FLASHBACK>10 YEARS AGO
JANUARY 23, 1992
RECENT TECHNOLOGY BREAKTHROUGHS IN the IC plug-in card arena promise to impact all segments of the computing industry, from portable systems to high-end workstations, including test and measurement equipment. Last September saw a major stride taken in this direction, when the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) took the wraps off Release 2.0 of the PC Card Standard....
Release 2.0 is divided into three parts—electrical (interface), physical, and software. Six different types of chips are outlined for use in the cards: ROM, one-time programmable ROM, static RAM, UV EPROM, flash EPROM, and EEPROM. One of the keys to Release 2.0 is that it introduces new applications in the form of I/O cards.... While memory cards find their niches in portable and industrial applications, I/O cards are sure to turn up in countless applications because of their ruggedness. (Electronic Design Report, p. 45)
FLASHBACK>25 YEARS AGO
JANUARY 18, 1977
INTERFACING MICROPROCESSORS TO THE WORLD OF ANALOG data requires a new approach. The hundreds of data-acquisition systems and modules that have served minicomputers well are inappropriate for micros. They're too expensive, too power-consuming or too large.
The new monolithic a/d converters stand apart with their combination of cost, efficiency, and size (under $10, in hundreds, for an 8-bit, 20-mW DIP). With monolithic converters in your microbased system, you get the size and cost that have prompted you to go to the µP in the first place. (Technology, p. 82)
FLASHBACK>40 YEARS AGO
JANUARY 18, 1962
A CONCEPT THAT MAY AFFECT THE future of very large tracking antennas is to be tested later this year. With Air Force support, researchers at Ohio State University have designed a tracking array of four 30-ft diameter paraboloids that they hope will be equivalent to one 60-ft dish.
Engineers of the university's Antenna Laboratory, near Columbus, will use the system this spring to locate the Echo II passive communication satellite. They plan to lock onto Echo's reflected signals, add them coherently, and extract their information. The researchers say the concept could be demonstrated better with a 16-element array, equivalent to a 120-ft paraboloid. (News, p. 8)
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