Features
Brainstorm: Software tools
October 3, 2012 10:54 am | Articles | CommentsTraditional embedded development tools assist engineers as they implement their applications. Innovative tools assist engineers as they implement their ideas, without imposing a predetermined solution or outcome. Such solutions abstract the implementation and accelerate the “idea to product” process.
Why you should support improvements in electric car chargers
October 3, 2012 8:55 am | Articles | CommentsPeople simply don’t think of electric cars as long-distance vehicles. It’s a car to run down the street and grab some groceries, make the 15 miles commute to work or—like one of my friends—if you live in Hawaii and can’t really drive that far. It’s not an option most people think about for a regular car.
ASU researchers will explore feasibility of large-scale deployment of perennial biomass energy crops
October 2, 2012 12:19 pm | by EurekAlert! | News | CommentsArizona State University (ASU) researchers will embark on a novel renewable energy project with support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) through its Water Sustainability and Climate program (WSC). NSF is providing $1.5 million to ASU to identify suitable locations across the United States where perennial biomass energy crops (e.g., miscanthus and switchgrass) could be grown sustainably.
Solar cell consisting of a single molecule
October 2, 2012 12:12 pm | by EurekAlert! | News | CommentsA team of scientists, led by Joachim Reichert, Johannes Barth, and Alexander Holleitner (Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Clusters of Excellence MAP and NIM), and Itai Carmeli (Tel Aviv University) developed a method to measure photocurrents of a single functionalized photosynthetic protein system.
10 must-see posts from September
October 1, 2012 12:28 pm | by The ECN Editors | Articles | CommentsHere’s a rundown of the most read, most popular, most awesome articles for September. 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.
A flywheel in the ointment
October 1, 2012 8:51 am | by M. Simon | Blogs | CommentsI have been big on flywheels for electrical energy storage for quite some time. So it was quite a disappointment to me to hear that high tech flywheel company Beacon Power did a Solyndra and reneged on a government loan because it could not finance its debts from income.
Would you use a dissolvable medical implant?
September 28, 2012 2:08 pm | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | Articles | CommentsPart of the problem with implanted medical devices -- for example a birth control, drug delivery device like Implanon and Nexplanon -- is that eventually, they must be removed. This is proving particularly difficult with the Implanon and Nexplanon, as occasionally fibrous sheath
China solar groups reject illegal subsidy complaint
September 26, 2012 1:01 pm | News | CommentsYingli Green Energy and Trina Solar, two of China's largest solar equipment makers, rejected on Wednesday allegations by a group of European solar panel companies that Chinese rivals are benefiting from illegal subsidies. In a complaint to the European Commission on Tuesday, the EU ProSun group said Chinese solar companies benefited from very low interest rates thanks to government policy.
How a space hater becomes a space junkie
September 26, 2012 8:55 am | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor, Space Nerd | Articles | CommentsSpace has never really interested me. When I was forced to go to a Star Trek museum at age 10 and a man dressed as a Klingon--the fictional warrior race--chased me around the gift shop, I was pretty much done with how “fun” space could be.
U.S. poised to hand over $197 million to another solar panel start-up
September 25, 2012 10:13 am | by Nichola Groom, Reuters | News | CommentsA tiny solar company named SoloPower will flip the switch on production at a U.S. factory Thursday, a major step toward allowing it to tap a $197 million government loan guarantee awarded under the same controversial program that supported failed panel maker Solyndra.
The demanding requirements of harsh environment switch designs
September 19, 2012 1:33 pm | by Owen Camden, Business Development Manager, C&K Components | Articles | CommentsElectromechanical components are not all created equal. A primary concern for design engineers when specifying electromechanical components in industrial applications is ensuring the products are rugged and robust enough to withstand harsh industrial environments.
Electronic locks: Intelligent access enhances datacenter security
September 19, 2012 1:22 pm | by Steve Spatig, General Manager, Electronic Access Solutions, Southco | Articles | CommentsThe information stored within datacenters has become the foundation on which many organizations today conduct daily business and operations, and in many cases, is considered to be their most valuable asset. From the facility down to the cabinet level, security is a key concern of datacenter engineers.
Audio-signal processing without code headaches
September 18, 2012 11:18 am | by Jon Titus, Technical Contributor | Articles | CommentsGraphical approaches to processing audio information lets designers concentrate on how their products sound rather than on DSP and programming chores. It seems few people lack an audio device, which can include an MP3 player and small sound bar up to a custom HiFi sound system in a home theatre.
Incandescent ban evokes nanny state
September 18, 2012 8:50 am | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Articles | CommentsI've never thought of incandescents as dangerous contraband, but beginning September 30th, the Edison light bulb will be analogous with moonshine liquor and mind-altering drugs. Absent legislative action (which caused this mess in first place), this quintessential lighting technology faces mandatory retirement.
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...
