2008

Test and Diagnosis of Analogue, Mixed-signal and RF Integrated Circuits

Tue, 12 Jun 2018 01:05:17 GMT

Systems on Chip (SoC) for communications, multimedia and computer applications have recently received much international attention; one such example being the single-chip transceiver. Modern microelectronic design adopts a mixed-signal approach as a complex SoC is a mixed-signal system including both analogue and digital circuits. Automatic testing becomes crucially important to drive down the overall cost of next generation SoC devices. Test and fault diagnosis of analogue, mixed-signal and RF circuits, however, proves much more difficult than that of digital circuits due to tolerances, parasitics and nonlinearities and therefore, together with challenging tuning and calibration, remains the bottleneck for automatic SoC testing. This book provides a comprehensive discussion of automatic testing, diagnosis and tuning of analogue, mixed-signal and RF integrated circuits, and systems in a single source. The book contains eleven chapters written by leading researchers worldwide. As well as fundamental concepts and techniques, the book reports systematically the state of the arts and future research directions of these areas. A complete range of circuit components are covered and test issues are also addressed from the SoC perspective. An essential reference companion to researchers and engineers in mixed-signal testing, the book can also be used as a text for postgraduate and senior undergraduate students.

The Struggle for Unity

Tue, 12 Jun 2018 00:36:55 GMT

The Struggle for Unity: Colour television, the formative years traces the evolution of colour television from 1928, when rudimentary colour television was demonstrated for the first time, to c.1966, when the NTSC system and its variants, the PAL and SECAM systems, became widely available for the entertainment, education and enlightenment of society. Among the many topics discussed in the book, mention is made of the following: compatibility and non-compatibility; mechanical and all-electronic systems; field, line and dot sequential scanning; bandwidth constraints and band-sharing techniques; the CBS-RCA conflict; the relative merits of the different systems; the attempt to achieve unity of purpose in Europe; standards; and the development of colour cameras and display tubes. The book, which is based predominantly on written primary source material, does not simply provide a chronicle of dates and descriptions of events, devices and systems. Rather, it discusses the essential factors of colour television history from a general, technical and political viewpoint. Great care has been taken to ensure that an unbiased, accurate and balanced history has been written. Numerous references are given at the end of each chapter and the book is profusely illustrated.

The Correspondence of Michael Faraday

Tue, 12 Jun 2018 00:23:12 GMT

Michael Faraday (1791–1867) was one of the most important men of science in nineteenth century Britain. His discoveries of electro-magnetic rotations (1821) and electro-magnetic induction (1831) laid the foundations of the modern electrical industry. His discovery of the magneto-optical effect and diamagnetism (1845) led him to formulate the field theory of electro-magnetism, which forms one of the cornerstones of modern physics.

These and a whole host of other fundamental discoveries in physics and chemistry, together with his lecturing at the Royal Institution, his work for the state (including Trinity House), his religious beliefs and his lack of mathematical ability, make Faraday one of the most fascinating scientific figures ever.

All these aspects of his life and work and others, such as his illnesses, are reflected in his correspondence. This volume, in which just over 70% of the 841 letters are previously unpublished, covers the latter half of the 1850s and most of 1860. Topics include: Faraday's work on regelation, the transmission of light through gold and his attempts to bring gravity into his general scheme of forces; the offer by Queen Victoria, and his acceptance, of a Grace and Favour House at Hampton Court; his advice to Trinity House, the Board of Trade and the Royal Commission on Lighthouses; his investigation of the deterioration of the stonework of the relatively new Houses of Parliament; the conservation issues surrounding the National Gallery's pictures; and his appointment by Emperor Napoleon III to be a Commander of the Legion of Honour.

Major correspondents included the Astronomer Royal G.B. Airy, the new Secretary of Trinity House P.H. Berthon, the Birmingham glassmaker J.T. Chance, the French chemist and politician J.B.A. Dumas, the Assistant Secretary of the Board of Trade T.H. Farrer, the German mathematician Julius Plücker, the Cambridge trained mathematical natural philosophers James Clerk Maxwell, George Gabriel Stokes and William Thomson, Faraday's colleague at the Royal Institution John Tyndall and the Swiss chemist Christian Schoenbein whose daughter died while in London.

The Art of Successful Business Communication

Tue, 12 Jun 2018 00:19:55 GMT

An opportunity to impress, Communication is easy isn't it? Well it may seem so, but consider honestly when was the last time you were involved in a breakdown of communications? And how long ago was one such a veritable derailment? For most people and in most organisations this happens regularly.

It matters. Communication - effective communication - makes thing happen. There can be a great deal hanging on it. Whether the communication concerned is a simple email, a contribution to a meeting, a report or a presentation, it can prompt agreement or action; it can seal a good deal, drive a hard bargain and enhance your profile and boost your reputation as it does so. Or not: for instance making a poor presentation may do real damage and allow no second chances, and an ill-considered report may come back to haunt you in months to come.

This book is the antidote to communications difficulty. It sets out proven, practical guidelines to ensure you can prepare (and prepare quickly) and deliver messages in a clear, succinct, precise, descriptive, informative, and impressive way - and that they are effective. That is, they achieve your purpose with others, however technical, complex or difficult the topics they may involve.

Take no risks. Guarantee communications success and enhance your profile as you do so.

Local Energy

Mon, 11 Jun 2018 23:34:32 GMT

In future the UK's energy supplies, for both heat and power, will come from much more diverse sources. In many cases this will mean local energy projects serving a local community or even a single house. What technologies are available? Where and at what scale can they be used? How can they work effectively with our existing energy networks? This book explores these power and heat sources, explains the characteristics of each and examines how they can be used.

Condition Monitoring of Rotating Electrical Machines, 2nd Edition

Mon, 11 Jun 2018 23:13:59 GMT

Condition monitoring of engineering plant has increased in importance as engineering processes are automated and manpower is reduced. However, electrical machinery receives attention only at infrequent intervals when plant is shut down and the application of protective relays to machines has also reduced operator surveillance.

A first edition of Condition Monitoring of Electrical Machines, written by Tavner and Penman, was published in 1987. The economics of industry have now changed, as a result of the privatisation and deregulation of the energy industry, placing emphasis on the importance of reliable operation of plant, throughout the whole life cycle, regardless of first cost. The availability of advanced electronics and software in powerful instrumentation, computers, and digital signal processors (DSP) has simplified our ability to instrument and analyse machinery. As a result condition monitoring is now being applied to a wider range of systems, from fault-tolerant drives of a few hundred watts in the aerospace industry, to machinery of a few hundred megawatts in major capital plant.

In this new book the original authors have been joined by Ran, an expert in power electronics and control, and Sedding, an expert in the monitoring of electrical insulation systems. Together the authors have revised and expanded the earlier book, merging their own experience with that of machine analysts to bring it up to date. The book is aimed at professional engineers in the energy, process engineering and manufacturing industries, plus research workers and students.

Condition Assessment of High Voltage Insulation in Power System Equipment

Mon, 11 Jun 2018 23:13:27 GMT

The book introduces the reader to the major components of a high voltage system and the different insulating materials applied in particular equipments. During a review of these materials, measurable properties suitable for condition assessment are identified. Analyses are included of some of the insulation fault scenarios that may occur in power equipment. The basic facilities for carrying out tests on the internal and external insulation structures at high and low voltages are described. Tests and measurements according to specifications, on-site requirements and research investigations are considered. Advances in the application of digital techniques for detection and analyses of partial discharges are discussed and methods in use, or under development, for service condition monitoring are described. These include the utilization of new sensors, the solution of online problems associated with noise rejection and the adaptation of artificial intelligence techniques for incipient fault diagnosis.

The subject matter of the book is suitable for final year courses in electrical power engineering, short courses in insulation condition assessment and postgraduate programmes. Power system engineers associated with high voltage equipment should find the book of value in relation to fault investigations, maintenance requirements, insulation testing and condition monitoring.

Flexible Robot Manipulators

Mon, 11 Jun 2018 21:17:51 GMT

The ever increasing utilisation of robotic manipulators for various applications in recent years has been motivated by the requirements and demands of industrial automation. Among these, attention is focused more towards flexible manipulators, due to various advantages they offer compared to their rigid counterparts. Flexural dynamics have constituted the main research challenge in modelling and control of such systems; research activities have accordingly concentrated on the development of methodologies to cope with this.

The book reports recent and new developments in modelling, simulation and control of flexible robot manipulators. The material is presented in four distinct components: (i) a range of modelling approaches including classical techniques based on the Lagrange equation formulation, parametric approaches based on linear input/output models using system identification techniques, and neuro-modelling approaches; (ii) numerical modelling/ simulation techniques for dynamic characterisation of flexible manipulators using the finite difference, finite element, symbolic manipulation and customised software techniques; (iii) a range of open-loop and closed-loop control techniques based on classical and modern intelligent control methods including soft-computing and smart structures for flexible manipulators; and (iv) software environments for analysis, design, simulation and control of flexible manipulators.

The book can serve as a teaching resource as well as a reference text for research.