A good list of checks to make before committing the design of a new printed circuit board: EMI & Signal Integrity checks: Are there decoupling capacitors in all areas where there are connectors or via’s, to minimise EMI loop sizes of signals and their return ground path? If not do you need to add some? […]
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Rechargeable Batteries
General What does #CA discharge mean? If the capacity of a battery is 7Ah (amps x hours), 6CA discharge means 6 x 7 x A = 42A discharge. If the battery is 12Ah and the max discharge current is 5CA, the max discharge current will be 5 x 12 x A = 60A. What are […]
Why do companies like IBEX supply a licence to use a design and not full IP?
This is an issue that can come up with regards to the work that technology design companies such as IBEX provide for clients. We will typically provide clients with a royalty free licence to use the designs we provide (e.g. for software, source code, electronic designs, etc) and only assign full Intellectual Property (IP) rights […]
Obtaining MAC Addresses For Products With An Ethernet Interface
Any device that has an Ethernet interface requires a unique ‘MAC’ address, which is programmed at the point of manufacture. This address is literally unique – every Ethernet device in the world has a different MAC address. (The MAC address should not be confused with a devices IP address, which is an entirely separate address […]
Sample Non Disclosure Agreement
We are often asked by clients to sign a non disclosure agreement and below we provide a simple NDA which you may wish to use. MUTUAL NON DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT This Agreement is made on the (insert date) Between: (Insert name) of (Insert address) And (Insert name) of (Insert address) WHEREAS: The two Parties are prepared […]
Patents
Patenting your idea is the best form of legal protection you can get. With a patent you have the legal right to stop others copying your invention and the IP (Intellectual Property) it provides can often have a value to potential investors or purchasers of your company. We gets lots of enquiries from individuals who […]
TCP / UDP – Which Is Best?
You'll probably come across programmers who say this isn't even a question – use TCP because all the hard work is done for you. In many applications this is true and using TCP can make your life as a programmer very easy. However TCP has one very big drawback in embedded or low level applications […]
Tantalum Capacitors
Tantalum capacitors have a couple of important design advantages:- They can be excellent at removing noise (for instance placed across power rails) and improving the EMC performance of a circuit. They are physically small The main downside is that they are more expensive than say an equivalent electrolytic capacitor. Voltage It is important to derate […]
RGB LEDs and Human Eye Response
The responsivity of the human eye is not linear. In particular it is more sensitive to green wavelengths, so green LEDs with similar intensities to other colours will always appear brighter. However when designing red, green & blue LED lighting systems remember that these 3 types of LEDs are quite different. You typically electrically need […]
Important Information Statements
In an ideal world morons would be barred from buying anything but turnips. However it’s possible that a moron may get their hands on your product and if you haven’t added some of the following painfully obvious statements to your user manual they may be able to sue you if they misuse it:- Before use […]