Licky's Column

Converting 4-20 mA Receiver Circuit Current to Voltage Using a Shunt Resistor

by Licky Li

Converting 4-20 mA Receiver Circuit Current to Voltage Using a Shunt Resistor

Key Takeaways Most industrial electronic process instruments utilize the 4-20 mA current loop bus. The receiver circuit is designed to measure or ...

Comparing SMD Capacitors vs. Electrolytic Capacitors

by Licky Li

Comparing SMD Capacitors vs. Electrolytic Capacitors

Key Takeaways An overview of capacitor form factors. SMD capacitor characteristics and advantages. The advantages of electrolytic capacitors ...
Posted in Components Sourcing

Mixed Signal PCB Design Guidelines for Circuit Board Layout

by Licky Li

Mixed Signal PCB Design Guidelines for Circuit Board Layout

Placing components in a mixed signal design. Mixed signal PCB design requirements for power delivery networks. Routing traces on a mixed sign...
Posted in PCB design, PCB layout

Using Ferrite Rings as Signal Attenuators

by Licky Li

Using Ferrite Rings as Signal Attenuators

Ferrite rings are shields made of magnetic material for attenuating high-frequency signals from cables and circuits. The simplest ferrite ring ...
Posted in cable

Which PLM Tools Should You Use for PCB Design?

by Licky Li

Which PLM Tools Should You Use for PCB Design?

Product lifecycle management (PLM) involves comprehensive management of a product’s journey from concept to market. PLM tools help companies tr...
Posted in PCB design

Using Standard 50 Ohm Coaxial Cables for High Power and Voltage Transfer

by Licky Li

Using Standard 50 Ohm Coaxial Cables for High Power and Voltage Transfer

For impedance matching in RF circuits, a standard impedance of 50 Ohm is universally accepted.  50 Ohm coaxial cables are used in microwave tra...
Posted in cable

How to Specify Impedance on a Printed Circuit Board

by Licky Li

How to Specify Impedance on a Printed Circuit Board

Controlling impedance (resistance) is almost a given with today’s technology. One day, we are adding a wireless option to a common object and calli...
Posted in Impedance, PCB, PCB design, PCB fabrication

The Advantageous Properties of Ceramic PCBs

by Licky Li

The Advantageous Properties of Ceramic PCBs

The thermal conductivity and coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) are the two main properties to focus on when selecting ceramic PCB materials....
Posted in ceramic pcb, PCB, PCB fabrication

Ferrite Data Line Filters for Noise Suppression

by Licky Li

Ferrite Data Line Filters for Noise Suppression

Key Takeaways One of the methods to mitigate noise is to use filters in data lines.  Ferrite data line filters are one of the successful ways to i...

Resistor-Based 4-20 mA Receiver Design

by Licky Li

Resistor-Based 4-20 mA Receiver Design

Key Takeaways The 4-20 mA current loop is a robust signaling standard used for transmitting industrial sensor signals.  Many current loops use a s...
Posted in force sensitive resistor

The Role of Oscillators in Microcontrollers

by Licky Li

The Role of Oscillators in Microcontrollers

Key Takeaways In microcontrollers, clock signals can be generated using either mechanical resonant devices or electrical phase shift circuits.  Th...
Posted in #microcontroller

Disadvantages of 8-Bit Microcontrollers

by Licky Li

Disadvantages of 8-Bit Microcontrollers

Key Takeaways Higher-bit microcontrollers offer additional space 8-bit microcontrollers may not be as fast or responsive as higher-bit microcontro...
Posted in #microcontroller, #microprocessor, IC