Articles
Sensor Zone May 2009
April 30, 2009 5:45 am | by Steve Tomko and Helge Hornis, Ph.D, Pepperl+Fuchs | CommentsAutomated Storage and Retrieval Systems (ASRS) are at the heart of any fully automated warehousing system. As in all automated solutions, users demand nearly perfect, (i.e., 100%) availability and exceptionally fast operation at the lowest possible price point. While the raw speed of an ASRS along each axis of motion is limited by the selected drives’ components, modern sensor technology
Autonomous military robots: A short survey
April 10, 2009 8:18 am | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | CommentsThe four soldiers move from their concealed position and “stack” themselves, one behind the other, parallel to the door. The #2 man throws an M84 grenade (flashbang) into the room, then yells “frag out!” The flashbang detonates, and the fire team storms through the “fatal funnel” (door). In those first moments, the #1 man must instantaneously...
Broadband at Light Speed
April 7, 2009 5:35 am | by Alfred Poor, Contributing Editor | CommentsNetflix is rapidly changing its movie rental business from sending polycarbonate discs through the mail to streaming bits across the Internet. Skype typically has about 15 million people making voice and video calls over the Internet at any given time. And more than 5 million people watch more than 5 million hours of free online video coverage
Brainstorm: Do-it-Yourself-Power Page 2
April 6, 2009 11:21 am | by Edited by Jason Lomberg | CommentsMoving forward, what technology will dominate energy harvesting?
GaN based Power Devices Make Possible A New Paradigm in Power Conversion
March 25, 2009 8:30 am | by Michael A. Briere, Executive Scientific Consultant, ACOO Enterprises LLC, under contract to International Rectifier Corp. | CommentsFrom planar HEXFETs to TrenchFETs and superjunction FETs, silicon power MOSFETs have continued to evolve for the last 30 years to satisfactorily serve numerous markets. In fact, during that period, there have been some two orders of magnitude improvement in performance. However, this silicon power device is rapidly approaching maturity
Design Talk: Digital & Analog
March 25, 2009 7:16 am | CommentsTypically, industries use standards to improve product quality and enable component sharing across projects. In practice, such standards achieve wide acceptance since the synergistic effects provide significant benefits to the user community. The hardware and software industry is full of such standards, but there is an exception: the deeply embedded microcontroller market
Sensor Zone: April 2009
March 24, 2009 1:25 pm | by Chris Warner, Executive Editor | CommentsFor the last half-century, sensors based on the Hall effect have provided a low-cost, solid-state option for sensing any object that incorporates a magnetic field. Hall effect sensors are based on the discovery by Dr. Edwin H. Hall in 1879. He found that a thin conductive material, placed in a magnetic field, formed a difference in potential (voltage) at the opposite edges that was
Two Paths Lead to FIR Filters
March 23, 2009 11:07 am | by Jon Titus, Senior Technical Editor | CommentsBecause finite impulse response (FIR) filters use a mathematical algorithm to process information, engineers rely on them when an analog filter just won't do. “FIR filters appeal to people who don't want to become filter designers”, explained Grant Griffin, President, Iowegian International. "They just want to use a filter to solve a problem
Brainstorm: Do-It-Yourself-Power
March 20, 2009 1:10 pm | by Edited by Jason Lomberg | CommentsMoving forward, what technology will dominate energy harvesting?
Audio ADCs Hit the High Notes
March 18, 2009 1:33 pm | by Jon Titus, Senior Technical Editor | CommentsAlthough engineers have used analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) for some time, newer ADCs aimed at audio applications can put design skills to the test. The audio signal chain in current products and new designs can involve more stringent design requirements than engineers have faced in the industrial world.
Industry Focus: Interaction in Consumer Devices
March 10, 2009 10:34 am | by Christopher Keuling, Associate Editor | CommentsIt’s a fact that consumers want end products that give them the most user interaction. Two of the most popular examples on the market are Apple’s iPhone and Nintendo’s Wii. These end products serve very different purposes to their desired consumers, but share electronic advances that make these products, amongst others, an interactive experience for the user. In this month's Industry Focus, we talked to six different companies
Print your own Stormtrooper
March 10, 2009 7:06 am | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | CommentsFor those who’ve never been, Electronics West is one of seven shows (including EW, Medical Design and Manufacturing West, Pacific Design and Manufacturing West, Automation Technology Expo West, Plastec West, West Pack, and Green Manufacturing West) co-located within the Anaheim Convention Center. One badge earned admittance to all, so from 10-12 February, I “attended” each.
Enclosure Design: Integrating Aesthetics and Functionality
February 20, 2009 5:22 am | by Dan Farrar, Polycase | CommentsEnclosure manufacturers strive to anticipate the demands of the electronics marketplace with state-of-the-art enclosure designs. The challenge is for designers to develop products with unique features that meet customers’ needs, yet still appeal to the broadest market possible. With this in mind, manufacturers endeavor to engineer enclosures with features, options and accessories that provide a breadth of solutions specific to customers’ applications.
Sensor Zone: March 2009
February 19, 2009 10:37 am | by Tony Beswick, Russ Petrucci and Phil Slater, Morgan Technical Ceramics | CommentsPiezoelectric ceramic components composed of Lead Zirconate Titanates (PZT) have enabled many recent technological innovations in the automobile industry. PZT components can be found throughout many state-of-the-art vehicles, enhancing safety, performance, energy-efficiency and comfort. For example, you will find PZT sensors under the hood detecting engine knocking, PZT transducers in the gas tank measuring the fuel level, PZT actuators operating valves
Design Talk: Mechatronics
February 19, 2009 8:04 am | CommentsMore than 50 million people in the United States have disabilities, a number that is growing rapidly as the population ages. This growth has sparked renewed interest in developing more sophisticated assistive technologies to enable an oftentimes disabling environment. This growth presents semiconductor suppliers with an opportunity to enable this field
