Applications
The first high-tech war
March 27, 2013 2:54 pm | by Tom Ligon, Technical Contributor, with contributions by the SIGMA Think Tank | Blogs | CommentsIronclad warships. A steam-powered warship defending New York’s harbor. Submarines. Rifled cannon firing elongated explosive shells. The first use of steam power for logistical support of a battle. Industrial automation. Obviously, I’m talking about the U.S. Civil War, right? Nope.
SpaceX Dragon cargo ship splashes into Pacific
March 27, 2013 1:27 pm | by Marcia Dunn, AP Aerospace Writer | News | CommentsThe SpaceX Dragon capsule returned to Earth on Tuesday with a full science load from the International Space Station. The privately owned cargo ship splashed down in the Pacific, off the coast of Mexico's Baja Peninsula, five hours after leaving the orbiting lab.
ZigBee radio chip enables deep sleep modes of set-top boxes
March 27, 2013 11:01 am | Product Releases | CommentsGreenPeak Technologies announces the GP501, a new generation of ZigBee transceivers which contains a sophisticated coexistence scheme that allows Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and ZigBee chips to work side by side in the same device. The GP501 also contains Deep Packet Inspection allowing deep sleep modes of set-top boxes....
Uninterruptible power supplies installed in harsh environments
March 27, 2013 10:10 am | by Michael A. Stout, V. P. of Engineering, Falcon Electric, www.FalconUPS.com | Falcon Electric Inc. | Articles | CommentsWhen it comes to power protection, uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) to be specific, most think of these systems tucked away in an environmentally controlled environment, quietly at the ready to protect against any power problems that may come their way. Due to the integration of power sensitive microprocessor controllers...
Industrial wired Ethernet routers protected against harsh environments
March 26, 2013 4:43 pm | B & B Electronics | Product Releases | CommentsB&B Electronics Manufacturing announced its SPECTRE RT 300 series industrial wired Ethernet routers, which are designed to securely connect Ethernet and serial equipment in tough environments where office/home-grade routers can’t handle the job. Much like the Linksys router in homes, the rugged SPECTRE RT router can connect a private network to a public one....
RF chip capacitors intended for automotive applications
March 26, 2013 4:30 pm | Avx Corporation | Product Releases | CommentsAVX Corporation has introduced a new series of AEC-Q200-qualified RF chip capacitors for automotive applications. Available in 0402 and 0603 case sizes, the new C0G (NP0) dielectric Automotive “U” Series capacitors exhibit ultra-low ESR, high Q, and lot-to-lot uniformity....
UPS systems include pre-installed network card
March 26, 2013 3:48 pm | Tripp Lite | Product Releases | CommentsTripp Lite has expanded its series of line-interactive UPS Systems to include six SmartPro models with pre-installed SNMPWEBCARD network cards. These new UPS Systems arrive at a facility network-ready and can be deployed quickly, saving IT personnel valuable time.
PCB test system designed for aircraft, transportation, and manufacturing industries
March 26, 2013 3:33 pm | Saelig Company, Inc. | Product Releases | CommentsSaelig Company has introduced the System 8 Diagnostic Solution Plus - a unique, versatile, easy-to-use PCB test system that uses a selection of CD-drive-size modules to create a PC-driven PCB test station. The System 8 Diagnostic Solution Plus, which can be built in a PC case or 19" rack-mounted...
Analog input boards boast 24-bit A/D resolution and 120 kilosample/second maximum sampling rates
March 26, 2013 10:36 am | United Electronic Industries | Product Releases | CommentsUnited Electronic Industries (UEI) announces the release of four new analog input boards. All four of the boards offer 8 analog input channels, 24-bit A/D resolution and 120 kilosample/second maximum sampling rates. All four boards also offer complete, 350 Vrms channel-to-channel and channel-to-chassis isolation.
Automotive Systems-on-Chip capable of delivering more than 25,000 DMIPS
March 26, 2013 10:20 am | Renesas | Product Releases | CommentsRenesas Electronics Corporation and Renesas Mobile Corporation announced the availability of a new member of the R-Car Series of automotive Systems-on-Chip (SoCs). Capable of delivering more than 25,000 DMIPS, the R-Car H2 provides high performance and state-of-the-art 3D graphics capabilities for high-end multimedia and navigation automotive systems.
Injection-molded enclosures achieve a flammability rating of UL94 V-0
March 26, 2013 9:11 am | Product Releases | CommentsSerpac’s Industrial Line (I-Series) has created a smaller version of its popular I-352 enclosure; the I-342. The new smaller I-342 is made out of a UV stabilized Polycarbonate with a flammability rating of UL94 V-0.
Power shelf offers up to 96% efficiency
March 25, 2013 4:53 pm | Product Releases | CommentsDongAh Elecomm announced a high-efficiency NESpace Energy-Saving Power Shelf that offers up to 96% efficiency and a loss reduction of greater than 50%. NESpace significantly reduces energy consumption and loss over standard power supplies. Easy installation and maintenance make it ideal for power-hungry datacom and telecom applications....
Instant-on tower security light delivers 1500 watts
March 25, 2013 4:29 pm | Larson Electronics Llc | Product Releases | CommentsLarson Electronics Magnalight announced the release of the WAL-TSL-300W-LED LED tower security light. Modeled after the successful metal halide light series, the LED version of this amiable security light features ‘instant on’ and hot restrike capabilities.
Internet sales tax will only benefit the state
March 25, 2013 3:34 pm | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Articles | CommentsGet ready to pony up more dollars for online purchases. On Friday, the U.S. Senate passed the innocuously-titled "Marketplace Fairness Act" through the upper chamber on a 75-24 vote. The bill would require e-tailers to collect and remit sales tax on interstate commerce, even when the business has no physical presence in the state.
Solar-powered everything!
March 25, 2013 3:14 pm | by Chris Rendall, Mechanical Engineer, PCDworks | Blogs | CommentsI’ve heard for years that “soon we’ll have solar panels on everything.” To be honest, I’ve never paid much attention to the hype because these magical solar panels that can fit on and inside everything never seemed to materialize commercially, or if they did they were always way too expensive for the everyday consumer, or maybe just for me.
Nuclear power: The future of human civilization
March 25, 2013 10:23 am | by Tom Ligon, Technical Contributor | Blogs | CommentsThis is not an article about the environment. This is not an article about oil. This is an article about the long-term future of human civilization. Are you with me so far? Are you in favor of human civilization having a future, not just for another hundred years, but for thousands ... tens of thousands?
The best way to improve distributors, according to engineers
March 22, 2013 4:43 pm | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | Blogs | CommentsHow do you deal with distributors? Distribution is a key aspect of the engineering process, and it's important to choose the right distributor. You need dependibility, reliability and transperency to make the relationship between distributor and manufacturer work.
Silicon photonics chips boast 100 gigabits per second 4x25 QSFP package
March 22, 2013 4:42 pm | Product Releases | CommentsKotura announced a silicon photonics industry first. The company unveiled its Optical Engine in a Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable (QSFP) package. Kotura's Optical Engine uses Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM), in which different signals can share the same path.
Visual design tool supports PIC MCU-based GUI creation on Windows, Linux or Mac computers
March 22, 2013 4:21 pm | Microchip Technology Inc. | Product Releases | CommentsMicrochip Technology Inc. announced the release of Graphics Display Designer X (GDD X), an enhanced visual design tool that provides a quick and easy way of creating Graphical User Interface (GUI) screens for applications using Microchip’s 16-or 32-bit PIC MCUs. With GDD X, developers may
Raspberry Pi Breadboard PCB Kits are 100% compatible with Pi Cobbler
March 22, 2013 3:52 pm | Newark | Product Releases | CommentsMaking permanent connections is as easy as pie for fans of the credit-card size computer sensation known as Raspberry Pi. Available in full, half and quarter sizes at leading electronics distributor Newark element14, Adafruit’s Perma-Proto for Pi Breadboard PCB kits feature the same labelled breakouts as their Pi Cobbler, assuring a seamless transition.
Industry’s first reconfigurable DC arc detect reference solution enables designers to safeguard high-power DC systems
March 22, 2013 3:08 pm | Texas Instruments | Product Releases | CommentsTexas Instruments introduces the industry’s first fully programmable DC arc detect reference solution. The RD-195 makes it faster and easier for designers to address a growing need to safeguard high-power DC systems, such as automobile and aircraft battery management systems....
Smart grid technology of the future
March 22, 2013 2:53 pm | Articles | CommentsWe asked our industry experts to weigh in on our Smart Grid question: What home energy technology do you expect to see as a breakthrough in the next 12 months?
What home energy technology will break through in the next 12 months?
March 22, 2013 2:41 pm | Articles | CommentsOur energy and Smart technology experts weigh in to answer our smart grid question for this month: What home energy technology do you expect to see as a breakthrough in the next 12 months?
Step-up DC/DC converter features ultra-low 22µA quiescent supply current
March 22, 2013 2:29 pm | Advanced Power Electronics Corp. | Product Releases | CommentsAdvanced Power Electronics announced the APE2902, a high-efficiency VFM Step-up DC/DC converter for small, low input voltage or battery powered systems with ultra-low quiescent supply current. Devices can operate from a positive input voltage between the start-up voltage and VOUT and convert it to a higher output voltage....
The LED rundown
March 22, 2013 2:16 pm | by M. Simon, Technical Contributor | Articles | CommentsThe life of a light-emitting diode (LED) isn’t as simple as some advertisers may lead you to believe. Manufacturers offer numbers like 100,000 hours as the expected lifetime of high-powered LEDs, but those numbers reflect calculations done using optimum conditions and specification points.
