Applications
LED Backlight Costs Falling Faster than Conventional LCD Backlights
February 22, 2010 9:35 am | News | CommentsMost LCD panel and set makers are focusing on development of LED (light emitting diode) backlight units for improved visual performance, thinner form factor, and lower power consumption. The key issue has been reducing cost, in absolute terms and relative to the conventional CCFL (cold cathode fluorescent) backlights. The newly-released DisplaySearch Quarterly LED & CCFL Backlight Cost Report, which is the only report to analyze and forecast the cost structure of CCFL and LED backlight costs, disclosed that the average cost of 40” edge LED backlight unit in Q1’10 is $118, and will fall to $100 by Q4’10 (see Figure 1). Cost reduction is driven by increasing production volumes, which affects LED and material costs, and by improvement in LED luminous intensity, which enables the use of fewer LED chips.
Zigbee Offers More Options
February 22, 2010 9:22 am | News | CommentsThe ZigBee Alliance, a global ecosystem of companies creating wireless solutions for use in energy management, residential, commercial and consumer electronics applications, today announced it is now offering certification for ZigBee platforms designed to operate in the regional sub-1 GHz unlicensed frequencies. The move ensures original equipment manufacturers a source of tested platforms for use in sub-1 GHz applications.
Ear Candles: Risk of Serious Injuries
February 20, 2010 12:20 pm | by FDA MedWatch | News | CommentsConsumers warned not to use ear candles because they can cause serious injuries, even when used according to the manufacturer’s directions.
SMD white LEDs feature two binning versions
February 19, 2010 11:56 am | Product Releases | CommentsVishay Intertechnology released power surface-mount white LEDs in two binning versions. For a wider range of pin compatibility with similar devices, the VLMW321xx LEDs feature three anodes and one cathode, while the VLMW322xx LEDs offer three cathodes and one anode. The devices feature a
Industrial Displays Offer 7-inch Diagonal Screen, LED Backlighting
February 19, 2010 11:49 am | Product Releases | CommentsSharp is unveiling a series totalling five industrial standard 7-inch TFT LCDs in the first half of 2010. The spectrum ranges from the robust screens of the more mechanically resilient Strong2 class with extended temperature range from -30°C to 80°C to a "light" type LQ070Y3DG3A variant, with an operating temperature of -20°C to 50°C which is designed to
High-Brightness SMT Tricolor LEDs Are Water Resistant
February 19, 2010 10:53 am | Product Releases | CommentsAvago Technologies announced it has developed compact high-brightness water-resistant tricolor surface mount light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for use in indoor and outdoor full color signs and displays. The company’s ASMT-YTBO plastic leaded chip carrier (PLCC)-6 Blackbody and ASMT-QTCO industry standard PLCC-4 LEDs have been
HD Color Camera Features Backside Illumination, 1280 x 1024 Resolution
February 19, 2010 10:46 am | Product Releases | CommentsToshiba Teli America launched the model CSDS60CM3 high-definition (HD) color camera for the industrial vision marketplace. Able to achieve exceptional picture quality with smearless imaging, the model CSDS60CM3 can also successfully
LED Light Engines Accelerate Development, Prototyping of SSL Apps
February 19, 2010 10:31 am | Product Releases | CommentsFuture Lighting Solutions announced an exclusive line of light engines designed to accelerate the development, prototyping and delivery of solid state lighting applications as well as reduce fixture development costs. The first light engines in the
New algorithm to improve video game quality
February 19, 2010 10:16 am | News | CommentsMcGuire and Luebke have developed a new method for computerizing lighting and light sources that will allow video game graphics to approach film quality.
Long-Acting Beta-Agonists (LABAs): New Safe Use Requirements
February 19, 2010 8:20 am | by FDA MedWatch | News | CommentsFDA requires risk management plan and class-labeling changes for all LABAs.
Distribution is more than just Providing Parts
February 19, 2010 7:39 am | by Alix Paultre | Articles | CommentsIt isn’t easy to be an engineer these days. You have to be on top of rapidly-developing technology while creating devices and systems with the latest in functionality and integration.
Brainstorm: CES 2010
February 19, 2010 4:39 am | Articles | CommentsThis year’s CES brought forth a number of new and exciting products and technologies for the consumer. As with each year’s show, there were hits and misses with some products primed to become major retail successes while others may never make it to the store shelves.
Officers warned about UAV vulnerabilities in 2004
February 19, 2010 4:12 am | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Blogs | CommentsThe revelation that insurgents had hacked US drones came as shocking news. What’s more, they did so using $26 off-the-shelf software (SkyGrabber). Now the Wall Street Journal is reporting that senior officers knew about the security risk five years ago. According to a report in the Journal, senior officers warned in 2004 of the drones’ vulnerabilities.
Air Force taps Space Micro to develop software defined radio for satellites
February 19, 2010 4:06 am | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Blogs | CommentsSpace Micro Inc. has been awarded $100,000 by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to develop a software-defined radio system for military satellites. The Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract is to develop space communications hardware that is resistant to radiation.
The Power of Collective Intelligence
February 19, 2010 3:47 am | by Alisha Mowbray, Senior VP, innovation marketing, element14 | Blogs | CommentsElectronic design engineers are facing greater pressure than ever before to rapidly create new solutions, and manufacturers are continually developing new technologies to help them to do so.
Providing Enhanced Services and Smarter Solutions
February 19, 2010 3:29 am | by Kurt Colehower, President of Americas Components, Arrow Electronics | Blogs | CommentsLike much of technology, the role of distribution is evolving with market demand. Outsourcing can provide significant advantages, especially in today’s business climate that includes leaner engineering staffs, and new challenges facing management.
Outsourcing the ''final frontier''
February 18, 2010 12:31 pm | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Blogs | CommentsThe proposed 2011 NASA Budget takes human spaceflight in a bold new direction. Along with scuttling the Constellation Program, and investing in heavy-lift rocket systems, the proposal leans heavily on the private sector. The International Space Station received clemency through at least 2020, and with the Space Shuttle retiring in 2010, the US will need reliable means of orbital transportation.
Military lifts ban on flash media
February 18, 2010 11:24 am | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Blogs | CommentsTwo years ago, DOD banned all “flash media” devices in an effort to contain the “Agent.btz” computer virus. In 2009, Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said, “I do not see the thumb drives going back here in the immediate future.” Yet a year later (nearly to the day), the ban has been lifted.
Federal Register: Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Guidance for Humanitarian Device Exemption Holders, Institutional Revie...
February 18, 2010 9:41 am | by FDA (The Center for Devices and Radiological Health) | News | CommentsThe FDA is announcing that a proposed collection of information has been submitted to the OMB for review and clearance under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.
Federal Register: Circulatory System Devices Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee; Notice of Meeting
February 18, 2010 9:41 am | by FDA (The Center for Devices and Radiological Health) | News | CommentsOn March 18, 2010, the committee will discuss, make recommendations, and vote on the premarket approval application (PMA) for the Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Defibrillators (CRT-Ds) sponsored by Boston Scientific.
Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agents (ESAs): Procrit, Epogen and Aranesp: Drug Safety Communication
February 18, 2010 9:40 am | by FDA MedWatch | News | CommentsFDA requires REMS that ensures that only those hospitals and healthcare professionals who have enrolled and completed training in risk management program will prescribe and dispense ESAs to patients with cancer.
Maalox Total Relief and Maalox Liquid Products: Medication Use Errors
February 18, 2010 9:40 am | by FDA MedWatch | News | CommentsConsumers who have a history of gastrointestinal ulcers or a bleeding disorder should not use Maalox Total Relief because it contains bismuth subsalicylate, a substance chemically related to aspirin.
Exjade (deferasirox): Boxed Warning
February 18, 2010 9:40 am | by FDA MedWatch | News | CommentsChanges to Prescribing Information re: risk of renal impairment/failure, hepatic impairment/failure or gastrointestinal hemorrhage.
Brazil opens the first home-grown Chip Fab south of the Rio Grande
February 12, 2010 11:39 am | by Alix L. Paultre | News | CommentsThe Chip de BOI (literally, "the Ox chip") is an excellent startup product for the nascent south-of-the border firm CEITEC. The facility, located in Porto Alegre , is the first of its kind south of the Rio Grande.
Sub-Miniature TCXO Capable of Holding Sub 1 ppm Stabilities
February 12, 2010 9:25 am | Product Releases | CommentsConnor-Winfield’s D32G Series of 3.2 mm x 2.5 mm SMT temperature compensated crystal oscillators (TCXOs) use analog temperature compensation to hold
