Weekend Wisdom with Screaming Circuits

Some Fridays are just more "Fridayish" than others. And by "Fridayish" I mean that it's been a long week and most of the day is spent with an overtone of "5:00 can't get here soon enough." Today isn't one of... Read more

Pinouts, Package Changes and Subs

With so many components on allocation, having extended lead times or simply not available, minor re-design is the popular task of the day. MCUs can often be replaced with another family member and most passives and power components have options... Read more

What’s in store for you in 2022

As is tradition, I’ve put together my thoughts on what we have to look forward to in the new year. Uncertainty abounds and I know we all are looking for answers. That’s fine, but when I sat down to write... Read more

A WOMAN SCORNED...My washing machine talks to Alexa, and I am not happy about it.

My washing machine talks to Alexa, and I am not happy about it. Recently, I thought I would tip by toes into “adulting”. I bought a brand new washer and dryer. While the Westinghouse originals were sturdy work horses, these... Read more

30 second Philosophy, December 2021 Edition

I've been largely working from home for the last 20 months. On the one hand, much of my job can be done effectively from anywhere in the world with fast and reliable Internet. The video conferencing systems are quite good... Read more

PCB Design for Clarity: DIODE POLARITY (NO, IT'S NOT OBVIOUS)

The PCB fabrication and assembly industry does have standards, but enough people don’t follow these standards that sometimes the manufacturers are obliged to assume that no one does. Of all the aspects of printed circuit board (PCB) design, polarity seems... Read more

Solder Mask in Color

With Halloween coming up here in the United States, I feel compelled to go to the mail bag and answer some pressing questions about candy corn and solder mask. Why candy corn? I mean, solder mask makes sense - it’s... Read more

Scam alert in the components world

As if there aren't enough challenges for all of us right now, we have been receiving reports of scammers impersonating legitimate component suppliers. They claim to have hard to get parts available, but just take your money and give nothing... Read more

30 second philosophy, October 2021 edition

Ever wonder if the outside world operates like your brain does? Philosophy is the age old branch of study that, in my mind, best attempts to answer this question. Another way to put that is: "Weird things pop into my... Read more

Tip of the Day: Again with the Standard Not Standard

Sometimes the standards-steering-you-wrong aren't just in house, but come from Industry. Case in point the three-terminal linear regulator. Back when TO-220 packaged semiconductors were first hand chipped out of boiling lava, the LM7805 three-terminal voltage regulator established an informal standard... Read more