Adversarial prompting refers to the practice of giving a large language model (LLM) contradictory or confusing instructions to bypass its safety measures or to elicit a specific, often harmful or biased, response. These attacks can have several negative consequences. They can be used to manipulate outputs like hate speech, misinformation, or instructions for illegal or […]
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Automotive sensor requirements for software-defined vehicles: latency, resolution, and zonal architecture
The automotive industry’s shift toward software-defined vehicles (SDV) and electrification is forcing a fundamental rethink of development processes, component specifications, and cross-industry collaboration. During a recent technical briefing, three engineers from TE Connectivity outlined how these changes are impacting everything from 30-year-old Stage-Gate processes to sensor latency requirements and the implementation of zonal architecture across […]
An engineer’s guide to harmonics
Harmonics degrade power quality, reduce the operational lifespan of equipment, and can compromise system stability. This FAQ provides a technical overview of harmonics, their primary sources, and the industry standards established for their control. How are harmonics defined in an electrical system? An ideal ac power supply delivers a pure sinusoidal waveform at a fundamental […]
Ultrasonic sensing part 1: static presence
Ultrasonic energy is widely used to sense the presence of nearby objects and even determine their distance if needed, as well as to measure fluid flow rates in industrial and scientific applications. The advantages of ultrasound are that it is relatively easy to apply, is accurate, has very minimal safety or risk factors, carries no […]
Review: Picotest J2150B comb injector
This handy tool lets you test active and passive components at frequencies up to 3 GHz. I tried an early unit, using it for radiated and conducted EMI emissions testing. After almost ten years, Picotest has launched a new version of its Harmonic Comb Injector (generator). The J2150B ($495) is one of the pieces I’ve […]
Engineers simulate and study electromagnetics
At the 2025 COMSOL Conference Boston, engineers saw simulations of low-frequency electromagnetics and how circuits generate heat. Boston — COMSOL, a company that produces multiphysics simulation software, held its annual Boston conference from October 8-10, 2025. While COMSOL Multiphysics can perform many simulations, such as mechanical, structural, and chemical, we’ll focus on electromagnetic use cases. […]
Integrated system simplifies battery testing
A new integrated battery test system combines environmental chambers, cyclers, and fixtures into a single, pre-configured unit, designed to reduce setup and integration time. The system combines hardware and control software from Associated Environmental Systems (AES) and MACCOR Inc., allowing test facilities to begin operations shortly after delivery rather than waiting through traditional multi-vendor integration…
What is ‘compute-in-memory’ and why is it important for AI?
If you are running AI workloads, here is something that might surprise you. Your processors are wasting more energy shuffling data around than actually doing the calculations you care about. This inefficiency is becoming a serious limit for the next generation of artificial intelligence systems. As neural networks grow to billions of parameters, traditional von […]
Your new engineering assistant runs on algorithms: AI reshapes parts procurement
Machine learning is enabling smarter supply chains and frictionless component sourcing for design engineers. The electronics distribution industry is undergoing a quiet revolution, one that’s fundamentally changing how engineers source components and how distributors predict demand. At the forefront of this transformation is DigiKey, where artificial intelligence isn’t just a buzzword — it’s becoming the […]
What are the techniques for managing EMI at the harness-to-PCB interfaces?
Electromagnetic interference (EMI) at harness-to-PCB connections creates one of the biggest challenges in modern electronics design. These interface points act as weak spots where unwanted signals can escape your carefully designed circuits, causing system failures. This FAQ discusses four techniques that work in conjunction: shielded connectors, smart PCB layout, proper grounding, and common-mode chokes. When […]
