Newsletters
HotSpot Episode 6: Phantom Quadcopter
April 5, 2013 9:30 am | Videos | CommentsThis week on WDD's HotSpot: DJI's new GPS equipped Phantom is an aerial platform for the FOPRO HERO action cam. Featuring a lithium polymer battery, an RGB LED indicator, an Enhanced fail-safe feature, and an Intelligent Orientation Control, this quad-copter makes one nifty little radio-controlled aircraft.
Data pirates
April 5, 2013 9:23 am | by M. Simon, Technical Contributor | Blogs | CommentsAs if we didn't have enough to worry about with government tracking and collecting information on our every move, we also have to be on the lookout for data pirates. Although, if the pirates get their hands on the government databases, the problem begins to look like a single problem with diverse parts.
Connectors eliminate wire management issues on the top surface of LED PCBs
April 4, 2013 4:24 pm | Mouser Electronics | Product Releases | CommentsMouser Electronics now stocks the Inverted Thru Board SMT Connectors from TE Connectivity. The offering eliminates wire management issues on the top surface of LED PCBs. TE Connectivity’s High Power Inverted Thru Board Connectors eliminate wire dress management issues with discrete wire leads on the top surface of LED printed circuit boards.
Power adapter chipsets achieve fast standby recovery
April 4, 2013 4:05 pm | Iwatt | Product Releases | CommentsiWatt has expanded its PrimAccurate pulse width modulation (PWM) controller platform to include two new power adapter chipsets that offer the company’s fastest standby recovery. The iW1766 + iW628 and iW1767 + iW628 chipsets provide ultra-low, <10mW standby power at up to 12W output power....
Fuse approved under the UL913 standard to operate in hazardous locations
April 4, 2013 2:26 pm | Mouser Electronics, Littelfuse Inc. | Product Releases | CommentsMouser Electronics is stocking the Littelfuse PICO 259-UL913 fuse - the only fuse approved under the UL913 standard to operate in hazardous locations. Littelfuse PICO 259-UL913 series fuses meet the UL 913 standard for Intrinsically Safe Electrical Equipment to operate in hazardous locations.
LEDs ideal for stage, booth lighting at trade fairs, and architectural lighting
April 4, 2013 2:18 pm | Osram Opto Semiconductors | Product Releases | CommentsThe new Osram Ostar Stage LEDs from Osram Opto Semiconductors offer high luminance of 48 million candelas per square meter (Mcd/m²) and tunable color tones from cold white to warm white. Combined with their extremely low-profile design and glass cover with anti-reflective coating...
Engineering Newswire 32: Ben Heck, and the iWorm straps to your back
April 4, 2013 12:48 pm | Videos | CommentsToday on Engineering Newswire, brought to you by Interpower, we're building an internal suspension system for your brain, designing an endoscope as thin as a hair, and using a worm to go hands free. This week we welcome Ben Heck to the Engineering Newswire as we feature...
Simplify switched-mode power-supply measurements using dedicated oscilloscope software
April 4, 2013 11:25 am | by Art Pini, Technical Marketing Engineer, Teledyne LeCroy | Articles | CommentsThe analysis of a switched-mode power supply requires the ability to measure device, control loop, and line-related functions. To this end, most oscilloscope manufacturers have created power analysis software, which combines all these elements into a simple-to-use toolbox.
Television's next big thing: Smell-O-Vision (again)
April 3, 2013 3:44 pm | by Kasey Panetta, Managing Editor | Blogs | CommentsNow that 3D television has failed to take off the way designers were hoping, companies have moved on to a newer, better, greater, bound-for-failure idea: Smell-O-Vision. Haruka Matsukura and a team from the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology have designed an olfactory display system that can work in conjunction with a 2D display.
One-resistor-tunable timer ICs operate over wide supply voltage range
April 3, 2013 11:09 am | Product Releases | CommentsTouchstone Semiconductor added four, high-accuracy, micropower timer ICs to its rapidly expanding family of “NanoWatt Analog” timer integrated circuits. These higher-single-supply voltage, second-generation timer ICs operate over a wide supply voltage range
Top 10 must-read posts from March
April 3, 2013 10:47 am | by Kasey Panetta, Managing Editor | Blogs | CommentsHere’s a rundown of the most read, most popular, most awesome articles on the web. Take a look at what you missed the first time around or check up on an old favorite to see the conversation in the comments. Keep checking out the Lead at www.ecnmag.com and follow us on Twitter @ecnonline for our most up-to-date articles.
RJ45 connectors includes integrated magnetics
April 3, 2013 10:32 am | Pulse Electronics | Product Releases | CommentsPulse Electronics Corporation introduces press-fit RJ45 integrated connector modules (ICMs) with magnetics. Using a press-fit pin (also called compliant or interference pin) provides a pressure contact with the printed circuit board (PCB), eliminating the need for wave soldering.
Industrial analog I/O server targets process control and automation markets
April 3, 2013 10:26 am | Lantronix | Product Releases | CommentsLantronix added the xSenso Controller to its xSenso analog sensor networking family, designed specifically for use in rugged and harsh environments including industrial automation, process control, manufacturing, chemicals, and oil and gas industries. The new analog and relay outputs provide the ability to
LED linear modules boast 145lm/W luminous efficacy
April 3, 2013 10:23 am | Samsung | Product Releases | CommentsSamsung Electronics announced the introduction of a new lineup of Zhaga-compliant LED H-Series linear modules that feature extremely high efficacy, as well as excellent light quality, and color consistency for use in a wide range of LED lighting applications including ambient lighting and linear fixtures.
10 GHz BGA socket includes less than 1dB of insertion loss
April 3, 2013 9:53 am | Ironwood Electronics, Inc. | Product Releases | CommentsIronwood Electronics has recently introduced a new-high performance BGA socket for 0.5mm pitch BGA 253 pin DDR4. The CG-BGA-5019 socket is designed for 8X13.5 mm package size and operates at bandwidth up to 10 GHz with less than 1dB of insertion loss.
More thought required: The simplest designs aren’t so simple
April 3, 2013 9:29 am | by M. Simon, Technical Contributor | Blogs | CommentsI'm in the process of designing an I2C system that uses telephone cable to route the signals around. It uses standard four-conductor cables with RJ-11 type plugs on the ends. For my system, it is important that there be no twists in the cable. Getting the signals reversed (clock and data) is not too bad. It will just prevent the system from working.
One accelerometer interrupt pin for both wakeup and non-motion detection
April 2, 2013 4:48 pm | by Jay Esfandyari, Gang Xu, Fabio Pasolini, STMicroelectronics | Stmicroelectronics | Articles | CommentsMEMS accelerometers can output different kinds of interrupt signals such as data ready, freefall, portrait/landscape, single-click/double-click, and impact detection, etc. Some accelerometers have built-in wakeup and motionless detection features to automatically switch between lower output data rate (ODR) at low power mode and higher ODR at normal mode....
Multitouch capacitive product able to sense up to 10 fingers simultaneously
April 2, 2013 2:26 pm | Amulet Technologies | Product Releases | CommentsAmulet Technologies is pleased to announce today its plans to launch the Multitouch Capacitive 4.3" GEMmodule developed in conjunction with partners Cypress Semiconductor Corporation and Clicktouch NV. The new product will be able to sense up to 10 fingers simultaneously on the multitouch screen....
400W quarter-brick converters attain 95% efficiency in standard DOSA footprint
April 2, 2013 2:15 pm | Tdk Corporation Of America, TDK-Lambda Americas, Inc. | Product Releases | CommentsTDK Corporation announces the new TDK-Lambda iQG Series of DC-DC converters that are ideal for intermediate or distributed bus power architectures. Featuring a low profile package that is only 0.52 inch high, these converters have been designed with confined space and demanding thermal environments....
4 mm micro motor and gearhead delivers up to 1.0 W nominal power
April 2, 2013 2:06 pm | Product Releases | Commentsmaxon motor introduces the EC4, a 4 mm diameter brushless DC motor and gearhead. The typical issue found with micro drives of this size is the output power is too low for the application requirements because of the physical limitations. maxon increased the performance of this tiny motor using the latest winding technology....
Handheld time domain reflectometer features 2 ns pulse width
April 2, 2013 1:59 pm | Product Releases | CommentsMegger now offers a handheld, time domain reflectometer (TDR) featuring a 2 ns pulse width that virtually eliminates dead zones. The CFL510G accurately locates faults less than three feet from the point of connection. Designed for use by lineman in the communication and power industries on all metallic pairs...
Switch series features bifurcated contact for increased electrical reliability and consistent performance
April 2, 2013 1:33 pm | C&K Components | Product Releases | CommentsC&K Components has expanded its surface-mount DIP switch series to include an ultra-miniature 1-position version for hand-held and portable electronic devices. Featuring a bifurcated contact for increased electrical reliability and consistent performance, the half-pitch TDA Series DIP switches are process-sealed for surface-mount soldering and washable-processing.
BIL Gates and the BioBrick Foundation: A new paradigm for biotechnology?
April 2, 2013 11:15 am | by Karl Stephan, Consulting Engineer, Texas State University, San Marcos | Blogs | CommentsNo, that’s not a typo in the headline. I’m not talking about the founder of Microsoft, though he is no doubt the reason that biotechnology researcher Drew Endy decided to name his new computer-in-a-cell devices Boolean Integrase Logic gates (BIL for short). The technology, which I’ll get to in a minute, is fascinating on its own.
Mouser now stocking Atmel SAMA5D3 Cortex-A5 eMPUs
April 2, 2013 10:52 am | Mouser Electronics | Product Releases | CommentsMouser Electronics announces immediate availability of the new SAMA5D3 series of embedded microprocessor units from Atmel. These high-performance eMPUs are based on the ARM Cortex-A5 processor and feature market-leading low power consumption.
DC-DC boost converter achieves a 1 MHz switching capability
April 2, 2013 10:45 am | Product Releases | CommentsArkansas Power Electronics International (APEI), Inc. and GaN Systems Inc. announced the test results for a gallium nitride power switch based DC-DC boost converter. The converter demonstrated at APEI, Inc. exploited the ultra-high switching capability of GaN Systems’ high power switch to achieve a 1 MHz switching capability.
