Remote Capacitive Sensing

The principle of a user touch causing a capacitance change to activate a switch is well understood, but implementing a PCB sensor design with proper shielding and routing poses a challenge. Analog Devices provide a complete capacitive-sensing solution, including controller, evaluation tools, sensor design libraries, and software for the host microcontroller.

Understanding Hot Swap: Example of Hot-Swap Circuit Design Process

High-availability systems, such as servers, network switches, redundant-array-of-independent-disk (RAID) storage, and other forms of communications infrastructure must be designed for near-zero downtime throughout their useful life. Components that fail or need updating must be replaced without interrupting the rest of the system. This process, known as hot-swapping or hot-plugging, requires a hot-swap controller.