A WORD FROM THE TOP

Amplifiers are the hidden heroes of any system

We often take for granted that amplifiers can handle any input signal voltage ranging from microvolts to beyond the power supplies, operate on almost any voltage, and output a signal that can drive the following stage.
At the same time, the amplifier must protect the system from anything that could be connected to the input purposely or accidentally. They might not be as sexy as the latest MEMS gyro or A/D converter, but amplifiers perform real and necessary functions in most electronic systems. Because of this near ubiquity, they are particularly good bellwethers of industry trends. Two key trends that have been steadily growing for years, and are poised to gain significant momentum in 2012, are the migration towards zero-drift capability and the much-greater range of voltages that will be seen at the supplies and the inputs....read more.

Steve Sockolov
Director, Linear and RF Core Marketing, Analog Devices

Thermocouple data logger for temperature ranges from -200 to 1350°C

PSE, distributor of Tinytag data loggers, has launched the TGU-4550 Tinytag Ultra 2 thermocouple data logger, offering all the recognised benefits of thermocouple temperature monitoring, fast response, versatility, cost-effectiveness and ease of use. The unit supports the most popular thermocouples types – K, J, T and N – providing monitoring for temperature ranges from -200°C to 1350°C, depending on the type being used. ...read more

 

4-20-mA output Hall Effect precision sensors offer 12-bit resolution

API Technologies Corp. has introduced a new output option for the company’s Spectrum Sensors line of H009 Hall Effect Position Sensors. The new 4-20 mA output option joins the existing H009 series with Analog, PWR, and Serial output options. ...read more

AMR angle sensor targets brushless DC motor control

NXP Semiconductors has announced the industry's first magnetoresistive angle sensor with integrated amplifier IC. The KMZ60 uses AMR technology (AMR: anisotropic magnetoresistive) and is designed as a low cost, high-performance control device for brushless DC motor (BLDC) commutation. NXP expects that this new sensor will drive uptake of BLDC motor-based applications, particularly in the automotive sector. ...read more

 

 

3-axis digital gyroscope measures 3x3.5x1mm

STMicroelectronics has expanded its motion-sensing portfolio with the addition of what the company claims to be the market's smallest three-axis digital-output gyroscope. About half the size of current-generation sensors, the L3G3200D measures 3x3.5x1mm and exhibits excellent robustness and immunity to mechanical stress. ...read more

 

Safety light curtains feature integral muting for flexible protection

Banner Engineering's EZ-Screen safety light curtains feature integral muting for flexible protection. Designed for use on smaller production machines, low-profile safety light curtains provide optimal performance in compact spaces, yet are robust enough for large power presses. The integral muting models provide increased mounting flexibility, hookup options and additional functionality–all at a lower cost. ...read more

 

 

USB thermometer probes offer 0.1°C resolution at ±0.5°C accuracy

Distributed by Priggen Special Electronic, this series of 7 precision USB thermometers, made by ETI/UK offers an inexpensive possibility to measure and record temperatures by means of a Computer or of a PDA. A precision NTC thermistor is combined with a 16-bit analogue to digital converter and a simple USB communication interface to capture real-time temperature data. ...read more

 

 

For more companies with products in the Sensors & Conditioning market
- click here

TOP

Multimodal and simultaneous biometric authentication goes mobile

Swiss company Biometry has launched a multimodal and simultaneous biometric authentication technology that can run on multiple platforms, including camera phones and webcam-equipped laptop computers. The MobiComBiom (Mobile Communication Biometrics) software guarantees unique user authentication by requesting four authentication processes, biometric face recognition (through the mobile's built-in camera), biometric voice recognition, recognition of biometric lip movement, and word recognition, simultaneously with randomly generated numerals (random challenge response or one-time password) for the user to pronounce. ...read more

 

SecuRead NFC chip now supports HID global' iCLASS credentials digital keys

Inside Secure’s SecuRead NFC solution is now securing and powering the HID Global iCLASS digital keys and mobile secure identity feature available on multiple new NFC-enabled smartphones. Since the establishment of its partnership with HID in 2001, Inside Secure has been the supplier of semiconductor components for HID iCLASS credentials, and all Inside Secure NFC products are now supporting the HID iCLASS command set and protocol necessary to communicate with iCLASS readers. ...read more

 

Low-power fingerprint sensor targets mobile devices

The U.are.U 5100 fingerprint module is an optical, touch-style fingerprint sensor specifically tailored to fit the unique form-factor, power, usability and durability requirements of mobile devices. It makes high-efficiency, standards-compliant biometrics practical for handheld ID terminals and other devices used in Civil ID applications such as voting, benefits-checking and micro-finance. It draws less than 110mA in scanning mode and around 50mA in idle mode. ...read more

 

Re-inventing smart cards with agnostic PKI middleware

A provider of agnostic PKI middleware, Charismathics announced iEnigma for BlackBerry, porting the smart phone application to the large market of mobile handsets of the Canadian phone maker RIM. iEnigma fully turns the smart phone into a smart card and avoids investments in smart card readers, expensive USB keys or other hardware by a simple Bluetooth connection. It ensures security for both the computer, and also supports the remote use of the applications that reside on the smart phone itself.
...read more

 

For more companies with products in the Authentication & Encryption market - click here

TOP

Graphics-capable HMI with 4.3" large TFT display

The BTM 012 graphics-capable HMI from Jetter is a 4.3" large TFT display specifically designed for vehicles and mobile machines used in harsh environments. It complies with the applicable safety requirements as to ambient temperatures, shock, vibration, electromagnetic compatibility and tightness (IP65 front panel). The night design serves for safely operating the device at night. ...read more

 

Multitouch open frame monitor for industrial and commercial user interfaces

The Touch-dX family of medium-sized, robust, open frame monitors from andersDX bring high-accuracy, responsive multi-touch performance to industrial and commercial user interfaces ranging from kiosks and point-of-sale systems to industrial process control, ATMs and gaming. Leveraging patented optical tracking ShadowSense technology, this plug-and-play monitor family offers up to five touch points and is mechanically compatible with ELO Touchsystems open frame monitors.
...read more

Memory LCD line up draw less than 1% of the power required by conventional TFT LCDs

Sharp Microelectronics has now expanded its portfolio of ultra-low power displays with the addition of three new models including the 4.4" (11.09 cm) LS044Q7DH01, the LS012B4DG01 (1.17" diagonal) and the LS013B7DH03 (1.28" diagonal). The 4.4" unit has a QVGA resolution of 320x240 pixels, a high level of reflectivity of 17.5% and a viewing angle of 120° in all directions for good readability, even with very low ambient lighting. ...read more

Super bright 19” TFT LCDs deliver 1500cd/m-square for industrial applicationsF

Optrex America has introduced three super bright TFT LCDs designed for use in outdoor environments, including direct sunlight and other high-ambient-light environments, such as a brightly lit factory floor, where the display has to be readable at all times in any environment over a wide temperature range. ...read more

 

 

For more companies with products in the Displays & Interfaces market - click here

TOP

Affordable table-top digital X-ray inspection system for every production

The Stingray table-top digital X-ray inspection from Essemtec is easy to use and set up. The affordable instrument is suitable for measurement and inspection in electronics production, incoming goods departments or process laboratories. The measuring chamber is easily accessible from the front and a cross laser mark helps the operator to position the test sample. X-ray images can be obtained in a matter of seconds. The digital X-ray film measures 36.5x25.8mm with a resolution of 1916x1358 pixels. ...read more

 

First integrated tool for full system thermal characterization and analysis

Mentor Graphics has launched the industry’s first JESD51-14 compliant technology for thermal characterization and simulation. With the combination of the T3Ster hardware test products and FloTHERM software, designers working on subsystems and systems using information for LED, semiconductor, and package components can use complex thermal analysis software to help accelerate the design of their products. ...read more

1.3 megapixel USB 3.0 cameras deliver 120 frames per second

The FL3-U3-13S2 Flea3 USB 3.0 camera models from Point Grey are based on monochrome and color versions of the Sony IMX035, a high-quality CMOS sensor capable of generating 1.3 megapixel (1328x1024) images at 120 frames per second. The IMX035 uses Sony's Exmor technology, which combines the speed of CMOS with advanced-quality image sensor technologies accumulated through the development of CCDs. ...read more

 

 

Clear-glass LED lamps offer light similar to incandescent bulb

Austrian LED technology vendor Seitz Smart Technologies has introduced a 7-W LED lamp with clear glass, generating a warm light similar to the one emitted by incandescent bulbs. The product is the first of a family with higher wattage.
Thanks to the clear glass body and the punctiform light source, the 16east LED lamps from Seitz Smart Technologies are suited for use in clusters where multi-faceted light is essential. The company quotes an expert for lighting measurements saying that the small dimension of the active light source inside a clear glass casing enables a "brilliant" light which is not possible with standard LED lamps with matt surface. Other features include 300 degrees lighting angle, 2700 K color temperature, and a natural color change when dimmed. ...read more

 

 

For more companies with products in the Optoelectronics market - click here

TOP

Microsemi Launches v10.0 of its Libero SoC Integrated Design Environment

Microsemi has launched version 10.0 of its Libero SoC integrated development environment. The new version includes improved ease-of-use, increased integration of the embedded design flow and a "pushbutton" design capability for its embedded ARM processor and flash-based field programmable gate array (FPGA) SmartFusion devices. ...read more

 

Xilinx ships the first parts in its Zynq-7000 extensible processing platform

Xilinx has demonstrated its Zynq-7000 Extensible Processing Platform (EPP) for the first time as it starts shipping devices to customers. The platform combines 28nm FPGA fabric with a dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore processing system, with the 30K logic cell Zynq-7000 EPP shown running a Linux-based application. ...read more

Hard IP in FPGA brings high speed SERDES into the mainstream

A new family of FPGAs from Lattice Semiconductor aims to bring high speed, 6Bgit.s SERDES into the mainstream with low cost devices. The 65nm Lattice ECP4 family uses low cost wire-bond packages and adds DSP Blocks and hard IP-based Communication Engines for cost- and power-sensitive wireless, wireline, video, and computing markets. ...read more

 

Standalone controller IP for the Controller Area Network

Digital Core Design has developed a standalone controller IP for the Controller Area Network which is commonly used in automotive and industrial applications. The DCAN core conforms to Bosch CAN 2.0B specification (2.0B Active). It features a simple CPU interface (8/16/32 bit configurable data width), with little or big endian addressing scheme. ...read more

 

 

For more companies with products in the PLDs/FPGAs/ASICs market - click here

TOP

Telemetry repeater for wireless instrumentation with a range up to 200m

Mantracourt's wireless active repeater is a module that allows wireless instrumentation transmission to span around obstacles such as buildings or walls as well as increasing range. The repeater acts as a transparent link between Mantracourt’s T24 Acquisition modules and a base station or a handheld display. The active repeater was originally developed to achieve greater coverage for wireless load cell technology in the construction sector. ...read more

 

COTS-based and pre-integrated LTE base station with EPC simulator and eNodeB software

Interphase Corporation and Signalion GmbH have announced a complete LTE development system based upon the Interphase iSPAN 36701 Wireless Base Station AdvancedMC (AMC) and the Signalion SDR wide-range radio frequency (RF) AMC-SRRM. The complete eNodeB development system provides a COTS-based and pre-integrated LTE base station, an EPC simulator, eNodeB software up to Layer 3, and now the Signalion tunable RF AMC, available together for the first time. ...read more

 

3-feed antenna for operator-independent LTE global roaming

Pulse Electronics announced a 3-feed antenna that enables operator-independent global roaming capability for LTE mobile devices. Compatible with EPCOS RF front-end module (FEM) technology, it is the only antenna that has been proven to support 16 frequency bands, including Japanese frequency bands in the 1.5 GHz range, claims the manufacturer. ...read more

 

SDR provides new method for testing advanced wireless systems

Agilent Technologies is using a software defined radio transceiver from UK startup Lime Microsystems in Fleet in a new test system that it believes provides a new method for testing and evaluating advanced wireless systems. ...read more

 

 

For more companies with products in the RF & Microwave market - click here

TOP

AirMagnet Spectrum XT raises bar for WLAN interference identification and classification

AirMagnet Spectrum XT from Fluke Networks in its latest incarnation provides breakthrough interference identification and classification capabilities, simplifying wireless LAN (WLAN) engineers' efforts to track down devices that are blocking enterprise WLANs from operating properly. ...read more

 

Moveable ground pin in QFP test & burn-in socket

Yamaichi Electronics introduced a moveable ground pin for its Open Top socket series IC357 for QFP type IC packages with exposed pad in test & burn-in applications. Equipment used in today's modern life is taking over more and more 'smart’ functionalities that lead to a continuously increasing amount of embedded electronic components. At the same time, the trend for more compactness let IC packages become denser than ever. ...read more

High voltage probes address new power measurement demands

Tektronix has unveiled four high-voltage probes and upgrades to three existing probe offerings. The company claims that no high voltage probes on the market today can match the combination of bandwidth, dynamic range and input impedance characteristics provided by the THDP, TMDP and P52XXA series probes. ...read more

 

Compact pneumatic switch probe for mechanical positional testing

The P499-F pneumatic microswitch probe from the Peak Group is designed for the mechanical position detection of a device under test in situations where space is limited. The probe incorporates a pneumatically operated plunger and an integrated switch function which carries out an “off/on/off” operating sequence. ...read more

 

 

For more companies with products in the Test & Measurement market
- click here

TOP

About

About - Listing the editors choice of the best articles in the electronics market, TES The Electronic Supplier E-Zine is distributed the last week of every month to the leading decision makers in the electronics industry.

Subscribe - To receive your own copy simply, click here, and complete your details.
TES The Electronic Supplier E-Zine is available at no charge to qualified readers.

Contact - if you have views, opinons or comments or editoral that you would like to submit, we would be delighted to hear from you - click here.

Next Issue - to be mailed on 26th January, with editorial sections covering - Analog & Mixed Signal ICs, MPUs/MCUs, Passive Components, Power Components, Production, Sensors & Conditioning and a Special Focus on Boards & Embedded Cards. For more information on the next issue - click here.

TOP