TRACO POWER has announced the release of their TEQ 20WIR family of isolated, high performance DC/DC converter modules with ultra-wide 4:1 input ranges covering 9-160 VDC input requirements, an extended ambient operating temperature range from -40°C to +93°C and I/O isolation of 3000 VDC and come in a rugged metal case. These converters are designed for the Railway/Transit markets and are also suitable for a wide range of Industrial applications where no PCB mounting is possible and the module has to be mounted on a chassis.

These 20 watt DC/DC converters are design for railway, transit and industrial environments featuring a full load / convection-cooled operating temperature range of -40°C to +83°C (up to +93°C with derating). The TEQ 20WIR family consists of 12 standard models offering input ranges of 9.5~36 / 18~75 / 43~160 VDC and output voltages of 5/12/15/24 VDC. Features include: High efficiency operation up to 88%; EN55022 Class B EMI; I/O isolation of 3,000 VDC; under voltage lockout; protection against overvoltage/overtemperature and short circuit; and meet EN 61373 & MIL-STD-810F for mechanical shock & vibration and MIL-STD-810F for thermal shock. These converters measure a mere 4.06 x 2.25 x 1.03”. All models are safety approved to IEC/EN/UL 60950-1 (Industrial / ITE Applications), and are qualified to EN 50155 for Railway immunity and bear the CE Mark with a warranty of 3 Years.

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HSINCHU, Taiwan – Dec. 14, 2017 – MediaTek Inc. today unveiled MediaTek Sensio , the first 6-in- 1 smartphone biosensor module. MediaTek Sensio is a powerful advanced health monitoring solution which makes it easy to track heart rate information, blood pressure trends, peripheral oxygen saturation levels and more. Available as an embedded module in smartphones, MediaTek Sensio makes it possible for consumers to quickly check and monitor physical wellness on a device they use most – their smartphone.

“Giving people the power to access their health information with a smartphone is a major step in making the world a healthier place,” said Dr. Yenchi Lee, Sr. Director of Product Marketing for MediaTek’s wireless business. “With our MediaTek Sensio biosensor module and software, developers and device makers have a powerful, embedded health monitoring solution that delivers heart and fitness information in around 60 seconds.”

The MediaTek Sensio MT6381 is a comprehensive software and module solution designed specifically to deliver valuable health data, consisting of optical, electrical and processing components. The customizable, compact solution means device manufacturers have the flexibility to embed the MediaTek Sensio module directly into all types of smartphones, versus using multiple sensors. With MediaTek Sensio, manufacturers are able to develop proprietary applications or leverage third-party applications and developer add-ons.

The module uses light emitting diodes (LEDs) in conjunction with a light sensitive sensor to measure the absorption of red and infrared light by the user’s fingertips. By touching a device’s sensors and electrodes with your fingertips, MediaTek Sensio creates a closed loop between your heart and the biosensor to measure ECG and PPG waveforms.

Sensio delivers these six key health data points in about 60 seconds:

• Heart-rate – MediaTek Sensio measures heart beats per minute.
• Heart-Rate Variability – MediaTek Sensio measures variation in the time between heartbeats.
• Blood Pressure Trends – MediaTek Sensio measures blood pressure trends so users can see a range of data over a period of time.
• Peripheral Oxygen Saturation (SpO 2 ) – MediaTek Sensio measures the amount of oxygen in the blood.
• Electrocardiography (ECG) – MediaTek Sensio measures the electrical activity of the heart over a period of time and displays it in graph form.
• Photoplethysmography (PPG) – MediaTek Sensio measures the change in volume of blood.

The first 6-in- 1 total hardware and software solution, consisting of optical, electrical and processing components, delivers a package of smart health solutions that will help users to be more informed about their fitness levels.

MediaTek Sensio MT6381 includes:

• Integrated R and IR LEDs for reflective PPG measurement + 1-channel ECG analog front-end
• Compact 6.8 mm x 4.93 mm x 1.2 mm OLGA 22-pin package
• Total External BOM: 4 caps + 2 electrodes
• I 2 C /SPI digital interface

The post New Biosensor Solution Brings Health Monitoring to Smartphones appeared first on Electronics For You.

In this video, the presenter will show you how he constructed a Line level to Microphone adapter to record audio from your phone or stereo to your computer or camera, when the recording device only has a stereo microphone jack.

Courtesy: DroneBot Workshop

The post DIY: Line Level to Microphone Adapter appeared first on Electronics For You.

Hyderabad, November 14, 2017: Microsoft India today showcased several projects that make use of the company’s cloud-based artificial intelligence, cognitive services and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies that can change the way citizens, enterprises and governments engage in healthcare services, agricultural practices, education and everyday work. Many of these applications are being tested out or used in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Haryana among others. The company also put the spotlight on use of artificial intelligence in Indian language computing.

“These AI, cognitive technologies and IoT applications can help in India’s inclusive growth,” said Sriram Rajamani, Managing Director of Microsoft Research India.

“The world is today powered by an intelligent cloud and the intelligent edge. We are constantly pushing the boundaries of technology to benefit society. We are committed to ensure that technology is defining and shaping the future, and is a combination of unbridled innovation and digital inclusion,” Mr. Rajamani added.

Some of the examples of transformative technology for a Digital India showcased are:

• Project FarmBeats: Microsoft FarmBeats is a research project for agriculture that enables seamless data collection from various sensors, cameras and drones. It comprises two broad areas viz., a, data-acquisition system consisting of drones and sensors and a data-analysis system consisting of connectivity pieces, cloud storage, and predictive analysis.
• AI for farming: Microsoft and ICRISAT announced the results of the second phase of the pilot of their AI-based Sowing App for farmers. The program was expanded to touch more than 3000 farmers across the states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka during the Kharif season of 2017 for a host of crops including groundnut, ragi, maize, rice and cotton, among others. The increase in yield ranged from 10% to 30% across crops. The Sowing App was developed to help farmers achieve optimal harvests by advising on the best time to sow using data about weather conditions, soil quality and other indicators.

Commenting on this season’s results, Dr. AVR Kesava Rao, Honorary Fellow and Senior Scientist, Agroclimatology, ICRISAT, said, “We are excited about the results that have emerged from the use of the Sowing Application and Personalized Village Advisory Dashboard. We have strengthened our partnership with Microsoft to help small holder farmers and give a boost to our AI-powered agriculture initiative in a big way. The application of the Intelligent cloud is a significant start for digital agriculture and we look forward to expanding this further.”

• HAMS (Harnessing AutoMobiles for Safety): a virtual harness for vehicles that focusses on two factors that are critical to road safety—the mental state of the driver-including distraction and fatigue, and his /her driving relative to other vehicles. It employs the front and back cameras of a dashboard-mounted smartphone, the phone’s GPS and inertial sensors, and an On-Board Diagnostics (OBD-II) scanner. Project HAMS is being used by Institute of Driving and Traffic Research (IDTR) – a joint venture between the Department of Transport of State Governments and Maruti Suzuki India.
• Interactive Cane: This AI-powered Interactive Cane to aid people with visual impairment. Microsoft Research is experimenting by adding several sensors to existing canes, and adding gesture recognition to the cane. Interestingly, Microsoft Research is doing these using sensors added to the cane, and an AI agent on a microcontroller with very low resources on the cane itself, thereby making the cane an intelligent edge device. We believe that more such applications of ML on edge will become feasible in the coming years.

IoT monitoring of water quality: Authorities across states have turned to IoT to monitor drinking water quality for its citizens. Indian ISV TechSpan Engineering has implemented a monitoring system built on the Azure IoT platform, using sensors provided by the Austrian firm s::can and their India Partner Aaxisnano. Using the power of the Microsoft cloud, IoT and data, the solution taps into the robust s::can sensors to provide measurements across 17 parameters – from Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chloride and Fluoride levels to temperature and color. The solution is currently being used for

• Monitoring drinking water quality online by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage
• Board (125 stations) and Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board(KUWSDB) in Hubli–Dharwad & Bijapur (3 stations),
• Online surface water quality monitoring by Central Pollution Control Board, New Delhi (44 stations) and Central Water Commission, New Delhi (3 stations)
• Online industrial pollution monitoring (1500+ stations)
• Online sewage treatment and flow monitoring by Delhi Jal Board (36 stations)

Smart Lighting in Jaipur: Microsoft Azure IoT is also powering India’s first Smart Street Lighting Project for the pink city of Jaipur, underscoring Microsoft’s mission of transforming public spaces digitally. The Jaipur Municipal Corporation (JMC) operates and maintains over 100,000 public street lights within the city. However, one of three in these lamps did not work and many others functioned poorly, leading to several areas of the city being in the dark. Microsoft’s partner Samudra LED has now deployed a customized Microsoft IoT-platform-based solution created by ISV Precimetrix to monitor, control and manage smart LED public street lights. The project will benefit 1.65 million people through improved street lighting and a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 36,750 metric tons/year. It will also result in $1 million per year in fiscal savings accrued to the government due to reduced energy consumption.

AI for local language computing: Starting with Project Bhasha in 1998, Microsoft has been consistently working to provide local language computing in Indian languages. Microsoft Office and Windows support 11 Indian language scripts and overall supporting 22 Indian languages. Bing allows users to browse in nine Indian languages. With the help of its AI technologies, Microsoft is now making translation and speech recognition across several Indian languages. Here are a few examples:

• Microsoft’s SwiftKey, which allows text input in as many as 24 Indian languages and dialects including Marwari, Bodo, Santali and Khasi, brings AI in the keypads to enable faster, predictive writing. It also allows mixed language typing in English and Hindi
• Indian English and Hindi speech recognition is available as part of Microsoft Cognitive Services as well as Bing App for Android
• Text to speech translations currently includes such capabilities in Hindi and Tamil on Microsoft Narrator, on Windows 10.
• Microsoft PowerPoint uses AI to translate full presentation decks from English to Hindi, Bangla and Tamil.
  

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The post Artificial Intelligence, Cognitive technologies & IoT spurring Digital India appeared first on Electronics For You.

Batteries are the dominant technology for powering portable devices. But the problem with batteries is their size and requirement of frequent charging, time required for charging, and repair and replacement.

Fig. 1 shows the charging time for the batteries used in some mobile phones. These batteries discharge within hours of use as shown in Fig. 2. Capacitors are also energy storage elements that, unlike batteries, generate an electrical field between two parallel conductor plates. The energy stored in a capacitor depends on the value of its capacitance and the voltage applied across its plates. For the same voltage the capacitor will store more energy for a large value of capacitance. Since the capacitance of a capacitor is directly proportional to surface area of its electrodes and inversely proportional to the distance between electrodes, it requires a large area to store charge.

Fig. 1: Charging time of different batteries used in mobile phones

The current trend in portable devices is continuous miniaturisation, while ensuring the functionality and reliability of existing components. The main problem faced in miniaturisation is the integration of batteries as energy storage elements. The size of energy storage elements often limits the miniaturisation of the entire system. This is because the necessary energy-storage components cannot be scaled down to the size of electronic gadgets. So designing efficient miniaturised energy storage devices for energy delivery or harvesting with high-power capabilities remains a challenge.

Fig. 2: Battery life of mobile phones

Supercapacitors or ultracapacitors

An improvement in energy storage devices has been the development of electric double-layer capacitor (EDLC), best known as ‘supercapacitor’ or ‘ultracapacitor.’ A supercapacitor has large-surface-area conductive plates (electrodes), placed very close to each other.

Supercapacitors provide many advantages over batteries. For instance, these have a long cycle lifetime—they can be cycled hundreds of thousands times without much change in performance. The lifespan of a supercapacitor is 10 to 20 years, with a possible capacity reduction from the original 100 per cent to 80 per cent after ten years of usage or so.

Supercapacitors have a low equivalent series resistance. These can therefore provide a high power density and high load currents to achieve almost instant charge in seconds.
The new hybrid supercapacitors store large amounts of energy, recharge quickly and last more than 10,000 recharge cycles. This is a great advantage for smartphones, which will charge in just 30 seconds and then continue working through the rest of the day on a single charge.

Basic principle of operation

The basic principle of energy storage in supercapacitors is the same as that of ordinary capacitors. However, unlike conventional capacitors that use a solid and dry dielectric material, such as teflon, polyethylene and paper, ultracapacitors use a liquid or wet electrolyte between their electrodes. A supercapacitor or electric double-layer capacitor, as shown in Fig. 3, utilises large-surface area electrodes and thin electrolytic dielectrics to achieve capacitance values greater than any other capacitor type available today.

Energy storage in capacitors is by means of static charge and does not involve the electro-chemical process inherent to batteries. These store charge as a coating of ions adsorbed on the electrodes’ surface. Ions are separated from the electrolyte by a charging current, and propelled toward their respective electrodes. The membrane serves to separate the ions, so that a net charge separation can be maintained. This dual surface layer is called electric double layer.

Fig. 3: Electric double-layer capacitor (supercapacitor)

Supercapacitors have separation of charge at an electric field which is only fractions of a nanometre, compared to micrometres for most polymer film capacitors. In doing so, supercapacitors are able to attain greater energy densities while still maintaining the characteristic of high power density of conventional capacitors. These are therefore more of an electrochemical device similar to an electrolytic capacitor. They store charge through reversible ion adsorption at the surface of high-surface-area carbon. Different materials, such as various carbon materials, mixed-metal oxides and conducting polymers, have been used for supercapacitor electrodes. Advances in carbon-based materials, namely, graphene, have increased their energy density to almost the level of batteries.

Graphene is important

Graphene is a thin layer of pure carbon, tightly packed and bonded together in a hexagonal honeycomb lattice. It is widely regarded as the most suitable material for supercapacitors as it is the thinnest compound known to man at one atom thickness, as well as the best known conductor. It also has amazing strength and light absorption characteristics, and is even considered eco-friendly and sustainable, as carbon is widespread in nature and is a part of the human body.

Graphene-based materials are considered as one of the most promising materials for the next-generation, flexible, thin-film supercapacitors due to their unique structure and properties: Their two-dimensional structure can provide a large surface area, which serves as an extensive transport platform for electrolytes. The high conductivity of graphene sheets enables a low diffusion resistance, leading to enhanced power and energy density.

The superior mechanical property allows graphene sheets to be easily assembled into free-standing films with robust mechanical stability. Among graphene-based 2D films, graphene papers have attracted much attention due to their tunable thickness.

The post Rapid-Charging Micro-Supercapacitors for Portable Devices appeared first on Electronics For You.

• Big Data and predictive analytics will make test systems intelligent and fuel growth opportunities, finds Frost & Sullivan’s Measurement & Instrumentation team

SANTA CLARA, California, Dec. 14, 2017 – The emergence of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and its implementation in test and measurement (T&M) is expected to transform the industry. Through digital connectivity, the use of test equipment can be maximized, improving the quality of testing and opening a host of future opportunities. In a highly competitive environment, vendors must develop product differentiation and branding strategies in order to penetrate smart testing opportunities.

Frost & Sullivan’s latest analysis, Adoption of Industrial IoT in the Global Test and Measurement Market, Forecast to 2022, finds that the value of the IIoT in test and measurement market is expected to reach $104.8 million by 2022 growing at a compound annual growth rate of 6.7 percent from 2016. The research assesses market dynamics including trends, drivers, restraints, forecasts, Mega Trends and industry convergence implications, and opportunities in end-user verticals. Profiles of key competitors such as National Instruments, Fluke Corporation, Keysight Technologies, and Rohde and Schwarz are also provided.

“Currently, original equipment manufacturers are cautious when it comes to IIoT technology adoption with significant concern toward security issues and limited entrants in the market,” said Frost & Sullivan Measurement & Instrumentation Research Analyst Anisha Nikash Dumbre. “However, by 2020, a number of IIoT-enabled test systems are expected to be launched, catering to diverse services and fields within the industrial ecosystem.”

By 2025, the next generation of T&M systems would have ‘learned’ from their past experiences, enabling advanced testing measures and outcomes. Democratization of IIoT would lead to cheaper Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) models, ultimately leading to more than 80 percent of testing vendors adopting this technology within their test systems. The integration of testing capabilities with modular form factor will further augment growth opportunities in this sector.

Strategic imperatives for player’s success and growth in this market include:

• Embracing transformational changes brought about by IIoT and offering better testing methods like Big Data, predictive analytics, and automation to customers;
• Integrating test capabilities and anticipating the changing system requirements;
• Adopting faster and more accurate modular form testing methods and remote monitoring to reduce the cost of testing; and
• Using data analytics to give greater accuracy and provide clients with substantial cost savings.

“In the future, there will be more focus on achieving zero defects in products and therefore the need for smarter test systems. Thus, no waste or rework will be caused, thereby avoiding revenue loss,” noted Dumbre. “With this in mind, there will be a heavy focus on the research and development stage of the equipment to ensure zero defects. Continuous monitoring of equipment and IIoT technology will become the most important aspect to achieving zero defects.”

Adoption of Industrial IoT in the Global Test and Measurement Market, Forecast to 2022 is part of Frost & Sullivan’s Test & Measurement Growth Partnership Service program.

Courtesy: PRNewswire

The post Maximization of IIoT Technologies in Test & Measurement to Enable Smart Testing appeared first on Electronics For You.

MQTT is very useful for connections with remote client where a small code footprint is needed, or internet bandwidth is very low. For example, it has been used in sensors communicating to a broker using satellite link or in a range of home automation and small devices. Also, ideal for mobile applications because of its, low power usage, small size, minimized data packets, and well distribution of information to one or many receivers.
MQTT Protocol was first designed in 1999, but with the growth of the IoT, and the need to communicate between low-powered devices, MQTT has recently found it’s market. MQTT was designed with ability to run in an embedded environment where it would reliably and effectively provide an avenue for communication.

How It Works

MQTT protocol uses a publish/subscribe architecture where as HTTP uses its request/response architecture. MQTT protocol is event driven and enables messages to be pushed to clients. The heart of MQTT protocol is the MQTT broker, it is responsible for dispatching messages between the senders and receivers. Every client that publishes a message to the broker includes a topic into that message. The topic is routing information for a broker. Each client that wants to receive messages need to subscribe to a certain topic and broker delivers all messages with the matching topic to a particular client. The clients don’t need to know each other, they only communicate using the topic over MQTT broker.

Understanding MQTT By Practical Example

To understand it better, let’s do a practical for more clarity about MQTT. There is a free server, http://test.mosquitto.org/ where you can test your first MQTT message. The default port for MQTT is 1883, but this is not encrypted (Not Secure), So don’t use for commercial purpose.

What You Need:

Two android Phone or Two PC with Internet Connection

Testing Your MQTT message in Android Phone:

Step 1: Download an application named “MQTT Client” on both android Phone from this link

Step 2: Open application and Go to settings

a. In First text box enter URL of MQTT Server/Broker that is test.mosquitto.org
b. Second Text box is for Port, type 1883
c. You have to left username and password blank.
d. Press Connect
e. Do the same thing other phone.

Step 3: Now you have to create a TOPIC in Phone 1

In the top Right corner of application, you can see an upload button symbol near setting button, press on that. You will see a page like below.

Fun fact: Facebook uses MQTT for its Chat Messenger.

Create Topic On Phone 1

Subscribe to a Topic on Phone 2

In the above image, you can see there are two textbox One is Topic, and Other is message. Phone 1 needs to create a Topic, and Phone 2 should subscribe a topic. Let’s say I create a Topic Called “SOS111” and Message is “Need Help” from Phone 1, and from other Phone I subscribe to SOS111, then I will get the message “Need Help”. Is that not Cool. To subscribe to the topic on Phone 2, you need to go to Page 1 of application and in “Add Topic” Text box, you must type the topic name in phone 1, which is “SOS111” like shown in above screenshot.

Setup Your Own MQTT Server/Broker

You can setup your own MQTT server/Broker on any Cloud Server or on a local machine or everyone’s favorite Raspberry PI. In this article we will learn how to setup a local MQTT server at our Home on Raspberry Pi.

You Need:

a. Raspberry Pi 2
b. Internet Connection
c. 30 Min Time

Step 1:

We need to install few dependencies before we compile and run our own MQTT server.
a. sudo apt-get update
b. sudo apt-get install libssl-dev
c. sudo apt-get install cmake
d. sudo apt-get install libc-ares-dev
e. sudo apt-get install uuid-dev
f. sudo apt-get install daemon

Step 2:

Then we need to download and compile libwebsockets To download use below command

wget http://git.libwebsockets.org/cgi-bin/cgit/libwebsockets/snapshot/libwebsockets-1.4-chrome43-firefox-36.tar.gz

Unpack using following command

tar zxvf libwebsockets*

then change directory to using: cd libwebsockets*

Make a build directory inside libwebsockets using bellow command

mkdir build
cd build

Then to build

cmake .. #(note the ..)

Then run following command to install

sudo make install

Then we need to rebuild the library cache

sudo ldconfig

change the directory to Home by command

cd

Step 3:

Then we need to download the source code of MQTT broker, which is Mosquitto using following command

wget http://mosquitto.org/files/source/mosquitto-1.4.1.tar.gz
unpack using following command
tar zxvf mosquitto-1.4.1.tar.gz
cd mosquitto-1.4.1

open and edit config.mk in your favourite editor

change the line “WITH_WEBSOCKETS:=no” to “WITH_WEBSOCKETS:=yes”

Then compile using bellow command

make

Then to install use below command

sudo make install

Then we need to create a config directory inside /etc

sudo mkdir /etc/mosquitto
copy default config file to /etc
sudo cp mosquitto.conf /etc/mosquitto

Add the following two lines to /etc/mosquitto/mosquitto.conf at the end of file

listener 9001
protocol websockets

then add a user for mosquitto using following command

sudo adduser mosquitto

Then reboot and login user as mosquitto

after successful login run below command

mosquitto -v

Congrats, your first MQTT server is up and running. You can do same communication using any MQTT client that you did with your android Phone last time in previous section.

The post MQTT – A Practical Guide to IOT Protocol appeared first on Electronics For You.

Energy demand in India is far outstripping the supply. Solar power offers a huge opportunity to bridge this widening gap between demand and supply. However, there are concerns over the solar industry’s readiness against the backdrop of a sleuth of changes in the business environment like continuous tariff falls, the slow pace of new tender announcements and the introduction of GST. Let’s delve deeper to get the complete picture.

India grabs the power baton

A survey by Wood Mackenzie on the global energy markets, which focuses on the upcoming market shifts, concludes that global energy demand will keep rising through 2035.

However, the nature of the energy mix, demand centres and key players will change significantly. The report also predicts that energy demand in India will grow the fastest, at an average rate of 3 per cent annually from now to 2035, by which time the country’s population will outgrow even China’s. Renewable energy sources will surge from 22 per cent to 54 per cent of the total installed capacity, while oil consumption will rise by 80 per cent. According to an Indian Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF) report, India ranks third among 40 countries in Ernst and Young’s Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index.

With a production of 1,400,800GWh in 2016, India is the third largest producer as well as the third largest consumer of electricity in the world. Although power generation has grown manifold since Independence, demand has been even higher due to accelerating economic activity. India has a diversified power sector with energy sources ranging from the conventional coal, natural gas, oil, hydro and nuclear power to renewable sources such as wind, solar and biological waste. According to data available from the Ministry of Power (Table), renewable energy sources accounted for around 17.4 per cent of India’s total installed power capacity in March 2017.

Solar rising faster

Solar power has quickly become a sizeable part of India’s energy mix. According to GTM Research and a Bridge To India (BTI) report, the total solar PV capacity installed globally had surpassed 300GW by the end of 2016. Of this, 77GW was added in 2016—a year-on-year growth rate of 34 per cent. China led with 34.5GW, followed by the USA (14.5GW) and Japan (10.2GW), with India (5GW) in fourth place.

In 2017, India is expected to continue its rapid growth in solar power. With 8.8GW of projected capacity addition (a growth of 76 per cent over 2016), the country is set to become the third largest PV market in 2017, overtaking Japan (Figs 1 and 2). The GTM report also mentioned that, as of March 31, 2017, India had installed 12.2GW of utility-scale solar PV capacity. Till date, the southern states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have taken the lead in solar installation projects (Fig. 3). This year, approximately 60 per cent of new solar capacity addition is expected to come from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

Tariff at stake

The wide-scale adoption of solar energy, coupled with the sharp decline in solar module prices in the global market by almost 30 per cent (a trend that is likely to continue next year also) due to a supply glut, has resulted in an abrupt fall of solar power tariff in India. In the last one year, the Indian solar sector experienced almost 50 per cent tariff reduction, with 25 per cent drop happening in just the last three months.

Fig. 1: Solar capacity addition in the leading countries (Source: BTI, GTM Research)

In May this year, India’s solar power tariffs fell to a new all-time low of 3.8 US cents (approx.₹ 2.40) per unit during the 250MW capacity auction at Bhadla in Rajasthan. South Africa’s Phelan Energy Group and Avaada Power won contracts to build capacities of 50MW and 100MW, respectively, at the Adani Renewable Energy Park Rajasthan.

Fig. 2: Global PV demand 2007-22 (Source: GTM Research)

Solar power prices have been falling

Falling solar power prices have prompted the Indian government to focus on renewable energy resources. However, new tender announcements from the government have slowed down, as it is encouraging greater private-sector participation. This has intensified the competition amongst developers. Interestingly, only a few new tenders are slated for the next year, and there is a complete lack of pipeline visibility over that period. Therefore it seems that the current tariff rates are hardly sustainable.

Falling tariffs are a double-edged sword for the solar sector. While these make solar power more attractive for consumers, investors and lenders get jittery. These tariffs are also creating uncertainty amongst policymakers, while causing new risks for older projects auctioned at tariffs that are two to three times higher.

The sharp reduction of tariffs may commoditise the Indian solar market rapidly and profit margins are bound to squeeze across the value chain. Therefore solar players need to innovate new technologies and business strategies to survive in this ultra-low-tariff scenario.

The post Solar Sector at the Crossroads appeared first on Electronics For You.

TOKYO – Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation today announced a new 4-channel high-efficiency linear power amplifier “TCB701FNG,” that meets current market requirement for high efficiency. Sample shipments will start in January, 2018.

With “TCB701FNG,” the company has improved on its technology to realize efficiency comparable with a digital high efficiency, class D amplifier in actual operating range (0.5 to 4W). Power consumption is cut by up to 90% of that for a typical class AB amplifier.

The new amplifier also includes a self-diagnosis function with I2C bus control that can diagnose errors and contribute to a suitable set design by changing the detection setting for gain or time constants. It also includes full-time error detection of output DC offset voltage, which can quickly detect abnormal output offset voltage and prevent speaker burnout, improving set reliability.

The post New 4-channel High-Efficiency Linear Power Amplifier for Car Audio appeared first on Electronics For You.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – December 12, 2017 – SiTime Corporation today announced new oscillators for automotive networking in advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS). These solutions will propel the automotive industry forward in their development of driverless cars. For successful ADAS operation, supercomputers in these cars will need to process massive amounts of data reliably and with low latency. The SiT9386 and SiT9387 oscillators enable just that. They deliver stable and reliable timing signals for AI processors in automotive supercomputers, as well as for the interfaces that move data, such as PCI Express and 10G, 40G, and 100G Ethernet.

“With our unique MEMS and analog technologies, SiTime is the only timing company that is disrupting automotive applications,” said Piyush Sevalia, executive vice president of marketing at SiTime. “Timing is the heartbeat of electronics. Temperature changes, shock, and vibration can all destroy timing signals and can cause ADAS to fail. The SIT938X differential MEMS oscillators are the only timing solutions that are capable of withstanding such environmental stressors, while still delivering precision timing for ADAS operation.”

SiT938X: Stable and Reliable Timing Signals for Automotive Networking
Earlier this year, SiTime introduced the SiT8924/5 oscillators, a family of ultra-robust oscillators for all-around cameras. The SiT9386/7 oscillators further extend the company’s offerings for the ADAS market. These devices are the first automotive products built on the Elite Platform, a proprietary architecture that delivers excellent performance in harsh operating conditions:

• 30 times better than quartz in shock performance (10,000 g)
• 20 times better than quartz in reliability (over 1 billion hours MTBF)
• Extended temperature range (-40°C to +105°C)
• Robust operation in the presence of system noise (0.02 ps/mV PSNR)

In addition, the SiT9386/7 differential MEMS oscillators offer:

• Any frequency between 1 MHz and 725 MHz, accurate to 6 decimal places
• 0.23 ps typical RMS phase jitter (random)
• Frequency stability as low as ±25 ppm
• The smallest package size (3.2 x 2.5 mm) for size-limited applications
• Also available in an industry-standard package (7.0 x 5.0 mm)
• LVPECL, LVDS, and HCSL output signaling types

Samples of the SiT9386/7 oscillators are available now from SiTime and will be available from catalog distributors, such as Digi-Key and Mouser, in the first half of 2018. Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) documentation, compliant with the AIAG manual, will be available in the first half of 2018. Pricing is available upon request.

The post New Oscillators for Automotive Networking in Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems appeared first on Electronics For You.

Are you looking to set up security cameras and monitor your office with only a smartphone when you are away? If yes, this article is for you. Using the steps listed below, you will be able to do the setup a wireless security camera for yourself, saving those extra bucks paid to the service guy!

Security cameras no longer require the long messy wires around an office premise to find the right spot for keeping a vigilant eye. Fewer the cables, lesser the cost, effort and time of installation. Given the affordable price of a wireless security camera today, these are the most convenient product available to monitor your home or office, whether you are inside the building or on the go.

Here we explain how to install a wireless security camera and set it up with your home network using your smartphone or tablet. For illustration purpose, we have used an Izon 2.0 wireless security camera. Many other options are out there in the market but the setup process is basically the same with slight variations.

What you need to get started

1. Security camera
2. USB power cable (with charger)
3. Control device (smartphone, tablet, etc)
4. Control application software provided by the manufacturer/vendor
5. Stable Wi-Fi network

The setup process

1. Select an appropriate place to position the camera. Keep in mind the detection range of the device, the radius of coverage and the available Wi-Fi strength. The location should also be accessible to an input power socket. For the camera model we used, Izon 2.0, a magnetic base is provided, which is used to hold the camera.
2. Take the USB charger cable, connect the mini-USB end to the appropriate port on the camera and plug into a power source for charging. An indicator LED will blink in a specific colour and pattern to indicate that the device is charging. Different status of the device display different blinking and colour patterns.
3. Install the application or the software provided by the vendor to connect the security camera to the active Wi-Fi network. Download the application from the respective Playstore based on the operating system compatibility (for a smartphone as well as tablet). Here, we used the Stem Connect mobile application. Create a user account and continue to add a camera from options in the application.
4. The in-app process varies depending on the vendor’s application flow. However, the basic objective remains the same—to link the security camera to the home network. Select the camera’s hotspot as the Wi-Fi network from your phone’s Wi-Fi settings before the setup and return to application.
5. You will be allowed to select your available Wi-Fi network. Provide the credentials and confirm. Change your phone’s Wi-Fi settings back to your home Wi-Fi network if you had selected the camera hotspot earlier. The device will start registering.
6. If the camera’s own network is not recognisable, an alternate approach of registering the camera to the network is available. In this case, you have to select the status of the camera device on the mobile application as depicted by the indicator light. After you confirm the device status, you are allowed to select your available Wi-Fi network. Provide the credentials and confirm.
7. A scan code appears on the application screen. Follow the specific instruction mentioned on the screen to scan the code using the device. Change in indicator light will denote a successful code scan. This follows a progress bar denoting the progress of the camera’s registration with the network.
8. You can find the option to add another security camera to your network through the mobile application—the process of which remains the same.
   

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Electrolube, global manufacturer of electro-chemicals is currently exhibiting at LED Expo India 2017, (Stands L54 and L74) and noted some significant market changes relating to thermal management of LEDs. As a direct result of long-term reliability concerns and contamination from silicone, a move by global LED manufacturers is shifting demand towards non-silicone thermal management products. This is further supported by the report from the Lighting Industry Association. The move by global LED manufacturers is additionally being fueled by an increasing global shortage of silicones with some manufacturers of silicone thermal management products warning of up to 25% price increases. Resolution of this shift in demand and trend for non-silicone solutions is expected to last until 2022.

Electrolube offers a range of both silicone and non-silicone thermal interface materials designed to maximise the efficiency of heat transfer, the latter being provided for critical applications. The non-curing pastes can be applied in thin layers dramatically reducing the thermal resistance at the interface. HTC, HTCX and HTCP are all non-silicone heat transfer compounds with wide operating temperature ranges and high levels of thermal conductivity. Additionally, the ‘Xtra’ range of thermal products feature an increase in comparative thermal conductivity, lower oil bleed and lower evaporation weight loss with almost no compromise in usability and viscosity. Electrolube’s HTCPX (Non-Silicone Heat Transfer Compound Plus Xtra) allows a wide operating temperature range of -50oC to +180oC and an exceptional thermal conductivity of 3.40 W/m.K.

Electrolube’s extensive manufacturing base in Bangalore is ideally placed to respond the demands of LED manufacturers and offer consistent local supply of non-silicone thermal management materials. In keeping with the Government of India’s ‘Make in India’ initiative this local supply facilitates significantly reduced lead times and shipping.

Ron Jakeman, Managing Director of Electrolube, said, “Following the recent trends for non-silicone thermal management solutions, we are in a strong position to respond swiftly to the changing needs of the market. Our local manufacturing and supply operation is a massive bonus for the LED market in India. Local technical experts are available to offer advice and technical support and of course, we completely avoid lengthy import and shipping delays. Electrolube is a global company manufacturing on 3 continents, giving genuine security of supply chain, and our experienced technical support team are easily accessible to give advice on tricky applications. “

As winners of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise 2016 and an ISO 14001 qualified manufacturer of specialist chemical products supplying the world’s leading manufacturers of electronic, industrial and domestic devices, Electrolube is a trusted provider of high performance chemical solutions, formulated with the utmost responsibility to the environment and operator.

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Diodes Incorporated today introduced the AL1788. This high-performance offline constant voltage and PFC controller has been developed to combine high power factor correction (PFC) with low total harmonic distortion (THD) and low standby power, making it well-suited for commercial applications and connected lighting requirements.

Based on a platform that supports both flyback and buck topology, the AL1788 is designed for primary side regulation (PSR), which removes the need for feedback optically coupled from the secondary side. This delivers outstanding performance, such as high efficiency of up to 91%, good line and load regulation of 2% over a full range of line and load regulation, and low standby power of less than 0.2 Watts.

With a PFC of >0.9 and lower standby power than its competitors, the AL1788 operates with an external MOSFET to deliver constant voltage to an LED load. The high power factor is achieved through constant on time operation, while its quasi-resonant mode valley switching method minimizes switching losses and provides outstanding EMI performance.

By exploiting PSR, the complexity of the secondary side is reduced, enabling a smaller overall profile suitable for solid state lighting installations. The output voltage is regulated when operating in constant-voltage mode through feedback provided by an auxiliary winding, coupled to the secondary side winding.

The AL1788 maintains its note-worthy PFC and THD performance across a wide input range over a load from 50% to 100%. The AL1788 features low start-up and operating current of just 3μA and 500μA, respectively (typical), combined with ‘Burst Mode’ operation. The AL1788 enables users’ designs to meet low standby power system requirements.

Comprehensive protections are integrated, including output-open protection and output-short protection, as well as overcurrent, overvoltage and over-temperature protection. Undervoltage lockout is also integrated.

The controller-only version of AL1788 is available now and provided in the SOT26 (SC74R) package, while the MOSFET regulator options will be supplied in an SO-7 package and will be released in 2018. Both are lead, halogen, and antimony free and fully RoHS compliant.

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Mobiles are the most used gadgets now-a-days. Now every elder member of a family & even kids possess at least one handset, while most people own more than one mobile phone. With use of mobiles touching such heights so is the need for repairing it. Due to this the demand & sales of mobile repairing tools have witnessed a massive growth in recent time. But with large numbers of sellers & brands the task of selecting the right quality tools is difficult and confusing. Here I present you a guide to buying tools for mobile repair which will help you to make the right decision in terms of cost while not compromising on the quality of tools at the same time.

Note:

The prices shown are for indicative purposes only so please check the price before making a purchase. The products that I have listed here are available at Amazon India and/or Ebay India unless stated otherwise. The prices of some of the items may be higher than their equivalents available at local market of your city. So before making a purchase I advise you to check the prices at your city stores.

Mentioned below are the list of tools for mobile repair under various categories:

Soldering/De-soldering Tools:

Under Soldering/De-soldering tools we would be considering two brands (Soldron & Max Gold):

1. Soldron Soldering/De-soldering Tools:

If you are on a budget consider buying Soldron variable wattage micro soldering station. It is priced at Rs 666/- on Industry buying website. Its temperature range is 100 to 450 OC with a temperature accuracy of +/- 10OC. The wattage of the iron is variable from 4 to 18 watts. Its input voltage is 230V/ 50 Hz AC. The iron works at 18V (Max). It has a metallic body & is ESD Safe by design.

The spare soldering iron & needle bit for the above station are priced at Rs 330/- & Rs 59/- on Soldermall and Industry buying websites respectively.

A slightly expensive offering from Soldron is Soldron 936 soldering station which is priced at Rs 2153/- on Industry buying website. I would definitely recommend you to buy this station over variable wattage ones as it is much more suitable for delicate & sensitive SMD components you encounter while repairing mobile phones. It offers a temperature range of 200 to 450 OC. The iron works at 24V while the input voltage of the station is 230V/50Hz AC. It is a 60 Watt station & ESD Safe by design.

The spare soldering iron & needle bit for the above station are priced at Rs 860/- & Rs 105/- on Industry buying & Soldermall websites respectively.

For soldering/de-soldering BGA chips & for various other types of rework you need a SMD hot air rework station like Soldron 878D. It is priced at Rs 6950/- on Soldermall. It offers two types of tools – hot air blower & soldering iron – in a single unit. Its circuit is MCU controlled & the heater shuts off automatically when iron or blower is not used for a predefined time interval. The iron unit is 60 watt while the blower consumes 500 watts of power. The units work on 230V/50Hz AC. The temperature range of the iron is from 200 to 450 OC . The air flow rate is 120 litres per minute with accuracy of +/- 1 litre.

The spares for the iron unit of the above station are same as that of Soldron 936 station. The hot air nozzles & hot air blower handle are priced at Rs 225/- & Rs 1596/- on Soldermall & Industry buying websites respectively.

The Soldron tripod PCB holder is a great tool to hold mobile motherboards while working on them. The held motherboard can be rotated 360 degrees which is very convenient during heating various sections of it using hot air blower. It is priced at Rs 288/- on Industry buying website.

The Soldron de-soldering pump is extremely useful tool for correcting your soldering mistakes. It can be used to extract away the wrongly formed solder from soldering connections. It can also be used to correct dry solder joints. It is priced at Rs 129/- on rhydolabz website.

The Soldering fume extractor is an essential item & should not be ignored as it extracts the toxic fumes generated during soldering/de-soldering. The toxic fumes, if inhaled, can cause serious health issues & should be avoided under every circumstance. The Soldron fume extractor is priced at Rs 1350/-(with discounts) on Soldermall website.

The last item from Soldron brand we are looking at is Solder assist tool set. It is useful in holding SMD components in place while soldering, cutting jumper wires & for lot of other applications. It is priced at Rs 500/- on Soldermall Website.

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The holiday season is in full swing and once again we can expect to see a surge in cyber attacks targeting retailers and consumers. Research from the National Retail Federation shows that spending during the winter holidays outstrips retail sales during all other holidays throughout the year – combined! From Black Friday to sales in January, this is the most wonderful time of the year for retailers, and this trend will likely continue. A survey by RetailMeNot shows that consumers are expected to spend an average of $743 holiday shopping between Black Friday and Cyber Monday this year, a 47 percent increase from 2016’s average of $505.

Unfortunately, increased spending also makes this a wonderful time of the year for cybercriminals seeking a share of the action. But the good news is that by understanding the tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) of cybercriminals, there’s are lot retailers and consumers can do to remediate risk.

A few months ago, I wrote about both credit card fraud and account takeovers, two of the main areas of risk that retailers must be aware of. Here I’ll focus on a third, payment card systems risk. As more money flows, criminals have even more opportunity to acquire consumer credit card details. Analysis of one well-known credit card shop on the dark web reveals that over 93,000 card details have been added since the beginning of November. Hackers target retailers in two main ways: through Point of Sale (POS) systems and physical skimming devices.

1. POS malware. Cybercriminals can develop or even rent malware that targets retailers’ POS software. Many new variants have emerged this year, including RawPOS and MajikPOS. Most of the infections from the latter were reported in the United States and Canada. A modified version of the Zeus banking trojan was also identified targeting POS systems, predominantly in Russia and Kazakhstan, and searching for and exfiltrating payment card Track 1 and Track 2 data to its command and control (C2) server. While Zeus can be executed remotely, groups operating the malware often need partners to help with various aspects of their operations, from cashing out to providing access to the devices themselves. Research on the dark web shows advertisements for both types of services.
2. Physical skimming. Despite the prevalence of POS malware, physical skimming also continues to be a popular tactic often employed by less skilled fraudsters. Magnetic Strip Readers are available as handheld devices and allow users to make a digital copy of the data stored on a card’s magnetic stripe. The size of these devices continues to shrink making them hard to detect, and the price is relatively low at $100 to $500 which makes them quite affordable. Devices have now been developed to capture data from cards equipped with Europay, Mastercard and Visa (EMV) chip technology. Additionally, cameras concealed in lights above machines can be used to capture PINs and can be purchased for as little as $280. At the other end of the spectrum, Global Systems for Mobile communication (GSM) receivers are available for $1,000 to $2,000. GSM receivers transmit captured information via Bluetooth, so criminals can avoid returning to the scene and being caught.

So, what can retailers and consumers do to remediate risk from payment card system compromise?

Advice for retailers:

• Be diligent about your supply chain. Make sure your POS devices are protected and monitored regularly for suspicious activity, including the placement of skimmers. Regularly review the security controls of third-party vendors (particularly those who provide software for POS systems) and reassess controls each time the scope of a vendor partnership changes.
• Understand there is no silver bullet. Remember that no one tool will protect you. A layered, defense-in-depth approach is best. For example, if POS malware does infiltrate the network, to prevent lateral movement once inside, restrict workstation-to-workstation communication by using host-based firewall rules where feasible.
• Share information. Take advantage of sharing communities such as the Retail Cyber Intelligence Sharing Center (R-CISC) and InfraGard to help stay abreast of threats and trends.
• Plan ahead. Have a process in place to handle compromised customer accounts and use threat intelligence to track actors and understand their threat level.

Advice for consumers:

• Look out for skimmers. Avoid using payment or ATM machines in dark or obscure locations where criminals could easily place a skimmer without being seen. Look for wires or any other suspicious indicators that a payment machine may have been tampered with.
• Monitor your accounts. Regularly check your accounts for fraudulent activity and contact your bank immediately if you discover any suspicious purchases.
• Learn about the latest tricks. Stay informed on the latest fraud and scam trends by referring to some of the most popular sources for such information, including: StaySafeOnline, the FTC’s Scam Alerts and the US-CERT National Cyber Awareness System.

As spending during the holiday season continues to rise, so will interest in cybercriminals to profit from increased payment card activity. Fortunately, there are several ways we can work together to disrupt these activities, remediate risk and preserve what should be a wonderful time of the year for retailers and consumers.

The post It’s a Wonderful Time of the Year…for Hackers appeared first on Electronics For You.

• Based on its highly reliable automotive-grade 180 nanometer platform it offers the industry’s lowest power NVM solution for use in harsh environments

ERFURT, Germany, December 19, 2017 – X-FAB today announced the availability of two new Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) IP solutions – a low power embedded Flash (eFlash) IP block and a NVRAM compiler. Both are based on the company’s proprietary 180 nm XH018 mixed-signal CMOS technology and are targeted at applications requiring high reliability and field re-programmability while operating at low power and in harsh environments.

The 128-kbit eFlash, which is available as an 8 k x 16-bit IP block is based on Silicon-Oxide-Nitride-Oxide-Silicon (SONOS) Flash technology. X-FAB has built up extensive experience and manufacturing excellence in integrating SONOS memories with conventional CMOS processes, ensuring high levels of data reliability. The IP block has been designed for low power mixed-signal applications and features a deep power down stand-by mode consuming a maximum of only 50 nA.

The new X-FAB eFlash IP block is targeted at replacing standalone NVM memories and embedded One-Time-Programmable (OTP) memories in low power applications, enabling onsite program code updates. This means that it is highly suited to energy harvesting and remotely located Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices, where power constraints and harsh environments need to be dealt with, but field re-programmability must be offered at a low cost.

X-FAB has rigorously qualified the eFlash IP block to comply with the AEC-Q100 standard, so that it offers engineers an automotive-grade solution capable of operating across a temperature range of -40 °C to 125 °C. The SONOS technology enables reliable operation of the IP block when combined with high-voltage (HV) options ranging from 6 to 45 V. This is made possible by the NMOS, PMOS and DMOS transistors available with X-FAB’s 180 nm XH018 process. High field reliability is enabled with a number of test modes explicitly designed to test individual memory bit cell currents and achieve 0 PPM in the field. Finally, special test modes have been designed into the IP to optimize production testing and minimize test time and cost.

With this latest release, X-FAB’s complements its existing NVM portfolio with this very low power option. Other available Flash blocks address automotive applications up to 175 °C in read operation.

Combining the fast read/write speeds of a conventional SRAM with the non-volatility of an EEPROM, the NVRAM compiler facilitates generating and integrating memories from 1-kbits to 16-kbits in a wide range of applications requiring fail-safe memories. The contents of the SRAM can be backed up to the EEPROM memory resource in the event of a power failure. This proves to be a highly desirable feature for safety-critical applications – such as smart meters, industrial control devices or data transfer systems. The NVRAMs can be re-programmed up to 100,000 times at 35 °C and up to 10,000 times at 175 °C. NVRAM blocks generated by the compiler can retain data for up to 20 years without battery power in high temperature environments (125 °C). Innovations in the test logic integrated with the NVRAM reduce the test time by avoiding time-consuming measurements for low currents, thereby reducing production test costs.

Thomas Ramsch, Director NVM Development at X-FAB, sums up the benefits as follows: “The combination of different NVM options with high-voltage features and low-leakage properties at a low mask count make the XH018 process a highly effective, reliable and cost-efficient solution for emerging energy harvesting and IoT devices. With the introduction of these readily available silicon-qualified NVM IP, we are enabling designers to focus on bringing their products to market faster and cheaper”.

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FieldDAQ takes Time Sensitive Networking to the harshest test cell and outdoor environments.

Bangalore, December 19, 2017: National Instruments, the provider of platform-based systems that enable engineers and scientists to solve the world’s greatest engineering challenges, announced the rugged, distributed and synchronized FieldDAQ devices.

The growing sophistication of complex electromechanical systems, such as vehicles, aircraft and industrial equipment, means that validation test must become more rigorous to keep pace with innovation. The automotive industry in particular faces strict requirements from evolving government standards and rising customer expectations for new features such as advanced driver assistance. To help ensure the safety, reliability and quality of these systems, acquiring accurate data during testing is fundamental.

To meet these needs, test engineers are moving away from centralized measurement systems that can be susceptible to noise, and toward distributed measurement nodes, in which the digitization and signal conditioning occurs as close to the sensors as possible. Yet more distributed measurement topologies create new challenges. Not only must DAQ devices withstand harsh test environments, they must also acquire synchronized data over an entire system and scale and integrate seamlessly.

NI’s new FieldDAQ devices are the most rugged NI DAQ devices ever created; they can acquire accurate, reliable measurements in the most severe test cell and outdoor environments, including rain, sleet, snow or mud. FieldDAQ devices have an ingress protection rating up to IP67 (dust and water resistant), can operate in -40 °C to 85 °C environments and can sustain 100 g shock and 10 g vibration.

These rugged DAQ devices are built on the flexible and configurable hardware and software platforms that NI is known for, which sets them apart. With open and expandable FieldDAQ solutions, test engineers can keep pace with product design cycles and help reduce the overall cost of test, as opposed to the limitations of existing devices with functionality defined by closed, proprietary software.

“Due to rapid production cycles, no one test is the same,” said Mark Yeager, engineer / lead programmer at Integrated Test and Measurement. “Design engineers tweak the size, performance and efficiency of each component, so our test setups must evolve to meet these requirements. To reduce cost, we must be able to maximize hardware and software reuse, while still adapting to changing requirements.”

FieldDAQ also incorporates Time Sensitive Networking (TSN), the next evolution of the IEEE 802.1 Ethernet standard, providing extremely tight synchronization over a distributed network of DAQ nodes without additional cabling or complex programming. FieldDAQ expands the NI TSN product offering, joining Industrial Controllers, CompactDAQ and CompactRIO. Additionally, because it incorporates TSN, FieldDAQ is capable of being used with third-party TSN solutions from major industrial I/O and control vendors like Bosch Rexroth, B&R Automation and Schneider Electric.

The post FieldDAQ: A New Era in Rugged, Distributed Data Acquisition appeared first on Electronics For You.

Never has the physical fitness training been so interesting before. From visualising streets of different countries while cycling to adjusting the resistance of the bicycle, virtual reality (VR) is bringing fun and intelligence to physical activities.

Not only the VR technology but also the sensors are acting as miniature input devices to the Internet of Things (IoT) today. One such example is LeChal smart shoes, which use sensor technology to act as a navigator for the visually impaired and trekkers, minimising the use of maps and Internet connection on mobiles.

Call for input technology

From gesture recognition to speech recognition, several new input techniques have come up as strong competitors to the traditional input technology.

Barcode readers, optical mark readers, magnetic ink character recognition readers, optical character recognition readers, magnetic stripe readers, sensors and biometric devices are automatic input devices. Some sensors are passive as these need an external controller to drive them, while some are driven by mechanical principle. Some sensors need digital signal levels, while a few sensors are hybrid in nature, which can be used to drive relays or indicators.

As we move forward with the technology, there is always a need to keep improving the design part. For instance, biometric devices have evolved over the years to allow authentication based on facial recognition, voice recognition and vascular recognition. Not just biometrics, there are several other updates in the input technology.

Improved sensor technology is being used at all levels, whether at industrial scale or day-to-day life, saving time by increasing the pace of work.

VR technology for gymming (Image courtesy: httpss-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com)

Project Soli for wearables

T. Anand, co-founder and MD of Knewron Technologies, informs, “The tiny radar chip technology developed by Google in a joint venture is one of the most important upgrades in sensor technology.” The chip houses a Soli sensor and an antenna array in an 8x10mm2 package, which are managed using the haptic movement of fingers virtually.

Soli sensors can recognise 3D gestures through fingers and hands. To implement these, manufacturers have used a combination of hardware, software and algorithms. Another benefit of Soli sensors is that these hardly require a large bandwidth and high spatial resolution. Thus, the expense of setting up a high-bandwidth system can be overlooked with this 60GHz ISM-band low-power device.

Due to their low-power, low-bandwidth requirements, Soli sensors can be extensively used in wearables, cars, smartphones and IoT devices. Soli’s accuracy of tracking and sensing fractional finger movements are helping the developers at Google to build a smart development kit too. So, in the near future, you could be able to start a car just through gesture recognition by a low-power input device.

The product, jointly developed by Google and Infineon, is going to find many applications once it is released. In fact, a joint venture of LG and Google is already working on a wearable based on this technology.

Project Soli sensor (Image courtesy: httpsimage.slidesharecdn.com)

MEMS combo sensors

MEMS sensors are the heart of smartphones, enabling smart functions. Niranjan G., general manager (business development), Rohm Semiconductor Singapore, says, “As MEMS sensors consume less power, these are making their way successfully into mobile devices.”

MEMS sensors were used for microphone applications too, but it was difficult to give an input that yielded noiseless output. Industrial-grade MEMS sensors have now reached around 70dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). That means voice commands can be captured from a long distance and traced with minimal losses and interference. The higher the SNR ratio, the lower is the noise produced.

This year, the market for MEMS sensors is said to touch one billion dollars. Not just in microphones, MEMS sensors are going to play a major role in the advancement of automobiles too. For instance, the ADAS system in cars combines MEMS sensors for different functionalities such as gyroscope, accelerometer and speedometer in one place. Thus, smart use of combo MEMS sensors has simplified large boards with different applications and cut down manufacturing costs.

Last year, Tesla announced the use of sensors for its complete electric car solution. Similarly, the market is said to beam up with Lidar sensor technology, which is specially developed for image processing by cameras in automobiles.

Lenovo, Motorola and Xiaomi are among the key customers of combo MEMS sensors.

Go wireless with Wi-Sun

Smart cities and industries will use the IoT, which will be primarily wireless based. Sensors deployed for various applications will sum up to form a wireless system. So wireless sensors are enablers for the IoT and the Industrial IoT (IIoT).

The post Embracing The New Input Technology appeared first on Electronics For You.

In this video, the presenter is going to show you how to create a USB to Female pin header cable to power your electronics circuits/DIYs/Projects with a power bank.

Courtesy: RimstarOrg

The post Constructing Your Own USB Power Cable appeared first on Electronics For You.

TRACO POWER has announced the release of their THM 15WI family of medical 15 Watt DC/DC converters with ultra-wide 4:1 input range measuring 1.6 x 1.0 x 0.4” footprint. The THM 15WI Series are a reliable solution not only for medical equipment but also for demanding ITE applications such as transportation, control & measurement or IGBT drivers.

These 15 watt DC-DC converters provide reinforced insulation with high isolation of 5,000VACrms (250VACrms working voltage) and low leakage < 2.5uA. All models are certified to IEC/EN/ES 60601-1 3rd Edition for 2xMOPP compliance and are suitable for BF rated applications. The series consists of 14 models offering either 9~36 or 18~75Vin and outputs of 5 / 12 / 15 / 24 / ±5 / ±12 / ±15 V. Features include: extended -40 to +85C operating ambient temperature range (derate above +65C); efficiencies up to 89.5%; +/- 10% voltage trim range; EMC compliance to IEC60601-1 4th edition and EN55032 Class A; operating altitude up to 5000m; under-voltage lock-out; overload protection; and short-circuit protection. All models are manufactured per ISO 14971, ISO 13485 and manufactured according to IPC-A-610 Level 3 standards and backed by a warranty of 5 Years.

Products are in stock and available through the TRACO POWER global distribution network with manufacturing lead times of 9-10 weeks.

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