[sdiy] MIT 6.002 lectures [was: Re: Multiple LCD connection sanity check please]

[lanterma at ece.gatech.edu]

[Ooops, I accidentally sent this just to Michael when I meant to send it to the full list. Trying again...]

On Jan 11, 2011, at 12:20 PM, Richie Burnett wrote:

> The only problem that you might see with this type of arrangement in practice is one of signal edge reflections.  A modern relatively fast CPU like the dsPIC is capable of slewing it's output lines from 5 volt to zero (or the converse) in a few nanoseconds.  If you have a lot of long wiring connected to this, the fast edge will travel down to the end of the ribbon cable or whatever and then reflect back.  The problem is caused by a mismatch between the characteristic impedance of the cable and the load at the end at radio frequencies.

There's a fantastic demo of this effect on youtube (it's the last lecture of a taped set of lectures of the MIT class 6.002 - Circuits and Electronics):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyxcCoUgETU

The Spring 2007 version of 6.002 is on MIT's OpenCourseWare site:

http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/electrical-engineering-and-computer-science/6-002-circuits-and-electronics-spring-2007/

I just finished watching the entire series, and it's *amazing.* The lecturer, Anant Agarwal, is one of the best I've ever seen. The demos are particularly fantastic. I also picked up the textbook of the course, "Foundations of Analog and Digital Electronic Circuits," which is quite good and has a unique approach:

http://www.amazon.com/Foundations-Electronic-Circuits-Kaufmann-Architecture/dp/1558607358/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1294876569&sr=8-2

- Aaron