Features
Do you have what it takes to be a Roundtable expert?
September 14, 2012 9:58 am | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | Blogs | CommentsWe asked you for your words of wisdom for a brand-new design engineer and boy, did you guys have advice in spades. The responses we received were so good in fact, we’ve decided to open up our November Roundtables to our faithful readers in hopes that you can offer more words of wisdom. Check out the October Roundtable, here.
Roundtable: What advice would you give to a newly minted design engineer?
September 14, 2012 9:38 am | Articles | Comments"What advice would you give to a newly minted design engineer?" Industry experts and ECN readers dish out their best advice for new design engineers. A ton of great advice flooded our inbox: Find a mentor, be a mentor, learn from your own mistakes, but also from other engineers.
When smart cars get street smart
September 13, 2012 8:47 am | by Chris Warner, Executive Editor | Articles | CommentsIn recent years, there’s been a lot of buzz about automotive infotainment systems — features that are built into recent model cars that can offer anything from satellite navigation, DVD players, internet access and more. This has led to concern from regulators about driver inattention and its impact on safety.
Data acquisition module extending Precision Measurements up to ±600V with ± 1000V Isolation
September 11, 2012 12:53 pm | Product Releases | CommentsData Translation today announced the release of the DT8824-HV Ethernet module, extending ultra-accurate, high-stability measurements to high voltage ranges. The DT8824-HV features a standard full scale range of ±600V, with input gains of 1, 8, 16, and 32 to provide effective ranges of: ±600V, ±75V, ±37.5V, and ±18.75V.
Meeting satellite design challenges with both off-the-shelf and customized space-grade DC-to-DC converter solutions
September 11, 2012 9:30 am | by Rob Warren, Vice President and General Manager, Microsemi Corporation | Articles | CommentsSatellite design engineers face many difficult issues. End customers such as the U.S. Air Force are demanding ever higher levels of reliability. Failure in space-related applications is not an option. The products used in satellites must work every time, in a plethora of environmental extremes...
High-altitude winds have large potential as a source of clean energy
September 11, 2012 9:15 am | by EurekAlert! | News | CommentsAirborne wind energy—an emerging approach to harnessing high-altitude winds—could scale up fairly quickly if given significant government support for research and development, according to a survey of experts by Near Zero, a nonprofit energy research organization.
ORNL roof and attic design proves efficient in summer and winter
September 11, 2012 9:13 am | by EurekAlert! | News | CommentsA new kind of roof-and-attic system field-tested at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory keeps homes cool in summer and prevents heat loss in winter, a multi-seasonal efficiency uncommon in roof and attic design. The system improves efficiency using controls for radiation, convection and insulation, including a passive ventilation system...
Twitter politics: How social media impacts presidential elections
September 10, 2012 5:28 pm | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Articles | CommentsThe news that President Barack Obama's acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention was the "biggest political moment ever" on Twitter isn’t exactly surprising, but it’s worth taking a look at how social media influences political contests.
Alternate energy: Trends and dependence on electronics in power conversion
September 10, 2012 2:03 pm | by Nagarajan Sridhar, Texas Instruments | Articles | CommentsWith prosperity rising at a global level the demand for energy has been increasing significantly over the last decade. However, there are concerns of energy supply and distribution to many areas of the world with little or no infrastructure. Furthermore, using fossil fuel as the main energy supply in the long run has been strongly debated.
10 must-see posts from August
September 6, 2012 4:23 pm | by Editors | Blogs | CommentsHere’s a rundown of the most read, most popular, most awesome articles for August. They all come with a witty, engaging summary just in case you missed them the first time or want to check up on an old favorite. Keep checking out the Lead and follow us on twitter @ecnmagazine for our most up-to-date articles.
Forcing the molecular bond issue
September 6, 2012 10:36 am | by EurekAlert! | News | CommentsMaterial properties and interactions are largely determined by the binding and unbinding of their constituent molecules, but the standard model used to interpret data on the formation and rupturing of molecular bonds suffers from inconsistencies. A collaboration of researchers led by a scientist at the U.S Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory...
End your parking woes with this foldable car
September 5, 2012 3:12 pm | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | Blogs | CommentsAnyone who has ever lived in a city knows what it feels like to drive around attempting to find street parking before giving up and dumping the car in an expensive garage. If you frequently suffer from No Parking Spaces Syndrome (or NPSS)...
Onshore wind converter market to encounter turbulence
September 5, 2012 9:53 am | News | CommentsIn the global market for wind converters, nearly 80 percent of revenues in 2011 were attributed to utility-scale onshore projects, but is forecast to account for less than 70 percent of the total market by 2016 due to an expected decline in the United States wind market and the growth of the offshore wind industry...
A blow to wind energy
September 4, 2012 10:13 am | by M. Simon | Blogs | CommentsMy local paper says that the wind energy business is likely to slow down in 2013. They explain that it will be bad for a local manufacturer that makes parts for the turbines and who also makes machines to make the parts. When you make 10 ton hubs for the turbines it is best to make them as close to the installation site as possible. Otherwise the shipping costs can ruin your profits.
Merchant power supply market to grow to $29 billion in 2016
August 30, 2012 11:37 am | News | CommentsGrowth in the merchant power supply market was curtailed in the second half of 2011 by continuing economic problems. Despite this, the market grew by 6.5 percent; however, this was just two-thirds of the growth initially projected in the first half of the year. IMS Research projects a strong 2012, with revenue growth forecast to reach 9.3 percent...
A guide to enjoying the (inevitable) robot takeover
August 30, 2012 11:02 am | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | Articles | CommentsLet's face it: Robots are better than people.They’re more dependable than humans (i.e. no sick days), they’re usually cheaper, and they don’t complain. The downside is pretty obvious as well, at least with the primitive robots we have today:
Brainstorm: LEDs
August 30, 2012 9:45 am | Articles | CommentsAlthough LED lighting is still in the early adoption phase, high brightness lighting class LED devices are currently used in a wide variety of different applications due to the many advantages they offer over traditional light sources such as incandescent light bulbs and fluorescent tubes. The development of ever more efficient LED devices is ongoing as device technology continues to be improved.
Soaking up the sun
August 29, 2012 1:51 pm | by EurekAlert! | News | CommentsSolar panels, like those commonly perched atop house roofs or in sun-drenched fields, quietly harvesting the sun's radiant energy, are one of the standard-bearers of the green energy movement. But could they be better – more efficient, durable and affordable? That's what engineers from Drexel University and The University of Pennsylvania are trying to find out...
Pieces from classic sci-fi dystopias are falling into place
August 29, 2012 12:52 pm | Articles | CommentsOn June 5, the literary world lost a true legend with the passing of Ray Bradbury. His death – along with some recent events here in local news – got me thinking back to my teenage years where his masterpiece Fahrenheit 451 was required reading at my high school along with George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four (and I’d be remiss if I didn’t italicize titles of literary works when thinking about my high school English-Lit teacher).
Simple techniques to improve solar panel efficiency using a microcontroller or SOC
August 28, 2012 4:54 pm | by Gautam Das G, Applications Engineer at Cypress Semiconductor | Articles | CommentsToday, people are more concerned about fossil fuel exhaustion and environmental problems caused by conventional power generation and renewable energy sources than ever before. Among the renewable resources, photovoltaic panels and wind-generators are primary contenders. They have the advantage of being maintenance and pollution-free...
Why Nikola Tesla deserves a museum
August 27, 2012 9:52 am | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | Articles | CommentsNikola Tesla is arguably one of the most underappreciated scientists in history. He was a very cool, brilliant guy, but money wasn’t really his strong suit. He built a laboratory called the Wardenclyffe Tower in Shoreham, New York, which he lost due to his financial problems. The tower that Wardenclyffe was named for was destroyed in 1917, 15 years after it was built.
A mentor's perspective: Project-based learning and student competitions
August 22, 2012 10:57 am | by Gen Sasaki, Principal Technical Consultant, MathWorks, www.mathworks.com | Blogs | CommentsI have experienced first hand the great learning opportunity such venues provide students to apply what they have learned in the classroom, and have fun (and a fair share of pain) doing it. In addition, this hands-on learning brings greater understanding and gratification of the knowledge acquired in coursework. In addition, a team competition
Would you eat printed meat?
August 21, 2012 1:56 pm | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | Articles | Comments3D printing is a hot topic issue in the tech world with everything from printed guns to printed arms making headlines around the world.The newest 3D item to hit the scene? Printed meat. Modern Meadows,a firm looking to develop “high value, food grade animal protein”
Careful designers get the most from brushless DC motors
August 20, 2012 10:10 am | by Jon Titus, Technical Contributor | Articles | CommentsA brushed-DC motor comprises external permanent magnets and electromagnets wound on a rotating core. Brushes manufactured from graphite and other materials switch, or commutate, electricity to the coils as they rotate to sustain motion. A brushless-DC (BLDC) motor turns this construction inside out and places
Wireless switches solve the remote sensor connection conundrum
August 16, 2012 6:28 pm | by Todd Hanson, Honeywell Sensing and Control (S&C), http://sensing.honeywell.com | Articles | CommentsMany large facilities, campuses, warehouses and industrial organizations face a challenge. How do you efficiently install and manage a sensor and/or switch network distributed across a large area? How can you manage and control the troubleshooting and maintenance costs and time involved? How do you handle retrofits and changes to the network without extensive downtime and expense?
