ECN Magazine Articles

3D printing is the future of the military

kpanetta — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:47:05 +0000

When it's not being used to offer up the

Enclosures for harsh environments ... they might surprise you

Jason Lomberg — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 20:38:18 +0000

The definition of harsh has changed in a high-tech world

The usual response to the idea of a “harsh environment” is to envision the salt spray of a drilling rig, dirt, grease or debris. But in today’s evolving world of “high tech,” the definition of harsh isn’t always what it used to be. An environment most people would consider far from harsh, almost sterile, can be extremely susceptible to contamination, and an invasion by anything that doesn’t belong can be harsh in the extreme.

Recessed enclosures provide unique protection for your system design

Jason Lomberg — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 19:21:17 +0000

Many signal processing, analytical, and diagnostic instruments are utilizing Eurocard-based enclosures that are recessed. With higher signal frequencies and lots of cabling, the incentive to recess an enclosure continues to increase for many applications. There are many benefits to this type of design and with a modular enclosure construction, the barri

Smart Grid: The future of energy

Jason Lomberg — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 15:23:30 +0000

MEMS power connectors improve healthcare device reading consistency

Jason Lomberg — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 14:31:54 +0000

Through 2016, the home healthcare market is projected to grow at an annual rate of 7.7 percent. [1] This projection underscores a significant trend: More patient treatments are shifting away from healthcare facilities into home environments as patients grapple with the rising costs of on-going healthcare treatment plans.

The skyrocketing costs are compounded by aging populations that are driving a surge in demand for portable medical-diagnostic equipment to facilitate in-home treatments. A proliferation of new equipment is thus emerging in several home healthcare segments:

COB-based solid-state lamps present cooling tradeoffs

Jason Lomberg — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 18:33:38 +0000

Solid-state lighting has taken its place in the mainstream of illumination, finding uses in a diverse range of industrial and consumer applications. Solid state lamps have shed the initial skepticisms about quality, and although the upfront costs are high, these costs are coming down.

Should preemptive legislation be considered before a new technology takes off?

Jason Lomberg — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 14:57:40 +0000

In just two years’ time, the skies around us may get a lot more crowded. Drones have received a lot of attention lately, thanks to military operations overseas and matters of congressional oversight. In September 2015, the federal government plans to issue its first drone permits for domestic use.

Critical RF switch design parameters for space

Jason Lomberg — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 14:29:30 +0000

Harsh environments associated with space applications pose particularly demanding radiation requirements on Radio Frequency (RF) components. The effects of radiation can lead to additional device parameter degradation, performance interruptions or destructive failure modes.

The rising demands and requirements of wearable soldier systems

Jason Lomberg — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 20:18:41 +0000

Modern soldiers require state-of-the-art innovations, particularly when integrating connectors within advanced Wearable Soldier Systems (WSS). Key requirements for wearable soldier electronics are: increased situational awareness, increased weapons effectiveness, and increased individual agility.

Addressing the data deluge challenge in mobile networks with intelligent content caching

Jason Lomberg — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 19:31:58 +0000

The most recent IDC Predictions 2013: Competing on the 3RD Platform report forecasts the biggest driver of IT growth to once again be mobile devices (smartphones, tablets, e-readers, etc.), generating around 20 percent of all IT purchases and accounting for more than 50 percent of all IT market growth. Mobile devices continue to provide the ubiquitous and constant Internet access that is creating massive amounts of multimedia traffic, with video remaining the dominant component in this data deluge.