Pass transistor logic

In electronics, pass transistor logic (PTL) describes several logic families used in the design of integrated circuits. It reduces the count of transistors used to make different logic gates, by eliminating redundant transistors. Transistors are used as switches to pass logic levels between nodes of a circuit, instead of as switches connected directly to supply voltages. This reduces the number of active devices, but has the disadvantage that the difference of the voltage between high and low logic levels decreases at each stage. Each transistor in series is less saturated at its output than at its input. If several devices are chained in series in a logic path, a conventionally constructed gate may be required to restore the signal voltage to the full value. By contrast, conventional CMOS logic switches transistors so the output connects to one of the power supply rails, so logic voltage levels in a sequential chain do not decrease. Simulation of circuits may be required to ensure adequate performance.

Head-in-pillow defect

In the assembly of integrated circuit packages to printed circuit boards, a head-in-pillow defect is a failure of the soldering process. For example, in the case of a ball grid array (BGA) package, the pre-deposited solder ball on the package and the

Elliott 503

The Elliott 503 was a transistorized computer introduced by Elliott Brothers in 1963. It was software-compatible with the earlier Elliott 803 but was about 70 times faster and a more powerful machine. About 32 units were sold. The basic configuration had

Groundbed

A groundbed is an array of electrodes, installed in the ground to provide a low resistance electrical path to ground or earth. A groundbed is a component in an earthing system

Semiconductor package

A semiconductor package is a metal, plastic, glass, or ceramic casing containing one or more discrete semiconductor devices or integrated circuits. Individual components are fabricated on semiconductor wafers before being diced into die, tested, and

Adiabatic circuit

Adiabatic circuits are low-power electronic circuits which use "reversible logic" to conserve energy. The term "adiabatic" refers to an ideal thermodynamic process in which no heat or mass is exchanged with the surrounding environment, alluding to the

A20 line

The A20, or address line 20, is one of the electrical lines that make up the system bus of an x86-based computer system. The A20 line in particular is used to transmit the 21st bit on the address bus

Bus encoding

Bus encoding refers to converting/encoding a piece of data to another form before launching on the bus. While bus encoding can be used to serve various purposes like reducing the number of pins, compressing the data to be transmitted, reducing cross-talk

42-volt electrical system

In automobiles, a 42-volt electrical system was an electrical power standard proposed in the late 1990s. It was intended to allow more powerful electrically-driven accessories, and lighter automobile wiring harnesses. Electric motors were proposed to be

Serial computer

A serial computer is a computer typified by bit-serial architecture – i.e., internally operating on one bit or digit for each clock cycle. Machines with serial main storage devices such as acoustic or magnetostrictive delay lines and rotating magnetic

Steven McCarthy (actor)

Steven McCarthy is a Canadian actor and filmmaker from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. He is most noted for his three-time guest role as Morgan in the television series Mary Kills People, for which he won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Performance in a