This article, The DC Bias Effect in Ceramic Capacitors, is based on the above YouTube video. My aim with this is to provide the same content, but more detailed, in a written form. Please watch the video above for a different style of the same basic info. Background This topic is unique to all of the other articles and videos that I have made up to this point. The reason being, this affects virtually

I recently began a livestream series on the MicroType Engineering YouTube channel. It is called the “Live Lecture Series”. The theme of this series, as you can guess from the title, is to go into a specific topic in a livestream format. The second topic that I cover is “Designing ESD Protection Circuits”. Users submit questions to an online form that I go over and answer at the end of the lecture. I am always

I’ve recently started a livestream series on the MicroType Engineering YouTube channel. It is called the “Live Lecture Series”. The theme of this series, as you can guess from the title, is to go into a specific topic in a livestream format. The first topic that I cover is “Microprocessor vs Microcontroller”. Users submit questions to an online form that I go over and answer at the end of the lecture. I am always looking

DC/DC Buck Regulator Design For Conducted Emissions Introduction One of the most important considerations when designing a DC/DC buck (step-down) switching regulator is conducted emissions. Due to the switching nature of these converters, there will be large transients on the input side of the regulator. Often, the main power input to a PCB goes directly into a buck. The switching speed of most bucks is less than a few MHz’s. Conducted emissions standards typically encompasses

Rise Time and Series Resistors Introduction When designing electronics, people tend to think that the raw data rate of a signal rules all. The thought is, the faster the data rate, the harder it is to have good Signal Integrity. A higher data rate will have worse Electromagnetic emissions. While this certainly can be true, it is also a gross oversimplification. Often, one of the most significant factors of whether or not a signal will

How to Read a Datasheet? Why is this article needed? I remember back when I first began designing electronics as a hobby. I would only use an Integrated Circuit (IC) that I could find a tutorial or guide for. It was terrifying for me to read through the massive datasheets that all IC’s have! I think that a lot of people struggle with this as well. Even today, after having used hundreds if not thousands

A Pragmatic Approach to Selecting a MOSFET The target for this post is to be a sort of follow up to my original power MOSFET post. While the goal of the prior post was to “de-mystify” issues surrounding MOSFETs, this will put that info into practice. I will outline several important considerations when selecting a MOSFET for a particular application. I will be using three common scenarios in circuit design for the basis of the

I have been suggested to work on more complex, longer term electronic design projects. This Open Source USB hub is my first attempt. I will update the github repository on the fly, before the videos are posted. The repository is on github here. SparkeyinVA from the discord channel (link to join) suggested the concept for this project. There are many Type-C UFP (Upstream Facing Port) USB hubs for sale on Amazon. However, almost all of

Lithium Ion batteries are one of the best technologies to use for a battery in portable electronics. They can also be one of the most dangerous if safety precautions are not taken. In this video I go into understanding what UL listing for a product means, and how it can help increase the safety of a product. Using this knowledge I show several battery protection techniques to help protect your circuit from catastrophic failure. Read More

Panelizing PCBs from withing KiCad I’ve posted two YouTube videos (Video 1 & Video 2) going over how we panelize PCBs entirely with KiCad. In doing so, we use several footprints I created. The most important two are the SINGLED_SIDED_TAB and the DOUBLE_SIDED_TAB. These footprints use the Cmts.User layer to show the fab house where a 2mm router should be used. The panel below was DFM’d and rendered using the gerber tool Fab3000.

ESD (Electro-Static Discharge) is the uncontrolled discharge of static electricity onto a device. When a person builds up static, then touches a component an electrical discharge occurs. When designing a circuit, it is crucial to consider ESD early on to prevent catastrophic circuit damage. In this video, I delve into some common methods to protect circuit boards. It is important to understand that there are many different ways to achieve this. It usually is a

Understanding how to properly troubleshoot circuits is an important skill to possess as an electronics designer. No matter how well versed in design and layout you are, many days will be spent on time-consuming circuit troubleshooting. It is crucial to have a solid understanding of circuit design basics, and also have the equipment available. This design required an oscilloscope, a soldering iron, and a few resistors and capacitors to troubleshoot. This article discusses a high

One of the first projects that aspiring electronic designers or engineers undertake is making an LED blink. Completing this task with a simple resistor to limit the current is relatively simple. Many people then believe that this is the standard “end-all, be-all” for LED control. For simple LED indicators and low powered lighting, driving LEDs linearly like this is fine, but many applications call for a different approach. In this article, I outline a few

H-Bridge Circuit Basics What is an H-Bridge circuit? In the most simplistic terms, an H-bridge circuit can switch the polarity of the attached load. The most common use of an H-bridge is to drive a DC motor, allowing directional control. There are various H-Bridge designs, and some use discrete components consisting of MOSFETs, while other designs utilize a dedicated Integrated Chip (IC) H-bridge. How does it work? Figure 1 shows a basic high-level view of an

Securing the Future: Our Commitment to ITAR and CMMC Compliance Elevating Aerospace and Defense Technology Standards MicroType Engineering is on a strategic mission to achieve compliance with critical regulatory standards – ITAR registration, NIST 800.171 compliance, and CMMC Level 2 certification. By integrating PreVeil’s cloud-based file sharing and email service into our processes, we’re reinforcing our commitment to security in handling sensitive defense-related information. Understanding ITAR, NIST 800.171, and CMMC ITAR (International Traffic in Arms

Elevating Standards: Our AS9100 Certification Journey Paving the Way for Aerospace Engineering Excellence At MicroType Engineering, we actively pursue excellence and quality in every project. Our journey towards AS9100 certification marks a significant milestone. This certification will revolutionize our capabilities in electronics and firmware design, enhancing our production processes and expanding our reach in the aerospace industry. Discover how our latest technological advancements are shaping the future of electronics design and assembly. Understanding AS9100 AS9100

New Advanced Circuit Board Assembly Equipment Introduction At MicroType Engineering, we pride ourselves on staying at the forefront of technological innovation in electronics design and assembly. Our commitment to high-quality, high-reliability, and precision is unwavering. In our continuous pursuit of excellence, we are excited to announce the acquisition of three new pieces of advanced circuit board assembly equipment: a Baron Blakeslee vapor degreaser, a MPM momentum printer with built-in Solder Paste Inspection (SPI), and a

The Usage and Function of TVS Diodes in Circuit Protection Introduction Hey there! Today, we’re going to talk about Transient Voltage Suppressor (TVS) diodes. These little components are the superheroes of the electronics world, protecting your circuits against dangerous voltage spikes. Join me as we explore the nitty-gritty of TVS diodes, what makes them tick, and how to make the most of them in your circuit designs. TVS Diodes: A Closer Look TVS diodes

In today’s world of ever shrinking electronics, there is a constant push for incorporating lithium ion batteries into products. There are many intricacies to handle when designing a safe and effective battery scheme. I previously discussed some of the safety/protection aspects of lithium ion battery design. I have not yet discussed lithium ion battery charger circuits. This article will cover some of the best practices for load sharing of lithium ion battery circuits. What you

Should You Buy a Pick and Place Machine? Writing an article about pick and place machines has been a suggested video/blog post by many people. In fact, this may be the single biggest suggested topic that I have ever received. This article will be the first part in a series on Assembly Line Basics. Why Should You Listen to Me? While this is something my girlfriend would likely answer “you shouldn’t!”, at least

With the widespread cultural influences of startup companies and entrepreneurs, manufacturing a product overseas seems to be the “end all, be all” to cut costs. While this certainly can be true, there are some common pitfalls that can cost more than just money. The goal of this article is to highlight some issues that can be easily avoided with manufacturing overseas. “Overseas” can refer to many geographic locations. Assume that English is not the primary

First and foremost, everyone here at MicroType Engineering hopes that you are staying safe and healthy through the wild times that we are going through. While we have done our best to maintain constant uptime throughout the quarantine, we did have a small shutdown. Using this time to our advantage, we went to work expanding our electronic circuit board assembly line to a larger space next door. This has more than doubled our assembly space,

A common question that new hardware companies have is “how to prototype electronics for our new product idea?” An electronic prototype is an important first step for any company – whether large or small – developing a new hardware product or device. Immediately after the prototyping stage comes the MVP (Minimum Viable Product). This is a full-function product ready for sale, with only the minimum amount of features included. The MVP comes directly after the

MOSFET circuit design and selection is a commonly requested topic for me to cover. There are a lot of uses for MOSFETs, as a result, they have become more commonplace than standard BJT or NPN transistors, especially in high-power applications. This article will discuss different MOSFET circuit designs, specifically for high-powered applications. I will also go into the important specs and part selection using datasheets. There are plenty of fantastic articles that delve deep into

One of the most misunderstood topics when launching a new product to market is of patents and prototypes. My goal with this article is to dispel myth’s and help guide entrepreneurs in product development. I will try to help suggest when to patent an invention first, and when to prototype it first. For the sake of this article, when I say “patent,” I mean a fully filed utility patent. A great resource on the importance

While working on my youtube video series, I have had many questions and requests to do a detailed write-up on design considerations for a high powered printed circuit board(PCB). Throughout my career, I have worked on several high powered LED and motor driver boards. The most powerful would peak at around 1000 watts with a 24VDC supply. When researching this project, there wasn’t any information online that discussed proper practices for this type of board.