Recent content by e-o

The FFT uses the same formula as the DFT to perform the Fourier transform (it just uses some fancy manipulations to speed up the calculations). So the amplitudes in the FFT are calculated using the DFT formula, which you can find here...

I think you'll have to come up with an objective measure of what you mean by 'accurately resolve'. The number of frequency 'bins' that come out of the discrete Fourier transform is equal to the number of samples you take. So your frequency resolution will be Fs/N, where Fs is your sampling...

Oh yes, true, thank you. I had assumed that the accelerations were in the positive direction, which means I should have been solving for the case where d = -2πR, that should account for the missing minus sign in the expression for t. It would also change the sign of the angle to +2π, which...

Yes, I assumed that's what you meant. I was a bit sloppy keeping track of the signs, but I believe this is correct (although my mind's in a bit of a knot thinking about it now...). The distance formula I wrote is for the distance the wheel travels relative to the platform. So if the...

That's a good point. It's an elegant way to check that my formulas weren't correct, I wish I had thought of that earlier! For my own (and anyone elses) future reference, I've updated the derivation and attached it to this post. It's slightly different from AlephZero's suggested solution (the...

Aha! Yes thank you. It seems obvious now that you point it out, but I've been scratching my head all day trying to figure this out. So again, thank you!

Hi, I'm trying to model a wheel that is placed on top of a moving platform. The problem is that I'm running into a situation that seems very counter intuitive. I'm not sure if its a problem with my model or not. I've attached a picture that demonstrates the problem. To begin, neither the...

I'd recommend checking the power through the solenoid when you connect it to the 12V supply. Your capacitor bank will have to be able to supply at least as much power as the 12V supply itself if you want it to attract the paperclip the same way. Once you find out how much power the coil needs to...

Thanks for the reply. My program has been fairly similar, I've had a few survey courses as well as a few electrical courses (and even some courses which required the use of certain technical programs like Maple/Matlab without actually teaching me how to use them!). My biggest gripe is that I...

McMaster (in Hamilton, Ontario) also does nuclear engineering, its part of a program called Engineering Physics. They have their own nuclear reactor (for research purposes) on campus as well. As for nuclear power in Canada, it's somewhere around 15% on average. However, in Ontario...

Thanks for the link, it's an interesting blog (and entertaining to boot!). Do you mind if I ask you a little about your background? From what I've read, it seems you were in a nanotech type of field and switched to electrical engineering (I think?). If so, did switching fields cause any...

Thanks berkeman, that makes more sense. I thought you meant using C to help solve the equations relating to how the circuit operated. Thanks for the link too, I've never heard of PSoC's before. Wow, you guys have some really interesting backgrounds.

Wow fantastic replies, thanks so much! rrogers - Thanks for such a detailed reply. Looking through older op-amp designs sounds like a great idea, I never even thought of that. I'll definitely be having a look through the library. Bob S - I have this strange image of a 'fractal circuit'...

Hi everyone, I have a question for anyone who considers themselves adept at designing circuits. I was wondering, how do you approach the design of complicated circuits? What stages do you go through to get from a concept to a real working circuit? I myself am not an electrical engineer...