It can be argued that small form factor design trends are paradoxical. As form factor size decreases, functionality requirements increase; as processing power requirements heighten, lower power consumption and thermal output is expected. Add to that the requirement for ruggedness to accommodate for the shock, vibration, humidity, and temperature extremes and variance inherent in mobile and outdoor applications, and designers are faced with a very complex soup.

Membrane switches are known for standing up to tough environmental conditions. Flexible and durable, the membrane switch can be customized with embossing, backlighting, sealing, and electrostatic discharge (ESD) shielding. Membrane switches can be made with either tactile or non-tactile feedback and they can be integrated with LEDs and other components. To get the switch that works for your application, follow these simple guidelines.

For the capable RF engineer, continuous- wave (CW) and predictably repeating signals are no great challenge. However, design and troubleshooting become difficult when dealing with agile signals, and the challenges grow when these signals exist in an environment densely populated with similarly agile signals. Examples include applications such as radar, electronic warfare, wireless connectivity, and wireless communications. Indeed, some engineering jobs must be performed where two or more of these technologies intersect — sometimes accidentally and sometimes deliberately.

The Centaur Optionally-Piloted Aircraft (OPA) from Aurora Flight Sciences recently flew from Virginia’s Manassas Regional Airport to the Emmen Military Airfield in Switzerland, piloted by an onboard crew.

The Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) system’s recently upgraded signal processor, designed and developed by Mercury Systems, enables the U.S. Navy to defeat more sophisticated ballistic missile threats and improve target identification capabilities. The technology includes an open architecture BMD computing suite that supports future insertion of off-the-shelf products and third-party components. Mercury’s application-ready subsystems (ARS) are integrated as core technologies in the second-generation Aegis BMD system.

The Nett Warrior Radio from Thales Communi cations provides soldiers with access to the government’s classified networks at the “Secret” or “Sensitive But Unclassified” level.

Any compass incorporated into a host system requires calibration so that the compass properly compensates for ferrous and magnetic components. If this is not done correctly, heading readings can be very inaccurate.