MAY 14, 1992
Concurrent engineering, semiconductor device technology, manufacturing, software engineering, education, and international issues are among the common subject threads that, when woven together, form the Electro/92 program....
An expanded focus on software for the engineering environment highlights Electro/92's technical program. Six sessions over two days cover a variety of software issues. In addition, the exhibit floor features a dedicated software section. This section is designed to go along with areas for design, test, production, electronic design automation tools, and semiconductors. (Technology Analysis, p. 38)
Flashback > 25 Years AgoMAY 10, 1977
The familiar 8-track stereo cartridge has been adapted to store digital data instead of music. Like a floppy-disc drive or a cassette-tape drive, the 8-track digital-tape cartridge can record data on removable media and reproduce it reliably. But in addition, the cartridge can also hold a full Mbyte of data—much more than standard floppy discs and cassettes—and reportedly puts more data storage online per dollar.
The cartridge is called a "floppy tape" by its developer, Intelligent Systems Corp. of Norcross, Ga., because its bit-serial data format is a simpler version of the floppy-disc format. A photo-sense foil segment at the splice in the tape loop replaces the index hole used on floppy discs. The gaps, track-and-sector addresses, 128-byte data blocks, and check sums are like those of soft-sectored floppy discs. (News Scope, p. 22)
Flashback > 40 Years AgoMAY 10, 1962
A general-purpose analog computer that incorporates a digital computer's memory and logic functions was shown last week at the spring Joint Computer Conference in San Francisco. Designed and built by Electronic Associates Inc., Long Branch, N.J., the HYDAC (hybrid digital/analog computer) Series 2000 was said to be the first of a line of hybrid analog units....
Major components of the HYDAC are a general-purpose analog computer and a digital console. The console contains modular building blocks and associated circuitry, interconnected through a prepatched panel to perform such operations as timing, selection, sequencing, memory lookup, and the calculation of simple functions. (News, p. 4)
Engineering Hall of Fame Electronic Design's Engineering Hall Of Fame honors the profession's most noteworthy individuals. It's our way of thanking the design engineers who have been the hallmark of our very existence and, indeed, our very name. In our October commemorative issue, we will honor the first 50 inductees—one for every year of our magazine. Propose your own candidates and vote for your choices from the individuals nominated by the editors.Visit our Web site (www.elecdesign.com) to make your choices from the best in the industry.