The electronics world has been saddened by the news of the death of Jim Williams. His talents and achievements as an analogue designer and engineer are legendary, and those who knew him have fond memories of his knowledge, enthusiasm, inquisitive attitude and constant willingness to help other designers and engineers.

 

As a teacher, designer, engineer and author, he contributed directly and indirectly to the careers of countless analogue engineers and others involved in electronics, even if only peripherally. His columns in Electronic Design News are still regarded as must-reads for analogue designers and engineers, and his application notes – in the latter years for Linear Technology devices – are models of precision, insight, information and humour.

 

By all accounts a truly humble and approachable person, Jim Williams had a lifelong passion for analogue electronics in all shapes and forms, and he communicated his knowledge to friends, colleagues, and the entire electronics community with relentless energy and verve.

 

Every inch the hands-on engineer, he loved to take things apart and study other people’s designs to see how they worked, and he drew on this knowledge to advance the state of the art. His preferred working environment – cluttered with past and current projects, prototypes, experiments, vintage instruments and useful junk – was an engineer’s heaven.

 

At Elektor we join the rest of the electronics community in expressing our sadness at the passing of one of the great figures in analogue electronics and real-world engineering.

 

Photo: EE Times