ED_Electronic Design Update_: UL Expands Global Role In Product Certification
Electronic Design UPDATE e-Newsletter | April 23, 2008
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Learn how to automate your test system using solid state switches This application note from Agilent provides a complete overview of FET, PIN diode, and hybrid solid-state switches. It discusses the features of each type of switch, which specifications to consider and why, and gives application examples. To learn more and download the note, click here.
editor's view |
UL Expands Global Role In Product Certification
By Ron Schneiderman, Contributing Editor
Like pretty much everyone else in the world of commerce, Underwriters Laboratories (UL) is moving aggressively to expand its operations globally, most recently becoming the first organization to provide third-party product certification to Mexico. In fact, the group has issued its first Normas Oficiales Mexicanas (NOM) marks to global electronics manufacturing customers entering the Mexican market.
In past columns, I’ve talked about how “green solutionsâ€쳌 and a sense of urgency about climate change can be the calling that will motivate more young students to become engineers. One exciting incubator for new clean technologies, and for students finding great opportunities in the field, is Colorado State University. Engineering TV recently visited CSU’s Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory where I was blown away by both the exciting research projects and the fantastic opportunities for young engineers.
Webinar: Wireless Sensor Networks: A Survey Of Design Options Presented by Winland Electronics April 30 @ 2pm ET
Developing a wireless sensor network can be an awesome challenge or a simple matter of picking the right module, depending on who you ask. Off-the-shelf solutions have certain advantages, but may not be the best overall solution to your problem. Homegrown or custom solutions can be designed to overcome specific challenges, so they can be critical for certain projects. Learn more about the technical pros and cons of both options in this live course. Click here to register.
ESC 2008
The Embedded Systems Conference hit San Diego last week, and it was be even better than last year's—despite the downturn in the economy. Not even flagging home sales could deter the number of announcements and new products. Come check out the highlights , exclusive commentary, and footage from the show. Click here to view our Web page
International Electronics Forum Asks, "Revolution Or Evolution?"
The International Electronics Forum (IEF) has established itself is an event for senior-level personnel who need to understand the way the semiconductor industry sees the future unfolding. Future Horizons, a global semiconductor analyst company, is hosting the 17th IEF under the auspices of the Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority at the Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, May 7-9, 2008. The theme of this year’s conference is "Revolution or Evolution."
Embarking as the lowest-power, large-memory 16-bit USB OTG MCUs to date, the 12 Member PIC24FJ256GB1 family specifies a 2.6-µA standby current and packs up to 256 KB of flash memory and 16 Kbytes of RAM. The devices also include the charge time measurement unit peripheral along with the royalty-free mTouch sensing software development kit, which will allow designers to add a capacitive-touch user interface without any external components.
Technology Editor Bill Wong paid a visit to Robobusiness, the robotics gala held in Pittsburgh earlier this month. Read up on his impressions and some of his favorites from the exhibition.
Agilent's 34405A 5 1/2 digit benchtop digital multimeter provides more capabilities at a value price
When higher capabilities and lower costs are your priorities, the Agilent 34405A digital multimeter is an obvious answer. With 16 measurement functions, including temperature and capacitance, a dual display, and an easy to use USB 2.0 interface give you all the tools you need. Click here to learn more or watch a flash demo.
Engineering TV |
Clean Cookstoves
Colorado State's Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory (EECL) is actively working with Envirofit International to design low-cost, high-performance cookstoves for the developing world. Indoor air pollution from cookstoves causes over 1.5 million premature deaths each year. Through support from the Shell Foundation, the EECL and Envirofit plan to disseminate 10 million improved cookstoves around the world in the next 5 years.
Scope Targets Mixed-Signal Embedded Designs With Serial Interfaces
Virtually all electronics products incorporate at least one embedded controller. Many have several processors. Low-cost controllers are getting faster, and more of them incorporate analog signal processing circuits as well. Furthermore, these new designs invariably use one or more of the popular serial communications interfaces.
Digital Delay/Pulse Generator Provides Ultimate Test Flexibility
When testing your digital system design, you often need a unique test signal input of a specific pulse rate and width. Or, you need some kind of special trigger, sync, or delay feature. You often have to build this special test setup yourself, but now you don’t have to.
If you’re developing Wi-Fi or WiMAX equipment with multiple-input/multiple-output (MIMO), you have a test problem. To ensure your new products meet the needs of your customers and comply with the standards organization’s test procedures, you need a way to subject the product to MIMO signals. That’s no easy task, especially if you’re testing 4-by-4 MIMO products.
Instruments Offer Fully Synchronized Data Acquisition Over Ethernet
A key problem in data acquisition is acquiring data from many points spaced over a wide area. In industrial settings like large factories and mills, tall buildings, oil rigs, and large ships, sensors are widely spaced, making it difficult to correlate samples over time. Some method is needed to synchronize many channels to take the guesswork out of data interpretation.
Advanced Powering Solutions for Low-Power Wireless
You can learn about state-of-the art commercial advances in Energy Harvesting and Power Management solutions for low-power wireless networks at the Second Annual nanoPower Forum (nPF ’08). Session topics will include: Thin-Film Batteries - Harvesting Thermal Energy - Kinetic Energy Harvesting - Low-Power System Architectures - System Integration Issues - Energy Harvesting Components - And more. You can also attend the post-conference seminar on “Designing for Ultra-Low-Power Wireless Sensor Applications, Powered by Energy Harvesting.â€쳌
Our editors have been busy! Come read their commentaries and check out exclusive videos from ESC, CTIA, Mobile World Congress, APEC, and Embedded World exhibitions and see the technology of tomorrow from major players in the electronics industry.
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