The Efficiency Zone
Quarter Brick Isolated DC/DC Converters
September 24, 2007 5:34 am | Product Releases | CommentsProductive Product: Lambda introduces its iQE series of quarter brick 100W to 200W isolated DC DC converters that have high operating efficiencies over a wide range of load conditions. Typical efficiencies of the series are 90 percent over a wide load range
High-Density Flash Memory Board
September 21, 2007 9:39 am | Product Releases | CommentsProductive Product: Aitech Defense Systems, Inc. upgrades the memory capacity of its C212 high-capacity, non-volatile memory VMEbus board that uses NAND Flash memory supported by software drivers to provide full hard-disk emulation for up to 256 GB
Salmon Sperm Lox in Brightness
September 20, 2007 11:36 am | Blogs | CommentsEnergy News: DNA from salmon -- specifically, from the fish's sperm -- makes an excellent choice for building extra-bright, biodegradeable light-emitting diodes, researchers at the University of California / Riverside found. It sounds fishy but it's true. “DNA has certain optical
Evolving the BioSnake
September 19, 2007 6:04 am | Blogs | CommentsOp-Ed: There's a blog post over at CNET about an E85 Dodge Viper which is breaking speed records. They wrote, "More than doubling the horsepower probably had a big effect on the performance of the car, but the extra octane can't hurt. Ethanol also cuts down on the greenhouse gases from the tailpipe."
Metrics Good, Volume Servers Bad
September 18, 2007 12:44 pm | Blogs | CommentsEnergy News: Two interesting stories today from eWeek: first, the Green Grid member companies signed a Department of Energy agreement for data center metrics; second, coverage of Energy Star director Andrew Fanara's declaration that volume servers are so obviously bad for the green agenda.
Red Tape Trumps Recycling
September 17, 2007 12:18 pm | Blogs | CommentsOp-Ed: The full story isn't clear here, but it looks like a government crackdown on the very popular Alameda County Computer Recycling Center. For readers not in the Silicon Valley area, I can personally attest that ACCRC is a well-run, well-supported organization which does a valuable community service. So why would an EPA inspector
HP, Lenovo, Dell Support Solar Power for PCs
September 14, 2007 10:12 am | by Evan Koblentz, online editor | Blogs | CommentsProductive Product: Let's start by clarifying a vital point: this story is about solar power adapters for conventional PCs, not about "solar-powered PCs" per se. You don't actually get a solar panel slapped to the side of your tower case; you get 86 pounds of schleppability. But you also get to help save the planet and circumvent your local
Paw-Lenty of Energy to Save
September 13, 2007 9:44 am | Blogs | CommentsEnergy News: According to U.S. News & World Report, "Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, the new chair of the National Governors Association, was in Washington this week to argue that state governments should be a driving force in reducing the nation's dependence on foreign oil and in fighting greenhouse
Investors Write Reality Check
September 12, 2007 11:03 am | Blogs | CommentsEnergy News: There's a big dose of clean-energy straight talk over at Forbes.com from physicist and investor Mark Mills. He says there is plenty of room for smart investments into alternative energies, because there wasn't much of a bubble in the first place, nor was there a bubble 30 years ago when many of the same technologies were going to save us from
Still More Far-Fetched Start-Ups
September 12, 2007 10:32 am | Blogs | CommentsProductive Products: Human harvesting. Algae pools. Wave power. Artificial tornados. Super kites. Tesla coils. The list reads like a high-tech version of the plagues that freed Moses' people in Egypt, but will these alternative energy concepts succeed or have the proverbial sea crash down on them? "True, many of the kookier-sounding concepts are still in deep development within large corporations, universities, and
US, Chinese Research Addresses Smog
September 7, 2007 7:14 am | Blogs | CommentsEnergy News: "Los Angeles and Pittsburgh provide examples of what to do — and not to do — about China's severe air pollution in the face of surging energy use from rapid economic growth," according to this AP report of U.S. and Chinese scientists' joint research. They added: "The study released Thursday compared the world's two biggest energy consumers
30-Watt, CEC-Compliant Adapter
September 5, 2007 12:45 pm | Phihong | Product Releases | CommentsProductive Product: Phihong USA expanded its adapter line with a 30W version designed for worldwide use. Designated the PSC30R Series, the 30W adapter is available with four interchangeable clip adapter plugs for use in virtually any power outlet around the world. This series of adapters is appropriate for applications involving point-of-sale equipment, test equipment, network equipment and
LED Floodlight, Indoor/Outdoor Bulb Offers Energy Savings
September 5, 2007 12:40 pm | Product Releases | CommentsProductive Product: LEDtronics’ latest generation of R30 LED Reflector spotlight direct incandescent replacement bulbs combine advanced LED technologies, standard 25 mm Edison bases and light-optimizing designs to produce vivid light. The bulbs are available in five light emitting angles (15°, 20°, 30°, 40° and 95°) and in 120V AC. Other voltages from 12V to 240V AC or DC are available.
Oval, 4 mm and 5 mm Through-Hole Lamps for Indoor/Outdoor Sign Applications
September 5, 2007 12:35 pm | Product Releases | CommentsProductive Product: Avago Technologies announced a new series of Extra Bright II oval Red, Green and Blue light emitting diodes (LEDs) for the electronic signs and signals (ESS) market. The HLMP-Lx63 (4 mm) and HLMP-Hx63 (5 mm) Series of LEDs provide an oval shaped radiation pattern, a wide viewing angle and high illumination intensity to make display characters viewable from
Small, Precision Mass Airflow Sensor Uses MEMS Technology
September 5, 2007 12:23 pm | Product Releases | CommentsProductive Product: Omron Electronic Components announced the availability of the D6F unidirectional MEMS mass flow sensor which uses a thermopile element that converts thermal energy into electrical energy and is capable of measuring mass airflow up to 3 lpm with a ±5 percent full-scale repeatable accuracy. The sensors exhibit very stable output performance across the entire scale.
Wireless Nodes and Battery Modules for Wireless Sensing Network
September 5, 2007 12:09 pm | Product Releases | CommentsProductive Product: Banner Engineering Corp. introduced new FlexPower Nodes for the company’s SureCross Wireless Network. FlexPower allows a SureCross Node to operate using 10V to 30V DC line power, solar panels, or a FlexPower battery module in remote or difficult-to-access locations. A FlexPower Wireless Node and a connected sensor can be powered by a FlexPower battery module for up to five years, depending upon the application and individual power requirements.
DC/DC PWM Buck Converters
September 5, 2007 11:59 am | Product Releases | CommentsProductive Product: The AP1533 from Diodes, Inc. is a 300 Hz, 1.8A asynchronous PWM buck converter with soft-start function, low ripple noise output, low current consumption, high efficiency, and desirable transient characteristics. The buck converter has a wide input voltage range of 4V to 23V, an adjustable output voltage from 0.8V to 23V, and is suited for applications such as LCD monitors, TVs, DVD/PVR players, set-top boxes, xDSL modems, and networking and telecommunications equipment.
USB Power Manager With Power Selection, Battery Charging, Buck Regulators
September 5, 2007 11:55 am | Product Releases | CommentsProductive Product: Linear Technology’s LTC3557 multi-function power management device for Li-Ion/Polymer battery applications integrates a linear PowerPath manager, a standalone battery charger, ideal diode, three high efficiency synchronous buck regulators and an always-on LDO in a low-profile
Ultrasound Pulser for Non-destructive Testing
September 5, 2007 10:06 am | Product Releases | CommentsProductive Product: Supertex introduced the HV739, a single channel, monolithic, high speed ultrasound pulser IC for non-destructive testing (NDT) applications. The IC brings together controller logic interface circuitry, level translators, MOSFET gate drive buffers and high current, high voltage outputs.
Two Far-Fetched Energy Start-Ups
September 4, 2007 11:07 am | Blogs | CommentsProductive Product: What of flying windmills and ultra, ultra, ultra-capacitors? Two such start-ups came to my attention today: SkyWindPower and EEStor (which doesn't have a web site). Both of these plans are real but of questionable science.
Links Revisited: 41 and Counting
August 30, 2007 11:46 am | Blogs | CommentsOp-Ed: Our second-ever post here in The Efficiency Zone, which came back in March, was a list of other web sites related to energy efficiency and technology. That list is now at 41 suggested resources.
Solar-Powered Outdoor WiFi
August 30, 2007 10:14 am | Blogs | CommentsProductive Product: From the UK's Techworld magazine, "A small US startup has announced technology for running Wi-Fi routers in remote places using only the power of the sun. Among the first round of products from Solis Energy is the Solar Power Plant, touted as being capable of supplying 12, 24 and 48 Volts DC for use in standalone applications such as surveillance cameras and outdoor Wi-Fi."
Help Wanted: CGO
August 27, 2007 6:49 am | Blogs | CommentsEnergy News: Does your company have a chief green officer? They do at Sun Microsystems, as explained in this San Jose Mercury News article. Dave Douglas' job involves everything from auditing the green practices of the corporate cafeteria to participating in data center design.
Letters, We've Got Letters...
August 22, 2007 6:22 am | by Evan Koblentz | Blogs | CommentsOp-Ed: To quote Paul Shaffer, "we've got lots and lots of letters" about The Efficiency Zone and my recent editorial in our print edition of ECN. Here are some highlights, surnames edited
Man 2, Machine 0
August 20, 2007 7:44 am | Blogs | CommentsOp-Ed: Two years ago, while editing a non-ECN technology newsletter, I stumbled onto this headline: "CRM School: A ray of hope for mentally retarded children." I wasn't sure whether to laugh or be offended because it sounded so strange. The hyperlink went to an Indian domain, which gave it credibility, but was this a joke, or a tale of some slimy corporation, or what?
