Is It Time to Bring PCB Assembly (PCBA) In-House?

I’ve said it before, and I’ll doubtless say it again—I’m constantly amazed by how the metaphysical theme of the “interrelatedness of all things” that permeates the Dirk Gently books by Douglas Adams manages to manifest itself in my own humble journey through the cosmos.

For example, just a few weeks ago (at the time of this writing), I was … Read More → "Is It Time to Bring PCB Assembly (PCBA) In-House?"

Thwarting Innovation Stagnation! Nullspace and a New Era of Simulation Software

My podcast guest this week is one and only Masha Petrova, CEO of Nullspace! Masha and I discuss the biggest software challenges facing engineers today, the evolution of simulation software, why Masha believes there is a bigger need now for new simulation software than ever before, and the innovative ways that Nullspace is changing the simulation software landscape. 

 

Read More → "Thwarting Innovation Stagnation! Nullspace and a New Era of Simulation Software"

Next-Gen Multimodal GenAI Processors for the AIoT Edge

I’m having “one of those days.” During a recent chat with someone who has a lot to answer for, I was informed that IREE is the execution layer for MILR and that I can think of MILR as a newer version of LLVM. Now I know what I sound like when I’m talking to my family and friends. Also, my head hurts.

Lies, Damn Lies, Benchmarks and ML Perf Auto?

MLCommons, in collaboration with AVCC, the Autonomous Vehicle Compute Consortium, recently released the ML Perf Auto 0.5. benchmark suite.  The suite is intended to compare the performance of different AI engines in real-world vision/perception applications for ADAS and autonomous driving.

Will it live up to that ambitious goal? Let’s go back a few years…

Early in my career, … Read More → "Lies, Damn Lies, Benchmarks and ML Perf Auto?"

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featured chalk talk

Veloce proFPGA CS First to Market with VP1902
In this episode of Chalk Talk, Oz Levia from Siemens and Amelia Dalton explore the trends pushing a need for hardware-assisted verification, how modularity can speed up system design, and the benefits that the Veloce proFPGA CS platform can bring to your next design.
Oct 7, 2025
37,436 views

featured paper

The power of shift-left DRC verification with Calibre nmDRC Recon

Sponsored by Siemens Digital Industries Software

Accelerate IC design verification with Siemens’ Calibre nmDRC Recon, reducing runtimes by focusing on local checks earlier in the flow. This approach enhances productivity, simplifies debugging and cuts time-to-market.

Click to read more

Libby's Lab

Libby's Lab Scopes out TE Connectivity E-motor Temperature Sensors

Sponsored by Mouser Electronics and TE Connectivity

Join Libby and Demo in this episode of “Libby’s Lab” as they explore the TE Connectivity e-motor temperature sensors, available at Mouser.com! These temperature sensors are great for a variety of motor-monitoring applications. Keep your circuits charged and your ideas sparking!

Click here for more information about TE Connectivity E-Motor Temperature Sensors

discussion
Posted on Oct 27 at 2:11am by powermeter
With the continuous advancement of AI technology, people's lives are becoming increasingly intelligent, and electricity management is becoming increasingly standardized. The emergence of smart meters has brought people convenient electricity management. Compared with traditional meters, smart meters eliminate the need for manual meter reading and allow users to monitor electricity ...
Posted on Oct 26 at 5:34am by JK
I'm afraid it's just another geezer on too much medication. Got no sense of humor huh? Didn’t I meet you in 1984 at Bell Labs? :<) (I always forget to add the emoticon...)
Posted on Oct 25 at 3:43pm by Beercandyman
Who are the Tiny Tube startups? Or are you trying to be funny?
Posted on Oct 23 at 11:14am by Max Maxfield
"So, who are the Mobile IP Giants (MIPGs) alluded to in this column?" Well, I can't speak for Jonah or Yuning, but I'd guess at companies like ARM, Huawei, and Qualcomm
Posted on Oct 23 at 10:52am by JK
Fortunately, Mr. Yuning’s scorn has ignored those of us in the nascent nano “Tiny Tube” startups (it's obvious that smaller vacuum tubes mean less power consumption, so we expect a bright (well, glowing anyway) future at the AI data centers! While the sockets are a real pain to make, ...
Posted on Oct 23 at 10:17am by Max Maxfield
"...we proceed with confidence that each device we specify is actually used on our boards ..." That's a good point -- did you see my column on Cybord (https://www.eejournal.com/article/ai-based-pcba-machine-vision-solution-ensures-supply-chain-integrity/)? That company was founded by someone who almost lost a billion-dollar deal because his manufacturer had substituted ...
Posted on Oct 22 at 9:18pm by Private Island
Thank you for the great article Max and mentioning our company Private Island Networks. Since bringing manufacturing in house a few years ago, we have never looked back. In addition to the advantages you mentioned, we proceed with confidence that each device we specify is actually used on our boards ...
Posted on Oct 15 at 9:13pm by John Birkner
Robert, agreed, PREP benchmarks led to specmanship, nuanced performance profiles showcased in the best possibe light. Devices and tools were tweaked to best advantage. Everybody won at something, confusing customers. On the plus side, the benchmarks provided a "hello world" for designers to get started with new designs and demonstate ...
Posted on Oct 9 at 6:50am by Max Maxfield
Very Cool Beans -- I just heard that, only a few days after I posted my column, Ambiq’s SPOT platform was named one of TIME magazine's best inventions of 2025 (https://ambiq.com/news/ambiq-spot-platform-named-one-of-times-best-inventions-of-2025/). Coincidence? I think not (well, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it!)
Posted on Oct 8 at 6:31am by Max Maxfield
I just heard that Quilter has raised $25M in Series B Funding -- remember that you read about them here first (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sergiynesterenko_weve-raised-a-25-m-series-b-led-by-index-activity-7381434482610012160-a69i/)
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featured blogs
Oct 22, 2025
Get 333× closer to the cosmos'”and you won't believe what you'll see!...
Designing for R-290: Overcoming HVAC Component Challenges
In this episode of Chalk Talk, Paul Kramarz from Littelfuse and Amelia Dalton explore the what, where and how of R-290. They investigate the testing methods utilized for this kind of refrigerant and how Littelfuse is further innovation in this arena.
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Simplifying Position Control with Advanced Stepper Motor Driver
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