Features
Silicon solar cables perform in harsh weather conditions
May 19, 2012 11:24 am | Product Releases | CommentsRated for voltages up to 42,000 VDC, Cicoil’s Silicone Jacketed Solar Power Cables have been designed to provide absolute reliability in solar panel interconnection and photovoltaic applications. These halogen-free cables are flame retardant, flexible and are said to
A look inside The Idea Factory
May 18, 2012 4:44 pm | Articles | CommentsHave you ever wondered what it would be like to work in an environment where new ideas are allowed to develop and flow freely — not just as some empty policy or even a company with a “20 percent time” program as made famous by Google — but a real wellspring where ideas and innovation is the raison d'être?
The ZigBee impact
May 16, 2012 3:44 pm | by Janine E. Mooney, Editor | Articles | CommentsYour home and office contain a host of technologies working to improve the way you live. From monitoring energy intake and usage, to controlling your appliances and lighting, ZigBee is a protocol that is changing the way we live – and in some cases, we don’t even realize it.
The cloud's impact on product development
May 16, 2012 8:59 am | by Paul Washkewicz, vice president of marketing, Computing and Storage, Inphi | Articles | CommentsAnyone involved in high-performance computing understands that among the most crucial elements of a successful cloud implementation is storage and memory technology that complements all ingredients of the computer system. Memory, in particular, must provide speed, capacity and scalability.
Google-backed wind power line clears hurdle
May 14, 2012 3:05 pm | News | CommentsA planned $5 billion transmission line to send power from wind farms off the East Coast cleared a hurdle, allowing the Google Inc-backed project to move to the next step in the approval process, officials said. The Department of the Interior declared on Monday there was "no overlapping competitive interest" in proposed areas for building the line off the mid-Altantic coast.
Wireless transceiver promises double operation lifetime in smart meters
May 14, 2012 10:05 am | Stmicroelectronics | Product Releases | CommentsSTMicroelectronics introduced a high-performance, ultra-low-power wireless transceiver for Automatic Meter Infrastructure and other wireless sensor node applications, such as alarm and security systems, home and building automation, and industrial monitoring and control. ST’s SPIRIT1 transceiver combines...
Tester targets photovoltaic modules and strings
May 14, 2012 9:32 am | Product Releases | CommentsMC Technologies’ PROFITEST-PV allows the measurement of I-U-parameters as well as photovoltaic-modules and strings. A new patented procedure enables the test unit to read peak power, serial resistance, parallel resistance at the same time. All information can
The Roundtable - Wireless
May 10, 2012 10:14 am | Articles | CommentsWireless connectivity and Smart Energy are the name of the game for 2012. As the fringe of the internet rapidly expands to include individual sensors and control nodes, many of these are implemented as small, battery-powered wireless nodes. Design-in activity for ubiquitous protocols like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth is still increasing.
NPD Solarbuzz Announces Inaugural China PV Conference in Shanghai, July 19-20
May 10, 2012 10:08 am | News | CommentsSolarbuzz announced it will host its inaugural Solarbuzz China PV Conference in Shanghai, China. This two-day event will take place July 19-20, 2012 at the Renaissance Shanghai Yangtze Hotel, and will provide valuable insight and critical market data to help the PV supply chain effectively develop business strategies.
The Roundtable - Intelligent Systems
May 10, 2012 9:38 am | Articles | CommentsToday’s MCUs have helped to redefine what a system-on-chip looks like. MCUs have adapted to service the needs of an almost infinite number of applications. To meet the needs of their customers, MCU designers have integrated more features onto the device, while at the same time pushing for lower price points...
Single-chip processor platforms deliver on power/performance balance for mobile devices
May 8, 2012 9:14 am | by Carsten Wild, Director Marketing, Mobile Application Platforms, Renesas Mobile Corporation | Articles | CommentsAs with every new technology, delivering LTE chipsets presents many technical challenges. Performance, power and price are key concerns. Higher data rates, such as LTE Cat4with up to 150Mbps download speeds, require very high performance computing, which is achieved mostly through higher clock rates...
Higher solar cell efficiencies taking benefits of IC technology experience
May 4, 2012 9:36 am | by Philip Pieters, business development director Energy at imec, www.imec.be | Blogs | CommentsBy bringing expertise of the semiconductor industry to the PV industry, we can significantly increase the efficiency of crystalline silicon solar cells. Of course, the semiconductor processes cannot simply be copied into the PV lines. They must be adapted towards higher throughput and lower cost. This is a challenge but also an opportunity for
Choose the right DAQ board
May 1, 2012 10:33 am | Articles | CommentsData acquisition (DAQ) hardware serves as the interface between a computer and signals from the outside world. There are hundreds of different types of DAQ hardware with a range of sampling rates, resolutions, signal conditioning options, and form factors. Use these five questions as a guide to help you choose the right DAQ hardware for your application.
The Teardown - Motorola Droid Bionic
April 30, 2012 4:22 pm | Articles | CommentsThe Motorola Droid Bionic is the first dual-core smartphone operating on Verizon's 4G LTE network. It’s packing some serious hardware, and is the slimmest 4G LTE phone at 0.43 inches thick.
The Teardown - Apple TV 3rd Generation
April 30, 2012 3:46 pm | Articles | CommentsLess than four inches square and an inch tall (the exact size of the 2nd generation Apple TV), the small but mighty Apple TV 3rd Generation adds the ability to play 1080p HD content.
Earth Day at the EcoCAR 2 lab
April 27, 2012 11:38 am | by Tyler Rose, Outreach Coordinator, UW EcoCAR 2 Team and Tom Egel, Consulting Engineer, MathWorks | Blogs | CommentsEarth Day is our favorite holiday around the UW EcoCAR 2 lab. From our standpoint, this time of the year encourages people to celebrate the ways in which they can help reduce vehicle emissions and fuel consumption. We will be showcasing our team's EcoCAR 2 efforts alongside the Puget Sound Clean Cities Coalition at the Earth Day festivities put on by the University of Washington.
ERG Lighting is exclusive North American distributor for LED drivers from GRE Alpha Electronics
April 27, 2012 10:09 am | Endicott Research Group | Product Releases | CommentsThe ERG Lighting division of Endicott Research Group, Inc. is now offering the SLD, XLD and XLA Series of LED drivers from GRE Alpha Electronics, Ltd., Gainesville, GA, a specialist in the design and manufacture of solid state lighting power supplies for architectural, signage, retail, office, street and LED strip lighting.
Solar panels cause clashes with homeowner groups
April 26, 2012 2:42 pm | by Ray Henry, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe government wants you to install solar panels at your house, and will even give you a tax break to do it. But your neighbors? Maybe not. It's a lesson Angel and David Dobs discovered when their homeowners association north of Atlanta denied their request to install solar panels on their roof.
Solving the great design dilemma: ‘Distinctive’ v ‘Discrete’
April 26, 2012 2:17 pm | by Robert Cox, VP of Marketing, OKW Enclosures, Inc., www.okwenclosures.com | Articles | CommentsCreating standard electronics enclosures is a challenging process – they have to last 20 years so every design must be a ‘classic’. Each must stand the test of time in a rapidly evolving sector that can render lesser products obsolete in six months. Absolutely critical to success is achieving the fine balance between ‘distinctive’ and ‘discrete’ design.
Vicor introduces baseplate option for 98% efficient quarter-brick IBC modules
April 25, 2012 1:18 pm | Vicor Corp. | Product Releases | CommentsVicor Corporation today introduced new thermal and mechanical mounting options for its IBC050 series of high performance quarter-brick VI BRICK intermediate bus converters (IBCs). Now available with an integral baseplate and multiple pin-length options, Vicor’s high-efficiency IBCs afford customers even greater flexibility...
Starter kits incorporate onboard debug and current probe functionality
April 24, 2012 10:49 am | Product Releases | CommentsEnergy Micro today introduced two feature-rich starter kits (STKs) for designers building more complex battery-powered products such as portable health and fitness devices and smart accessories. Based on the already available EFM32 Leopard Gecko and Giant Gecko microcontrollers...
Switching buck regulators intended for automotive entertainment and infotainment applications
April 24, 2012 10:11 am | On Semiconductor | Product Releases | CommentsON Semiconductor has introduced a new series of switching buck regulators for space-constrained, electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) sensitive automotive entertainment and infotainment applications. These highly integrated devices offer industry leading conversion ratios for battery connected switch-mode power supplies.
Dawn of neutral white LEDs in street lighting
April 20, 2012 10:29 am | by Andreas Pohl, Field Application Engineer Solid-State Lighting, Avago Technologies Germany | Articles | CommentsLED-based streetlights first appeared on streets about four years ago, mainly as design concepts or test lamps at universities. Yellow phosphor was one of the only available and stable phosphor at that time with the ability to create white light in conjunction with a blue chip.
Renewable energy and smart grids rely on optical electronics technology
April 18, 2012 10:02 am | by Chun Keong Tee, Avago | Articles | CommentsRenewable power generation technologies based on solar and wind are usually discussed in terms of photovoltaic arrays and very large land- and sea-based turbines. Behind these very visible physical structures that can encompass many acres sit the optoelectronic components that provide the galvanic isolation...
CUI expands SMT switching regulator line
April 17, 2012 2:09 pm | Product Releases | CommentsCUI announced the addition of a 1 A surface mount series to its highly efficient V78 dc switching regulator line. The V78XX-1000-SMT is designed as a high performance alternative to linear regulators, offering efficiencies up to 92%. This is in contrast to efficiencies typically ranging from 40~60% in equivalent linear regulators.
