banderole test

Read full article: banderole test

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/uncategorised/banderole-test-2016-09/

X-Fab to buy assets of Altis

X-FAB Silicon Foundries has today announced that it will acquire the assets of Altis Semiconductor, a specialty stand-alone foundry located in the Greater Paris area, out of insolvency proceedings. With both companies serving complementary markets and applications, this acquisition roughly doubles the company’s 8-inch capacity to meet the growing demand for its manufacturing technologies, as ...

Read full article: X-Fab to buy assets of Altis

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/x-fab-buy-assets-altis-2016-09/

Most read Gadget Master posts in September

While it's a Raspberry Pi dominated list, other topics also covered include an Arduino plant monitor, Bluetooth devkits, smart ice cubes and a teardown of the new Apple watch...

Read full article: Most read Gadget Master posts in September

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/gadget-master/general/read-gadget-master-posts-september-2016-09/

When A Process Yielded One IC Per Several Hundred

In January 1980, after six years and three months of very hard graft developing CCDs, Sony started a CCD production line. To call the yield lousy would be complimentary – only one chip per several hundred was usable. “It’s more like an occurrence rate than a yield rate,” said the fab managers. It took 12 ...

Read full article: When A Process Yielded One IC Per Several Hundred

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/yarns/process-yielded-one-ic-per-several-hundred-2016-09/

Poll: Readers’ Choice for Elektra 2016 Consumer Product Innovation award

Determine the destination of an Elektra 2016 Award. For the Consumer Product Innovation category we are looking to readers to express their choice.

Read full article: Poll: Readers’ Choice for Elektra 2016 Consumer Product Innovation award

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/gadget-master/consumer-electronics/poll-readers-choice-elektra-2016-consumer-product-innovation-award-2016-09/

Look inside a battery while it charges

New York University scientist have used MRI scanning to view inside batteries “One challenge we wanted to solve was to make the measurements 3D and sufficiently fast, so that they could be done during the battery-charging cycle,” Said Professor Alexej Jerschow. “This was made possible by using intrinsic amplification processes, which allow one to measure small ...

Read full article: Look inside a battery while it charges

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/research-news/look-inside-battery-charges-2016-09/

Elektra 2016 Consumer Product Innovation – Readers’ Choice

This is your chance to shape the destination of an Elektra 2016 Award. We are looking for readers’ votes in the Consumer Product Innovation category, which is sponsored by Avnet.

Read full article: Elektra 2016 Consumer Product Innovation – Readers’ Choice

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/electro-ramblings/elektra-awards/elektra-2016-consumer-product-innovation-readers-choice-2016-09/

2,000 qubit quantum computer next year?

D-Wave Systems has released some more details about its proposed 2,000qubit quantum computer, at the company’s inaugural users group conference in New Mexico. The processor, intended to available next year, has doubles the number of qubits over the previous generation D-Wave 2X system, which was available for shipping in August last year. “The new system ...

Read full article: 2,000 qubit quantum computer next year?

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/research-news/2000-qubit-quantum-computer-next-year-2016-09/

Plessey puts sensors in cars to monitor drivers

Plessey has teamed up with French firm Segula Technologies to demonstrate a heart-rate based driver alertness monitoring system at next week’s Paris Motor show. The sensors are integrated into the seatback, and provide earlier warning of drowsiness or health issues than systems based on eye or head movement. The UK-based firm’s sensing technology, known as ...

Read full article: Plessey puts sensors in cars to monitor drivers

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/market-sectors/automotive-electronics/plessey-puts-sensors-cars-monitor-drivers-2016-09/

Arrow and Electric Imp spot big industrial IoT opportunity

Arrow has signed an agreement with IoT secure connectivity specialist Electric Imp to sell its IoT platform across Europe. Electric Imp’s platform includes full-life cycle secure connectivity, interoperability and managed operations. It can be used to move from a prototype to secure production and then to maintenance and update of field-deployed devices for years. Electric ...

Read full article: Arrow and Electric Imp spot big industrial IoT opportunity

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/arrow-electric-imp-spot-big-industrial-iot-opportunity-2016-09/

TSMC on Moore’s Law trail to 2nm

TSMC sees scaling as a fundamental strategy, according to co-CEO Mark Liu reported in Digitimes. Currently on 16nm, TSMC will be in volume production on 10nm by the end of this year, said Liu. In early 2017, TSMC starts risk production on 7nm. The company is currently engaged in 5nm process development, said Liu, and ...

Read full article: TSMC on Moore’s Law trail to 2nm

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/tsmc-moores-law-trail-2nm-2016-09/

Will Qualcomm Take The Bait?

Ever since early summer there have been stories that Qualcomm wants to diversify away from wireless chips. The wireless market is commoditising and China, the biggest wireless market, is getting keener on using locally-made chips. The most frequently quoted targets for a Qualcomm takeover were Xilinx and NXP. Most people dismissed the stories as Wall ...

Read full article: Will Qualcomm Take The Bait?

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/shenanigans/will-qualcomm-take-bait-2016-09/

Maxim enables Industry 4.0

Maxim aims to increase manufacturing productivity with the Pocket IO programmable logic controller (PLC) development platform. The platform aims to deliver the smallest form factor and highest power efficiency for next-generation PLC designs. Lost productivity is a common concern for Industry 4.0 designers challenged with keeping a manufacturing line running 24 hours a day, 7 ...

Read full article: Maxim enables Industry 4.0

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/486678-2016-09/

Brain-sensing allows monkey to type at 12 words per minute

A monkey has copied text from the New York Times and Hamlet at up to 12 words per minute via a brain interface, claims Stanford University. The researchers are Processor Krishna Shenoy and Dr Paul Nuyujukian. “Our results demonstrate that this interface may have great promise for use in people,” said Nuyujukian (pictured). “It enables a ...

Read full article: Brain-sensing allows monkey to type at 12 words per minute

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/research-news/brain-sensing-allows-monkey-type-12-words-per-minute-2016-09/

3D printing on a grand scale

There have been bigger things printed, but few will be as tough as an excavator cab printed in carbon fibre. A student engineering team from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign won a design competition for the cab, and was on-hand to watched it being printed using carbon fibre-reinforced ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene). The cab is ...

Read full article: 3D printing on a grand scale

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/research-news/3d-printing-grand-scale-2016-09/

Imagination sells loss-making Pure

Imagination Technologies Group, owners of PowerVR-brand graphics processors and MIPS-brand microprocessors, is to sell its Pure digital radio business. “The Pure business, with its assets and liabilities, is being sold on a cash and debt free basis to AVenture AT, an Austrian company, for £2.6m in cash,” said Imagination. “The buyer has also been granted ...

Read full article: Imagination sells loss-making Pure

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/imagination-sells-loss-making-pure-2016-09/

Unruly material tamed for on-chip tuning capacitors

Barium strontium titanate (BST) has been deposited on-die to produce tuning capacitors. Previously, the high-k dielectric has always been too lossy to be of use, according to researchers at University of California, Santa Barbara. “The catch is that the deposition of complex oxides, such as barium strontium titanate, is problematic because of the high temperatures and ...

Read full article: Unruly material tamed for on-chip tuning capacitors

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/research-news/unruly-material-tamed-chip-tuning-capacitors-2016-09/

Fable: The Connectivity Revolution

Mass-radio created a domestic revolution in the 1920s Homes, hitherto isolated from eachother bar a chat over the garden fence, became connected to the world which poured music, comedy, news and learning into them. Radio shrank the world by giving people a commonality of experience as a 1930s song-writer pointed out: Just think of those ...

Read full article: Fable: The Connectivity Revolution

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/fable/fable-connectivity-revolution-2016-09/

GloFo joins 5G Lab

GlobalFoundries has joined the 5G Lab alliance which has about 50 members including Vodafone, National Instruments, Nokia, Rohde & Schwarz, NEC, Claas, Ericsson and Deutsche Telekom. GloFo intends to offer its FD-SOI process technology to the mix of technologies required to implement 5G. “We are pleased that we are now working with the 5G in ...

Read full article: GloFo joins 5G Lab

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/glofo-joins-5g-lab-2016-09/

Raspberry Pi gets VNC remote access bundle with Raspbian

Secure remote access and control software will be included in the latest release of the Raspbian operating system for Raspberry Pi. This follows a partnership between its developer RealVNC and the Raspberry Pi Foundation. Under the  terms of the new agreement, RealVNC software becomes the official standard for remote access connectivity on all Raspberry Pis, ...

Read full article: Raspberry Pi gets VNC remote access bundle with Raspbian

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/distribution-world/raspberry-pi-gets-vnc-remote-access-bundle-raspbian-2016-09/

Toshiba adds to n-channel MOSFETs.

Toshiba has added two new N-channel devices to its U-MOS IX-H family of high-efficiency, high-speed switching MOSFETs. The TK3R1E04PL and TK3R1A04PL can help designers to improve performance and reduce power consumption in power supply applications such as DC-DC converters and the secondary side circuits of SMPS AC-DC power supplies. The TK3R1E04PL (TO-220 package) and TK3R1A04PL ...

Read full article: Toshiba adds to n-channel MOSFETs.

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/toshiba-adds-n-channel-mosfets-2016-09/

Turn your car into a smart car with Vinli

New cars are bristling with technology these days, often including tracking capabilities, Wi-Fi, engine performance tracking and journey logging, but with Vinli you can still enjoy these features with an older car.

Read full article: Turn your car into a smart car with Vinli

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/gadget-master/consumer-electronics/turn-car-smart-car-vinli-2016-09/

100MHz to 40GHz RMS power detector

Linear Technology is aiming at RF and microwaves with a log-responding RMS to DC converter chip which can achieve 1dB accuracy and 35dB dynamic range. Dubbed LTC5596, it responds at 29mV/dB from -37 to –2dBm, at better than ±1dB error over -40 to 125°C from 200MHz to 30GHz, with ±1dB flatness. Linear dynamic range is ...

Read full article: 100MHz to 40GHz RMS power detector

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/products/rf-microwave-optoelectronics/100mhz-40ghz-rms-power-detector-2016-09/

A Malaysian Stiffy

Next time a foxy chick asks you back to her place for a coffee, be sure to enquire about the brand. There’s an interesting debate going on in the USA – and it has nothing to do with racism, sexism,the Great Wall of Mexico or secret email servers – it’s about whether a particular brand ...

Read full article: A Malaysian Stiffy

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/dilemmas/486599-2016-09/

Gilt Wears Off Driverless Gingerbread

The driverless car industry is not what it used to be. Earlier this month Google and Apple suggested they would develop the technology for autonomous cars but not the cars themselves. Last month, Ford said its first driverless cars will be taxis and confined to certain cities where the 3D mapping to 10cm accuracy can ...

Read full article: Gilt Wears Off Driverless Gingerbread

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/delusions/gilt-comes-off-driverless-gingerbread-2016-09/

Remote control established for Allo audio system

By the near-random pushing of buttons, I appear to be playing music remotely through Allo’s hi-fi system, based on the firm’s Sparky processor board, but said to be compatible with Raspberry Pi. Pre-installed is Max2Play’s music and video handling software, which includes a network music player and a Logitech network music server. I go the ...

Read full article: Remote control established for Allo audio system

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/engineer-in-wonderland/remote-control-established-allo-audio-system-2016-09/

Brightest side-view leds

Cree is claiming to be making “industry’s brightest side-view leds”, intending them for gaming machines. QLS6A and QLS6B are RGB and deliver “up to 66% higher luminous intensity than other side-view LEDs”, saod Cree. “The side-view packaged LEDs enable clearer image displays for a better gaming experience and higher visual impact in pachinko, slot and other ...

Read full article: Brightest side-view leds

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/led-luminaries/brightest-side-view-leds-2016-09/

ARM open source group address IoT software confusion

An open source software reference design for the design of secure IoT node device such as sensors and ARM controllers has been introduced by Linaro, developer of open source software for the ARM architecture. Linaro has worked with ARM, Canonical, Huawei, NXP, RDA, Red Hat, Spreadtrum, STMicroelectronics, Texas Instruments and ZTE on the new IoT ...

Read full article: ARM open source group address IoT software confusion

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/arm-open-source-group-address-iot-software-confusion-2016-09/

e2v signs GaN deal to cut weight in hi-rel designs

e2v has signed a supply agreement with gallium nitride power transistor manufacturer GaN Systems which will see the UK firm supplying power transistors to the aerospace and defense sectors. e2v specialises in supplying the hi-rel markets with semiconductors and evaluation boards. According to Mont Taylor, vice-president of business development at e2v: “Our aerospace and defence ...

Read full article: e2v signs GaN deal to cut weight in hi-rel designs

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/e2v-signs-gan-deal-cut-weight-hi-rel-designs-2016-09/

TDK launches QM series AC-DC power supplies.

TDK has introduced its QM series of AC-DC power supplies – the first 1200W to 1500W rated modular series to have full MoPPs isolation, and claimed to have the lowest acoustic noise available on the market at that power level. Having both medical and industrial safety certifications, the QM is suitable for a wide range ...

Read full article: TDK launches QM series AC-DC power supplies.

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/tdk-launches-qm-series-ac-dc-power-supplies-2016-09/

The Lego of computing

A DIY computer kit is being sold by London-based Kano Kano has sold 150,00 kits to 80 countries including one to Steve Wozniak. Backers of Kano include Martin Sorrel of WPP, Lord O’Neill formerly of Goldman Sachs and HMG, Marc Benioff of SalesForce, and Index Ventures, Backing amounts to $19 million. Founder Alex Klein shares ...

Read full article: The Lego of computing

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/the-lego-of-computing-2016-09/

Advanced processing – processing at 40nm or below – accounts for half the revenues at TSMC and GloFo, says IC Insights. In 2016, 54% of TSMC’s 2016 revenue and 52% of GloFo’s revenues are expected to come from

Read full article:

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/486497-2016-09/

Top Ten (+10) Cities For Density Of Millionaires

Thanks to WealthInsight for this one – the 20 cities with the highest density of millionaires: 1. Monaco 31.1% 2. Zurich 24.3% 3. Geneva 17.7% 4. London 3.4% 5. Oslo 2.9% 6. Frankfurt 2.7% 7. Amsterdam 2.7% 8. Florence 2.5% 9. Rome 2.4% 10. Dublin 2.3% 11. Venice 2.3% 12. Paris 2.0% 13. Brussels 1.9% ...

Read full article: Top Ten (+10) Cities For Density Of Millionaires

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/ten-best/top-ten-10-cities-for-density-of-millionaires-2016-09/

Si Labs sampling Gecko wireless module with Thread and ZigBee support

Silicon Labs is sampling a family of Wireless Gecko modules focused on mesh networking applications with support for ZigBee and Thread software.

Read full article: Si Labs sampling Gecko wireless module with Thread and ZigBee support

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/si-labs-sampling-gecko-wireless-module-thread-zigbee-support-2016-09/

A Strategy Of Desperation

It could be significant but it may very well come to nothing, however Audi, Daimler, BMW, Ericsson, Huawei, Intel, Nokia and Qualcomm have formed the ‘5G Automotive Association’ and is looking to find other members. The association aims to ‘evolve, test and promote communications solutions for connected mobility’ and promote ‘connected automated driving’. Now one ...

Read full article: A Strategy Of Desperation

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/delusions/a-strategy-of-desperation-2016-09/

Amazon Supplies Obosan-Bin

Jeff Bezos says he wants Amazon to be an ‘invention machine’ and the company’s rent-a-priest service in Japan shows just how inventive it can be. Amazon teamed up last year with Japanese Internet start-up Minrevi to offer the service called Obosan-bin. For $350 a priest will come to your home and hold a memorial service ...

Read full article: Amazon Supplies Obosan-Bin

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/genius/486443-2016-09/

UltraSoC licenses Imagination

Imagination Technologies has licensed the full range of UltraSoC semiconductor IP and software. The agreement allows Imagination customers to incorporate UltraSoC’s real-time trace and control capabilities into their SoC products, providing intimate visibility of the internal operation of the device with very little silicon overhead. It also enables Imagination to significantly enhance its development flow, ...

Read full article: UltraSoC licenses Imagination

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/ultrasoc-licenses-imagination-2016-09/

Imec solar module has 17.8% conversion efficency

Imec, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), and Zentrum für Sonnenenergie- und Wasserstoff-Forschung Baden-Württemberg (Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research, ZSW), today announced that they have fabricated a thin-film solar module stack made up of perovskite and Copper Indium Gallium Selenide (CIGS) with a conversion efficiency of 17.8%. The module surpasses the highest efficiencies of ...

Read full article: Imec solar module has 17.8% conversion efficency

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/486450-2016-09/

Russians Set Up Ministry Of Automation

In 1957, the Russians not only successfully launched the first artificial satellite but in doing so demonstrated to the world that henceforth Soviet technology and control theory was a forced to be reckoned with. So 56 years ago, started a story in Electronics Weekly’s edition of October 5th 1960 The story continues: In the debate ...

Read full article: Russians Set Up Ministry Of Automation

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/memory-lane/russians-set-up-ministry-of-automation-2016-09/

State-owned China foundry HLMC to build second fab

Shanghai Huali Microelectronics (HLMC), the foundry company majority-owned by Shanghai’s local government, is to build a second fab, reports Digitimes. The fab is expected to start running 28nm wafers in 2018 and be capable, when fully equipped, of running 40k wpm. HLMC’s Fab 1 is a 35k wpm fab running 65nm, 55nm, 40nm and 28nm ...

Read full article: State-owned China foundry HLMC to build second fab

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/state-owned-china-foundry-hlmc-build-second-fab-2016-09/

A bit late but: super capacitors on the Thames cable car

I missed this in 2012. In fact, I didn’t even know there was a cable car across the Thames until I saw it from the Excel centre a couple of years ago. The gondolas in the Emirates Air Line cable car system, which crosses the Thames near the Dome, are powered by supercapacitors. Roof-mounted, and ...

Read full article: A bit late but: super capacitors on the Thames cable car

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/engineer-in-wonderland/bit-late-super-capacitors-thames-cable-car-2016-09/

e-peas launches first chip

Power semiconductor start-up e-peas of Liege, whose ICs are aimed at increasing the amount of energy harvested by energy scavenging devices and reducing the energy consumption of power consuming blocks within wireless sensor nodes, has put its first chip on the market. The AEM10940 aims to maximize the efficiency of power-scavenging devices. The chip has ...

Read full article: e-peas launches first chip

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/e-peas-launches-first-chip-2016-09/

Antenova tackles GNSS with FR4 antenna

Antenova of Hatfield has introduced a miniature antenna for global navifation systems (GNSS) such as GPS. Called Beltii (part SR4G013), it is 15.6 x 3.3 x 4.4mm and covers 1,559-1,609MHz. “The antenna has been cleverly designed to work over a very small ground plane on a small PCB, where it can be placed in a corner ...

Read full article: Antenova tackles GNSS with FR4 antenna

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/uncategorised/antenova-tackles-gnss-fr4-antenna-2016-09/

Cheer Up You ARM Guys: Life After M&A Can Be Good.

Comfort for all those ARM guys trembling at the anticipation of rule from Tokyo comes from SiTime’s CEO Rajesh Vashist. SiTime was bought by the Japanese company MegaChips in 2014. As with SoftBank and ARM, MegaChips knew nothing about SiTime’s business. This may have contributed to SiTime being left to its own devices. “We run ...

Read full article: Cheer Up You ARM Guys: Life After M&A Can Be Good.

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/shenanigans/cheer-arm-guys-life-ma-can-good-2016-09/

Allo RasPi clone hi-fi sounds great

At last, I have got sound out of Allo’s Raspberry Pi-compatible Vana hi-fi system, which I am running on Allo’s own Sparky RasPi clone. Oh my word it took some time (read more further down). The important thing is, it sounds marvellous though my Mordaunt Short MS902 bookshelf speakers. I am no hi-fi buff, so ...

Read full article: Allo RasPi clone hi-fi sounds great

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/engineer-in-wonderland/allo-raspi-clone-hi-fi-sounds-great-2016-09/

Pi-top turns a Pi into a laptop. Simple.

Pi-top. A moulded case to turn your Raspberry Pi into a more traditional feeling laptop.

Read full article: Pi-top turns a Pi into a laptop. Simple.

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/gadget-master/raspberry-pi-gadget-master/pi-top-turns-pi-laptop-simple-2016-09/

New PSpice web portal and user forum

PSpice.com – materials for PSpice® analog/mixed-signal simulation & analysis

Read full article: New PSpice web portal and user forum

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/uncategorised/new-pspice-web-portal-user-forum-2016-09/

SiTime launches MEMS-based Elite Platform oscillators

SiTime is launching MEMS oscillators which claim to deliver: • 30 times higher dynamic performance for small cells, microwave backhaul, Synchronous Ethernet and optical equipment • 10 times better dynamic stability, 1 ppb/°C, which replaces costly OCXOs in IEEE 1588 applications • 20 times greater vibration resistance which ensures continuous system operation • 30 times ...

Read full article: SiTime launches MEMS-based Elite Platform oscillators

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/486297-2016-09/

Ed Gets Bollocked

My Permanent Secretary has given me a bollocking about my attempt to make the UK the world leader in AI. “It is not departmental practice to suggest the name of a prospective consultant, Secretary of State,” sniffs the pompous twat (I should have known my PPS would rat on me),” you’re new to Whitehall, Secretary ...

Read full article: Ed Gets Bollocked

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/ed-the-serial-ceo/ed-gets-bollocked-2016-09/

Tearing down the Apple Watch Series 2 (and iPhone 7)

Want a teardown of the new Apple Watch Series 2 and Apple iPhone 7? Step forward iFixit.

Read full article: Tearing down the Apple Watch Series 2 (and iPhone 7)

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/gadget-master/consumer-electronics/tearing-apple-watch-series-2-iphone-7-2016-09/

The right way to do a current sink

I could have sworn I had put this circuit on the blog before, but having failed to find it, here it is, possibly again. I have combined op-amps and mosfets to make high-current sinks, and had mixed results, sometimes making oscillators. The error I have discovered (see diagram below), is to simply connect the op-amp ...

Read full article: The right way to do a current sink

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/engineer-in-wonderland/right-way-current-sinksource-2016-09/

The Device Which Improved Performance By A Factor Of A Million.

Radar was one of the UK’s saving graces in WWII and moving radar to higher frequencies, which increased range and increased resolution, became a priority. The most important technical breakthrough in achieving the move to higher frequencies was the invention of the cavity magnetron. When, in 1940, the British showed this device to the Americans ...

Read full article: The Device Which Improved Performance By A Factor Of A Million.

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/yarns/device-improved-performance-factor-million-2016-09/

Fujitsu streamlines GPUs to double deep learning accuracy

Fujitsu Laboratories has streamlined the internal memory of GPUs to support neural networks in a development which has doubled the accuracy of machine learning. Recent years have seen a focus on technologies that use GPUs for high-speed machine learning to support the huge volume of calculations necessary for deep learning processing. In order to make ...

Read full article: Fujitsu streamlines GPUs to double deep learning accuracy

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/fujitsu-streamlines-gpus-double-deep-learning-accuracy-2016-09/

What the heck is: PMD9050D

I was browsing around and came across a chip with three transistors that I cannot understand. PMD9050D mosfet driver – an npn transistor and high-speed switching diode supplemented by an npn/pnp transistor pair connected as a silicon-controlled switch in a SOT457 (SC-74). Features include: General-purpose transistor and high-speed switching diode as driver Silicon-controlled switch to bypass ...

Read full article: What the heck is: PMD9050D

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/engineer-in-wonderland/what-the-heck-is-pmd9050d-2016-09/

Analogix sold to China

Analogix, the Santa Clara HDMI connectivity specialist, has been bought by Beijing Shanhai Capital Management and China Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund for $500 million. Customers for Analogix’ mixed-signal semiconductor ICs for display applications include Apple, Samsung, LG, Microsoft, Google, Lenovo, Dell, HP, Asus, and HTC. The majority of Analogix’ engineering operations are located in ...

Read full article: Analogix sold to China

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/analogix-sold-china-2016-09/

Maxim Addresses The Big Issues

Maxim addressed a number of the industry’s big issues in its bi-annual pre-Electronica briefing in London yesterday. Like many IC vendors Maim sees auto as a big deal. “We expect the automotive market to grow at twice the rate of the overall semiconductor industry,” said Kent Robinett, Maxim’s auto vp. Since the overall semiconductor market ...

Read full article: Maxim Addresses The Big Issues

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/markets/maxim-addresses-big-issues-2016-09/

Bluetooth SIG devkit drops Arduino Uno for Genuino 101

The Bluetooth SIG has updated its range of developer toolkits, for those looking to build mobile apps, control IoT sensors, or even create low-cost beacons...

Read full article: Bluetooth SIG devkit drops Arduino Uno for Genuino 101

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/gadget-master/general/bluetooth-sig-devkit-drops-arduino-uno-genuino-101-2016-09/

Fable: The Music Machine

110 years ago an inventor demo-ed a 200 ton electrically powered machine which could simulate the sounds of woodwind orchestral instruments such as the flute, clarinet and bassoon. It could also reproduce the sound of the cello. It contained 145 ac generators, one for each tone. The machine used tonewheels to generate musical sounds by ...

Read full article: Fable: The Music Machine

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/fable/fable-music-machine-2016-09/

Plessey squeezes 3,000 lm and optics into 5.6mm thick module

UK lighting LED maker Plessey has introduced its first lighting module which includes its ‘Steller’ beam-forming technology to reduce height, in this case to 5.6mm. The 82mm disc, first member of the Orion PLWS3000 series, emits 3,000 lm from an 82mm diameter module while achieving a +/-12.5°beam. Including losses in the built-in optics, efficacy is over ...

Read full article: Plessey squeezes 3,000 lm and optics into 5.6mm thick module

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/products/led/plessey-squeezes-3000-lm-optics-5-6mm-thick-module-2016-09/

National Coding Week: get involved this weekend

We are in the middle of National Coding Week, and it is not too late to get involved. This is its third year and we are half way through it. Estimates suggest 3,000 people will have taken part by the end. Some of the remaining events are: Fri 23rd Manchester – Taster coding sessions Sat ...

Read full article: National Coding Week: get involved this weekend

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/design/legislation/national-coding-week-still-not-late-get-involved-2016-09/

Good books about EMC

Whiles I still think you have to carry a wand and wear a pointy hat with stars on to enter an EMC chamber, Steve Kurt is a man at home in such environments. He has proffered a list of EMC reading resources for anyone wishing make their home in a Faraday cage. “One of my favourite ...

Read full article: Good books about EMC

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/engineer-in-wonderland/good-books-emc-2016-09/

DNA’s double helix could transform printable electronics

We are all aware of the importance of the double helix atomic structure in nature; it is the basis of DNA, the genetic make-up which determines all life. German researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) believe they have discovered a double helix structure in a semiconductor. The potential implications of this for electronics ...

Read full article: DNA’s double helix could transform printable electronics

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/distribution-world/dnas-double-helix-transform-printable-electronics-2016-09/

Eaton TV supercapacitor has 3V cells

Eaton has announced TV supercapacitors with 3-volt (V) cells claimed toincrease stored energy capacity and power by 20% compared to 2.7V cells. Working either in conjunction with or as standalone alternatives to batteries, TV supercapacitors help reduce maintenance requirements and can provide a longer life and cost-effective energy storage for applications that require extremely reliable ...

Read full article: Eaton TV supercapacitor has 3V cells

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/eaton-tv-supercapacitor-3v-cells-2016-09/

2016 M&A second only to 2015 thanks to Q3 deals

2016 will be another big year for M&A – but only because of three large deals in Q3:,ARM-SoftBank, ADI-Linear and Renesas-Intersil, says ICInsights. The three deals had a collective value of $51 billion. 2015 was the all-time high for M&A with deals worth $103.8 billion. So far this year, the total value of M&A deals ...

Read full article: 2016 M&A second only to 2015 thanks to Q3 deals

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/2016-ma-second-2015-thanks-q3-deals-2016-09/

Capacitance multipliers explained

I was interested in the capacitance multiplier included to reduce hum in Allo’s Vana hi-fi amplifier for Raspberry Pi and the firm’s own Sparky computer. So I googled a bit and came across this detailed article on the subject on a website called StarFetch. The website describes the simple version in the image, which comes ...

Read full article: Capacitance multipliers explained

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/engineer-in-wonderland/capacitance-multipliers-explained-2016-09/

The McCar

The thing about these reports of Apple’s approach to McLaren is: Were these approaches before or after Apple’s cut-backs to the staff of its in-house car project? Last week reports said that Apple is laying off engineers from its in-house car project and that Apple would now try to produce not a car, but technology ...

Read full article: The McCar

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/dilemmas/the-apple-mccar-2016-09/

Fastener for waterproof handhelds and wearables

Stanley has introduced a tiny screw and thread pair (known as a micro-fastener) for waterproof and vibration-proof wearables and portables. “Since water-resistant standards play a big role in making expensive handheld and wearable digital devices more durable, the industry has adopted the IPx7 rating, which protects against immersion in water for 30 minutes at a ...

Read full article: Fastener for waterproof handhelds and wearables

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/products/emech-enclosures/fastener-waterproof-handhelds-wearables-2016-09/

God Forbid That We Should Ever Rely On Mobile For Broadband

A great deal of blather was generate earlier this week by the particularly obtuse remarks of the head of O2 UK who said wireless would be a better way to deliver broadband than fibre. Obviously the guy’s talking his book but, even so, most people would be ashamed of expressing such a view. It’s an ...

Read full article: God Forbid That We Should Ever Rely On Mobile For Broadband

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/delusions/god-forbid-ever-rely-mobile-broadband-2016-09/

Tough capacitors

Cornell Dubilier has shown considerable initiative in setting aluminium electrolytics against banks of wet tantalum capacitors in high-reliability long-life applications by creating what it claims is the world’s only hermetic aluminium electrolytic capacitor with a glass-to-metal seal. Called MLSH Slimpack, the hermetic products are based on Dubilier’s non-hermetic Flatpack series, which it has been supplying ...

Read full article: Tough capacitors

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/products/passives/tough-capacitors-2016-09/

The evil side of IoT

Something can’t help banging on about is the evil of companies stealing personal data. Now, I understand that getting something for fee – on-line email for example – means the provider will be trawling through whatever I write to their advantage. And, providing they don’t enable the burglary of my home when they know I ...

Read full article: The evil side of IoT

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/engineer-in-wonderland/evil-side-iot-2016-09/

Design Council names star inventors at London Design Festival

Four finalists in the of Design Council Spark’s 2016 Awards will share up to £200,000 to help bring their innovative products to market. Last night, as part of the London Design Festival, Design Council announced the 2016 Spark Awards: Nick Webb, Matt Sparrow and Matt Dyson have answered the needs of sleep-deprived parents everywhere with ...

Read full article: Design Council names star inventors at London Design Festival

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/design-council-names-star-inventors-london-design-festival-2016-09/

German researchers show double helix in semiconductors

This furry caterpillar-like image could represent an important breakthrough in flexible semiconductors for displays and solar cells. It is a semiconductor with a double helix atomic structure, similar to that which is the basis of DNA. 
A team from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has discovered a double helix structure in an inorganic material. ...

Read full article: German researchers show double helix in semiconductors

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/german-researchers-show-double-helix-semiconductors-2016-09/

EW Compare component finder

Welcome to our part-search-and-price-comparison engine.

Read full article: EW Compare component finder

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/uncategorised/iot-conference-2016-09/

Raspberry Pi valve amp add-on goes on sale for $159

The 503HTA, designed and manufactured by Pi2Media, is an I/O shield for Raspberry Pi designed to provide “valve sound” audio for the single board computer. This HAT allows the Raspberry Pi to drive headphones from 32 – 300ohm. The on-board PCM5102A, 24-Bit at 192kHz DAC drives the single stage 6DJ8 (aka 6922) tube. 
The Class-A ...

Read full article: Raspberry Pi valve amp add-on goes on sale for $159

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/distribution-world/raspberry-pi-valve-amp-add-goes-sale-159-2016-09/

Ten Worst Countries For Wage Change Since 2007

Thanks to the OECD for this one – the ten European countries with the worst performance in real wage change since 2007. Greece -10.4 UK -10.4 Portugal -3.7 Italy 0.9 Czech Rep 1.1 Ireland 1.6 Spain. 2.8 Netherlands. 3.4 Denmark 4 Lithuania 4.3

Read full article: Ten Worst Countries For Wage Change Since 2007

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/ten-worst/ten-worst-countries-for-wage-change-since-2007-2016-09/

RS signs XP

RS Components has signed a distribution agreement with XP Power and now stocks around 2500 product lines from the manufacturer. The XP offering available via RS consists of a broad range of AC/DC power supply products from 5W to 3000W including: ITE and medical Level VI efficiency desktop and plug-in type external power supplies; open-frame ...

Read full article: RS signs XP

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/rs-signs-xp-2016-09/

That which is lost is found again, thanks to Dialog.

Dialog’s DA14580 SmartBond SoC is in the Tile Slim – a 2.4mm thick Bluetooth tracker – which allows a user to ring their Tile to locate a misplaced item, or view an item’s last known location on a map. It can also tap into Tile’s community, the world’s largest lost-and-found network, to help them find ...

Read full article: That which is lost is found again, thanks to Dialog.

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/lost-found-thanks-dialog-2016-09/

UltraSoC to support RISC-V

UltraSoC, the SoC debug specialist, is to support products based on the RISC-V open-source ISA. UltraSoC is supporting the RISC-V Foundation, the non-profit corporation that directs the development and drives the adoption of the RISC-V ISA, which some call “the Linux of the semiconductor industry”. ”We’re delighted to be able to support RISC-V, and we’re ...

Read full article: UltraSoC to support RISC-V

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/485891-2016-09/

No sign of Nougat so far

The first thing to say this month is that it was too early for "Nougat" - version 7.0 of Android - to make an appearance in the platform stats.

Read full article: No sign of Nougat so far

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/eyes-on-android/general-eyes-on-android/no-sign-nougat-far-2016-09/

Wind River integrates VxWorks with IBM’s Watson IoT service

  Wind River has announced a VxWorks  real-time operating system (RTOS) client for the IBM Watson IoT platform. This is part of the IBM and Wind River collaboration aimed at IoT deployments amongst industrial customers – offering what the pair call ‘edge-to-cloud recipes’ designed to simplify the development of smart connected devices. “This integration marks the ...

Read full article: Wind River integrates VxWorks with IBM’s Watson IoT service

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/products/software-products/wind-river-integrates-vxworks-ibms-watson-iot-service-2016-09/

Back To A $1 ASP?

The chip industry will sink another 3.8% this year, said Malcolm Penn, CEO of Future Horizons at IFS 2016 in London this morning. “I t looks like the best number for this year, by my mathematics, is minus 3.8%,” said Penn, “that’s five years in a row that the chip market hasn’t recovered.” “Why?” asked ...

Read full article: Back To A $1 ASP?

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/markets/back-1-asp-2016-09/

Gadget Book: Adventures in Raspberry Pi

Adventures in Raspberry Pi? I'm embarrased to say I missed this book when it was released. It's about the Raspberry Pi and is from the Raspberry Pi foundation itself, so is obviously hightly recommended.

Read full article: Gadget Book: Adventures in Raspberry Pi

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/gadget-master/raspberry-pi-gadget-master/gadget-book-adventures-raspberry-pi-2016-09/

God Forbid That We Should Rely On Wireless For Broadband

A great deal of blather was caused by the particularly obtuse remarks of the head of O2 UK who said wireless would be a better way to deliver broadband than fibre. Obviously the guy’s talking his book but, even so, most people would be ashamed of expressing such a view. It’s an especially shameful view ...

Read full article: God Forbid That We Should Rely On Wireless For Broadband

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/uncategorised/god-forbid-rely-wireless-broadband-2016-09/

100 lm/W from a ‘100W’ LED replacement light bulb

Cree’s lighting division has created a range of high-end high-efficiency LED replacements for incandescent light bulbs. The 100W replacement, for example, achieves a highly creditable 100 lm/W – delivering 1,650 lm from 16.5W. What makes this remarkable this is the 2,700K (warm) white version, with a CRI of 85, and the bulb is dimmable – ...

Read full article: 100 lm/W from a ‘100W’ LED replacement light bulb

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/led-luminaries/100-lmw-100w-led-replacement-light-bulb-2-2016-09/

Five grim years

The chip industry will sink another 3.8% this year, said Malcolm Penn, CEO of Future Horizons at IFS 2016 in London this morning. “I t looks like the best number for this year, by my mathematics, is minus 3.8%,” said Penn, “that’s five years in a row that the chip market hasn’t recovered.” “Why?” asked ...

Read full article: Five grim years

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/five-grim-years-2016-09/

250A bi-directional converter for 12/48V dual-battery automotive

Linear Technology has announced 100V to 30V bi-directional two phase synchronous buck or boost controller, intended for cars with 48V+12V dual battery electrics. “12V automotive systems are reaching their 3kW power limit due to the ever-increasing demand for more electrical devices. A proposed standard, LV148, combines a secondary 48V bus with the existing 12V system,” ...

Read full article: 250A bi-directional converter for 12/48V dual-battery automotive

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/products/power-supplies/250a-bi-directional-converter-1248v-dual-battery-automotive-2016-09/

IoT Design 2016: Smart Building good: smart Home bad

Electronics Weekly’s IoT Design 2016 event took place in London last Thursday, at CodeNode. ‘Making IoT work for us’ was the title, and a notable theme that emerged across the conference was the promising development of the Internet of Things (IoT) in smart buildings. IBM It started with IBM’s emerging technology specialist Nick O’Leary (pictured ...

Read full article: IoT Design 2016: Smart Building good: smart Home bad

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/iot-design-2016-smart-building-good-smart-home-bad-2016-09/

Government initiative connects London SMEs to IoT

An IoT business initiative launched this week in London, aims to help UK SMEs implement low power wide area network (LPWAN) technologies, which are vital for connecting internet enable devices. LPWANs can be deployed to connect a large number of IoT devices over long distances, but companies need to familiarise themselves with the various technologies ...

Read full article: Government initiative connects London SMEs to IoT

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/distribution-world/government-initiative-connects-london-smes-iot-2016-09/

Intel teams with UK web company for industrial IoT

Intel has teamed up with London-based IoT services company Telit Communications to create a series of system development platforms for the industrial internet of things node designs. Intel will adopt Telit’s deviceWISE IoT device management architecture for its IoT platform which it will use to support the design of IoT nodes for remote machine monitoring ...

Read full article: Intel teams with UK web company for industrial IoT

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/market-sectors/internet-of-things/intel-teams-uk-web-company-industrial-iot-2016-09/

Fujitsu and Fraunhofer demo 1Tbps transmission

Fujitsu Laboratories and the Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute have today announced the development of a new method to simultaneously convert the wavelengths of wavelength-division-multiplexed signals necessary for optical communication relay nodes in future wavelength-division-multiplexed optical networks, and have successfully tested the method using high-bandwidth signal transmission in the range of 1 Tbps. In the conventional ...

Read full article: Fujitsu and Fraunhofer demo 1Tbps transmission

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/485786-2016-09/

Electronica: Rohm gets into LED headlights

Rohm will show matrix-style LED headlamp controllers at Electronica in Munich in November. Matrix headlamps use an array of LEDs to allow arbitrary beam shapes to be produced – dip, main, anything in between, and anti-dazzle dark spots withing beams. “Matrix/Pixel LED dynamic front lights and dynamic sequential turn indicators mark the latest developments in ...

Read full article: Electronica: Rohm gets into LED headlights

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/products/led/electronica-rohm-gets-led-headlights-2016-09/

AMP Group announces gigaAMP standard

The Architects of Modern Power (AMP Group) consortium today announced an additional standard aimed at establishing common mechanical and electrical specifications for the development of advanced power conversion technology for distributed power systems. The ‘gigaAMP’ standard, introduced to provide a higher current option in a land-grid array (LGA) footprint, builds on the previously-released ‘picoAMP’ standard, ...

Read full article: AMP Group announces gigaAMP standard

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/485739-2016-09/

XP Launches nanofleX configurable AC-DC power supplies

XP Power launches digitally controlled 1U configurable power platform XP Power has announced the nanofleX series of configurable digitally controlled AC-DC power supplies. This modular supply is constructed in a compact low profile 1U mechanical chassis format that can accommodate up to four single-slot plug-in customer selected output voltage modules. Designed to maximize efficiency and ...

Read full article: XP Launches nanofleX configurable AC-DC power supplies

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/xp-launches-nanoflex-configurable-ac-dc-power-supplies-2016-09/

When The Armed Forces Go Electronic

When the Forces go electronic . . . . . This was the headline, 55 years ago, of a story in Electronics Weekly’s edition of February 1st 1961. The story opens: Problems facing military communications – past present and future were described by Major-General Eric Cole, Director of Telecommunications, War Office, in his presidential address ...

Read full article: When The Armed Forces Go Electronic

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/memory-lane/when-the-armed-forces-go-electronic-2016-09/

ARM core for autonomous vehicles.

ARM has launched a new real-time processor with advanced safety features for autonomous vehicles and medical and industrial robots. The ARM Cortex-R52 was designed to address functional safety in systems that must comply with ISO 26262 ASIL D and IEC 61508 SIL 3, the most stringent safety standards in the automotive and industrial markets. Asked ...

Read full article: ARM core for autonomous vehicles.

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/arm-core-autonomous-vehicles-2016-09/

How much energy is your supercomputer wasting?

Operators of high-performance parallel computers can now gauge their power consumption in detail as the Adept Project releases open-source energy measurement tools. Over its 3-year lifespan, the Edinburgh-based Adept project brought together experts from high-performance computing (HPC) and embedded computing to develop a suite of hardware and software tools that help evaluate and optimise system ...

Read full article: How much energy is your supercomputer wasting?

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/research-news/much-energy-supercomputer-wasting-2016-09/

Boolean Girl loves coding on Raspberry Pi

A group of developers in the  US has used a Raspberry Pi 3 computer as the basis of a self-contained computer engineering kit, dubbed the Boolean Box, for teaching coding to 8 year-olds and up. There is a specific focus to encourage more girls to take up coding. The group of teachers have formed a startup, ...

Read full article: Boolean Girl loves coding on Raspberry Pi

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/distribution-world/boolean-girl-loves-coding-raspberry-pi-2016-09/

Scottish prize fosters collaboration for business success

Scottish Enterprise is funding prizes of up to £10,000 to technology firms forming collaborative ventures in Scotland. Called the Collaboration Prize 2016/17, it is inviting local companies to pitch an idea for a new collaborative enterprise that will help them to access new markets. This could be a new sector or a geographical market including ...

Read full article: Scottish prize fosters collaboration for business success

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/scottish-prize-fosters-collaboration-business-success-2016-09/

10W isolated dc-dc converter for industry and solar

Rohm has announced a 10W isolated flyback dc-dc-dc converter for industrial auxillary supplies. Called BD7F200 builds on the 5W BD7F100, and is intended to be used from 1W upwards. “Isolation is almost always built into electronic equipment to provide protection against shock and damage,” said the firm. “These devices provide galvanic isolation, improve safety and enhance noise ...

Read full article: 10W isolated dc-dc converter for industry and solar

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/products/power-supplies/10w-isolated-dc-dc-converter-industry-solar-2016-09/

Avnet sharpens IoT focus with IT sale

Avnet has agreed to sell its IT system distribution and services business to Tech Data in a stock and cash deal worth $2.6bn. With this sale Avnet said it would focus on its core electronics distribution business in the design and supply chain. Avnet is also in the process of acquiring the online and catalogue distribution ...

Read full article: Avnet sharpens IoT focus with IT sale

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/uncategorised/avnet-sharpens-iot-focus-sale-2016-09/

ON completes Fairchild acquisition following China approvals

ON has completed its previously announced $2.4 billion cash acquisition of Fairchild. “The acquisition of Fairchild is a transformative step in our quest to become the premier supplier of power management and analogue semiconductor solutions for a wide range of applications and end-markets,” says ON CEO Keith Jackson. On September 16, 2016, ON Semiconductor received ...

Read full article: ON completes Fairchild acquisition following China approvals

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/completes-fairchild-acquisition-following-china-approvals-2016-09/

Spiders Running Up Your Arm? Ultrahaptics Can Do That.

Has Ultrahaptics, the mid-air touch start-up, sold a license for its haptics touch technology to Apple? I asked Ultrahaptics CEO Steve Cliffe this question at an event organised by Publitek on Bavaria’s Tegernsee lakeside last week. “I can’t reveal my licensees,” replied Cliffe, “it’s very frustrating.” An Apple license would, of course, transform the fortunes ...

Read full article: Spiders Running Up Your Arm? Ultrahaptics Can Do That.

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/start-ups/spiders-running-arm-ultrahaptics-can-deliver-2016-09/

Intersil launches four channel video decoder for around-view auto systems

Intersil claimns to have the industry’s first four-channel analog video decoder with MIPI-CSI2 output interface that supports the latest generation of SOCs and application processors used in automotive around view systems. The ISL79985is said to replace up to nine discrete components with a single chip to preserve critical board space. It delivers superior four-channel analog ...

Read full article: Intersil launches four channel video decoder for around-view auto systems

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/intersil-launches-four-channel-video-decoder-around-view-auto-systems-2016-09/

Only connect: A guide to Mil Spec connectors

For many people working with high end, harsh & no fail environment connector systems, Mil Spec will be the system of choice.

Read full article: Only connect: A guide to Mil Spec connectors

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/electro-ramblings/industry-comment/connect-guide-mil-spec-connectors-2016-09/

Thailand firm buys UK manufacturer to enter Europe

UK-based electronics manufacturer Exception EMS has been acquired by Fabrinet, the global EMS company with headquarters in Thailand. The $13.5m cash deal will be Fabrinet’s first move into the European electronics manufacturing services market. Exception EMS, which is based in Wiltshire, designs and manufactures printed circuit board assemblies. With approximately 80% of its revenue derived ...

Read full article: Thailand firm buys UK manufacturer to enter Europe

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/thailand-firm-buys-uk-manufacturer-enter-europe-2016-09/

Ricoh IC manages five Li-ion cells in electric bikes

Ricoh’s latest battery management IC is designed for lithium-ion or lithium-polymer battery packs of three up to five cells in series. The R5601 analogue front end IC is a measurement device designed to work with a microcontroller with all threshold settings saved in the software of the MCU. Communications is via a 2-wire I2C interface. ...

Read full article: Ricoh IC manages five Li-ion cells in electric bikes

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/ricoh-ic-manages-five-li-ion-cells-electric-bikes-2016-09/

Sparky up and running – hi-fi next

 Allo’s Sparky, a Raspberry Pi clone, is finally up and running. What was needed, was for me to understand Sparky’s display interface only works with native HDMI monitors, and won’t work with a DVI monitor through an adaptor (thanks Andre and Jaikumar). This involved taking taking the little computer home as EW Towers has only ...

Read full article: Sparky up and running – hi-fi next

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/engineer-in-wonderland/sparky-running-hi-fi-next-2016-09/

IoT design kits come with ARM or Atom

Embedded systems supplier Eurotech has introduce a range of IoT development kits for industrial applications. A feature of the kits is that they offer developers different hardware platforms, ranging from small low-power ARM-based designs to powerful multi-core Intel Atom gateways.
 To do this Eurotech has added to its series of IoT gateway modules called ReliaGate. ...

Read full article: IoT design kits come with ARM or Atom

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/market-sectors/internet-of-things/iot-design-kits-come-arm-atom-2016-09/

IoT Design 2016: Smart buildings, privacy and trust

Trust was the subject addressed by the Keynote speaker, Matthew Evans, executive director of TechUK. His talk was titled Trust principles for an IoT world and it covered how TechUK can address issues about the security and use of data to best deliver the potential of the IoT.

Read full article: IoT Design 2016: Smart buildings, privacy and trust

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/iot-design-2016-smart-buildings-privacy-trust-2016-09/

Infineon configurable LED driver meets new flicker standards

Infineon is sampling a configurable LED driver aimed at easing the implementation of new flicker standards. It is due in production in January 2017. This was made possible by eliminating the low frequency variation from the mains supply and guaranteeing a stable output. Aiming at high energy efficiency, the low stand-by power facilitates permanent operation ...

Read full article: Infineon configurable LED driver meets new flicker standards

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/infineon-configurable-led-driver-meets-new-flicker-standards-2016-09/

Ed Gets His Hols Set Up

It seems my little scam up at the National Graphene Institute has come unstuck, Ed confides to his diary, God knows how, but they’ve found that an extra copy of their quarterly report has been going adrift as per my clandestine, and highly lucrative, arrangements. I only got one darned payment out of it. Can’t ...

Read full article: Ed Gets His Hols Set Up

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/ed-the-serial-ceo/ed-gets-hols-set-2016-09/

The Amazing Machine

Q: What, in 1938, was Buckminster Fuller describing here? “A self-balancing, 28-jointed adapter-base biped; an electro-chemical reduction-plant, integral with segregated stowages of special energy extracts in storage batteries Jor subsequent actuation of thousands of hydraulic and pneumatic pumps, with motors attached; 62,000 miles of capillaries; millions of warning signal, railroad and conveyor systems; crushers and ...

Read full article: The Amazing Machine

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/yarns/the-amazing-machine-2016-09/

100 lm/W from a ‘100W’ LED replacement light bulb

Cree’s lighting division has created a range of high-end high-efficiency LED replacements for incandescent light bulbs. The 100W replacement, for example, achieves a highly creditable 100 lm/W – delivering 1,650 lm from 16.5W. What makes this remarkable this is the 2,700K (warm) white version, with a CRI of 85, and the bulb is dimmable – ...

Read full article: 100 lm/W from a ‘100W’ LED replacement light bulb

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/products/led/100-lmw-100w-led-replacement-light-bulb-2016-09/

UK radar looks into avalanches

Scientists have seen inside avalanches for the first time, using a novel radar created by University College London which can reach where optical techniques fail “By penetrating the powder cloud, you can observe the nature and direction of the flow of the 90% of snow that otherwise remains invisible,” said project leader Professor Paul Brennan of ...

Read full article: UK radar looks into avalanches

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/research-news/uk-radar-looks-avalanches-2016-09/

Innovate UK funds compound semiconductor research

Innovate UK is to invest up to £4m in new projects that help to speed up the use of compound semiconductors. This is in areas such as power electronics, RF/microwave, photonics and sensors. The government tech support agency is  looking for  proposals with large and scalable commercial potential. Projects are expected to range in size ...

Read full article: Innovate UK funds compound semiconductor research

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/innovate-uk-funds-compound-semiconductor-research-2016-09/

Taiwanese firm cuts power in e-paper displays

Taiwanese e-paper display manufacturer Pervasive Displays has developed an e-paper display drive technology that dramatically reduces power consumption by only refreshing selected pixels and not the whole display. Instead of updating the entire display image when part of it changes, this partial update only refreshes the pixels that need to be changed. A partial update ...

Read full article: Taiwanese firm cuts power in e-paper displays

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/taiwanese-firm-cuts-power-e-paper-displays-2016-09/

The internet of washing machines

Thanks to Trusted Reviews for this one. If LG’s FH4A8FDH2N washer/dryer has not got enough built in cleaning programmes, you can download more. Amazing. It looks like the downloadable programmes are via NFC and a phone. Says LG: Tag On lets users download new wash programs to a smartphone, such as Wool, Baby Care or Cold ...

Read full article: The internet of washing machines

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/engineer-in-wonderland/internet-washing-machines-2016-09/

Asia-Pac to extend IC market share

Asia-Pac is expected to account for 61% of the $282 billion IC market this year, says IC Insights. Last year the Asia-Pac share was 60.5% in 2014 it was 58.4%!and in 2013 it was 57.7%. In automotive ICs, IC Insights expects Asia-Pac to overtake Europe for the first time as China’s car output ramps up. ...

Read full article: Asia-Pac to extend IC market share

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/uncategorised/asia-pac-extend-ic-market-share-2016-09/

Imec researcher gets EC grant to develop flexible electronics

Imec researcher Kris Myny has been awarded a €1.5 million ERC Starting Grant to engineer a breakthrough in thin-film transistor technology for creating large-area, flexible circuits. Specifically, he wants to introduce design innovations of unipolar n-type transistor circuits based on amorphous Indium-Gallium-Zinc-Oxide (a-IGZO) as semiconductor. These are currently acknowledged as the most promising transistors for ...

Read full article: Imec researcher gets EC grant to develop flexible electronics

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/imec-researcher-develop-flexible-electronics-2016-09/

SEMI book-to-bill stays positive

SEMI’s August book-to-bill ratio was 1.03. August bookings were $1.75 billion – down 2.3% on July’s $1.80 billion, and is 5% higher than the August 2015 level of $1.67 billion. August billings Were $1.71 billion – the same as July’s and 8.4% higher than the August 2015 level of $1.58 billion. “The book-to-bill ratio has ...

Read full article: SEMI book-to-bill stays positive

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/markets/semi-book-bill-stays-positive-2-2016-09/

The Peace Of Europe

The peace of Europe has held for 71 years and NATO has to be thanked for that. Would a European army not subject to democratic control be a better guarantor of peace? This is the proposition of Jean-Claude Juncker who may well be thinking, like Mao, that “political power grows out of the barrel of ...

Read full article: The Peace Of Europe

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/dilemmas/the-peace-of-europe-2016-09/

eMRAM on 22nm FD-SOI coming next year

Globalfoundries intends to offer embedded MRAM on its 22nm FD-SOI (FDX) process for customer prototyping and to have it in volume production in SoCs in 2018. GloFo says that eMRAM is scalable beyond 22nm and it intends to make it available on both its Finfet and FD-SOI processes. GloFo says that can its 22FDX eMRAM ...

Read full article: eMRAM on 22nm FD-SOI coming next year

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/22nm-emram-fd-soi-coming-next-year-2016-09/

GloFo running 7nm wafers

Globalfoundries is running 7nm finfet test chips incorporating customers’ IP at its Fab 8 in Saratoga County, New York. GloFo is skipping 10nm and going straight from 16/14nm to 7nm. The 7nm technology is expected to be ready for customer product design starts in the second half of 2017, with ramp to risk production in ...

Read full article: GloFo running 7nm wafers

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/glofo-running-7nm-wafers-2016-09/

Cloth harvests motion and sunlight

Researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology have made a fabric that can simultaneously harvest energy from sunshine and motion. Professor Zhong Lin Wang and team used a commercial machine to weave together polymer solar cell fibres and with fibre-based triboelectric generators. Triboelectric generators use a combination of the triboelectric effect and electrostatic induction to generate small ...

Read full article: Cloth harvests motion and sunlight

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/research-news/cloth-harvests-motion-sunlight-2016-09/

Fable: How Bureaucrats Screw Things Up

Once upon a time a couple of scientists discovered a wonder material. For this they received the Nobel Prize and a brace of knighthoods. Then the government started thinking how to take advantage of this discovery. It decided to allocate £60 million for development of the material. The money was used to set up an ...

Read full article: Fable: How Bureaucrats Screw Things Up

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/fable/fable-how-bureaucrats-screw-things-up-2016-09/

Replace Hinkley Point with a battery?

I have mixed thoughts about non-UK governemnts being involved in building UK nuclear infrastructure. Some of these are: UK skills creation, national security and ‘borrowing from the future’ – the latter being my clumsy way of saying – private companies spend now and the public picks up the cost for generations to come – PFI ...

Read full article: Replace Hinkley Point with a battery?

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/engineer-in-wonderland/replace-hinkley-point-battery-2016-09/

Be Careful With Easyjet

Be careful with EasyJet at the moment. A couple of weeks back friends got stranded in Geneva when their Geneva to Nice flight was delayed for hours. On Tuesday I was to fly from Gatwick to Munich. The flight was delayed then EasyJet offered to fly us to Milan, put us up in a hotel ...

Read full article: Be Careful With Easyjet

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/shenanigans/be-careful-with-easyjet-2016-09/

Avanci to co-ordinate telecom patent licensing

Avanci is a new company which will license telecoms patents. It has been formed by Qualcomm, Ericsson, ZTE, and Royal KPN and technology developer and licensor Interdigital has joined the grouping. The group says it will offer flat-rate licenses that vary “based on the value the technology brings to the device.” That basis for licensing ...

Read full article: Avanci to co-ordinate telecom patent licensing

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/avanci-co-ordinate-telecom-patent-licensing-2016-09/

Smart ice cube finds money at the bottom of a glass

If you thought the self-ordering Internet Fridge was the ne plus ultra of fanciful IoT technology, how about a self-ordering smart ice cube?

Read full article: Smart ice cube finds money at the bottom of a glass

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/gadget-master/general/smart-ice-cube-finds-money-bottom-glass-2016-09/

TI supports sub-GHz and Bluetooth on one MCU

Texas Instruments has announced a microcontroller with radios for both sub-GHz and Bluetooth low energy radios, claiming it to be the lowest power dual-band MCU yet. Called the CC1350 wireless MCU, it offers a range of up to 20km on a coin cell for building automation, factory automation, alarms, security, smart grid, asset tracking and ...

Read full article: TI supports sub-GHz and Bluetooth on one MCU

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/products/rf-microwave-optoelectronics/ti-supports-sub-ghz-bluetooth-one-mcu-2016-09/

Did Intel Fall For A Techno-Ponzi Scheme?

Did Intel management fall for that decades old Techno-Ponzi scheme – phase change memory. A hilarious piece in Semiaccurate points out that on launch in July 2015 the claim for 3D XPoint was: 1000x faster than NAND, 1000x the endurance of NAND, and 10x denser than DRAM. Intel’s Xpoint is pretty much broken By IDF ...

Read full article: Did Intel Fall For A Techno-Ponzi Scheme?

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/delusions/intel-fall-techno-ponzi-scheme-2016-09/

Self-defeating remote water meter

I have a water meter. Because it is in the back garden, the water company fitter a wireless reading head. The meter is about 60cm underground, and it is at the bottom of a plastic tube (~20cm dia) buried in the earth. The transmit head is located (ish, see below) near the top of this ...

Read full article: Self-defeating remote water meter

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/engineer-in-wonderland/self-defeating-remote-water-meter-2016-09/

Tech sector wants a voice in Brexit talks, says techUK

In an exclusive interview Electronics Weekly talks to Paul Hide, director of operations and private sector programmes, techUK, about challenges and opportunities facing the UK tech sector in the light of the Brexit vote The UK’s decision to leave the EU has created a level of uncertainty about the future for businesses and their employees ...

Read full article: Tech sector wants a voice in Brexit talks, says techUK

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/tech-sector-wants-voice-brexit-talks-says-techuk-2016-09/

Where now for ARM?

ARM has become one of the world’s most impressive technology success stories of the last 25 years, David Manners considers what its future may be under new ownership. ARM got its start because Wintel dominated the PC industry and Jorma Ollila, then CEO of Nokia which then ruled the mobile handset market made it his ...

Read full article: Where now for ARM?

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/where-now-for-arm-2016-09/

Tiny energy storage cell for IoT nodes lasts for years

Murata has created an energy-storage component specifically for wireless sensor nodes powered by energy harvesting. Rather than using supercapacitor technology, which the firm decided is too leaky, it went for a lithium ion electro-chemical system -like a phone battery but modified to extend cycle-life, broaden temperature range, reduce self-discharge, and raise power delivery. To get ...

Read full article: Tiny energy storage cell for IoT nodes lasts for years

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/products/power-supplies/tiny-energy-storage-cell-iot-nodes-lasts-years-2016-09/

Raspberry Pi org launches its own Starter Kit

The Raspberry Pi foundation celebrates a 10 million sales landmark by launching a preimum Starter Kit

Read full article: Raspberry Pi org launches its own Starter Kit

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/gadget-master/raspberry-pi-gadget-master/raspberry-pi-org-launches-starter-kit-2016-09/

The Ten (+10) Smartest Companies In 2016

Thanks to the MIT Technology Review for this – the 20 smartest companies in 2016: Amazon Baidu Illumina Tesla Motors Aquion Energy MobileMe 23andMe Alphabet Spark Therapeutics Huawei First Solar Nvidia Cellectis Enlisting Facebook SpaceX Toyota Airware IDE Technologies TenCent

Read full article: The Ten (+10) Smartest Companies In 2016

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/ten-best/the-ten-10-smartest-companies-in-2016-2016-09/

The changing world of multimeters

The digital multimeter (DMM) is the most commonplace piece of test equipment on the workbench or in the maintenance bag? But for how much longer will it be the engineers go-to test tool? The measurement of voltage and current is one of the most basic electronic activities and increasingly these measurements can be made with ...

Read full article: The changing world of multimeters

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/changing-world-multimeters-2016-09/

Renesas agrees $3.2bn buyout of Intersil

Renesas Electronics has agreed a deal to acquire Intersil for around $3.2bn. The reason for the acquisition is that Renesas will be able to combine Intersil’s power management and analogue capability with its microcontrollers and system-on-chip (SoC) products. It will fit with Renesas’ main target markets of automotive, industrial, cloud computing, healthcare, and the Internet ...

Read full article: Renesas agrees $3.2bn buyout of Intersil

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/renesas-agrees-3-2bn-buyout-intersil-2016-09/

Project Fi, data-only SIMs, and second phones…

Just a quick post to flag an interesting article about Project Fi - Goggle's experimental wireless service (in the US).

Read full article: Project Fi, data-only SIMs, and second phones…

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/eyes-on-android/general-eyes-on-android/project-fi-data-sims-second-phones-2016-09/

The Machiavelli Of South Wales

IQE, the Cardiff compound semiconductor wafer manufacturer, is extraordinarily well-positioned to take advantage of current trends in the electronics industry. As silicon’s cost-per-function starts to rise rather than fall, the only way to achieve improved performance and reduced cost is to use compound layers on silicon. “The silicon chip manufacturers are beginning to adopt compound ...

Read full article: The Machiavelli Of South Wales

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/manufacturing-mannerisms/machiavelli-south-wales-2016-09/

How 3D printing will save UK manufacturers

The UK’s high tech manufacturing sector has an opportunity to get back on a very exciting growth curve. Step-changes in technology can create business opportunities for companies and the precision manufacturing sector, which is so important to the electronics supply chain in the UK, has been presented with just such an opportunity in 3D printing. ...

Read full article: How 3D printing will save UK manufacturers

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/distribution-world/3d-printing-will-save-uk-manufacturers-2016-09/

Microchip dev board covers 16 and 32bit PICs

Microchip has announced Explorer 16/32, a development board for 16 and 32bit PIC microcontrollers that is backwards compatible with the Explorer 16 Board – allowing users to continue using existing code, libraries, prototypes, ‘Processor Plug-In-Modules (PIMs)’, and ‘PICtail Plus’ daughter cards. Explorer 16/32 allows the evaluation of the 16bit PIC24, dsPIC33 and 32-bit PIC32 families through ...

Read full article: Microchip dev board covers 16 and 32bit PICs

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/design/microchip-dev-board-covers-16-32bit-pics-2016-09/

Poll: Apple drops the headphone jack

Can Apple justify dropping the headphone jack from its latest, iPhone 7, smartphones? Let us know what you think.

Read full article: Poll: Apple drops the headphone jack

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/gadget-master/consumer-electronics/poll-apple-drops-headphone-jack-2016-09/

MINIMAX

MINMAX has ac series of 6W Isolated / Regulated DC-DC Converters in a 16 pin DIP package measuring 0.94 x 0.54 x 0.31″. The MDWI06 family of high-density dc-dc converters consists of 14 models offering 9-36 / 18-75 VDC Input Ranges with single and dual output models ranging 3.3 – 24 VDC delivering 6 Watts ...

Read full article: MINIMAX

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/minimax-2016-09/

IQE sparkles

In H1 IQE, the Cardiff compond semiconductor wafer specialist, saw double digit growth in revenues, profits and cash generation. Revenues were up 18% reflecting increasing revenues in all markets; cash generated from operations increased 176%; debt was reduced by 28% to £35.4 million and photonics sales grew 45% y-o-y; The company earned licensing income of ...

Read full article: IQE sparkles

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/iqe-sparkles-2016-09/

Q2 bookings up 26%, says SEMI

Q2 worldwide semiconductor billings were $10.5 billion – 26% up on Q1 and 11% up on Q2 2015, says SEMI. Q2 worldwide semiconductor equipment bookings were $11.9 billion up 27% on Q1 and up 17% on Q2 2015. The quarterly billings data by region in billions of U.S. dollars, quarter-over-quarter growth and year-over-year rates by ...

Read full article: Q2 bookings up 26%, says SEMI

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/q2-bookings-26-says-semi-2016-09/

Tunnel Diodes ‘Off the Shelf’.

This was the headline, 55 years ago, on a story in Electronics Weekly’s edition of February 1st 1961. The story opens: An off-the-shelf delivery service is now available for STC tunnel diodes. They were introduced early last yea r in development form to enable engineers to gain experience in the use of them Since then ...

Read full article: Tunnel Diodes ‘Off the Shelf’.

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/memory-lane/tunnel-diodes-off-the-shelf-2016-09/

Toshiba delivers ‘Easy Prototyping’.

Toshiba has made available an “Easy Prototyping” service that allows reuse of the design assets required to develop large scale custom SoC with FPGA prototyping. Adoption dramatically shortens the development time from FPGA prototyping to custom SoC development, says Toshiba. Easy Prototyping is available on Toshiba’s ASIC and FFSA platforms. In conventional FPGA prototyping, SoC ...

Read full article: Toshiba delivers ‘Easy Prototyping’.

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/toshiba-delivers-easy-prototyping-2016-09/

How to build a plant monitor with Arduino

With an analog sensor that detects moisture levels, you’ll set up a plant monitor with a light and sound alarm system to tell you when your plant needs watering.

Read full article: How to build a plant monitor with Arduino

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/gadget-master/arduino/build-plant-monitor-arduino-2016-09/

Why Doesn’t Samsung Brick The Note 7?

“In light of recent incidents and concerns raised by Samsung about its Galaxy Note 7 devices, the Federal Aviation Administration strongly advises passengers not to turn on or charge these devices on board aircraft and not to stow them in any checked baggage,” the US FAA says. We have been here before. Back in October ...

Read full article: Why Doesn’t Samsung Brick The Note 7?

from Electronics Weekly http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/dilemmas/doesnt-samsung-brick-note-7-2016-09/