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Analog Aficionados party 2013
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 Food food food. We are bringing it out early but saving some for those late arrivals and when you get the munchies:
Thanks again to this year's sponsors:  |
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| I have put up pictures from previous Analog Aficionado parties. The bulk of
the pictures were taken by retired Linear Tech employee Fran Hoffart. In
addition there are pictures from Ed Fong, Ron Quan, and Steve Leibson,
as well as a few of mine. 2012 Aficionados (264 pictures) http://bit.ly/XtWs3W 2012 Preficionadoes at the Duke of Edinburgh (24 pictures) http://bit.ly/XPqh1u 2011 Aficionados (194 pictures) http://bit.ly/Ud27hV 2010 Aficionados (189 pictures) http://bit.ly/10w3Lzj Note the party is not at the banquet hall you see driving in, it is in the restaurant itself. That areas marked "New parking deck is finished. Santa Clara built it for 49ers stadium across the street.  Santa Clara has built the parking deck, it will be open by February.  |
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 Here is the entry, to the right of the picture left.  And across the street is the new 49ers stadium, still under construction.  . Tim McCune, who works at Linear Systems went to Electronica this year and saw a beautiful portrait of Bob Pease at the AMS (formerly Austria Microsystems/TAOS) booth. |
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Analog
aficionado Eric Schlaepfer built a discrete NE555 to honor dear
departed Hans Camenzind. That he did it in the style of one of Jim
Williams' analog art objects just makes it all the more touching. Here is a close-up view. You can bet I will ask Eric to bring this to the party. I might also take up Alan Martin's offer to set up a working lab bench, just so we can play with these cool gizmos. Be sure to bring any cool stuff you have, including tube circuits. 
. Good news from aficionado Ron Quan. His book on home-made radio circuits just went to the printer. This is a McGraw Hill book, not some vanity press. Ron will have the book at the party for you to check out. I told him if he wants to sell some that is fine. The same goes for Sergio Franco, or any other author. |
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 Here we see Stanford professor Tom Lee, Ed Fong (recently retired from Loral), and Ron Quan. Ed is checking out the galley proofs of Ron's book. Its well over 400 pages and a great mix of practical circuits and some theory. Ron built all the circuits. The place mat is done, you can download the pdf here. Analog_aficionados_2013_rev_1.pdf  |
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Following are the people that made the place-mat this year: Tom Lee is a Stanford professor, where he founded the microwave integrated circuits laboratory. He has written and co-authored several books and papers. He's got 3 degrees from MIT. Tom co-founded Matrix Semiconductor and ZeroG Wireless. Ask him about: the oscilloscopes, working as a director of DARPA.  Scott Wurcer is a fellow at Analog Devices. He designed the AD524 instrumentation amplifier and many low-distortion circuits. He is member of IEEE and AES. A native of Milwaukee, he went to MIT. Ask him about: cooking, carpentry, and non-commercial music. |
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 Dennis Monticelli is a fellow at Texas Instruments. He went to UC Santa Barbara. He has scores of patents. Ask him about: point-contact transistors, photography, Tom Frederickson, low-dropout regulators, the culture of innovation, the Kodak chip, broadband over power lines, his Ham kit, why he chose National Semi out of college instead of Intel or Fairchild.  Earl McCune is an RF and wireless design consultant. He has over 60 patents. He co-founded two start-up companies. He has written a great book: "Practical Digital Wireless Signals. Ask him about: multipath, how many bits per hertz you really get, wireless power transmission, his ham license, the impracticality of transmitting gigawatts from space-based solar panels. |
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 Keiko Kaleta is a project manager at Lumileds. Ask her about: Her National Semiconductor alumni luncheons, working on the Geode, flower arranging, living in Japan and living in Portland Maine.  Stephan Ohr is Gartner's research analyst for analog IC markets. Previously he was a reporter and columnist for Electronic Engineering Times and editor of Planet Analog. Ask him about: data center power management, his Jesse Neil Award, and Nordic Noir fiction. |
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 Ron Quan just wrote a book on building your own radios. Ask him about: His dozens of patents, Macrovison video scrambling systems, low power bar code readers, MPS transistors. His AES papers. His old transistor radio collection. Working at Ampex and Sony. How to get a radio to work 5 years off of one C cell.  Dave Fullagar was a founder of Maxim. He went to Cambridge University, worked at Transitron and Fairchild in the 1960s, then at Intersil in the 1970s. He started at Fairchild 2 days after Widlar left. Ask him about: sailing, photography, the early days of analog and the 741, England, Intersil & Analog Devices joint venture, Jean Hoerni and Jack Gifford. |
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 Bob Boschert pioneered low-cost switching power supplies for mass market products. Ask him about: Emerson Electronics, Microwave Associates, being Mr. Mom, being Mr. Science for grade schools, and building a mini hydroelectric power generator.  Bob Dobkin is a founder and chief technologist at Linear Technology. Ask him about: The three terminal regulators, log amps, his time at National Semiconductor. his friend Jim Williams, his new book. |
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 Sergio Franco is a Emeritus professor at San Francisco State University. He was born in Friuli. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign. Ask him about: his 3 books,"Analog Circuit Design - Discrete and Integrated," "Design with Operational Amplifiers & Analog Integrated Circuits," and "Electric Circuit Fundamentals".  Ricardo Salaverry is a director of engineering at NDS. Previously at Tyco ELO Touch. Prior to innovating touchscreen technology he worked at Zoran designing digital still cameras. Ask him about: emigrating from Chile, antennas, the overly-complex ATSC standard, getting 135 of 137 boards working on the first spin, and innovation in America. |
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 Tamara Schmitz works at Intersil as an applications engineer manager for optical sensors. She is also an author, ex-EE professor and fan of the Big Bang Theory. She graduated from and keeps close ties with Stanford University. Ask her about: Professor Lee, teaching students at Stanford or SJSU versus customers or FAEs in industry, how to write clearly.  Don Tuite (NR7X) is the analog editor at Electronic Design magazine. He's worked for aerospace, TV, T&M, and semi companies. Ask him: where his wife's working this time. (The answer is solar-powered steam engines.) |
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 Ted Selker is a professor at Carnegie Mellon Silicon Valley. He spent 10 years as a professor at the MIT Media lab, an adjunct professor at Stanford, was an IBM fellow, worked at Xerox, PARC and Atari Research Labs,etc. He has numerous awards, patents, and papers. Ask him about: "Considerate Systems" inventing the TrackPoint in-keyboard pointing device,Excubation.  Dave Bell is former president of Linear Technology and former CEO of Intersil. Ask him about: Getting modules going at LT, Bob Swanson, The Silicon Valley Leadership Group. His son's the race car drivers, and fast cars in general. |
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 Arlie Stonestreet II is Director of Engineering for ICE Corporation. Ask him about: Megawatt deicers for jumbo jets, gallium nitride transistors, life in Kansas. His visits to Analog Devices, Texas Instruments, Maxim, and Linear Technology.  John H. Hall, head of Linear Integrated Systems, was a protege of Silicon Valley legend Dr. Jean Hoerni. John was the director of IC Development at Union Carbide, co-founder and vice president of R&D at Intersil, and founder and president of Micro Power Systems. Ask him about: fast Buicks, the Minuteman missile program, and how to find a good Japanese restaurant. |
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 Mark Thoren a mixed signal applications manager at Linear Technology. He holds an MSEE from the University of Maine, Orono Ask him about: Building kits with his kids, Dekapots, his home lab, the eFlea. Why we should promote patronage of the remaining junk stores like Excess Solutions, Weirdstuff, Halted, and Anchor.  Lenore M. Edman is co-owner of Evil Mad Science. Ask her about: Portland, Boulder, Austin, and Sunnyvale. Studying classical and Koine Greek in college. Modern and vintage bicycle maintenance, electric origami, edible origami, and making naan and curry. |
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 Ron Wilson is editor in chief at Altera. Ask him about: ESD magazine, Embedded.com, and Embedded Systems Conferences. Working at EE Times, ISD Magazine, EDN Magazine, and Computer Design. His work at Tektronix doing IC design.  Kent Lundberg is a professor at Franklin W. Olin College and a lecturer at MIT. Ask him about: Classical feedback control systems, his Reading Jim Williams blog. His obsessive compulsive collection of oscilloscopes, analog synthesizers, old computers, technology artifacts, and classic textbooks on radar, nuclear energy, analog computing, and control. |
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 Francis Lau emigrated from Hong Kong when he was 8. He got a 4.0 at UCLA, then an MSEE, and now works at Logitech as a systems engineer. Ask him about: his Porsche, his milling machine, his giant sword project, the robot he is building, the motor drivers he designed, the best pho restaurants, and folding puzzles.  Todd Bailey is a consultant from New York. He graduated (cum laude) from Oberlin College with a degree in English Literature.Ask him about: The toy industry, designing 1500-pound automated doors for celebrities, having his work hanging on the walls of the Whitney Museum of Art, phase shifting color subcarriers, building vector arcade games, and winding RFID antennas. |
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The posters came in from Banner Express, and 4 days early no less.   |
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Here is the poster of Hans. I put it in my lab so he would feel at home. Here is the stack of 174 badges I ran off Thursday night:  |
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Here is who has signed up:
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Here are the email invites from the oldest to the latest: ==================== 11-19-2012 Kent Lundberg dropped me a note asking about the aficionados party, so here ya go. http://www.rako.com/Articles/72.html Check out the cool portrait of Bob Pease, the discrete NE555 Eric Schlaepfer built to honor Hans, as well as news about Ron Quan's upcoming book on radio circuits. |
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| Saturday February 16, 2013, right before ISSCC. From 5:00 to 9:00PM. David's Restaurant, like last year. Let me know if you are coming so I can print you and any guests a badge. ==================== 1-12-2013 Saturday Feb 16, 2013
5:00 to 9:00PM David's Restaurant, Santa Clara, CA Thanks again to Tim McCune, John Hall, and Paul Norton from Linear Systems for contributing $2000 to the party. I will be asking previous sponsors too, but the $2000 for food, that they have paid months in advance, means we have reserved David's Restaurant and will have at least $2000 of excellent food. If your company wants to contribute $500 let me know. I am not accepting contributions from individuals, but thanks to all the folks that offered. I have updated the invite page with the people I have heard from, see the table at the bottom of the page: http://www.rako.com/Articles/72.html Once again, if there is any chance you are coming please email me to this address, and let me know, as well as any guests, and I need your company too. Ask any analog friend, but just tell me if the are coming. Felipe Jimenez, San Jose State grad student wrote: "I was just thinking about this event the other day at work. Are students still welcome to attend this event again? If so, I would love to go as I had a great time last year." |
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bet, just send me their name and school, and it would be nice to have
their email so they can be on the list. I actively promote getting
students together with working engineers and professors like Tom Lee
and Sergio Franco and Ted Selker. The party is built on 5 pillars:
1. Students 2. Professors 3. Analog gurus (John Hall, Monticelli, Dobkin, there will be dozens.) 4. Media (Don Tuite from ED, Dave Bursky, Steve Ohr, and maybe the Mercury News will show up.) 5. All us analog types, including non-engineers like Phil Sittner and Rob Bowers and other tech lovers.) Several people have moved-- I need contact emails for: Jimmy Simmons who was at IDT Dave Bell who was at Intersil-- I did contact his admin to see if she can forward him something. Brian D. Battaglia who was at HVVI and is now at Integra Technologies Dave Ritter is now at Apple, Bob Thomas, can you get his email for us? Famous video blogger Chris Gammel, the producer of the 555 contest a couple of years ago, is mentioning the party on his show, the Amp Hour [http://theamphour.com/]. He wrote me: "I know that Yi Yao was able to attend last year after he heard about it from us and was super pumped to attend. Think Todd Bailey was the same. Dave [Jones] seems to be doing good. He did a really fun teardown of an old [$250k IBM] hard drive last week, you should check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBjoWMA5d84 |
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| He's still a crazy Aussie, which we of course all love him for. [snip]
I'll be purchasing my first CNC machine before the end of the year which I'm pretty pumped about." Speaking of crack consultant Todd Bailey, he is coming from New York for the party. He wrote us: "I wouldn't dream of missing this. I had such a great time last year. " Phil Sittner is coming in from Napa Valley. I just saw him and he told me about this $99 hand-held spectrum analyzer: http://micro.arocholl.com/ Phil writes: "I noticed you already have me checked as a "yes" and I will be there for sure. Kent Lundberg has done a yeoman's job in reviewing Jim's [Williams] application notes and is a great read [http://readingjimwilliams.blogspot.com/]." Also got a note from Joe Betts-Lacroix telling us he can make it this year. Joe is a founder of oqo, the very first hand-held computer that ran Windows. And real Windows, not broken Microsoft Surface tablet Windows. In addition Vicky Tuite will be there to tell us about her new job at Terrajoule. Ron Quan will be there with his new book on building radios. Nick Grey is coming, as is Mark Thoren from Linear Tech. Keiko Kaleta is coming, and if its OK with her I will write to her National Semi alumni list with an invite. And just like Todd Bailey coming from New York, Allie Stonestreet is coming from Kansas. If you want to know how to deliver a megawatt of power to Boeing 787 wing deicers, as well as anything about silicon carbide and silicon nitride transistor circuits, Arlie is your man. He writes: |
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| "You must be reading my mind! Last year I got to visit Linear Tech and
this year I was wondering how I might get a chance to pay a
similar visit to any of the other fine companies like the ones you
mentioned. I was a little apprehensive of approaching anyone only
because I know how busy these folks must be and I really didn't want to
impose on anyone. However, if you do know any fellow Aficionados who
wouldn't mind me dropping by I would love to arrange something during my
visit -- perhaps in exchange for some "8-Bit Pale Ale" from the high
plains of Kansas to sweeten the deal. Check it out here http://tallgrassbeer.com/8bit.html Cheers, Arlie"
Of course I will take him around ADI, and I am nominated power gurus Alan Martin and Jon Dutra to show him Texas Instruments and Maxim respectively. If any of you want to hang out with Arlie the days before the party let me know and I will connect you with emails so you can co-ordinate. I will try to get Arlie a meeting with Paul Brokaw, who I am also trying to insure will be at the party. ==================== 1-20-2013 To work you up into a frenzy of participation, I have waited until now to post Fran Hoffart's pictures from the 2012 Analog Aficionados party. This year we have professors from SJSU, SFSU, MIT, Georgia Tech, Stanford, and Carnegie Mellon. David Fullagar is coming as is Dave Bell. Check out the list below. 2012 Aficionados (264 pictures) http://bit.ly/XtWs3W 2012 Preficionadoes at the Duke of Edinburgh (24 pictures) http://bit.ly/XPqh1u |
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| 2011 Aficionados (194 pictures) http://bit.ly/Ud27hV 2010 Aficionados (189 pictures) http://bit.ly/10w3Lzj If there is any chance you might come, and you are not checked with a "Y" on the table below, please email me so I can make you badge and correct the table. Let me know of any guest so I can make them a badge. Real-time table: http://www.rako.com/Articles/72.html ==================== 1-25-2013 For immediate release: The forth annual Analog Aficionados party is Saturday February 16, 2013. The party is at David's Restaurant in Santa Clara, 5:00 to 9:00PM, in the heart of Silicon Valley. Analog electronics tech workers and their guests are welcome to attend. The party is also well-attended by students, college professors, and tech media. Please RSVP to the email listed on the party blog page so we can have a badge ready for you and your guests: http://www.rako.com/Articles/72.html This year's party is in honor of Hans Camenzind, the designer of the ubiquitous NE555 timer chip. Hans passed away last August. Already confirmed as attending are professors from MIT, San Jose State, Georgia Tech, San Francisco State, Carnegie Mellon, and UC Santa Cruz. There will be industry luminaries from Texas Instruments, Analog Devices, Linear Technology, Fairchild, and Intersil. Experienced analog experts such as Dave Fullagar, the designer of the uA741, will mingle with young students and working engineers from all over the country. |
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| Attendees of previous Analog Aficionado parties are enthusiastically
awaiting this year's event: "I wouldn't dream of missing this. I had
such a great time last year," said Todd Bailey, a consultant that came
from New York for last year's party. "I know that Yi Yao was able to
attend last year after he heard about it from us and was super-pumped to
attend," reports analog blogger Chris Gammel. Notes Felipe Jimenez, a
San Jose State grad student, "I would love to go as I had a great time
last year." Sponsors of the 2013 party include transistor maker Linear Systems, and media giant UBM, home of EETimes, EDN, and Planet Analog. Also reprising their sponsorships are analog IC makers Texas Instruments and Analog Devices. Analog company PR staff are welcome to circulate this within their company Permission is granted to reproduce any of the nearly 700 pictures of previous parties linked on the party blog page in coverage of this event. ==================== 2-5-2013 OK analog lovers. The Analog Aficionado party is less than two weeks away, the Saturday before ISSCC: Saturday Feb 16, 5:00 to 9:00PM David's Restaurant, Santa Clara 5151 Stars and Stripes Dr, Santa Clara, CA 95054 (408) 986-1666 Please email me your name and company/college if you want to come and are not yet marked with a "Y" on the list on the invite page: http://www.rako.com/Articles/72.html |
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| Texas Instruments has signed on as a sponsor once again, and so has
Analog Devices. The Multisim folks from National Instruments are sending a representative and they offered to chip in if we run out of desert. Power supply company founder Bob Boschert is coming, as is Bob Pease's widow Nancy and son Ben. Robbie Shergill and Nick Gray are coming. Jeff Keyzer is coming in from Seattle. Scott Wurcer is flying in from Boston. I told authors Sergio Franco and Ron Quan to bring a few books to sell. Media legend Dave Bursky is attending as is Steve Ohr. Several PR people are coming. Mark Alden and Gayle Bullock from TI. Ron Wilson, my former boss at EDN magazine, and his wife Donna. I am asking some fine folks from Maxim as well as my friend Doug Dickinson from Linear Tech. We will have more food this year and I think I can spring for iced tea and soft drinks. I figure to get some food out early, 5:30, so feel free to pop in early and leave early if you have other obligations. The party shuts down at 9:00PM so there is still plenty of time to go clubbing and hit the raves. Bring your gizmos and curiosities. Greg Schaffer just told me he will bring his vacuum tube multi-vibrator he built as a kid. Todd Bailey, Eric Schlaepfer, and Ted Selker always have some cool projects for you to admire, as will Stanford's Tom Lee. =================== Feb 11 2013 More more more, that is the theme of this year's Analog Aficionados party in Santa Clara. http://www.rako.com/Articles/72.html Make sure you on on the list on this page with a Y if you are coming so I can make a badge. Tell your friends and have them write me for a badge ASAP. |
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| More food, thanks to the sponsors: Linear Systems (quadruple sponsor) UBM/EDN/EETimes/Planet Analog (double sponsor) Texas Instruments (double sponsor) Analog Devices (double sponsor) More swag-- Texas Instruments is bringing 20 evaluation boards worth $500 we are awarding to interested parties, either hackers, professors, or students. Professors can take a handful for their students. More respect-- we have a new poster of Hans Camenzind, and Mark Alden is bringing Bob Pease's poster while Doug Dickinson is bringing the Jim WIlliams' poster. More professors-- RF consultant Earl McCune is bringing professor Paul Tasker from Cardiff University to add to the ones from Georgia Tech, San Jose State, San Francisco State, UC Santa Cruz, Carnegie Mellon, MIT, and Stanford. More authors-- Ron Quan is bringing his new book, and Earl McCune and Sergio Franco will have their books as well. Linear Tech is bringing both volumes of Jim Williams and Bob Dobkin's books. Bob Cordell will bring his audio power amp book. More sentiment-- Nancy Pease, Bob Pease's widow, is bringing down a stack of his posters to share. Her son Ben is coming as well. More test equipment-- Barry Harvey is bringing his broken Tek 485 scope, to confab with Phil Sittner, who just fixed 4 of the 5 broken ones he has. |
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| More gizmos-- Greg Schaffer is bringing his tube multivibrator, Eric
Schlaepfer will bring the 555 timer he made from discrete transistors. Tom Lee and Todd Bailey are always good for something interesting to
check out. More students-- first year grad student Danny Bankman is adding to the usual cadre of students. He sent a picture of his 1946 Philco model 46-1203 radio to demonstrate his analog aficionado qualifications. More technical fellows-- Kimo Tam, Mike Coln, and Scott Wurcer from ADI, as well as Dennis Monticelli from Texas Instruments. Sr. director of analog Sergey Shumarayev from Altera is going to make it. More tours-- Jon Dutra from Maxim, Alan Martin from Texas Instruments, Mark Thoren from Linear Tech and me from Analog Devices will be showing Aficionados Todd Bailey and Arlie Stonestreet our respective companies and getting together for lunch and dinner Friday. More PR people-- my former boss Ron Wilson and his wife Donna, as well as Mark Alden and Gayle Bullock from TI, and several more PR people are making the event. More open source-- Lenore and Windell, the owners of Sunnyvale kit maker Evil Mad Science will be at the party, and will bring their 555 footstool to honor Hans Camenzind. More audio gurus-- Omer Inan from Countryman microphones is coming as is Bob Cordell and TI apps guru Joe Curcio. Bob will bring a few of his books on designing audio power amps. |
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| More consultants-- my pals John Haggis, John Massa, and Dave Mathis, and
Kip Brown, Anurag Kaplish, Jimmy Simmons, John A. Bielawski, Marty McGrath, Richard K. Oswald, Todd Bailey, and many more. And naturally, more people-- about 150 signed up so far. Keep 'em coming. ============= feb 15 2013 I added sections to the invite page http://www.rako.com/Articles/72.html 174 people are confirmed, I changed the list to go by last name and took out all the deadbeats. I laid out the who's-who place-mat and posted the pdf link, as well as put the people directly in the article. http://www.rako.com/Articles/files/Analog_aficionados_2013_rev_1.pdf I added the food and the food schedule. We will bring out the food at 5:00, but still leave some for 7:30 and 8:00. I put up pictures of the new parking deck and 49ers stadium across the street. I added pictures of the sponsor posters and the poster of Hans Camenzind. I added a picture of my badge printer spitting out 174 badges. It is too late to RSVP but if you show up Saturday we can print you a badge on the spot. |
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