Bench Talk

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  MCUs have found homes in just about every low power application. The ability for the MCU to enter a low power mode has made them even more attractive in a variety of power restricted designs. Recent advances in energy harvesting have created new opportunities for MCU controlled devices, and low power is critical here, too. In fact, energy harvesting presents bigger challenges than battery operated applications since power isn’t available in as predictable a manner as with batteries.

• Engineering Career Fairs: Yeah, You Gotta Talk About Yourself

  If you’re like many engineering students, you probably find the idea of attending a career fair to be a bit nerve-racking. Most of us would probably prefer just to lurk at the career fair and land an internship based on our resumes and professor recommendations and maybe a bit of osmosis. Not all of us are comfortable talking about ourselves—much less selling ourselves. As you’ll see, a little planning and practice go a long way in presenting yourself as articulate and cogent, easing those sweaty palms, and standing out as a candidate.

• Xpress Your Designs to the World! Microchip MPLAB® Xpress Development Board

  I have recently incorporated the Fractal Audio AX8 as an all-in-one Amp Modeler + Multi-Effects Pedalboard Processor in lieu of my traditional amplifier. And as a base rock-n-roll patch, I have programmed the Trainwreck Express.

• Smart Power-Supply Designs for Smart Factories

  Designing power supplies for factory-automation equipment such as programmable logic controllers , transmitters, automation machinery and human machine interfaces can come with a lot of challenges. Even as processing power continues to increase, printed circuit board (PCB) area and overall equipment sizes tend to remain the same. To meet these strict space constraints, power-supply designs should be compact but also operate efficiently and quietly; heat and noise are absolutely not permissible. In addition, there are multiple industrial power-supply requirements, including a wide-input voltage range, a small solution size and the ability to operate at a high temperature range. Power-supply designers must keep component counts and costs down while providing a reliable solution that doesn’t require a lot of debugging. So starting with an integrated and robust device is a high priority.

• Track Your Kids Electronically on Your Next Summer Adventure

  With ubiquitous cellular data connections and Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking, you can now use technology to help keep your kids safe on your next summer adventure—even if you’re not physically watching them every second.

• What Are the Main Semiconductor Nanofabrication Techniques?

  Fabrication techniques that create and manipulate materials at the nanoscale are at the heart of semiconductor manufacturing. Learn how both deposition and patterning technologies are crucial to creating advanced semiconductor materials and miniaturized electronic devices.