Building Superior Embedded Systems
The Intel 8086 was a 16-bit microprocessor that was launched in 1978 and retired in 1998. The 8086 is one of the most influential processors ever created because it introduced the x86 processing architecture and instruction.
Automated X-ray inspection (AXI) is a testing approach based on the same principles as automated optical inspection (AOI). Instead of cameras, X-rays are used to automatically inspect features.
A test methodology for printed circuit boards (PCBs) that uses two or more “flying probes” which are controlled by software. The probes move around the board under test and contact electrical components and test points on the PCB. FICT is an alternative to bed-of-nails testing.
For electronic systems, a schematic is a graphical representation of the components of an electrical circuit. A schematic shows the electrical connections between components.
Any material that is inserted between two components in order to enhance the thermal coupling between them. A common use is heat dissipation, in which the TIM is inserted between a heat-producing device (e.g. an integrated circuit) and a heat-dissipating device (e.g. a heat sink).
A voltage regulator that uses a transistor controlled by a negative-feedback circuit to produce a specified output voltage that remains stable despite variations in load current and input voltage.
A voltage regulator that uses a switching element to transform the incoming power supply into a pulsed voltage, which is then smoothed using capacitors, inductors, and other elements.
A surface mount chip package that uses a grid of solder balls mounted on the underside of a package as the connectors.
A form of distortion of a signal in which one symbol interferes with subsequent symbols.
“Wafer-level packaging (WLP) is the technology of packaging an integrated circuit while still part of the wafer, in contrast to the more conventional method of slicing the wafer into individual circuits (dice) and then packaging them.”