Featured Book Archive - 12

Each week, I select a new book that is relevant to engineers, scientists, students, hobbyists or managers. Most of the time they are sold through Amazon (I earn a few pennies on each sale), but when possible, I present books that are available in an e-book format that can be downloaded for free. The latter are much less available. After all, most people like to be paid for their work, as I'm certain that you do, too.

Note: I just began archiving these picks in May of 2009, but they have been going on since about 2003.

Archive Page: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 , 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21

Fundamentals of RF and Microwave Transistor Amplifiers, by Inder Bahl. "This book provides state-of-the-art coverage of RF and microwave transistor amplifiers, including low-noise, narrowband, broadband, linear, high-power, high-efficiency, and high-voltage. Topics covered include modeling, analysis, design, packaging, and thermal and fabrication considerations. Through a unique integration of theory and practice, readers will learn to solve amplifier-related design problems ranging from matching networks to biasing and stability. More than 240 problems are included to help readers test their basic amplifier and circuit design skills-and more than half of the problems feature fully worked-out solutions...
11/19/2013

Chances are if you are reading this, you don't really need Electronics for Dummies. However, Christmas is coming and you might considering picking up a copy to gift to a tech-challenged friend or boss, or maybe to a relative, that always gets the tell-tale deer-in-the-headlights stare whenever you start explaining what you do for a living or hobby. The "for Dummies" series is well-known for helping to make complex concepts understandable for laymen.
11/12/2013

The Electric Vehicle Conversion Handbook - RF Cafe

The Electric Vehicle Conversion Handbook, by Mark Warner, is a guide on how to convert any gas- or diesel-powered vehicle to electric power. Includes ownership advantages, basic EV operation, subsystems, components, basic EV operation, project vehicles, and conversion kits. Motor and battery technology is advancing at amazing rates, so if you don't like the weenie look of today's production electrical vehicles and would rather try your hand at an electric conversion on a classic 1965 Mustang, then this type of resource can be invaluable.
10/8/2013

Nonlinear RF Circuits and Nonlinear Vector Network Analyzers: Interactive Measurement and Design Techniques, by Patrick Roblin. "With increasingly low-cost and power-efficient RF electronics demanded by today's wireless communication systems, it is essential to keep up to speed with new developments. This book presents key advances in the field that you need to know about and emerging patterns in large-signal measurement techniques, modeling and nonlinear circuit design theory supported by practical examples. Topics covered include large-signal measurement techniques that have become available with the introduction of NVNAs, direct extraction of device models from large-signal RF dynamic load lines, X-parameters and more.
11/26/2013

Excel 2013 Bible - RF Cafe

Excel 2013 Bible, by John Walkenbach. Engineers still rely pretty heavily on spreadsheets for day-to-day work. The full-featured simulators are invaluable for detailed simulations, but often are severe overkill for a quick calculation. Known as "Mr. Spreadsheet," Walkenbach shows you how to maximize the power of Excel 2013 while bringing you up to speed on the latest features. This perennial bestseller is fully updated to cover all the new features of Excel 2013, including how to navigate the user interface, take advantage of various file formats, master formulas, analyze data with PivotTables, and more.
10/15/2013

Dilbert 2.0: 20 Years of Dilbert - RF Cafe

Dilbert 2.0: 20 Years of Dilbert, by Scott Adams. This special slipcased collection - weighing in at more than ten pounds with 600 pages and featuring almost 4,000 strips - takes readers behind the scenes and into the early days of Scott Adams' life pre-Dilbert and on to the success that followed when Dilbert became an internationally syndicated sensation. Divided into five different epochs, Dilbert 2.0 gives readers a glance at some of Adams's earliest strips, like those created for Playboy, and a peek at an abundance of special content ranging from numerous rejection letters to Adams' first cartooning check, and more. Adams personally selected the material for this collection and offers original comments and humorous asides throughout.
9/24/2013

Challenging the Chip: Labor Rights and Environmental Justice in the Global Electronics Industry, by T. Smith, D. Sonnenfeld, and D. Pellow. I've never been one to shy away from a good argument when it comes to bucking against the ill winds of political correctness. In general, PCness causes the vast majority to suffer for the benefit of a relative few who often assert their 'rights' (real or imagined) to special privilege out of spite and/or self-righteousness. The subject of exploitation of the world's poor and desperate to the advantage of the rest of us bothers my conscience in a conflicted manner. On the one hand I realize that the exploited often consider their new conditions to be better than what they previously endured, but on the other hand there is a moral obligation to not rationalize away our complicity in the matter. The most egregious offenders are those who make a lot of noise about profiting from the misfortunes of said poor while obliviously (although often knowingly) consuming gadgets provided as the result of that exploitation. The electronics industry is a prime example of human issues beginning with mining raw materials and progressing all the way through end item manufacturing, distribution, and disposition.
10/29/2013

Electronic Warfare in the Information Age - RF Cafe Featured Book

Electronic Warfare in the Information Age, by D. Curtis Schleher. This is an advanced practitioner's guide to current concepts and threats associated with modern electronic warfare (EW). It identifies and explains the newest radar communications threats, and provides practical, "how-to" information on designing and implementing ECM and ECCM systems. The aim of the text is to help the reader develop ESM systems designed specifically to exploit the vulnerabilities of modern radar. It also identifies and evaluates ESM receiving equipment, and outlines advanced ECM methods, including monopulse deception, coherent radar jamming, and high-ERP generation.
10/1/2013

No, this is not a phone or GPS device. It is a handheld digital oscilloscope (DSO) with a 1 MHz bandwidth, 2.8" color LCD, max sample rate of 1 Msps with 12 bits of resolution, and a USB interface (not needed for operation). For a mere $70 you get the DSO201 and a test probe. For $162 you can get a 4-channel version (DSO203) with a 72 MHz analog bandwidth. Here is a YouTube video demonstrating both o-scopes' capabilities.
11/5/2013

Visio is still a mainstay for generating Office-compatible engineering block diagrams and schematics. Its ability to be programmed for automation makes it even more valuable to the code-writing guru. Microsoft Visio 2003 Inside Out covers all the ins and outs that you'll need to know to exploit its powers and to learn clever tricks for usage. "This supremely organized reference packs hundreds of timesaving solutions, troubleshooting tips, and workarounds all in concise, fast-answer format. It’s all muscle and no fluff. Discover the best and fastest ways to perform everyday tasks, and challenge yourself to new levels of Visio mastery!"
10/1/2013

Chipless RFID Reader Architecture - RF Cafe Featured Book

Chipless RFID Reader Architecture, by Nemai Chandra Karmakar. In the era of information communication technology (ICT), radio frequency identification (RFID) has been going through tremendous development. RFID technology has the potential of replacing barcodes due to its large information carrying capacity, flexibility in operations, and applications. The deployment of RFID has been hindered by its cost. However, with the advent of low powered ICs, energy scavenging techniques, and low-cost chipless tags, RFID technology has achieved significant development. This book addresses the new reader architecture, presents fundamentals of chipless RFID systems, and covers protocols. Published by Artech House.
9/17/2013

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Kirt Blattenberger,

BSEE - KB3UON

RF Cafe began life in 1996 as "RF Tools" in an AOL screen name web space totaling 2 MB. Its primary purpose was to provide me with ready access to commonly needed formulas and reference material while performing my work as an RF system and circuit design engineer. The World Wide Web (Internet) was largely an unknown entity at the time and bandwidth was a scarce commodity. Dial-up modems blazed along at 14.4 kbps while tying up your telephone line, and a nice lady's voice announced "You've Got Mail" when a new message arrived...

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