Digital & Electrical Guides
Practical explanations, worked examples and honest trade-offs for everyday measurements, digital systems and science.
GB and GiB: why the same drive shows a different number
A drive advertises 500 GB and an application displays a number closer to 465.66. That difference can be a naming convention rather than lost data.
Hertz, period and a clock rating: understand what a frequency actually counts
A signal specification gives 2.4 MHz, while a timing calculation expects cycles per second. Converting the frequency is the first step; identifying the cycle being counted is just as important.
Bits, bytes and download estimates: translate a rate before estimating the wait
A connection is advertised at 100 Mbit/s and a download display reports MB/s. The byte-versus-bit distinction explains a factor of eight before overhead enters the discussion.
mAh and coulombs: a battery capacity label measures charge, not energy
A battery label gives 2,400 mAh. That is a charge-capacity figure, not a complete energy specification.
Volts to millivolts: preserve the RMS, peak or DC label
A sensor specification describes a 3.3 V signal and a test report uses millivolts. The prefix conversion is simple, but the reading’s reference and convention must travel with it.
Microamps and milliamps: compare device current in the same operating mode
A device data sheet reports sleep current in microamps and operating current in milliamps. Translating both into one unit helps, but combining the operating modes without their durations can obscure the actual demand.
4.7 kΩ is not the complete resistor specification: keep tolerance and conditions
A parts list says 4.7 kΩ and a meter shows ohms. Converting the nominal value is only part of a useful comparison.
0.1 µF, 100 nF and the capacitor details a prefix cannot tell you
A schematic asks for 0.1 µF and a supplier lists 100 nF. Those capacitance values are equivalent, but the equivalence does not make every component suitable.
Millihenries to microhenries: compare an inductor beyond its nominal value
Two inductors share a nominal value but their data sheets use different prefixes. Converting 2.2 mH to microhenries removes that naming difference.
Tesla and gauss: keep a magnetic reading’s component and location
A magnetic sensor reports millitesla while another document uses gauss. The values can be translated, but a field reading still needs its location, orientation and quantity type.
Webers and maxwells: distinguish magnetic flux from coil linkage
A coil calculation may mention flux in webers or flux linkage across several turns. The unit label alone does not settle which quantity was supplied.
Lux to foot-candles: make a lighting survey’s measurement plane clear
A lighting survey records 500 lux at a desk and a comparison document uses foot-candles. Converting the number aligns the illuminance unit.
Nits and foot-lamberts: compare display measurements under matching conditions
A display listing gives nits, while a projection document uses foot-lamberts. Both describe luminance, but the unit conversion is not the whole comparison.
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