Basic guidelines for layout design of mixed-signal PCBs
This article will detail what to consider when designing the layout of mixed-signal PCBs. It covers component placement, board layering and ground plane considerations. The guidelines discussed in this article provide a practical approach to the layout design of mixed-signal boards and should assist engineers of all backgrounds.
Understanding copyright and infringement of cloud-based software
In the last decade or two, there have been significant advances in cloud Computing, the provision of software-implemented services (Software-as-a-Service or SaaS) and web-based applications. These offerings rely on software that runs on a remote server and are accessed by users from their own computers via a network connection (rather than being locally installed on the internal memory of a user’s computer). Remember when we used to install applications on our computers using a compact disc (CD), or even a floppy disk before that? Gone are those days. Read more about how the copyright acts impacts you.
Moore’s law, sustainability, and data centres: How software will handle the future data explosion
An important principle in the development of IT over the decades has been Moore’s Law. Simply put, it predicted that transistor density in processors would double every two years as development progresses. Despite many predictions of its demise, it has remained a more or less guiding principle. However, what is perhaps less well known is a similarly persistent trend in the data centre space. Despite a six-fold increase in the data being processed since 2010, data centre energy consumption has only risen by 6% to 2018 (Masanet et al, 2020). How has that been possible, and how does it inform sustainability developments into the future?
NASA’s DART mission hits asteroid in first-ever planetary defence test
After ten months flying in space, NASA’s double asteroid redirection test (DART) – the world’s first planetary defence technology demonstration – successfully impacted its asteroid target on Monday 26 September 2022, the agency’s first attempt to move an asteroid in space. Mission control at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, announced the successful impact at 01.14 SAST on Tuesday as part of NASA’s overall planetary defence strategy. DART’s impact with the asteroid Dimorphos demonstrates a viable mitigation technique for protecting the planet from an Earth-bound asteroid or comet, if one were to be discovered. “At its core, DART represents an unprecedented success for planetary defence, but it is also a mission of unity with a real benefit for all humanity,” said NASA administrator Bill Nelson. “As NASA studies the cosmos and our home planet, we’re also working to protect that home, and this international collaboration turned science fiction into science fact, demonstrating one way to protect Earth.”
Recognising the potential of a composable DXP
Today, application leaders and marketers need to do away with monolithic digital experience platforms and make use of solutions that give them the option to choose the bits and pieces that suit them best. At the end of 2020, research and consulting firm Gartner published a study titled: “Adopt a Composable DXP Strategy to Future-proof Your Tech Stack”. Gartner noted that adopting a composable DXP will help businesses outpace the competition and suggested that application leaders must do away with monolithic digital experience platforms and update their tech stacks if they want to cater to modern market needs and meet business objectives.
