Newsletters
ECN's interview with the Wireless Power Consortium
May 1, 2013 4:51 pm | by Chris Warner, Executive Editor | Articles | CommentsThe Qi standard is the only non-proprietary solution for wireless charging available in products today. It works by generating a safe electromagnetic field between a charger and a device through a well-established process called magnetic induction. Qi chargers have a built-in transmitting coil, so any Qi device will work with any Qi charger, now and in the future.
Wireless charging: An interview with the Alliance for Wireless Power
May 1, 2013 4:38 pm | by Chris Warner, Executive Editor | Articles | CommentsWireless power is slowly evolving to help make charging second-nature to the consumer. In Japan, for instance, several portable devices are available that support wireless charging.As more portable devices that offer wireless charging capabilities enter the market, the need for standards naturally will follow.
Rugged four-port mini USB hub from B&B Electronics mounts anywhere
May 1, 2013 4:10 pm | B & B Electronics | Product Releases | CommentsB&B Electronics Manufacturing expanded its family of industrial-grade USB 2.0 hubs with the UH104, an affordable, four-port mini USB hub used to connect multiple peripheral devices to a single USB port. Powered exclusively by the host USB port, it provides downstream devices with 100 mA of power and High Speed USB connectivity at 480 Mbps.
Vector signal generator creates complex multichannel scenarios for highest demands
May 1, 2013 3:09 pm | Rohde & Schwarz | Product Releases | CommentsThe R&S SMW200A high-performance vector signal generator from Rohde & Schwarz enables faster time-to-market, improves end-device quality, and exceeds important 2G, 3G and 4G digital standards and applications. Featuring versatile configuration options...
Roboteq backs Raspberry PI-based Robot Navigation Computer project on Kickstarter
May 1, 2013 2:53 pm | Roboteq, Inc | Product Releases | CommentsRoboteq is collaborating on a kickstarter project named RIO (for Raspberry IO) and aimed at creating an intelligent I/O card that stacks over the $35 Raspberry PI Linux Single Board computer. The RIO card includes a rich set of I/O and connectivity features.
10 MUST READ posts from April
May 1, 2013 2:44 pm | 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.
Dual bayonet locking connector designed for industrial Ethernet applications
May 1, 2013 2:17 pm | Conec | Product Releases | CommentsCONEC has advanced its IP67-rated RJ45 family of connectors to include Ethernet I/O ports with a dual bayonet in-line coupler that can be used as a true in-line extension. The dual bayonet coupling mechanism is in compliance with IEC 61076-3-106 and provides increased protection for the connector system against contamination and moisture.
Cutting the fat: The case for a microcontroller-less capacitive touch screen controller
May 1, 2013 12:13 pm | by Eric Siegel, Touch Screen Control Business Development Manager, Texas Instruments | Texas Instruments | Articles | CommentsTouchscreens are everywhere! While the means by which they detect a touch has evolved over the years, more recently you might say they have revolved as old technologies are reopened and rechristened anew. (I’m looking at you, optical touch.) Touchscreens are finding their way into our homes and our everyday consumer devices.
Single-stage LED driver promises highest levels of dimmer compatibility
May 1, 2013 11:55 am | Cirrus Logic -- Apex Precision Power | Product Releases | CommentsCirrus Logic, Inc. has introduced a first family of single-stage LED drivers, the CS1615/16, targeting the incandescent lamp replacement market. Through patented technology, the CS1615/16 consistently outperforms competing single-stage LED drivers in dimmer compatibility while offering
SoC development kit features ARM DS-5 Altera Edition toolkit
May 1, 2013 11:32 am | Altera | Product Releases | CommentsAltera Corporation announced the availability of its Cyclone V SoC Development Kit. Developed in collaboration with ARM, this kit features the recently announced ARM Development Studio 5 (DS-5) Altera Edition Toolkit software, an FPGA-adaptive debugging tool that
Slim, 2.5-inch, 5-mm hard drives and solid state hybrid drives tout solid state hybrid drive technology
April 30, 2013 5:26 pm | Western Digital | Product Releases | CommentsWD, a Western Digital company is shipping what it asserts are the world's first ultra-slim 2.5-inch, 5 mm hard drives and solid state hybrid drives (SSHD), which are designed for integration into the slimmest devices and space-constrained computing environments. With 500 GB of storage capacity and
Varistors offer higher surge current ratings in smaller disc sizespplications
April 30, 2013 5:05 pm | Littelfuse, Inc. | Product Releases | CommentsLittelfuse has introduced the LV UltraMOV Series of low voltage, high surge current, radial leaded varistors. They provide an ideal circuit protection solution for lower DC voltage applications by offering higher surge ratings than ever before available in such small disc sizes.
DC/DC converters fully approved to both EN 60950 and EN 60601
April 30, 2013 4:50 pm | MicroPower Direct, LLC | Product Releases | CommentsAvailable immediately from MicroPower Direct, the MA600MHI series is a family of compact, 6W DC/DC converters fully approved to both EN 60950 and EN 60601. They are specifically designed to meet the stringent isolation, reinforced insulation and low leakage requirements of medical grade equipment.
Chip on board LED packages tout high efficacy for spotlight applications
April 30, 2013 4:48 pm | Samsung | Product Releases | CommentsSamsung Electronics is introducing a high efficiency, chip-on-board (COB) family of LED packages, LC013/26/40B, which features a compact light emitting surface (LES), designed for use in high performance indoor and outdoor lighting, and ideally
A tale of two lamps
April 30, 2013 4:19 pm | by Karl Stephan, Consulting Engineer, Texas State University, San Marcos | Blogs | CommentsA few months ago, my wife bought a lamp at an office-supply place to light up the table where my father-in-law plays dominoes with us. He’s 87 and his eyesight isn’t what it used to be, so having lots of light in the right place is important. The ceiling light doesn’t quite do the job.
The green death
April 30, 2013 3:45 pm | by M. Simon, Technical Contributor | Blogs | CommentsBeing "green" has gone from a technical effort to economically reduce energy use and avoid waste where such avoidance makes sense to actively reducing our effectiveness to show how committed we are to the Green Religion. And there is so much of this going on. In my opinion we would be much better off worshiping trees. Or cows.
Integrating sensors into mobile devices
April 30, 2013 3:34 pm | by Jim Steele, Ph.D., Vice President of Engineering, Sensor Platforms | Articles | CommentsSensors have been an important addition to smartphones ever since accelerometers were first used to determine screen orientation. Now a wide variety of sensors, including magnetometers, barometers, and gyroscopes, are found in many other devices, such as watches, glasses, headsets, and shoes.
New construction materials and techniques enable LVDT linear position sensor operation in diverse environments
April 30, 2013 3:04 pm | by Lee Hudson, Applications Engineer, Macro Sensors, www.macrosensors.com | Macro Sensors | Articles | CommentsThe LVDT Linear Position Sensor is a robust sensor adaptable to a variety of applications. A very reliable sensing device with no moving parts, LVDTs are often the best linear feedback technology when it comes to reliability and longevity. However, in the past, LVDTs were limited by its own sensitivity to the environment that caused errors in linear feedback.
Pressure sensor construction addresses challenges in wet environments
April 30, 2013 2:09 pm | by Karmjit Sidhu, Vice President Business Development, American Sensor Technologies, www.astsensors.com | Articles | CommentsAccurate measurement of low pressure with respect to atmospheric reference (typically called vented or gauge reference) requires that pressure sensors breathe under dry, humid and wet conditions. In humid and wet environments, challenges are posed on how to operate the pressure sensor without allowing water into the back end of the sensors....
Universal PLD test system can perform boundary scan IC and board tests
April 30, 2013 12:27 pm | Saelig Company, Inc. | Product Releases | CommentsSaelig Company has introduced the JTAGMaster Tester/Programmer, an integrated solution for testing and configuring Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs). JTAGMaster can perform boundary scan IC and board tests, as well as programming JTAG-compatible IC and EEPROMs using external adapters.
Energy-saving smartphone sensor registers the ambient brightness
April 30, 2013 10:57 am | Osram Opto Semiconductors | Product Releases | CommentsOsram Opto Semiconductors has expanded its portfolio of proximity and ambient light sensors with a new, extremely powerful version with low power consumption. The compact SFH 7776 digital sensor registers the ambient brightness – even behind dark smartphone covers....
Smart TV: Will Moore’s Law define TV architecture?
April 30, 2013 9:57 am | by Paul Gray, Director of European TV Research, DisplaySearch | Blogs | CommentsThe TV until now has evolved at a pace largely detached from Moore’s Law, an observation that the number of transistors on a unit area of integrated circuit doubles every two years. Its consequence is that computing power doubles per unit of cost in the same time.
TriggerSmart Childproof RFID Smart Gun
April 30, 2013 9:12 am | Videos | CommentsTriggerSmart has developed and patented a user-unique Childproof RFID Smart Gun. Basically, only the authorized user can fire the weapon, and the gun is harmless in the hands of a child or an intruder in the home. This video demonstrates their technology.
LED fixture features 10,000 lumen output while drawing only 150 watts
April 29, 2013 4:59 pm | Larson Electronics Llc | Product Releases | CommentsLarson Electronics has announced the release of an explosion proof LED area light designed to provide durable and reliable illumination with versatile mounting capabilities. The HBLP-1MLED-TRN Trunnion Mount Light Fixture features 10,000 lumen output while drawing only 150 watts....
ECN's exclusive interview with Digikey on LEDs and the state of the marketplace
April 29, 2013 4:16 pm | by Robbie Paul, Lighting Sales Director, Digikey | Articles | CommentsSolid state lighting is continuing its solid growth across a range of industries and applications. ECN recently spoke to Robbie Paul, Lighting Sales Director at Digikey to discuss the solid state lighting market and the latest LED trends.
