Category Archive

During my day job a call was mistakenly transferred to me. It was a teacher that needed help with a website not loading. Normally I only take calls related to the systems I manage and support. Turns out it was a Java applet that a science teacher was trying to us in the computer lab. Once he emailed me the link and I saw what it was, I got excited. It’s a Java applet that you can learn basic circuits. Check it out below. Click to Run http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/circuit-construction-kit-dc Turns out downloading and updating Java fixed it. The joys of Java!

We buy the bulk of our parts from Digi-Key for the products and projects we make at our home office. Prices are great and you can rest assure that you will not receive any counterfeit parts. When you order something online, I always wonder where its been and what it went through before landing into your excited hands. I recently came across this awesome slideshow from IEEE Spectrum that showcases what it’s like at Digi-Key. IEEE Spectrum

I came across this article about power supply efficiency the other day while researching power supplies. It is quite the informative read, I highly recommend it! In the early 1990s, it was estimated that there were more than 1 billion external power supplies active in the United States alone. The efficiency of these power supplies, mainly utilizing linear technology, could be as low as 50% and still draw power when the application was turned off or not even connected to the power supply (referred to as “no-load” condition). Experts calculated that without efforts to increase efficiencies and reduce “no-load” power consumption, external power supplies would account for around 30% of total energy consumption in less than 20 years. As early …

After a much needed winter break, I was able to catch-up and read some articles today. I’d like to share this video from SparkFun, of an easy way to learn logic gates using dominoes.