Posted Mar 30, 2011, by J VanDomelen
The President’s Budget for Fiscal Year 2012, if approved, will revert NASA’s spending to 2010 levels overall. This geek wonders if, as federal funds for space exploration shrink, commercial investment in space innovations will grow. If the previous couple years are any indication, the private space race is likely to heat up and reach new heights (hopefully low Earth orbit, most often referred … Read More
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Posted Mar 28, 2011, by John Day
For some time now, carmakers have been focused on allowing customers to use smart phones and other connected devices inside vehicles. The idea, for the most part, was to leverage the customer’s data plan, with the manufacturer allowing certain apps on the customer’s cell phone to be controlled from the head unit or steering wheel.
Then, earlier this month, two car companies announced agreements with … Read More
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Posted Feb 23, 2011, by John Day
I thought everybody but me had a smart phone but Tony Kraatz, lead engineer for GM’s new infotainment system, the Chevy MyLink, reminded me that, in fact, not everybody has one, so you won’t need one to use MyLink. Any Bluetooth phone or USB device will work, and if you don’t have either of those you can use the 7-inch color touch screen, steering wheel controls, or voice commands to control the radio, … Read More
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Posted Nov 13, 2010, by Paul Johnston
Coming from Great Britain to live and work in the USA it still strikes me as curious that people would describe how they had “built their house.” In the UK - where people would say “bought a house.” When you are getting a new house, in both locales home buyers would pay someone to build it. The contractor would offer choices of kitchen and bathroom fittings, floor plan, interior … Read More
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Posted Sep 23, 2010, by J VanDomelen
In a previous life, I was a DJ and the lasers were one of my favorite parts of the nightclub (aside from the music). I have always been enamored by these amazing devices that shoot coherent beams of light out of them. LASER is an acronym meaning Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation and what many may not know is the predecessor of the laser was the MASER, which means Microwave Amplification … Read More
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Posted Jul 30, 2010, by J VanDomelen
It is hard to imagine, but even modern aircraft rely on relatively old power switching technology. The electrical distribution unit (EDU) is the first or primary piece of equipment that distributes power on aircraft after it is produced from the generators. Current technologies used in these systems are electromechanical, meaning a piece of conductor physically has to move to make or break connections … Read More
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Posted Jul 23, 2010, by John Day
Have you ever been stuck in traffic and envied the motorcyclist who can ride between lanes? It would be nice to be able to do that, but motorcycles are not for everyone. They can tip over rather easily, and don’t protect riders from the elements. On the other hand, they are quite efficient at transporting one or two people from point A to point B.
Rick Woodbury gave this considerable thought back in … Read More
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Posted May 20, 2010, by J VanDomelen
ESC is always the best place to see the latest and greatest in embedded electronics here in the states. When touring the ESC exhibit floor, I am always interested, and sometimes amazed, to see how much the form factors of printed circuit boards (PCBs), connectors, and myriad other components have shrunk, and this year was no different.
AT, Baby AT, ATX, eATX, MicroTCA, AdvancedTCA, CompactPCI, VME, … Read More
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