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I’m Partial to Partial Inductance!

1409 F2 coverIt is well known (but often forgotten) that the concept of inductance, without defining a complete loop of current, is completely meaningless! Some books give inductance of a length or wire, some people talk about the inductance of a via, and still others talk about the inductance of ground braids, etc. All these discussions about inductance ignore the requirement for a complete loop before the total or loop inductance can be discussed in any meaningful way.

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The Silent Killer: Suspect/Counterfeit Items and Packaging

1409 F1 coverOver the past several years, U.S. based organizations have curtailed traditional internal verification efforts due to reliance on contract manufacturers, distributors and suppliers to do the right thing. The inspection of ESD sensitive parts is very important, but without special safeguards, the additional handling to remove and repack a product for validation can cause both physical and ESD damage in the process. For parts, including those not sensitive to static electricity, measures must be utilized to detect, inspect and validate the packaging that identifies and protects the product.

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ESD Influence on ICs

1409 F3 coverNew developments in electronics manufacturing are increasingly dominated by the requirements of EMC today. Considerable follow-up costs in product development are caused due to the failure of electronic modules in EMC compliance tests. The integrated circuits that are used in an electronic system are critical for its EMC performance as a whole. ICs are often responsible for interference emissions or immunity weak points and it is difficult to gain control of them in such cases.

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A Wreck of an Airplane

The C-47 Skytrain banked sharply left and the runway came into view, a slash in the thick evergreens. Cresting the top of the ridge, the pilot pulled the power back on the twin engines and set the flaps at twen... Read More...
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Characteristics of Air as an Insulator

A few months ago, we built a clear plastic box containing a four-inch square steel plane, a two-inch diameter steel sphere, and a micrometer drive to precisely adjust the distance between the plane and the sphe... Read More...
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How Fast Does a Charge Decay?

Associate Professor Neils Jonassen authored a bi-monthly static column that appeared in Compliance Engineering Magazine. The series explored charging, ionization, explosions, and other ESD related topics. The E... Read More...