Hitchhikers' Guide to Electronics in the '90s

Hitchhikers Guide to Electronics in the '90s covers the advances in electronics in a historical context, the microchip technology, which is at the heart of all technological advances, and the major industrial electronics power houses. The book tackles what's most interesting about electronics, such as the democratizing effects of technology, profits in electronics, and the importance of electronics, and then defines terminologies related to the componentry of the electronics industry. The text discusses the beneficiaries of electronics and the sectors of the electronics industry (i.e. computers, consumers, telecommunications, industrial, transportation, and military). The issues in chip technology including the importance of chips; vast cost of chip research and development and production; effect of erratic chip supplies on equipment companies; East/West imbalance in chip production; and the American and Japanese approaches to chip-making are also considered. The book concludes by describing the trends in electronics for the '90s, including the innovation, development, and rock-bottom cost of the technology. Students of electronics engineering and practicing electronics engineers will find this book useful.