XM Radio is a type of satellite radio that is extremely popular with people that want more entertainment and programming choices from their radio with less commercials and interruptions. XM Radio is similar to cable TV as users pay a small fee each month to receive superior programming. In XM Radio’s case, users can receive …
A BUC (Block Upconverter) is a device that converts radio signals from a lower frequency to a higher frequency. BUCs are used in satellite uplink transmissions in order to transfer data from a ground based unit to a satellite in orbit that will then be redirected to another ground based unit in separate location. Likewise, …
A Chebyshev filter can either be analog or digital, and is an improvement on the Butterworth filter as it has a steeper roll-off and a greater passband and stopband ripple. These filters minimize overall error between actual and idealized filter characteristics for the designed range of the filter. The filter was named after Pafnuty Chebyshev, …
Before you ask what an LNB tester is, you should know what an LNB is. An LNB is the receiving end of a satellite dish. LNB stands for low noise blocker; it is a device that essentially does what it says. It blocks low noise (frequencies) in order to receive higher frequencies in which satellite …
A CMOS (Complementary Metal-oxide Semiconductor) inverter is a device that produces logic functions and is the primary component of all integrated circuits. A CMOS inverter is a field-effect transistor that is composed of a metal gate that lies on top of an insulating layer of oxygen, which lies on top of a semiconductor. CMOS inverters …
An isolation transformer is made of two copper coils that are wound around each other and are each supplied by their own power source. While the term “isolation transformer” technically refers to any transformer, it is specifically a transformer that isolates a circuit from an alternating current. An isolation transformer does this by separating two …
8PSK (8 Phase Shift Keying) is a phase modulation algorithm. Phase modulation is a version of frequency modulation where the phase of the carrier wave is modulated to encode bits of digital information in each phase change. The “PSK” in 8PSK refers to the use of Phased Shift Keying. Phased Shift Keying is a form …
The crystal radio is a rudimentary radio receiver that can be made from a few easy-to-obtain and inexpensive parts. It is unique for this type of radio does not require a battery pack, has no moving parts, and can be built using ordinary household materials, yet it actually works. The only power it receives comes …
An IR blaster (infrared blaster) is a device that emulates an infrared remote control. IR blasters are used in situations where one device controls another. For example, it can be connected to a computer in order to control virtually every other infrared device in the room from that computer. IR blasters are usually small and …
A thyristor is a solid state semiconductor device that consists of four alternating layers of N-type and P-type material. Many sources consider thyristors to be the same as Silicon Controlled Rectifiers (SCRs). In some cases they are defined as a large group of devices – the eligibility criterion being that the device should consist of …