Pasternack Blog

The following is a round-up of wireless technology trends predicted in 2020 and possible new wireless technologies we will see in the upcoming year. Major trends and drivers of wireless technology adoption New wireless standards specifically targeting new use cases outside of just cellular or wide-area-network communications. > Greater penetration of wireless technology across all ..

Outside of coaxial and waveguide interconnect, there are two other main methods of interacting with DUT during RF/microwave/millimeter-wave testing. These methods include surface probes that connect to component leads or microstrip pads, and antennas design for test purposes. Test probes and antennas are used for very different types of testing, but both are crucial in ..

Standardization and quality control surrounding solder and soldering practices for military electronics has been around for decades. Initially, the United States military used MIL-STD-454, MIL-S-45743, DOD-STD-2000, and MIL-STD-2000 to define soldering practices before merging with industry standards, such as IPC J-STD-001 and IPC J-STD-006. These standards attempt to ensure that the end results of a ..

Who dares thwart the power of Zeus? Surge protectors and lightning arrestors are devices that protect electrical components from a temporary rise in voltage and current on an electrical circuit.  Surge protectors are designed to protect electronic equipment from power surges and voltage spikes by diverting the excess current from the transient event or surge ..

Monopole The monopole is a resonant antenna and the length of the antenna is determined by the wavelength of the radio waves being received and transmitted. A monopole antenna is usually made of a single conductor mounted over the ground with one side of the feedline from the receiver or transmitter connected to the conductor ..

Part 1: What is a balun, what does a balun do, and when is a balun needed? What is a balun? A balun (mashup of balanced and unbalanced) is a three-port device, or a type of broadband RF transmission line transformer, with a matched input and differential output that is used to connect balanced transmission ..

The Schottky diode, named after German physicist Walter H. Schottky, is a semiconductor diode formed by the junction of a semiconductor with a metal. It has a low forward voltage drop and a very fast switching action.  Compared with the point contact diode used in similar applications, the zero bias Schottky diode has a wider ..

A radio frequency (RF) microwave detector, also known as RF power detector or RF responding detector, is a two-terminal device used to detect, and in some way, measure or convert an RF signal. As the receiving element, an RF detector is used in converting amplitude-modulated microwave signals to baseband (or video) signals in either a ..

A Gunn diode, though very unlike other common semiconductor diodes, is a transferred electron device (TED) that presents a negative resistance after its threshold voltage is adequately exceeded. The controllable negative resistance properties of a Gunn Diode allows it to be used as a microwave oscillator, and these devices are often used in microwave communications, ..

The most recent handheld RF analyzers and cable testers for telecommunications are multi-functional instruments rich with features, and offer near-laboratory grade performance. This is extremely impressive considering many of these testers, which operate as network analyzers, spectrum analyzers, fault testers, signal generators, power meters, modulation analyzers, amongst other features, can be slung over a shoulder ..