Editor’s Notes

ADI WEB SITE:

We first announced this Web Home Page almost exactly two years ago (Volume 29, No. 3, 1995).

At that time, we bravely stated: "This site is intended to help engineers throughout the design-in process. There are articles and white papers discussing the underlying technologies, search tools to help you find the ideal component for your application, and we are developing a full set of material, including data sheets on every current part—and even SPICE models and evaluation-board layouts for many of them."

During the past two years, many of you have visited our Web site as it has developed. Some (hopefully, many) have been gratified, others (hopefully, few) have been disappointed. You’ve expressed your likes and dislikes quite volubly—and we’ve been listening. Other than personal contact with our sales and applications engineers, the Worldwide Web, through our site and our links with other sites, has become one of the most important ways of providing you with information—and hearing your feedback—truly another form of "Analog Dialogue".

We are in the midst of an immense work-in-progress to improve the user-friendliness, helpfulness, and intuitive nature of using the Web site throughout your design process—not just for product selection, but for support and procurement. Our objectives are: (1) continually earning your loyalty as a customer, (2) attracting more of your colleagues in the industry, and (3) achieving an interesting site with consistent, rapid, and complete content posting—one that you will want to visit frequently.

A few specific things we are seeking to improve are (1) speeding your ability to search the site and to use our search engines for comparative product selection; (2) increasing your ability to more easily become informed about "what’s new" to the depth you need; (3) making easily available the information you need for making replacements, whether it be of competitive products you’ve been considering, or substitutions for obsolete ADI products; (4) speeding up the means of getting literature and samples to you; (5) making it easier for you to acquire catalog information; (6) increasing the ways to better interact with you in terms of improving feedback channels, answering applications questions, and making the features of our site that you regularly visit more readily accessible to you personally.

"Rome wasn’t built in a day," but we think you will see visible signs of progress as the days go by in 1998. As always, your feedback is not only welcome—it’s an essential part of the site’s design.

Dan.Sheingold@analog.com

THE AUTHORS

Curt Ventola is a Marketing Manager in ADI’s Advanced Linear Products group, responsible for wired-communications line drivers, variable-gain amplifiers, and video encoders. He holds a BS in Material Engineering from Rutgers University and an MBA from Babson College. In his spare time, he enjoys racquetball, ice hockey, and coaching his sons’ various sports teams.

Finbarr Moynihan is a Systems Engineer with the Motion Control group, designing motor-control algorithms and specifying new single-chip solutions for motor control. He holds BE, M.Eng.Sc.(in EE) and Ph.D. degrees from University College, Cork, Ireland. His doctoral thesis was on applying DSP to motor control. He has authored papers and presented seminars on motion control theory and practice, and lectured in motion control at University College, Cork, and the University of Padova, Italy.

Paul Kettle is a Senior Systems Engineer in the Motion Control group. His responsibilities include product definition and design-in opportunities in the Pacific rim countries, and software tool development strategy for the motion control group. He holds a Ph.D. in Stochastic Control and a B.Eng. in electronic engineering from Dublin City University. He has published widely on motion-control topics. Paul’s main passion in life is sailing, and the sea in general.

Tom Howe is a Software Systems Engineer in the Motion Control group. He develops kernels, libraries, and software tools for motor-control DSPs. Tom has a BSEE from the University of New Hampshire and an MS in Computer Engineering from U.Mass., Lowell. In his spare time, Tom is renovating his house; he also enjoys reading, biking, and travel.

Aengus Murray, of ADI’s Transportation & Industrial Products Division, in Wilmington, MA, leads the Motion-Control Group’s Systems Engineering team. He has a BE (Elec.) and a Ph.D. degree from University College, Dublin, with a specialism in ac motor control. He continued his work on brushless systems at Kollmorgen, Ireland, Ltd., later became a Senior Lecturer and Director of the Power Electronics Research Laboratory at Dublin City University. In his spare time, he enjoys skiing and sailing.

Mary McCarthy is an Applications Engineer in the General-Purpose Converter group, in Limerick, Ireland, working on ADCs and devices for DDS and communications. She helps customers resolve circuit and design problems, generates data sheets, develops evaluation boards, and aids in new-product development. Mary has a BE from University College, Cork, Ireland (1991). In her spare time, she enjoys horseback riding and films.

Anthony Collins is an Applications Engineer with ADI’s General Purpose Converter group, Limerick, Ireland. He provides technical support worldwide for 12/14-bit ADCs, power metering devices, and analog switches & multiplexers. He helps define new products and generates new-product documentation. He has an Hons Dip. EE from Dublin Institute of Technology and a BSc (Eng.) from Trinity College Dublin. His current interests are road biking and passable guitar playing.

Jim Surber, a Strategic Marketing Engineer in ADI’s High-Speed Converter Group, is located in Greensboro, NC. His photo and brief biography appeared in Analog Dialogue 30-3.
Dave Robertson is a Design Engineer in the Analog Devices High-Speed Converter group in Wilmington, MA. His photo and a brief biography appeared in Analog Dialogue 30-3.

Noam Levine is a Product Manager in ADI’s Computer Products Division, in Norwood, MA. His photo and a brief biography appeared in Analog Dialogue 31-1.

David Skolnick is a Technical Writer in ADI’s Computer Products Division, in Norwood, MA. His photo and a brief biography appeared in Analog Dialogue 31-1.

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