tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post4073108929887319614..comments2024-03-27T19:38:49.490-04:00Comments on The Silicon Graybeard: QoTD "Hardware is the New Software"SiGraybeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00280583031339062059noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-34262690422952602242012-08-31T20:25:36.611-04:002012-08-31T20:25:36.611-04:00Sorry, Q, I need context. What about op amps? Sorry, Q, I need context. What about op amps? SiGraybeardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00280583031339062059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-91808953987316961222012-08-31T20:20:05.519-04:002012-08-31T20:20:05.519-04:00Most youngsters I meet with freshly-minted degrees...Most youngsters I meet with freshly-minted degrees may have heard of op amps, but few actually know how to use them, let alone design something with them.<br />Now days everything is digital, even though we live in an analog world.<br />drjimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05647484115197408897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-58982455327850547782012-08-31T20:16:04.323-04:002012-08-31T20:16:04.323-04:00Two words: "operational amplifier"Two words: "operational amplifier"Quiziklenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-27360460360948476512012-08-29T15:36:44.667-04:002012-08-29T15:36:44.667-04:00I noticed the trend of RF design thinning out when...I noticed the trend of RF design thinning out when I worked for a wireless security system company. They had what worked, and most of the effort was in embedded design.Northhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12778737553770514684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-20025026183060733662012-08-29T00:44:43.085-04:002012-08-29T00:44:43.085-04:00Yep, not too many places us "RF Dinosaurs&quo...Yep, not too many places us "RF Dinosaurs" can work.<br />But when I see young RF "engineers" come in, they have NO concept of simple things like Decibels, reflected power, return loss, insertion loss, or any of the other couple of dozen things you need to understand to be even a *minimal* "RF Engineer".drjimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05647484115197408897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-47590977869684536112012-08-28T22:35:02.919-04:002012-08-28T22:35:02.919-04:00I've had similar thoughts myself, seeing the p...I've had similar thoughts myself, seeing the proliferation of low-cost off-the-shelf generic hardware platforms that have become available in the last few years. There's no doubt that there will always be a need for hardware designers, but it seems like the current trend is toward more and more complex software. We used to wonder how we were going to do something in hardware and any necessary software was more of a "we'll cross that bridge when we get to it" kind of thing - now we're thinking about what we can do with the newest wizbang microcontroller and the hardware is almost ubiquitous in a lot of cases. <br /><br />I myself made the transition last month from hardware guy to software guy when I started a new job - although you can't ever really take the fascination (or is it obsession) with hardware out once its been planted. And there's no question that I have the utmost respect and admiration for you wizards of analog design - particularly those like you who have mastered the esoteric voodoo of RF design. LeverActionhttp://leveraction.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.com