Page 63 - The Art and Science of Analog Circuit Design

Thoughts on Becoming and Being an Analog Circuit Designer

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fur-covered laser/galvanometer system for a light show, a guitar ampli-
fier that "goes to eleven," and a contraption that the student proudly de-
scribed as a "large vibrator" (he meant "multivibrator," but it was terribly
funny at the time).
Does it work? Are we able to turn out decent analog designers? Well, it
seems to be working, and feedback from companies who have hired our
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students is positive. For me, success can be measured by the number of
students who actually learn to love analog circuit design despite the fact
that they are growing up in a world devoid of Heathkits and basements
full of surplus electronics to hack circuits with.
To illustrate the transformations that occur, I have reproduced a letter
home from one of the students on his first and last days in Boot Camp
(the names have been changed to protect the student's identity):

Day 1 of Boot Camp:
Dear Mom,
Things are going fine here at Stanford! Today we learned
about "operational amplifiers." They are triangle-shaped things that
can do basically anything. The textbook says they have an "ideal
voltage source" inside. Tell Pop that this means I can hook one up to
power the whole farm when I get home this summer! I can't wait!
Love,
Billy
Last day of Boot Camp:
Dear Mom,
I just finished my analog circuit training at Stanford! I now
know I was wrong about operational amplifiers being able to power
the whole farm! That was totally silly, because they are simply inte-
grated circuits, and thus require external power. Also, their non-zero
output resistance and short-circuit protection circuitry means that
they can only supply a few milliamps of current.
Do you know why smoke comes out of transistors when they
get too hot? I will explain it all to you, Pop, and the farmhands
when I get back there in a few weeks.
I think we should consider turning the barn into a circuit de-
sign laboratory. Bossie could stay in my room, since I will probably
spend most of my time out there. Please let me know if this is OK,
because I would rather do this than take a job doing software-

9. Of course, we use only fake leopard fur because it is an endangered species, and we are very
politically correct. The only type of skin that is still OK to use for decorative purposes is that of
Caucasian heterosexual males, but we were out of it at the time,
10. We all know that positive feedback can lead to oscillations, so we will have to keep an eye on
this situation. Raising tuition seems to provide the necessary negative feedback to keep the
system stable.

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