SGET embedded standardisation gets underway
After its launch last year, 23 companies immediately signed up for the SGET Standardization Group for Embedded Technologies and since then, about half a dozen more companies have joined the group, all of them from Taiwan, China and India. The SGET Board has also been talking to numerous interested companies who have signaled a clear intention of joining in the near future. The organisation has a number of working groups, the first of which is working on the ULP-COM ARM module concept, covering the specification and branding of the module standard, development of a design guide, API implementation and expandable functionality to account for new market needs. The Qseven development from congatec has led to the formation of SDT2.0 workgroup. This has adopted the current Qseven Revision 2.0 with a design guide. It is also working on a new revision to integrate new interfaces and a 'feature connector', for instance for camera interfaces.
Electronics Engineer, Jan. 2013. http://tinyurl.com/bbfkr7o
Living in a material world...
An online search for electrical enclosures shows that there are many options and variations available in today's market. There is a multitude of apparent choices for material and each seems to offer unique benefits and features. Says that it can be hard to pin down the enclosure type that is best for an application, both in terms of performance and cost. Asks what are the key considerations when specifying an enclosure's construction material and how can one be sure that the products chosen will meet the application's requirements? Says that the first, and most fundamental, choice is metal or plastic.
Electronics Engineer, Jan. 2013. http://tinyurl.com/b9aytqt
Isolated gate driving and fault sensing
High-power industrial applications such as solar power inverters, motor drives and uninterruptible power supplies need a gate driver optocoupler with high performance and critical protection features. To meet this need, Fairchild Semiconductor has developed the FOD8316 smart gate driver optocoupler, an advanced 2.5A output current IGBT drive optocoupler. The FOD8316 optocoupler offers the necessary protection for preventing fault conditions that lead to destructive thermal runaways of IGBTs. This new product family is comprised of high-speed isolated feedback for fault sensing and is suited for driving fast-switching power IGBTs and MOSFETs. The device consists of an integrated gate drive optocoupler featuring low RDS(ON) CMOS transistors to drive the IGBT from rail-to-rail.
Electronics Engineer, Jan. 2013. http://tinyurl.com/bbj7yjf
Sensor withstands harsh industrial environments
Reports that Gill Sensors has launched the new Blade20 non-contact position sensor, which has been developed in response to customer demand for a smaller, faster and higher resolution position sensor that can withstand harsh industrial environments in applications such as process control machinery, materials handling equipment and robotic systems. The Blade20 features Gill’s patented induction technology principle and represents a significant breakthrough in position sensing, with a single product allowing the measurement of linear and shallow-arc motion as well as long-stroke measurement with a single micro sensor. With a fast update rate for quick positional feedback, it is suitable for a wide range of applications that require fast and accurate position measurement in a dusty or dirty environment.
Electronics Engineer, Jan. 2013. http://tinyurl.com/byouvf3
Harness energy at the press of a button
Details EnOcean's PTM 215, the first energy harvesting switch module integrating rolling code, which offers data encryption for secure wireless communication in smart home, security access control systems and other critical applications. The EnOcean PTM 215 module creates a 16 bit rolling code for each wireless telegram. The telegram header, telegram data and current rolling code in turn form the basis for generating a 24 bit message authentication code. The receiving system can use this code to check the authenticity of the data package. The self-powered switch module harvests the energy it needs for generating the rolling code telegram and the wireless transmission with the help of the ECO 200 mechanical energy converter. EnOcean has also expanded its DolphinAPI function library with new data decryption and encryption functions to enable easy and fast integration of security features in existing OEM Dolphin-based products.
Electronics Engineer, Jan. 2013. http://tinyurl.com/av569xm
Miniaturised pressure sensors could improve medical implants
As micro-electromechanical system pressure sensors are made smaller, simultaneously achieving high sensor stability and sensitivity becomes increasingly more difficult. However, a research team from Singapore and South Korea has now overcome this technical challenge by producing a miniaturised sensor that couples a key component - a stable diaphragm - with sensitive silicon nanowires. By combining and optimising three forms of silicon, the team was able to develop an MEMS pressure sensor that is operationally robust, and shows promise for use in robotic surgery. The team’s main aim now is to realise an implantable miniaturised medical device.
Qmed Daily Europe, 9 Jan. 2013. http://tinyurl.com/b6l8f5h
Sensor withstands harsh industrial environments
Reports that Gill Sensors has launched the new Blade20 non-contact position sensor, which has been developed in response to customer demand for a smaller, faster and higher resolution position sensor that can withstand harsh industrial environments in applications such as process control machinery, materials handling equipment and robotic systems. The Blade20 features Gill’s patented induction technology principle and represents a significant breakthrough in position sensing, with a single product allowing the measurement of linear and shallow-arc motion as well as long-stroke measurement with a single micro sensor. With a fast update rate for quick positional feedback, it is suitable for a wide range of applications that require fast and accurate position measurement in a dusty or dirty environment.
Electronics Engineer, Jan. 2013. http://tinyurl.com/byouvf3
