6mm nuclear battery lasts for 100 years

Diamond diodes are at the heart of a nuclear battery, designed by Russian researchers, that achieves ~3,300mWh/g – claimed to be more than any other nickel-63 nuclear battery, and 10 times more than commercial chemical cells. The cell used the beta (fast electron) decay of nickel-63 and diamond Schottkys for energy conversion. The prototype has a ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/research-news/sugar-cube-nuclear-battery-lasts-100-years-2018-05/

Picture of the Day: Meet RoboFly, the insect not to swat this summer

Researchers at the University of Washington develop electronics small enough to enable a robot, RoboFly, to fly with flapping wings wirelessly.

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/gadget-master/picture-of-the-day/picture-day-meet-robofly-insect-not-swat-summer-2018-05/

Chery appoints ST executive committee

Following yesterday’s handover of the CEO job at ST, Jean-Marc Chery, ST CEO, has announced the membership of ST’s execuive committee. “ST’s new Executive Committee is a team of strong and experienced semiconductor industry leaders,” says Chery, “our first priority is to deliver on our 2018 business and financial objectives and continue on our path ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/chery-appoints-st-executive-committee-2018-05/

Fable: The Guy Who Invested With His Gut

20 years ago this year two university students were talking to an angel investor. They had two problems: For their idea to work they needed computers and they had no money to buy them. They couldn’t see any way their idea could make any money. There and then, without negotiation, valuation or stock appropriation, the ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/fable/fable-guy-invested-gut-2018-05/

Spin current switch demonstrated

Researchers at Tohoku University and Mainz University have created a switch to control the spin current. “This is significant because although the technology behind detecting and generating the spin current has been established for some time, a long-missing component in the history of spintronics has been a spin current switch,” said Tohoku University, equating it to ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/research-news/spin-current-switch-demonstrated-2018-05/

Pressure sensor marks altitude for drones

BMP388 is a digital barometric pressure and temperature sensor from Bosch. The 24-bit device measures from 300hPa to 1250hPa, while consuming 3.4 µA at 1Hz “It features a best-in-class temperature coefficient offset between 20 and 65°C, the BMP388 delivers accurate altitude measurement over a broad temperature range,” said Mouser, which is stocking the device, and foresees ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/products/sensors-products/pressure-sensor-marks-altitude-drones-2018-05/

Microchip aims at closed-loop control with PICs and ATtinys

Microchip is aiming at closed-loop control with a part of microcontroller families: PIC18 Q10 and ATtiny1607 Both families have features for functional safety, and operate up to 5V to increase noise immunity and increase compatibility with the majority of analogue output and digital sensors. Both also have peripherals that can co-operate while the processing core sleeps. ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/products/micros/microchip-aims-closed-loop-control-pics-attinys-2018-05/

Self-driving cars need to be four times safer, and preferably 100x

Self-driving cars must reduce traffic fatalities by at least 75% to stay on the roads, according to the US Society for Risk Analysis. The figure comes from Chinese research using a method not previously used to study self-driving vehicle safety perception – an ‘expressed-preference approach’. “The results showed that the public will not accept this ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/research-news/self-driving-cars-need-four-times-safer-preferably-100x-2018-05/

Gadget Book: The Analogue Revolution (Communication Technology 1901–1914)

Here’s a niche one, but worthy of a place, I think, on Gadget Master. It’s a book called The Analogue Revolution (Communication Technology 1901–1914). The current digital revolution, say the publishers, has ushered in the age of smartphones, laptop computers and access to the Internet. A little over a century ago, a similar explosion took ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/gadget-master/general/gadget-book-analogue-revolution-communication-technology-1901-1914-2018-05/

150°C automotive polymer electrolytic capacitors

Kemet has introduced 150°C polymer electrolytic capacitors qualified for automotive use. Called the T599 series, the parts are based on the existing T598 series. “Kemet refined the design, materials and manufacturing to ensure T599 delivers higher stability and endurance under harsh conditions,” said the firm. The parts pass 1,000 hours of humidity bias testing under ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/products/passives/150c-automotive-polymer-electrolytic-capacitors-2018-05/

Google Cloud joins Lora Alliance

Google Cloud has joined the LoRa Alliance – the  association of companies backing the open LoRaWAN standard for low-power WAN. “The vision of the LoRa Alliance around interoperability and openness aligns with our mission to build the world’s most open cloud and enable faster innovation and tighter security,” says Google’s  Antony Passemard, “with the rapid ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/google-cloud-joins-lora-alliance-2018-05/

12bit ADC runs at 10Gsample/s

Analog Devices has introduced a 12-bit ADC that  operates at 10.25Gsample/s. Called AD9213-10GEBZ, for it the firm claims “higher parametric performance, greater Nyquist bandwidth, and RF sampling capabilities at higher analogue input frequencies than conventional RF ADCs, allowing for the digitisation of RF signals up to 7GHz. The high sample rate and integrated post processing enable further ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/products/analogue-linear-mixed-signal-ics/12bit-adc-runs-10gsample-s-2018-05/

Hella joins eSync Alliance for automotive over-the-air updates

European automotive lighting firm Hella has joined the eSync Alliance, dedicated to creating an over-the-air up-date system for in-vehicle software. The platform branded eSync combines cloud and embedded software to provide a secure data pipeline software and firmware up-dates and the transfer of real-time diagnostics and telematics data from end devices in the vehicle. At ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/hella-joins-esync-alliance-automotive-air-updates-2018-05/

Newcastle scientists 3D print human corneas

The first human corneas have been 3D printed by scientists at Newcastle University. It means the technique could be used in the future to ensure an unlimited supply of corneas. As the outermost layer of the human eye, the cornea has an important role in focusing vision. Yet there is a significant shortage of corneas ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/newcastle-scientists-3d-print-human-corneas-2018-05/

Brothers Under The Skin

Facebook is a kind of  cannibal – it devours peoples’ digital ID – so maybe it’s a nod  to mutual recognition that the country with the most recently documented case of real-life cannibalism – Papua New Guinea – should be the first country to ban FB. PNG has the distinction of being the last country ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/delusions/brothers-under-the-skin-2-2018-05/

Comment: Hype misleads drivers in a hurry to go driverless

The marketing of driverless cars is way ahead of their regulation, and that’s a driving hazard. Most technology predictions are harmless because they don’t affect they way we live but, with driverless cars it’s different. Because of all the publicity, it seems that some people have come to believe that driverless cars are safe. Californians ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/viewpoints/comment-hype-misleads-drivers-hurry-go-driverless-2018-05/

Comment: Component suppliers see a new Spring

It’s only natural to look for growth in spring, and for distributors it has arrived before the sunshine. Despite weather reports to the contrary, spring growth is here for electronic component suppliers. The winds of change may be blowing, but component sales in the UK, Europe and also globally are firmly on an encouraging upward ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/uncategorised/comment-component-suppliers-see-new-spring-2018-05/

Brothers Under The Skin

Facebook is a kind of  cannibal – it devours peoples’ digital ID – so maybe it’s a nod  to mutual recognition that the country with the most recently documented case of real-life cannibalism – Papua New Guinea – should be the first country to ban FB. PNG has the distinction of being the last country ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/shenanigans/brothers-under-the-skin-2018-05/

Maxim USB fault protector

The MAX22505 ±40V high-speed USB fault protector from Maxim lets designers  eliminate USB port damage from all faults, including ground potential differences, up to ±40V without the tradeoffs required by other products. It protects data and power lines from industrial equipment powered at 24VAC and 40VDC, while also reducing solution size by more than 50% ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/maxim-usb-fault-protector-2018-05/

Another Autopilot crash

Yesterday another Tesla crashed while on Autopilot, running into the back of a parked police car. This is the fifth Autopilot crash in the last 12 months. It happened in California. Tesla’s driver handbook warns that Autopilot “cannot detect all objects and may not brake/decelerate for stationary vehicles or objects especially when travelling over 50 mph”. ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/uncategorised/another-autopilot-crash-2018-05/

Samsung shipping 32GB DDR4 SoDIMMs

Samsung says it has started mass producing 32GB double data rate 4 (DDR4) memory on a 10nm-class process for gaming laptops in SoDIMMs. Compared to Samsung’s 16GB SoDIMM based on 20nm-class 8-gigabit (Gb) DDR4, which was introduced in 2014, the new 32GB module doubles the capacity while being 11%  faster and approximately 39% more energy ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/samsung-shipping-32gb-ddr4-sodimms-2018-05/

Chat to a Merc

Nuance, the speech recognition specialist, is enabling the Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) multimedia system. MBUX leverages the Nuance Dragon Drive platform to provide a voice-based interface for the cars’ controls. For instance,  if a driver asks, “can I wear flip flops tomorrow?” the MBUX assistant understands that the request calls for the weather forecast and can respond ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/chat-to-a-merc-2018-05/

GloFo 180nm UHV process in volume production

GLOBALFOUNDRIES says its 180nm Ultra High Voltage (180UHV) technology platform has entered volume production for a range of client applications,  including AC-DC controllers for industrial power supplies, wireless charging, solid state and LED lighting, as well as AC adapters for consumer electronics and smartphones.   GF’s 180UHV platform features a 3.3V LV CMOS baseline, with ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/glofo-180nm-hv-process-volume-production-2018-05/

The EU’s Power Has Increased, Is Increasing, And Ought To Be Diminished

Just how much power does Brussels have over us? We saw Cypriot bank depositors have their money stolen to pay for an EU settlement. We saw the Greeks crushed into submission by the EU. We saw the Irish made to vote a second time on the Lisbon agreement. We’re being subjected to a £40 billion ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/dilemmas/eus-power-increased-increasing-diminished-2018-05/

Smartphone growth resumes

Global sales of smartphones returned to growth in Q1, says Gartner, with a 1.3%  increase over Q1 2017. Nearly 384 million smartphones were sold in the first quarter of 2018, representing 84% of total mobile phones sold (see Table 1). Continued weakness in Greater China’s mobile phone market also limited growth potential for the top ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/smartphone-growth-resumes-2018-05/

Element14 launches Design for a Cause

Element14 has launched “Design for a Cause,” its latest challenge featuring the Arduino MKR1000 development board as the key building block in assistive technology for individuals living with physical or mental impairments. From an engineer looking to upgrade a friend’s wheelchair, to designers creating malaria-hunting robots or even an accessible games controller, designers and engineers ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/uncategorised/element14-launches-design-cause-2018-05/

Infineon expands TRENCHSTOP thin wafer IGBTs

Infineon is in volume production of  an expanded portfolio of  thin-wafer  TRENCHSTOP 5 IGBTs. The new product family is offering up to 40 A 650V IGBT, co-packed with a full rated 40 A diode in a surface mounting TO-263-3 also known as D2PAK. The  TRENCHSTOP 5 IGBT in D2PAK package serves the growing demand for ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/infineon-expands-trenchstop-thin-wafer-igbts-2018-05/

DAC explores the role of AI and ML across the markets

The 55 th Design Automation Conference (DAC) will cover many topics for chip and system designers. Although diverse, the event reflects the preoccupations of the industry, namely ensuring functional safety in design, and the role of AI and machine learning (ML) in design for today and tomorrow. OneSpin Solutions and Austemper Design Systems will both ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/products/fpga-news/dac-explores-role-ai-ml-across-markets-2018-05/

Ultra-Low-Profile Spring Loaded Connectors

The new lowest profile spring-loaded connectors, just .100” in height.

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/uncategorised/ultra-low-profile-spring-loaded-connectors-2018-05/

Build your own Android app – #15 Include a valid privacy policy for GDPR

After weeks of deleting or clicking on emails telling me to update my preferences or view an updated privacy policy page for a company I had forgot existed, it seems GDPR has entangled me, too. Or at least my app.

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/eyes-on-android/build-your-own-android-app/build-android-app-15-include-valid-privacy-policy-gdpr-2018-05/

Top 10 most read on ElectronicsWeekly.com (to 25-May-2018)

With neural network accelerators, beautiful cars, Linux development, the new Arduino boards, the top ten semi companies, a rotary style cell phone and Infineon's new fab in Villach all figuring prominently...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/electro-ramblings/general-electronics/top-10-read-electronicsweekly-com-25-may-2018-2018-05/

The Product Which Shocked The Electronics Industry

No product gave the electronics industry more of a fright than the electronic calculator. If the IC was going to deliver price erosion like this then how could anyone ever make a profit? By 1975, the cost of making a consumer calculator had sunk to $5.36 and a scientific calculator to $24. Of course Microsoft ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/yarns/524442-2018-05/

Get Mannerisms, Gadget Master, the Daily and the Weekly, in newsletter form

Let our content come straight to you! Easily digestible newsletter emails straight to your inbox.

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/electro-ramblings/site-update/get-mannerisms-gadget-master-daily-weekly-newsletter-form-2018-05/

Gate-all-around key to 5nm SRAM cell

A process flow for six-transistor (6T) SRAM suitable for 5nm chips has been created by Belgian research lab Imec working with Unisantis Electronics Singapore. It uses surrounding gate transistors (SGTs) – a vertical gate-all-around architecture developed at Unisantis – to squeeze the cell into foot prints between 0.0184 and 0.0205μm2. “Studies show that the vertical gate-all-around SGT-based ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/research-news/gate-around-key-5nm-sram-cell-2018-05/

ST produces safety chip

ST has brought together the latest digital security techniques in a single chip to protect Smart Things and Networks including those for utility infrastructure against cyber threats. Focused on providing security for connected objects, the STSAFE-J100 gives the object an unalterable identity that can be authenticated; it also handles encrypted communications and provides secure storage. ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/528597-2018-05/

German R&D group for connected car security

SecFor Cars, a three year project to provide security for connected cars, has received a €7.2 million grant from the German government. Participants in the project are: Volkswagen, Audi, Infineon, Bosch, ESCRYPT,  Itemis,  Mixed Mode,  SCHUTZWERK, the University of Ulm, the Technical Universities of Braunschweig and Munich, the Free University of Berlin, the Karlsruhe University ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/german-rdvgroup-connected-car-security-2018-05/

China chips grow 21%

China’s Q1 chip output grew 20.8% y-o-y to $18.1 billion in the first quarter of 2018, according to the China Semiconductor Industry Association (CSIA). The output value of China’s IC design industry sector increased 22% on year to $6 billion in the first quarter of 2018, while that of the IC manufacturing sector climbed 26.2% ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/uncategorised/china-chips-grow-21-2018-05/

Build your own Drawbot powered by Android Things

It was at the 2017 London Droidcon that I first saw a DrawBot in action - check out the video below - and now Google is sharing how to build your own version.

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/gadget-master/controls/build-drawbot-powered-android-things-2018-05/

40mOhm silicon carbide transistor switches 1,200V and 50A

New Jersey-based UnitedSiC has introduced a silicon carbide transistor that can switch 1.2kV and 47A at 100degC. Unusually for SIC transistors, the gate is fully compatible with existing IGBT drivers, and has a 5V gate threshold – avoiding accidental turn-on issues associated with the lower thresholds of SiC mosfets. Called UJ3C120040K3S, its gate characteristics come ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/market-sectors/automotive-electronics/40mohm-silicon-carbide-transistor-switches-1200v-50a-2018-05/

Fable: The Company That Did Things Differently

There was once a company which made logic ICs by using a web of electrical connections in which there was a capacitor at every intersection. The capacitor’s role as an insulator could be changed into a conductor by applying a charge which melted the capacitor. By deciding which capacitors to retain, and which to melt, users ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/fable/fable-company-things-differently-2018-05/

Modified Bluetooth could localise to 30cm

A software-only change to the Bluetooth specification could add distance measuring with 30cm accuracy, according to Belgian research lab Imec. Needing only a standard Bluetooth transciever at each end of the link – so applicable to existing phones – adoption could lead to improved positioning, localisation and security. “Today’s localisation solutions merely use signal strength ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/research-news/modified-bluetooth-localise-30cm-2018-05/

Competition: Win a Microchip embedded Linux development board

There's a new competition on Electronics Weekly, offering you the chance to win a Microchip embedded Linux development board.

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/gadget-master/competitions/competition-win-microchip-embedded-linux-development-board-2018-05/

EMI-optimised automotive PoL dc-dc buck

Maxim is claiming “industry’s lowest EMI performance for automotive infotainment and ADAS applications” for a pair of buck converters intended to produce 0.5-3.8V from 2.7-6V. There are two devices, the MAX20073 which outputs up to 2A and the MAX20074 which has a 3A output. Pin-compatible ASIL variants are available. The company also claims “ultra-low quiescent ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/products/power-supplies/emi-optimised-automotive-pol-dc-dc-buck-2018-05/

Infineon in volume production of IPMs with integrated CoolMOS MOSFETs.

Infineon is in volume production of the IM512 and IM513 series of the CIPOS Mini family. They are the first high efficient IPMs (intelligent power modules) that integrate CoolMOS MOSFETs. The IPMs help in optimizing power efficiency in applications such as compressors, pumps or fans for home appliances. The chips are designed to drive motors ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/528508-2018-05/

Arduino and u-blox add four boards

u-blox and Arduino have introduced four new boards to their MKR family, delivering enhanced wireless connectivity options for IoT applications. Arduino introduced the MKR family and form factor to address IoT use cases by focusing on a standard blue print including a hardware crypto chip for enhanced security, a LiPo charger for power management, and ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/arduino-u-blox-add-four-boards-2018-05/

Eye tracking glasses sense eye’s natural dipole

The human eyeball has a natural electric dipole, from cornea to retina, which Belgian research lab IMEC has managed to exploit in wireless eye-tracking glasses, that look like glasses and run for 10 hours without re-charging. Sensing only voltages, the solution smaller, lower-power and cheaper than incumbent camera-based solutions, said the lab. Measuring this natural ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/research-news/eye-tracking-glasses-sense-eyes-natural-dipole-2018-05/

The Nothing Burger

If anyone needed any more proof that EU politicians are w***ers there it was plain as a pikestaff on the telly last night when Mark Zuckerberg was questioned by EU politicians. Whenever someone starts a presentation with the statement that they’ll take questions at the end, you know that they don’t want questions and won’t ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/delusions/the-nothing-burger-2018-05/

High-growth tech companies unafraid of Brexit

Three quarters of the UK’s tech scale-up businesses (defined as 10+ person companies which have grown by 20%+ for the last three years) are confident Brexit won’t hurt them, says a study by the accountants and investment managers Smith & Williamson. 90% are planning to take on more staff. 45%  of the tech scale-up businesses in ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/high-growth-tech-companies-unafraid-brexit-2018-05/

Current mode, 2MHz multitopology DC/DC converter

The Power by Linear LT8361  is a current mode, 2MHz multitopology DC/DC converter with an internal 2A, 100V switch. It operates from an input voltage range of 2.8V to 60V, and is suitable for applications with input sources ranging from a single-cell Li-Ion battery to multicell battery stacks, automotive inputs, telecom power supplies and industrial power ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/current-mode-2mhz-multitopology-dc-dc-converter-2018-05/

Enter the self-balancing Mega Hub Motor Electric Unicycle!

This one will make you smile - an ingenious self-balancing unicycle. A hub motor electric unicycle, to be precise. And it goes at a decent lick.

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/gadget-master/general/enter-self-balancing-mega-hub-motor-electric-unicycle-2018-05/

Tech start-ups – it’s not as easy as it looks

Research conducted by Studio Graphene, an agency that supports start-ups to commercial status, charts the experiences of tech start-up founders’ experiences. (Spoiler alert: it’s not as easy as they thought.) The survey of over 100 founders of London-based tech business reported finding over half found it took longer than they thought to launch a business ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/career-advice/tech-start-ups-not-easy-looks-2018-05/

Hindley Circuits makes second acquisition

 Hindley Circuits of Cramlington – the PCB and assembly services specialist – has made  its second acquisition in  a matter of months. Hindley’s latest acquisition is electronic product design and repair specialists Irridian Industrial Electronics to significantly enhance the company’s offering. And the strategic move comes on the back of the business– that is only in its second ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/hindley-circuits-makes-second-acquisition-2018-05/

Gadget Book roundup: From Fritzing to Manga microprocessors

There's been a number of good tech-related books published recently, which we've highlighted on Gadget Master, from the Fritzing PCB design tool to a younger person's Manga Guide to Microprocessors...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/gadget-master/general/gadget-book-roundup-fritzing-manga-microprocessors-2018-05/

Semi Capex Could Top $100bn This Year

Semiconductor capex could top $100 billion this year – the first year it has ever done so, reckons IC Insights. Based on spending to date this year, IC Insights reckons that capex will increase 14% over the full year, which would take the year’s spend to $102.6 billion. The increase is largely due to Samsung. ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/manufacturing-mannerisms/528336-2018-05/

Toshiba in mass production of three-phase brushless motor driver IC

In April, Toshiba started mass production of a three-phase brushless motor driver IC with a rotation speed control (closed loop control) function. The device – the  TC78B025FTG – is intended for small fan applications in servers, home appliances and industrial equipment. The cooling fans used in servers and other appliances must be small and rotate ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/todhiba-mass-production-three-phases-brushless-motor-driver-ic-2018-05/

Element14 launches Beaglebone webinar series

Element14 has launched a 6 part bi-weekly BeagleBone webinar series. Presented by Jason Kridner, the co-founder and board member at BeagleBoard.org Foundation  and the element14 team,  the series provides community members with a grounding in the fundamentals of BeagleBone and will show how to have fun with BeagleBone  boards. The series includes the following episodes: Introduction to BeagleBone BeagleBone for ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/element14-launches-beaglebone-webinar-series-2018-05/

Toshiba Memory HQ to move for Bain/Hynix takeover

Toshiba Memory Corporation (TMC) is to move its HQ from the Hamamatsucho Building (Toshiba Building pictured Left below) to Tamachi Station Tower S in the Tamachi district (pictured right below). Since getting Chinese approval last week for the sale of the business to a consortium led by Bain and Hynix, Toshiba has been preparing to ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/toshiba-memory-hq-move-bain-hynix-takeover-2018-05/

Sony buys EMI as part of transition strategy

Sony has bought out the other significant shareholder, Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Group, from ownership of EMI Music Publishing as part of its transition strategy. Today, CEO Kenichiro Yoshida (pictured) is expected to announce Sony’s transition from being a hardware company to becoming a company based on gaming subscriptions, software, entertainment, content and services. Buying Mubadala’s ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/sony-buys-eminas-part-transition-strategy-2018-05/

How to build an Arduino rotary cell phone to impress the hipsters

This one caught my eye on twitter - a Redditor has converted a 1961 Western Electric Model 500 telephone into a rotary cell phone using Arduino.

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/gadget-master/arduino/build-arduino-rotary-cell-phone-impress-hipsters-2018-05/

Neural network accelerators for Lattice FPGAs

Lattice has introduced two hardware artificial intelligence algorithm accelerators for its FPGAs, one for binarised neural networks (BNNs) and one for convolutional neural networks (CNNs). Both are aimed at implement neural networks in consumer and industrial network-edge products. They are not suitable for network training, which must be done elsewhere. ‘Binarized neural network (BNN) accelerator’ supports ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/design/eda-and-ip/528264-2018-05/

The Most Beautiful Car Ever Made

The prototype electric E-Type demo-ed by Prince Harry and Princess Meghan at the weekend was restored and electrified by JLR Classic of Coventry. Dubbed the E-Type Zero it does 0-60 in 5.5 seconds – a second faster than the 1968 original – and 0-100 in 10 secs – six seconds faster than the original. The ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/genius/beautiful-car-ever-made-2018-05/

Arrow signs Scalys

Arrow Electronics has signed an agreement to supply Scalys’ System-on-Modules (SoMs) and Small Board Computers (SBC) throughout EMEA. Scalys single and multi-core SoMs and boards are small form factor computer boards that can be integrated  into many applications, reducing development time significantly. Founded in 2017 to provide advanced, high-performance embedded systems, Scalys has developed a ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/arrow-signs-scalys-2018-05/

Hot Standby future-proofs legacy computer systems

Solid State Disks (SSD) of Reading has come up with Hot Standby, a solid state, CompactFlash-based dual drive for replacing ageing and failed, SCSI-based, legacy electro-mechanical storage peripherals including hard disk, magneto optical, tape and floppy drives. Incorporating twin CompactFlash drives, Hot Standby enables the two CompactFlash (CF) cards to work as a mirrored pair ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/hot-standby-future-proofs-legacy-computer-systems-2018-05/

PM to bring AI into the NHS for early diagnoses.

Prime Minister Theresa May is to speak today about the use of AI in the NHS to provide early diagnoses. “Late diagnosis of otherwise treatable illnesses is one of the biggest causes of avoidable deaths,” the PM is expected to say, “and the development of smart technologies to analyse great quantities of data quickly and ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/uncategorised/pm-bring-ai-nhs-early-diagnoses-2018-05/

Interactive smart Golf putter raises your game

Serious about Golf? Well, check out this super smart putter, the Spider interactive, that analyses your progress on the greens.

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/gadget-master/consumer-electronics/interactive-smart-golf-putter-raises-game-2018-05/

Arduino announced FPGA board and new ATmega for Uno Wi-Fi

Amongst a flurry of announcements at Maker Faire Bay Area, Arduino has introduced an easy-to-use FPGA board and a re-boot of Uno Wi-Fi, using a new ATmega processor. FPGA MKR Vidor 4000 is the first-ever Arduino board featuring an FPGA chip – an Intel/Altera MAX10 – plus an ARm Cortex-M0+ based MCU (SAMD21) and U-blox ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/products/bus-systems-sbcs/arduino-announced-fpga-board-new-atmega-uno-wi-fi-2018-05/

How IBM Tackled Anti-Trust Action

When IBM was hauled up by the US DoJ for anti-trust infringements in 1952, old Tom Watson, then 78, deployed all his wiles to beat the rap, The head of the DoJ’s anti-trust department, Graham Morrison, said that 116 people “everybody I had known since childhood” were organised by IBM to “call me at night ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/yarns/ibm-tackled-anti-trust-action-2018-05/

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ICS series modular housings from Phoenix Contact

The latest range of modular electronics housings from Phoenix Contact are available in graduated sizes and with standardised device connections such as RJ45, USB, D-SUB and antenna sockets.  The  ICS (Industrial Case System) series of housings are typically used in power electronics, and process automation applications, such as communication systems, interfaces and gateways, relay assemblies, ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/ics-series-modular-housings-phoenix-contact-2018-05/

Siemens creates big data skills lab at Newcastle University

Boosting the digital skills of UK students is the remit of an on-going collaboration between Siemens and Newcastle University. The University this week saw the opening of the MindSphere Lab which will provide students with access to data from a number of projects across sectors including infrastructure, manufacturing, water and energy. Professor John Fitzgerald, Head ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/siemens-creates-big-data-skills-lab-newcastle-university-2018-05/

Fraunhofer develops QD-LEDs

Fraunhofer has  demonstrated the suitability of quantum dots (QD) for self-luminous displays. Quantum dot LEDs, QD-LEDs for short, combine the advantages of organic light-emitting diodes with the outstanding luminous properties of the quantum dots. The emission spectra are very narrow band. As a result, the colors look extremely bright. In addition, the low cost manufacturing ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/fraunhofer-present-qd-oleds-2018-05/

Top 10 most read on ElectronicsWeekly.com (to 18-May-2018)

With ST's leadership handover, an Arduino Engineering Kit, a new Infineon development centre, an imaginary new mobile OS, and an EW BrightSpark all figuring prominently...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/electro-ramblings/general-electronics/top-10-most-read-on-electronicsweekly-com-to-18-may-2018-2018-05/

Infineon to build €1.6bn 300mm fab in Villach

Infineon to build a new €1.6 billion 300mm thin wafer fab in Villach for power semiconductors.

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/528151-2018-05/

Picture of the Day: Organic dyes work as antennas to convert light

The research into organic dyes at Berkeley Lab could lead to the development of improved solar cells that capture some previously missed solar energy.

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Fable: The Machine That Was Late.

Calculating the trajectory of missiles during WWII to help gunnery officers with the settings for their artillery in changing conditions took so long that they could never be completed in time. So a couple of academics were asked to build a vacuum tube-based calculating machine. This they did. The resulting machine used 18,000 tubes, weighed 30 ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/fable/fable-machine-late-2018-05/

China approves Toshiba memory sale

It is reported that Toshiba has received China’s approval for its salew of its memory unit to a consortium led by Bain and Hynix. The announcement puts Toshiba’s management in a dilemma. China has delayed the decision for so long that Toshiba is no longer contractually obliged to sell to Bain/Hynix. It has been pointed ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/china-approves-toshiba-memory-sale-2018-05/

Belfast student develops big data analysis to detect fraud

A student at Queen’s University Belfast has developed software which can help detect insurance fraud. Jiawen Sun, a PhD student in the School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science has been working for the last three years to create a software system which can analyse graph-structured data. This can be used to detect insurance ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/belfast-student-develops-big-data-analysis-detect-fraud-2018-05/

Premier Farnell ups investment in inventory

Premier Farnell has announced further investment in product inventory as well as the addition of a number of new suppliers to its product offering.  Over the past 12 months, the company has invested almost $100m as a result it now has $444m value of product in stock. New supplier franchises have been added over the ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/premier-farnell-ups-investment-inventory-2018-05/

Phased array chip forms beams at 8-16GHz

Analog Devices is aiming at X-band and Ku-band phased-array antennas with an active analogue beam-forming chip that includes four channels of transmit and receive gain and phase control, plus a transmit/receive switch for each channel. The chip, called ADAR1000, operates in half-duplex: In receive (Rx) mode the four Rx inputs are combined to a common RF_IO pin ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/products/rf-microwave-optoelectronics/phased-array-chip-forms-beams-8-16ghz-2018-05/

Samsung Extended Lead Over Intel In Q1

In Q1, Samsung extended its lead over Intel at the top of the semiconductor manufacturers’ league table, reports IC Insights. Samsung had Q1 revenues of $19.4 billion compared to Intel’s $15.8 billion. Y-o-y, Samsung grew 43% while Intel grew 11%. Samsung went from having 5% less sales than Intel in 1Q17 to having 23% more semiconductor ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/markets/samsung-extended-lead-intel-q1-2018-05/

CTAccel joins Accelize to accelerate data centre image processing

CTAccel, the two year-old French image processing specialist, is partnering with FPGA acceleration specialist  Accelize to make the FPGA-based CTAccel Image Processor (CIP) available on on the AccelStore marketplace. CIP is an image processing accelerator that improves server throughput and latency. “By joining the Accelize ecosystem, we are making our image transcoding expertise available to a broader audience of cloud and ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/ctaccel-joins-accelize-accelerate-data-centre-image-processing-2018-05/

Software creates digital twins to double productivity rates

Ahead of DAC next month, ANSYS has announced the 19.1 software which allows the developer to build, validate and deploy simulation-based digital twins of products in a single workflow. A digital twin combines physics-based virtual replicas of a product (medical, aerospace, wireless or automotive, for example) which can alert the design team to potential operating ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/products/software-products/software-creates-digital-twins-double-productivity-2018-05/

The best museum I ever went to

A long while ago, I went to the Corning Museum of Glass, in the town of Corning, in up-state New York. For a techie like me, it was a spell-binding place. If I have to pick two wonderful exhibits: One was the huge (5m, possibly) telescope mirror blank, made from Pyrex and once destined for ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/engineer-in-wonderland/best-museum-i-ever-went-2018-05/

Raspberry Pi powers Open NSynth Super sound manipulator

The Open NSynth Super intelligent synthesiser is an experimental interface for "NSynth", itself a machine learning algorithm from Google...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/gadget-master/raspberry-pi-gadget-master/raspberry-pi-powers-open-nsynth-super-sound-manipulator-2018-05/

Unpopular People

Those who sneer at populism are unpopular people – Blair, Juncker, Clinton (H) – people who have done well out the the political  system and who resent outsiders crashing it. If the inconvenient plebs vote against the wishes of these unpopular people they  brand the vote populist. Why shouldn’t the Italians vote to come out ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/dilemmas/unpopular-people-2018-05/

225W medical ac-dc supply in 4 x 2 x 1inch

Gresham Power Electronics has introduced a 225W mains power supply for medical applications, in an industry 2 x 4 x 1inch (50.8 x 101.6 x 25.4mm) package. Called OFM225 input is universal 85-264Vac or 390Vdc and efficiency is up to 94%. Active input power factor correction (PFC) is included. Output voltage is a choice between 12, 15, 24, ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/products/power-supplies/225w-medical-ac-dc-supply-4-x-2-x-1inch-2018-05/

ST in good shape for leadership hand-over

ST’s two Carlos – Bozotti and Ferro (pictured) – are handing over a company in very good shape, Jean-Marc Chery, the incoming CEO, told ST’s Capital Markets Day in London this morning. Q1 was up 22.2% y-o-y, Q2 is expected to be up 17.5% y-oy. Q4 2017 saw a 32.6% y-o-y increase. Q1 revenues were ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/527794-2018-05/

Semtech launches LoRa tranceivers for IoT WANs

SX1261 and SX1262 are sub-GHz LoRa transceivers from Semtech, designed to extend battery life by operating at 4.2mA active receive consumption. “The transceivers support LoRa modulation for low power wide-area network applications, as well as (G)FSK/MSK modulation for legacy applications, and include a new spreading factor of SF5 for dense networks,” said distributor Mouser, which is ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/products/rf-microwave-optoelectronics/semtech-launches-lora-tranceivers-iot-wans-2018-05/

1,000μF ceramic capacitor, takes on electrolytics in PSUs and harvesting

Taiyo Yuden has squeezed 1,000μF into a 2.5V multi-layer ceramic capacitor only 4.5 x 3.2 x 3.2mm. Called PMK432 BJ108MU-TE, it is aimed at replacing electrolytic capacitors in power supplies for ICT-related devices, such as basestations and servers, and backing-up energy harvesting devices. “Generally, multi-layer ceramic capacitors have a low ESR and superior frequency characteristics ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/products/discretes/1000%ce%bcf-ceramic-capacitor-takes-electrolytics-psus-harvesting-2018-05/

Maxim Class D efficient amplifiers claim Class AB performance

Maxim claims two new Class D Speaker amplifiers provide Class AB audio performance with Class D efficiency for superior audio quality Traditionally, electronics designers use analog amplifiers requiring a DAC and line driver amplifier on the application processor. This adds overall die cost to the speaker output and affects the form factor of the overall ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/maxim-class-d-efficient-amplifiers-claim-class-ab-performance-2018-05/

Gadget Book: WE: ROBOT: The robots that already rule our world

Room has to be found on Gadget Master for this one - a book called WE: ROBOT: The robots that already rule our world.

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/gadget-master/robot/gadget-book-robot-robots-already-rule-world-2018-05/

Wealth And Power

Some remarkable foils from Reuters show the astonishing wealth of the big US tech companies. Apple’s revenues approach the GDP of Finland which is 44th in the world GDP league;  Amazon’s revenues are close to the GDP of Portugal which is 47th in the world GDP league; Alphabet’s revenues top the GDP of Puerto Rico ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/paranoia-corner/wealth-and-power-2018-05/

Only Connect: Molex introduces D-Sub earthing connector

This week I bring you a quirky new product from Molex, the D-Sub Earthing Connector. Yes, that's right an earthing point specifically designed around the traditional D-Type connector. What's more it's waterproof!

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/electro-ramblings/industry-comment/connect-molex-introduces-d-sub-earthing-connector-2018-05/

Q1 DRAM market up 5.4% q-o-q

Q1 DRAM revenue increased 5.4% q-o-q,  reports DRAMeXchange. Prices of graphics DRAM products rose 15% Q1. Prices of other DRAM types rose 3-6% Samsung’s Q1 DRAM revenue was up 2.9% to $10.6 billion for a 44.9% market share and an operating margin of 69%. Hynix Q1 DRAM revenues grew 2.2% to $6.43 billion for 27.9% ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/q1-dram-market-5-4-q-o-q-2018-05/

Thyristors and diodes for automotive

Aiming at on-board battery chargers, Vishay has released a family of high-voltage thyristors and diodes qualified to AEC-Q101. There are 37 all together, in three packages: surface-mount DPAK (TO-252AA) surface-mount D²PAK (TO-263AB) through-hole TO-247AD The nine thyristors deliver continuous on-state current from 12 to 79A rms, while the diodes, both standard and fast recovery types, offer ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/products/analog/thyristors-diodes-automotive-2018-05/

Android Things 1.0 emerges for IoT action

Android Things officially emerges into the wider IoT and Android world, with new hardware support from NXP, Qualcomm and MediaTek.

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/eyes-on-android/programming/android-things-1-0-emerges-iot-action-2018-05/

Top 10 most read on ElectronicsWeekly.com (to 11-May-2018)

Here are the top ten most popular articles on ElectronicsWeekly.com in the last week, with nanotechnology, ZTE, RISC-V, AR, On Semi and EW BrightSparks all figuring prominently...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/electro-ramblings/latest-news/top-10-read-electronicsweekly-com-11-may-2018-2018-05/

Crusades

When a company needs to make a really special effort the top management must get involved, writes Bill Davidow in the bible of chip marketing, Marketing High Technology. “Crush (the Intel markeing initiative led by Davidow which won the IBM PC slot) would not have been as effective without Noyce and Grove,” writes Davidow, “a crusade ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/yarns/crusades-2018-05/

Solar facades need to last longer

Longer life with good transparency will need to be achieved if solar facades are to become common on buildings, according to a report by market research company IDTechEx. ‘Smart glass and windows 2018-2028: Electronic shading and semi-transparent PV‘ identifies gigawatt hour potential from glass building cladding and windows that include photovoltaic layers, but identifies multiple factors ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/market-research/solar-facades-need-last-longer-2018-05/

Get Mannerisms, Gadget Master, the Daily and the Weekly, in newsletter form

Let our content come straight to you! Easily digestible newsletter emails straight to your inbox.

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/electro-ramblings/site-update/get-mannerisms-gadget-master-daily-weekly-newsletter-form-2018-05/

Super caps for tough environments

Vishay has introduced a series of ruggedised  electrical double-layer energy storage capacitors for energy harvesting and power backup applications in harsh, high humidity environments. Values span 20 to 60F, at up to 2.7V, although rated voltage drops to 2.3V at +85°C. There are eight case across 16mm diameter x 20mm, to 18 dia x 40mm ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/products/passives/super-caps-tough-environments-2018-05/

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Infineon to set up Dresden development centre

Infineon is setting up a Development Center at its Dresden location. The company is planning to create around 100 additional new jobs in the first phase. The Development Center is expected to employ a total of around 250 people in the medium term. One focus of it will be to develop products for automotive applications, ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/infineon-set-dresden-development-centre-2018-05/

The Driverless Delusion

What kind of a guy turns on the Tesla Autopilot and then sits in the passenger seat while the car tries to drive itself down the M1? Probably a guy who has swallowed all the guff about driverless cars and believes they exist. It was a Nottingham guy, Bhavesh Patel, who did this and who, ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/delusions/the-driverless-delusion-3-2018-05/

Vision Fund to reach $100bn target

The Vision Fund is about to reach its goal of $100 billion, reports the FT, with another $7 billion pledged to add to the $93 billion already raised. The final $7 billion is coming from Daimler, the sovereign wealth fund of Bahrain, Larry Ellison and three Japanese banks – Mizuho, MUFG and Sumitomo. When the ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/vision-fund-reach-100bn-target-2018-05/

Oxide transistor printed around 1mm tube, for medical diagnosis

Transparent transistors have been fabricated around glass tubes of 2mm diameter, at Oregon State University. It replaces a polymer transistor, printed on film and wrapped around the tube, which fell apart when tested as part of an artificial pancreas – a catheter intended to detect blood sugar levels and transmit the information to a wearable ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/research-news/oxide-transistor-printed-around-1mm-tube-medical-diagnosis-2018-05/

All-optical circulator-isolator demonstrated without magnetic bias

An all-optical four port isolator has been demonstrated by the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), without the use of magnetic fields. For the circulator (see diagram) the signal light incident from the ports 1, 2, 3 and 4, exits from the ports 2, 3, 4 and 1, respectively, constituting a 1-2-3-4-1 circular ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/research-news/optical-circulator-isolator-demonstrated-without-magnetic-bias-2018-05/

Cree boosts metal-based chip-on-board (COB) LED range

Cree’s CMT metal-based chip-on-board (CoB) leds cover three light emitting surface (LES) diameters (9.8, 14.5 and 22mm) with 10 devices, which have options across 2,700-6,500K colour temperature and 70, 80 and 90 CRI, as well as premium colour options that include high fidelity (98 CRI) and speciality colour points. “With more than 6,000 hours of ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/led-luminaries/cree-boosts-metal-based-chip-board-cob-led-range-2018-05/

Fable: The Transformative Computer

63 years ago a computer was put on the market. That year a total of 150 computers were sold in the USA bringing up the total installed base of computers in the USA to 250. 1000 of the new computers were ordered in 1957. The new computer replaced 1250 vacuum tubves with 2200 transistors reducing ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/fable/fable-transformative-computer-2018-05/

Osram jumps at ‘green gap’

The ‘green gap’ – the lack of efficient semiconductor materials that produce green light – has been the target of research at many organisations. Osram Opto is the latest to have a go, using indium gallium nitride (InGaN)-based green LEDs. It claims to have reduced typical forward voltages by around 600mV and increased optical output ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/led-luminaries/osram-jumps-green-gap-2018-05/

Longer life from lithium-sulphur cells, but still not enough

The life of lithium-sulphur batteries can be extended from ~100 to >200 charging cycles, according to researchers from Purdue University. This compares with ~600 cycles for common laptop Li-ion cells and far more from specialist types. When charge is applied to Li-S cells, lithium ions migrate to the sulphur and lithium sulphide is produced. A ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/research-news/longer-life-lithium-sulphur-cells-still-not-enough-2018-05/

Two-pin current source works at 400V for LEDs

Diodes Inc has created a family of two-pin constant current chips that can work at up to 400V. Intended to control strings of LEDs running direct from rectifier mains, and called AL5890, it is available 10mA, 15mA, 20mA, 30mA, and 40mA variants “Its simple two-pin design means it can be inserted directly in the LED ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/products/led/two-pin-current-source-works-400v-leds-2018-05/

Cellulose – the old new wonder material

Would you believe it (should that read wood you believe it?), that stuff that plants are made of turns out to be super strong, if you make it right. According to ‘Multiscale control of nanocellulose assembly: Transferring remarkable nanoscale fibril mechanics to macroscale fibers‘, published in ACSnano, a US/European team has found a way to ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/engineer-in-wonderland/cellulose-old-new-wonder-material-2018-05/

Qualcomm reported to be dumping Arm-based server chips

In a blow to Arm’s multi-decade effort to get its cores into servers, Qualcomm is reported by Bloomberg to be giving up on its Arm-based server chip programme. Qualcomm will either close its server chip operation or sell it. Cavium, which announced its latest Arm-based server chip ThunderX2 on Monday, could be interested, as could ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/quslcomm-reported-dumping-arm-based-server-chips-2018-05/

3 axis MEMS accelerometer with 10 year production life

STMicroelectronics has announced high-stability MEMS sensors with 10-year product-longevity assurance – to be available later in 2018. Called IIS3DHHC is a 3-axis accelerometer with ±2.5gravity full-scale range, optimised for high measurement resolution and stability to ensure accuracy over time and temperature (<0.4 mg/°C) – operation is over -40 to +85°C. “Among key differences between this ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/products/sensors-products/3-axis-mems-accelerometer-10-year-production-life-2018-05/

Selecting the correct spring-loaded connector

Achieve the right balance between reliability, suitability and cost for connectors.

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/uncategorised/selecting-correct-spring-loaded-connector-2018-05/

Picture Gallery: EW BrightSparks 2018 awards presentation

On Thursday 3 May, we held the EW BrightSparks awards to help highlight some of the UK’s brightest young electronics engineers.

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/ew-brightsparks/picture-gallery-ew-brightsparks-2018-awards-presentation-2018-05/

Who’s Afraid Of GDPR?

A law is only as effective as its means of enforcement and the means of enforcement of GDPR looks ineffective,. If enforcement were in the hands of some pro-active, massively funded EC agency like the Competition Commission then  it would be fearsome. As it is, GDPR is being left to national governments to enforce and ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/mannerisms/delusions/whos-afraid-gdpr-2018-05/

Updated: Cree claims density record with 264 lm/mm2

Cree is to introduce a more dense led family, called XD16 – for which little information seems to be available. “The first product available in the new family of XD leds is the XLamp XD16 LED that delivers a breakthrough lumen density of up to 264 lm/mm2, which is 50% higher than the best leds ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/led-luminaries/cree-claims-intensity-record-264-lmmm2-2018-05/

GaAs up/down converters offer side-band choice

ADMV10x RF up/down converters are GaAs MMICs from Analog Devices, aimed at a variety of audio and video data transmission applications: satellite communications, radar, electronic warfare systems, and point-to-point radios are singled out by distributor Mouser, which is stocking all the ADMV10x parts. ADMV1009 is a single side-band (SSB) I/Q up-converter optimised for point-to-point microwave radio ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/products/rf-microwave-optoelectronics/gaas-converters-offer-side-band-choice-2018-05/

10W stereo Class-D audio amplifier has anti-clipping and spectrum-spreading

Diodes has introduced a 10+10W stereo Class-D audio Amplifier with an anti-clipping circuit to avoid distortion at high volume settings and output spectrum-spreading to improve EMC. Called PAM8106, the amplifier is aimed at wireless loudspeakers, LCD TVs, portable stereos, and game machines. Operation is from 4.5 to 15V and efficiency of up to 92%, the last of which ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/products/analogue-linear-mixed-signal-ics/10w-stereo-class-d-audio-amplifier-anti-clipping-spectrum-spreading-2018-05/

Comment: Power to the Pii-ple

The latest Raspberry Pi can best be summed up by the old adage of more of the same, writes consultant Tam Hanna.

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/products/raspberry-pi-development/comment-power-pii-ple-2018-05/

ON Semi buys SensL of Cork

ON Semiconductor has bought SensL Technologies of Cork – the specialist in Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPM), Single Photon Avalanche Diode (SPAD) and LiDAR sensing products for automotive, medical, industrial and consumer markets. The acquisition extends ON’s position in automotive sensing applications for ADAS and autonomous driving with expanded capabilities in imaging, radar and LiDAR. By combining ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/uncategorised/on-semi-buys-sensl-of-cork-2018-05/

Comment: IoT ubiquity depends on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

Panasonic believes the growth of IoT will depend on two wireless technologies, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, writes Pascal Meier. The widespread reliance on networking in business as well as the growth of the Internet of Things and online services are strong testimonies to the benefits of shared data and resources. The availability of simple-to-use, more secure, ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/comment-iot-ubiquity-depends-wi-fi-bluetooth-2018-05/

Full throttle for automotive infotainment SoC market

Automotive infotainment SoCs are expected to see a CAGR of 6.9% from 2018 to 2028 according to a report by Future Market Insights. The market was worth $9,035m last year, and is predicted to nearly double in value to be worth $18,485.9m by the end of 2028. SoCs that address major automotive design concerns, such ...

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from Electronics Weekly https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/full-throttle-automotive-infotainment-soc-market-2018-05/