You May Scoff, But AI-Powered PCB Layout Is Really Real

Recently, I re-watched the epic science fiction movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey. Although this film was released in 1968, I don’t think I saw it on the big screen until 1969, when I was 12 years old. I know that by the time I watched the film, I’d already read the book, for which I was very grateful, because that’s pretty much key to understanding what’s going on in the first part of the film. … Read More → "You May Scoff, But AI-Powered PCB Layout Is Really Real"

Next-Generation Motion Sensing Facilitates Immersive Spatial Audio

I was sitting here thinking (don’t worry, I’ll try not to make a habit of it). I was contemplating how, even when we think things have evolved to be rather good (technologically speaking), someone invariably leaps onto the center of the stage with a fanfare of flugelhorns, brandishing a “new and improved” solution.

This just happened to me … Read More → "Next-Generation Motion Sensing Facilitates Immersive Spatial Audio"

Vision, Photonics, and Radar: How indie is Empowering the Next Generation of Automotive Design

Automotive design takes center stage in this week’s podcast. My guest is Chet Babla from indie. Chet and I chat about the automotive megatrends driving automotive innovation today. We also explore how radar and vision will shape the future of in-cabin and exterior automotive applications and how indie is supporting the next generation of vision and radar applications with their advanced silicon, photonics and sensor … Read More → "Vision, Photonics, and Radar: How indie is Empowering the Next Generation of Automotive Design"

July 9, 2025
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featured chalk talk

Simplifying Position Control with Advanced Stepper Motor Driver
In this episode of Chalk Talk, Jiri Keprda from STMicroelectronics and Amelia Dalton explore the benefits of the powerSTEP01 is a system-in-package from STMicroelectronics. They also examine how this solution can streamline overall position control architecture, the high level commands included in this solution and the variety of advanced diagnostics included in the powerSTEP01 system-in-package.
Jan 21, 2025
30,947 views

featured paper

Agilex™ 3 vs. Certus-N2 Devices: Head-to-Head Benchmarking on 10 OpenCores Designs

Sponsored by Altera

Explore how Agilex™ 3 FPGAs deliver up to 2.4× higher performance and 30% lower power than comparable low-cost FPGAs in embedded applications. This white paper benchmarks real workloads, highlights key architectural advantages, and shows how Agilex 3 enables efficient AI, vision, and control systems with headroom to scale.

Click to read more

Libby's Lab

Libby's Lab - Scopes out Eaton EHBSA Aluminum Organic Polymer Capacitors

Sponsored by Mouser Electronics and Eaton

Join Libby and Demo in this episode of “Libby’s Lab” as they explore the Eaton EHBSA Aluminum Organic Polymer Capacitors, available at Mouser.com! These capacitors are ideal for high-reliability and long life in demanding applications. Keep your circuits charged and your ideas sparking!

Click here for more information

discussion
Posted on Jul 9 at 11:18am by Max Maxfield
"I often wish that HAL would stop telling me 'I’m sorry, Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that.' – Dave being my moniker!" I'm assuming that HAL is a pet name for your wife LOL
Posted on Jul 9 at 11:16am by Max Maxfield
Hi Peter -- on the one hand, I wish the film had been a bit closer to the book at the end -- on the other hand, both were different interpretations that stood proud in their own right. Now I want to watch the film and read the book AGAIN!
Posted on Jul 9 at 1:33am by RedBarnDesigner
Hi Max, Thanks for a really interesting article. Point well made - how many times have I started on a design only to have to back out after realising that I was heading down towards a non-routeable dead-end? (Answer - many!) Being able to "explore the solution space" before making ...
Posted on Jul 8 at 5:59pm by traneusee
I, too, read the book of 2001 A Space Odyssey before seeing the movie in a theater. I remember tiny details in the future part of the movie giving a sense of large structures: office workers seen through windows of the rotating space station. In the book, Dave's pod lands atop ...
Posted on Jul 5 at 9:34am by Max Maxfield
Harsh words, old friend :-)
Posted on Jul 3 at 9:04pm by Steven Leibson
If you read part 1 of this article, etssp, you'll see that the original device used to design the block 1 computers was a Type G IC containing one nor gate. Die microphotographs of this device do indeed look like they have a very different logic gate layout. Fairchild had not developed ...
Posted on Jul 3 at 8:21pm by etssp
Note that the Apollo dual 3-input NOR gate is not the same as the 9915! The Apollo chip has the outputs of the NOR gates at pins 1 and 9 [1], while the 9915 has outputs at pins 4 and 9 [2]. This results in two completely different layouts of the IC, as can be seen in the ...
Posted on Jun 27 at 11:12am by JK
I'll bet your AI is really some guy in Bangalor with a bad haircut...
Posted on Jun 27 at 11:10am by JK
"There are kids growing up now and will for sometime in the future have never understood the meme power of marketing ploys. There are kids who believe that we have systems that have are somehow intelligent and don’t know that they are wrong." True. “There are adults who cannot ...
Posted on Jun 27 at 10:14am by Max Maxfield
"...I want MY AI to take me seriously." I have bad news, I'm afraid, because my AI says that your AI doesn't take you seriously at all.
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featured blogs
Jul 1, 2025
I don't know which of these videos is better: humans playing games with water pixels or robots playing games....
USB’s Renaissance: Overcoming Stagnation with 10 & 20 Gbps Innovation
Sponsored by Mouser Electronics and Infineon
In this episode of Chalk Talk, Jimmy Chou from Infineon and Amelia Dalton explore the challenges of USB design and how Infineon is furthering innovation with the EZ-USB FX10. They also investigate the high bandwidth data subsystem, the high bandwidth data interface and the robust security features included in this solution.
Jul 3, 2025
904 views
Inside-the-Box Connectivity for Automotive Applications
Sponsored by Mouser Electronics and Molex
In this episode of Chalk Talk, Nathan Piette from Molex and Amelia Dalton explore wire to wire and wire to board connector and cable solutions for automotive “Inside the Box” applications. They examine the role that these solutions play in automotive lighting designs and the benefits that Molex Micro-Fit, Micro-Lock Plus and Pico-Clasp connectors bring to these kinds of applications.
Jun 25, 2025
13,881 views
Universal Sensing Module Training Presentation
In this episode of Chalk Talk, Madhura Tapse from NXP and Amelia Dalton explore how the rise of Industry 4.0 and AL/ML at the edge has driven a need for universal sensing solutions. They also examine the benefits of NXP’s NAFE13388-UIM? analog product development boards and how NXP is furthering innovation in a variety of different arenas with this software-configurable analog input solution designed for high-precision sensing and edge intelligence.
Jun 20, 2025
19,358 views
New Infineon MCUs offering TRAVEO™ T2G Cluster/Display + Qt HMI software
Sponsored by Mouser Electronics and Infineon
In this episode of Chalk Talk, Marcelo Williams Silva from Infineon and Amelia Dalton explore the mega trends driving innovation in microcontrollers for automotive applications and the benefits that the TRAVEO™ T2G Body & Cluster Portfolio brings to these types of designs. They also investigate the true firmware over the air update capabilities included in this family of MCUs and how the Qt for MCUs on TRAVEO™ T2G can help you create next-gen HMIs without compromising performance.
Jun 19, 2025
22,421 views
BD18333EUV 24-Channel Automotive LED Driver
In this episode of Chalk Talk, Catherine Scott from ROHM Semiconductor and Amelia Dalton explore automotive LED driver applications and how ROHM Semiconductor is driving innovation in this arena. They also investigate the animated lighting and limp home modes of ROHM’s BD18333EUV 24-Channel Automotive LED Driver and how you can use these solutions for your next automotive design.
Jun 19, 2025
19,870 views
Enabling Tomorrow’s Sensor Applications Today
In this episode of Chalk Talk, Maureen Rakotondraibe from Sensirion, Tom Bocchino from STMicroelectronics and Amelia Dalton explore the synergies between STMicroelectronics and Sensirion and how their complementary technologies can encourage innovation in home automation and indoor air quality application design. They also investigate the details of STMicroelectronics new TMOS infrared sensor, the challenges associated with indoor air quality testing, and how you can take advantage of this innovative partnership for your next design. 
Jun 12, 2025
28,940 views