Bob Pease died yesterday –
Bob Pease (Robert A. Pease) was an analog integrated circuit design expert and technical author. He has designed several very successful integrated circuits, many of them in continuous production for multiple decades. These include the LM331 voltage to frequency converter,and the LM337 adjustable voltage regulator.
Pease obtained a Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering (BSEE) degree from MIT in 1961. He started work in the early 1960s at George A. Philbrick Researches (GAP-R). GAP-R pioneered the first reasonable-cost, mass-produced op amp: the K2-W. At GAP-R, Pease developed many high-performance op amps, built with discrete solid-state components.
In 1976 Pease moved to National Semiconductor as a designer and applications engineer, advancing to staff scientist until his departure in 2009. During his tenure there, he began writing a continuing popular monthly column entitled “Pease Porridge” in Electronic Design Magazine about his experiences in the world of electronic design and application.
He was the author of eight books, including Troubleshooting Analog Circuits, and holds 21 patents.His other interests included hiking and biking in remote places, and working on his old Volkswagen Beetle, to which he often referred in his columns.
Bob was killed in a car crash, while not wearing a seat belt, on 19 June 2011 after attending the memorial service of Jim Williams (analog designer), another renowned staff scientist working at Linear Technology.
His show Analog by Design inspired us to create “Ask an Engineer”.
Uggh… ;-(
This should NOT have happened. For crying out loud — we’ve had seat belts for, what, 60 years now?
When you get in the car, put on the seatbelt. I don’t care if it’s a short trip. I don’t care if you think you will only be going slow. I don’t care if you think it’s uncomfortable. I don’t care if you think it’s all just a big conspiracy by “the man”. Just wear the I&%$^& thing!
RIP Bob, a truly inspirational man and by all accounts, a great guy too.
Truly a sad day. I was fortunate enough to meet Bob once.
Bob wrote much of the old applications databook that National published in the 80s… which is where I learned much of what I know and what really got me started with analog circuits.
It’s hard to believe he’s really gone!
bob’s VW beetle was probably of a vintage that did not require seatbelts to be installed by the manufacturer. and certainly no seatbelt is not used warning.
His book “How to drive into an accident ( and how not to)” discusses seatbelts at some length, but I certainly recall that he did not like the idea that we would let our cars become “seatbelt nannies”.
I think he’d rather see a disclaimer on every spice plot that “these are simulated, not actual results” .
RIP Bob
Crazy that all these dudes who were so vital to electronics as we know them today are dropping like flies. I guess if he studied stats or physics instead of electronics he’d know to wear his seat belt.
My he Rest in Pease
It’s how Texas Instruments is preparing to downsize after the acquisition.
I have a copy of “Troubleshooting Analog Circuits” and it is worth every penny.