Browsing Tag
electronics
18 posts
Action of an Avalanche Photodiode (APD)
When I first got introduced to optical receivers, I remember being confused about why some designs used a…
Basic Concept and Operation of a PN Photodiode in an Electrical Circuit
I remember the first time I had to design a simple light-sensing circuit for a project. I grabbed…
Converting Between Voltage Levels and Decibel (dB) Levels
For the longest time, decibels felt like a strange kind of magic to me. I’d see specs like…
Understanding Bandwidth: What It Is and Why It Matters
Bandwidth is one of those words I heard constantly for years before I actually understood what it meant…
Audio and Radio Frequency (RF) Frequencies: Understanding the Differences
Early in my electronics journey, I lumped “frequency” into one mental bucket — a number measured in Hertz…
Understanding the Difference Between Frequency, Bit Rate, and Baud Rate
Of all the terminology mix-ups I’ve encountered in communications engineering, the confusion between frequency, bit rate, and baud…
Analog vs. Digital Communications Signals: Understanding the Differences
I spent a long time thinking about analog and digital signals as simply “old technology versus new technology”…
The Difference Between AC and DC Circuits: A Comprehensive Overview
AC and DC are two of the very first terms anyone learns in electronics, and yet I’ve found…
Types of Conductor Insulation Used for Communications Wiring
If you’ve ever stripped back the jacket on a Cat6 cable or pulled apart an old telephone wire,…
Identifying Wire Sizes Needed for Grounding: A Complete Guide
Grounding is one of those topics that sounds simple until you actually have to size a conductor for…