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The Lead
Mourning the death of Google Reader (and finding a suitable replacement)
March 18, 2013 3:40 pm | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Blogs | Comments
Like many of you, I was shocked, dismayed, and several other adjectives upon learning that Google Reader will soon go kaput. As a journalist, I sift through copious amounts of content daily, and it would be no exaggeration to say that Google Reader makes my job exponentially simpler, so I took its demise rather hard.
My wish list for the next iPhone
April 4, 2013 10:32 am | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Blogs | Comments
A new iPhone is imminent! Man the ramparts! Sound the trumpets! A new coronation is upon us! OK...
Technology forces your teen to stop texting and driving
March 19, 2013 12:19 pm | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | Blogs | Comments
Everyone knows texting (or Redditing or Facebooking or Tweeting) while driving is a bad idea,...
Why your car is a better driver than you
February 7, 2013 2:06 pm | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | Blogs | Comments
It came to my attention while working on an article about intelligent systems in cars that...
Playing games in space
May 21, 2013 12:02 pm | by Kasey Panetta, Managing Editor | Blogs | CommentsChris Hadfield might just be the coolest guy on the internet (or in this solar system.) The astronaut—who just recently returned to earth—made it part of his mission to share different things happening on the international space station since he took command—the first Canadian to do so—on December 19, 2012.
Opening the door to smart battery design
May 21, 2013 12:02 pm | by Robert Rozario, Application Engineering Manager, Infineon Technologies | Articles | CommentsThe worldwide transition to ever smarter mobile devices, including phones or connected tablets, has obliterated the line that once existed between phones and computing devices. Today’s multitasking devices enable work, finance, entertainment and social interaction on the go like never before.
Catalog presents detailed specifications on magnetic components for a wide range of applications
May 21, 2013 11:32 am | Coilcraft Critical Products & Services | Product Releases | CommentsThe Coilcraft CPS Short Form Catalog is a comprehensive reference to the company’s four lines of RF and power magnetics for critical applications. This 24-page catalog presents detailed specifications on magnetic components for a wide range of applications, including signal generation and processing, RF, power, impedance matching, LED drivers, timing and much more.
Evolution of light sensor integration
May 21, 2013 10:59 am | by Darrell Benke, Sr. Marketing Manager, Opto Sensors and Lighting, ams AG | Articles | CommentsLight sensing technology, in the form of photodiodes and phototransistors, was invented around the 1950s. Since the inception of the first optosensors, the devices have gradually found their place in commercial and industrial applications, but their adoption was limited due to the size, cost and overall performance.
Certifying industrial systems using IEC 61508
May 21, 2013 10:52 am | by Shrikant Satyanarayan, LDRA, Inc., www.ldra.com | Ldra Technology, Inc | Articles | CommentsThe IEC 61508 standard is a risk-based approach for determining the SIL (Safety Integrity Level) of safety instrumented functions. If computer system technology is to be effectively and safely exploited, it is essential that the available guidance on these safety-related aspects is adequate to make correct decisions.
Designing for heat
May 21, 2013 9:53 am | by M. Simon, Technical Contributor | Articles | CommentsI want to start off with a look at the four methods of cooling: conduction, convection, radiation, and pumping. What? They don't teach the four methods of cooling in physics class? Only the first three? The fourth method is a combination of the first three with the addition of pumps.
Fan-guard/filter assemblies designed to protect sensitive PCs
May 20, 2013 4:53 pm | Keystone Electronics Corp. | Product Releases | CommentsA new series of superior air-flow, Fan-Guard/Filter Assemblies designed to protect sensitive PCs, and a host of electronic apparatus, switching equipment, telecom panels and other devices is now available from Keystone Electronics. These durable, sturdy multi-element assemblies deliver a consistent, 24 CPM air flow, greater particle security and minimized fan noise.
Wireless networks balance military’s defense-in-depth, custom requirements
May 20, 2013 4:44 pm | by Chris Warner, Executive Editor | Ultra Electronics Ems Development Corp. | Articles | CommentsWireless and wired technologies have advanced to the point where automated control systems are routinely networked together. Information can be shared and tasks performed across long distances, via the Internet, linking systems in large industrial spaces, or across remote or rugged areas. Networked control systems (NCS) offer many benefits such as far greater efficiency than manual controls....
Charge your phone in 20 seconds
May 20, 2013 4:19 pm | by Kasey Panetta, Managing Editor | Blogs | CommentsWhat’s the key to charging your phone (and other small electronics) in the blink of an eye? Invent a better supercapacitor, according to Eesha Khare, an 18-year-old, from California who was just awarded Intel Foundation Young Scientist Award and $50,000 at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair for her project...
Lower healthcare costs could mean less human interaction
May 20, 2013 3:23 pm | by Stephanie Carmichael, Contributor | Blogs | CommentsFor those who live alone, good medical care is all the more important. The machine-to-machine (M2M) communications business is growing, and the prevalence of wireless connectivity could push down the price of healthcare for the elderly, especially — but at the greater cost of human interaction.
LEDs deliver high flux density & efficacy
May 20, 2013 3:05 pm | Mouser Electronics | Product Releases | CommentsMouser Electronics announced it is stocking the new LUXEON M LEDs from Philips Lumileds, delivering high flux density and high efficacy with Freedom From Binning. Philips Lumileds LUXEON M is an illumination grade LED designed to enable indoor, outdoor, and industrial applications and is optimized either for high efficiency or low cost, where exceptional flux density and uniformity are critical.
Flip-chip Schottky diode features high cutoff frequency
May 20, 2013 2:57 pm | M/A-Com Technology Solutions, Inc. | Product Releases | CommentsM/A-COM Technology Solutions announced a new broadband Flip Chip Schottky Diode for multi-market applications. The MADS-001317-1500 is designed for customers who need a versatile, low cost, ultra-small Schottky solution for Police Radar, Point to Point, Electronic Warfare, and Aerospace and Defense applications.
Explosion-proof pressure transducer designed for oil and gas well-site applications
May 20, 2013 1:54 pm | Product Releases | CommentsAmerican Sensor Technologies has released the AST46DS Explosion-Proof Pressure Transducer with Display with pressures from 1 to 20,000 PSI available. The AST46DS is a price-competitive transducer with zero function capability, voltage or 4-20mA output signals, and all 316L stainless steel sensor materials.
RF analyzers include full finger-navigation functions
May 20, 2013 1:31 pm | Kaltman Creations Llc | Product Releases | CommentsKaltman Creations has introduced a new generation of handheld touch tablet RF Analyzers. The new RF-Vue will be introduced under Kaltman’s Invisible Waves brand at the 2013 InfoComm trade show on June 12-14, in Orlando, FL. The RF-Vue is offered in several versions, but the flag ship model is the RF-Vue T10.
Fanless mini PC ideal for space-challenged applications
May 20, 2013 11:01 am | Stealth Computer Corporation | Product Releases | CommentsStealth.com has released a new powerful fanless small form factor PC model LPC-480FS. The LPC-480FS is a highly reliable, fanless, energy efficient, rugged mini PC designed for a large variety of demanding applications. Stealth's LPC-480FS is a powerful diminutive computer that operates without noisy cooling fans which could draw in dirt and dust potentially causing catastrophic failures.
Fire human resources
May 20, 2013 10:31 am | by M. Simon, Technical Contributor | Blogs | CommentsManagement Consultant Dave Logan at CBS Moneywatch is warning companies to avoid falling in love with company policy. He talks about a company that wanted to hire a very disruptive genius. But HR said it wasn't possible because they had no job description for the function envisioned. And besides the guy was obviously a poor fit and a possible cause for resentment by the rest of the employees.
This is what a 1950s robot looks like
May 20, 2013 10:11 am | by Kasey Panetta, Managing Editor | Blogs | CommentsIt’s pretty crazy when you think about how far technology has come in the past five years, let alone the past 50 years. Recently, we talked about different humanoid robots, including DARPA’s PETMAN and the Alphadog Proto, a humanoid robot used to test protective clothing and a 4-legged battlefield companion, respectively.
My 90 year old grandmother tries the Oculus Rift
May 20, 2013 9:11 am | Videos | CommentsFrom the author's YouTube description: "My 90 year old grandmother tries the Oculus Rift. We were using the Tuscany demo." A virtual reality (VR) headset by the name of Oculus Rift made a big splash on Kickstarter, raising a stellar $2.43 million to get development kits into the hands and on the noggins of game developers.
Nickel-based energy storage system provides long life in high temperature
May 17, 2013 4:39 pm | Varta Microbattery | Product Releases | CommentsAnnounced today by VARTA Microbatteryis the addition of HVCAP35, a Nickel (Ni) based energy storage system to the V-Cap Series. VARTA Microbattery's new Ni based energy storage system is a hybrid technology that combines the high energy density advantage of batteries, with the high power advantage of supercapacitors.
Module designed for high-speed data aquisition, generation
May 17, 2013 2:35 pm | Product Releases | CommentsTEWS TECHNOLOGIES announced the introduction of the TPMC685, a standard single-width 32 bit PMC module offering up to 128 bit of TTL I/O arranged in 16 x 8 bit ports. Designed for high-speed data acquisition and generation, the TPMC685 is ideal for applications in process control, simulation, test, transportation, and COTS.
What are the biggest LED challenges, according to engineers
May 17, 2013 10:06 am | by Editor | Blogs | CommentsWith Lightfair in the rearview mirror and being dominated by LEDs, lighting has become an intense debate in the industry. What we want to know is what you think about the future of LEDs. We know our readers have varied opinions and valuable experiences – now here’s a great opportunity to showcase them. Send us an answer to the question below and if we think yours is great...
Converter module designed for 1200 V solar inverters
May 16, 2013 4:32 pm | Product Releases | CommentsVincotech, a leading supplier of module-based solutions for power electronics, has introduced a new compact 3x MNPC converter module in a standard flow 1 housing. Designed for 1200 V solar inverters, the flow3xMNPC 1 provides all the components for three-phase applications.
Coin cell battery holder rises under 5 mm
May 16, 2013 3:16 pm | Memory Protection Devices, Inc. | Product Releases | CommentsMPD has invented another new CR2032 low profile coin cell battery holder. While other CR2032 holder solutions often rise 8 to 10 mm above the PCB, our new LP2032SM-JJ-GTR rises under 5 mm with an installed CR2032 battery.
MCU family expands to include intelligent analog and core-dependent peripherals
May 16, 2013 3:06 pm | Microchip Technology Inc. | Product Releases | CommentsMicrochip Technology Inc. expanded its 8-bit PIC16F178X enhanced Mid-Range core microcontroller (MCU) family with increased Flash memory densities, intelligent analog and digital peripherals, such as on-chip 12-bit analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), 16-bit
400W AC/DC power supplies certified to EN 60601 3RDedition
May 16, 2013 2:55 pm | MicroPower Direct, LLC | Product Releases | CommentsThe MPU-400M series, available now from MicroPower Direct, is a family of compact 400W AC/DC power supplies that are certified to EN 60601 3RDedition. These power supplies offer a unique combination of high power, safety features, robust performance and compact construction.
