There’s no doubt that as electrical engineers, we’re in a complex and fast-moving profession. Each market segment—automotive, consumer, aerospace, industrial, etc.—has its own set of unique product requirements and applicable standards (Fig. 1). At the same time, there’s a push across all segments to do more with less: higher performance, smaller packages, and lower power consumption, for example.
1. Aerospace and defense applications must maintain a high level of performance under extreme conditions. (Source: “TI Components for Space, Avionics and Defense” PDF)
It’s tough to keep up with the latest developments in a particular field. Some estimates place the half-life of an engineering degree at between 2.5 and 5 years, and the time needed to stay current at up to 20 hours per week. The result? Working engineers must continuously brush up on their knowledge if they’re to remain state-of-the-art.
Engineering Resources from Texas Instruments
Not that we want to blow our own trumpet (well, okay…), but Texas Instruments (TI) is at the forefront of industry efforts to help working engineers upgrade and update their skills. That commitment stretches back decades to legendary collections of application notes from companies such as Burr-Brown, Unitrode, and National Semiconductor. All three are now part of TI, and much of that material is still available online.