Antenna diodes in the Pentium processor
I was studying the silicon die of the Pentium processor and noticed some puzzling structures where signal lines were connected to the silicon substrate for no apparent reason. Two examples are in the photo below, where the metal wiring (orange) connects to small square regions of doped silicon (gray), isolated from the rest of the circuitry. I did some investigation and learned that these structures are "antenna diodes," special diodes that protect the circuitry from damage during manufacturing. In this blog post, I discuss the construction of the Pentium and explain how these antenna diodes work.
Closeup of the Pentium die showing the silicon and bottom...
Switching Power with USB-C
Hello everyone and welcome back to another Friday Product Post here at SparkFun Electronics. This week, we have our third and final Soft Power Switch for you, and this one is equipped with USB-C connectors! That's right, you've seen our Qwiic version and our JST 2mm version, now we have a third and final option for you to choose from. Remember people, options are good!
...Электровакуумная химия в домашней мастерской. Очистка, обезжиривание металлов
Электровакуумные приборы (ЭВП) часто имеют немудрёное устройство и конструкцию, повторить которые нетрудно и относительно простыми средствами. Однако характеристики таких приборов и их стабильность, а прежде всего долговечность ламп, в целом остаётся весьма низкой. Сложности изготовления практических образцов ЭВП — это миниатюрность и точность, подбор и герметическое соединение необычных и разнородных материалов для широкого диапазона рабочих температур, где их чистота должна превосходить хирургическую — самые малые субмикроскопические внутри баллонные загрязнения оборачиваются нежелательными физико-химическими процессами во время работы лампы, сокращают срок её службы или вовсе выводят из строя. Причём в условиях значительных рабочих температур и высокого вакуума, нежелательные пары и газы...
Electric Atmospheres – Ethereal architecture of urban datascapes
In collaboration with the Barcelona Supercomputing Centre and Altair Engineering, Richard Vijgen simulates the behaviour of the electromagnetic cloud from a single cell-phone in different urban environments and visualize how the electromagnetic waves are absorbed and reflected by their surroundings. The results reveal an invisible dimension...
Emergent Forms – AI conceptual shifts
This project uses iterative AI-generated imagery to explore model collapse, where AI drifts from original concepts over time. Reflecting on humanity's reliance on technology, it highlights ethical concerns and risks of losing authentic connections to reality, challenging how AI shapes perception and truth.
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November Update: Something Borrowed Something New
This month we are announcing a couple of new products including a SBC and a successor to the PineCube. We have updates to share about the PineNote and the PineDio USB adapter this month along with a talk by one of our community members Dsimic.
Get More Than Expected Out Of Your SparkFun Alphanumeric Displays
We all know that 7-segment displays like these are a great way to share numeric information in a project. But often you’ll find yourself needing to display numbers and letters, and that’s where our Alphanumeric Displays come in.
...BorisChimp504 “Red Spectrum” AV Live
The new AV Live performance Red Spectrum (by Boris Chimp 504) explores new territories and space dimensions by adding a new color dimension to the monochromatic vision and merging organic and two-dimensional visuals with the usual 3D geometric-hard edges aesthetic.
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Teen Hack Club Launches Coding Challenge Across International Waters
Sparkfun Loot Awaits Within High Seas Adventure
(Note: You may have to translate this from pirate-speak to English to understand the blog)
All of us at Sparkfun are excited about a new partnership with Hack Club to support High Seas, an epic coding adventure where teens are invited to ship code to earn prizes. Here’s how it works:
Anyone 18 and under can sign up to join Hack Club’s Slack community Install the Wakatime extension to track your developer hours on projects Ship your code to earn Doubloons (ooooh), the High Seas virtual currency Exchange Doubloons for sweet prizes – to build more cool...