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More Stego enclosure heater options from AutomationDirect

Automation-Direct has added more Stego enclosure heaters to their Enclosure Thermal Management lineup. These new 120 to 240 VAC/VDC units include small, flat versions that distribute heat evenly within compact enclosures and are available with 8- or 10-W heating capacities. Also added are compact loop heaters that feature a patented loop body design for increased natural convection airflow, reduced thermal stress on the heater, and better heat transfer. Loop heaters are available in 10- to 150-W heating capacities.
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Great design: Handle with integrated lighting/signaling

Signaling and indicator lights, switches, and buttons -- elements that hardly any machine can do without. The new JW Winco cabinet U-handle EN 6284 integrates all these functions into a single, compact element. The new U-handle is designed to enhance the operation of systems and machines. It features an integrated button and a large, colored, backlit area on the back of the handle. These elements can be used individually or in combination, providing a versatile tool for system control and process monitoring that can be seen from across the room.
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Engineer's Toolbox: What is ground loop feedback?

Improper grounding can create problems in data logging, data acquisition, and measurement and control systems. One of the most common problems is known as ground loop feedback. Experts at CAS DataLoggers run through five ways to eliminate this problem.
Read the full article.

AI development kit for multi-camera products

The QCS6490 Vision-AI Development Kit from Avnet enables engineering teams to rapidly prototype hardware, application software, and AI enablement for multi-camera, high-performance, Edge AI-enabled custom embedded products. The kit facilitates design with the new, energy-efficient MSC SM2S-QCS6490 SMARC compute module based on the Qualcomm QCS6490 processor. Provides support for up to four MIPI CSI cameras and concurrent Mini DisplayPort and MIPI DSI displays.
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High-temp cabinet cooler keeps incineration process in business

An EXAIR client company handles waste treatment on a large ship by operating an incinerator. The area where the incinerator is located gets very hot (over 120° F). This causes failures in the electronics package used to control the incineration process. Since compressed air is readily available, EXAIR's Model HT4225 Cabinet Cooler System is being used to keep the panel cool. It saved the customer from having to replace their control units due to the hot conditions in the incinerator room. Thermostat control is also available, conserving air and operating only when needed to minimize air consumption.
Learn about EXAIR's huge selection of Cabinet Coolers.

Compact snap-in capacitors for general-purpose applications

TDK's new EPCOS B43659 series of snap-in aluminum electrolytic capacitors is the next generation of ultra-compact, general-purpose components for voltages of 450 V (DC) featuring an extremely high CV product. It provides the same features and serves the same applications as the previous series but is much more compact. These RoHS-compliant capacitors can be used in a wide range of applications, such as switched-mode power supplies, frequency converters, UPS, medical equipment, and solar inverters.
Get all the specs.

Conductive Brush Ring overcomes current leakage in EV powertrains

SKF's new Conductive Brush Ring paves the way to greater reliability and longer life in high-performance electric vehicle powertrain systems. Using pure carbon fiber bristles, it provides a reliable electrical connection between an EV eAxle rotor shaft and its housing. When used in combination with SKF Hybrid ceramic ball bearings, it helps to alleviate parasitic current effects that can lead to premature failure in bearings and other components. Available in different configurations for wet (oil-lubricated) motor designs -- and soon for dry (sealed) applications.
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Intro to reed switches, magnets, magnetic fields

This brief introductory video on the DigiKey site offers tips for engineers designing with reed switches. Dr. Stephen Day, Ph.D. from Coto Technology gives a solid overview on reed switches -- complete with real-world application examples -- and a detailed explanation of how they react to magnetic fields.
View the video.

Bi-color LEDs to light up your designs

Created with engineers and OEMs in mind, SpectraBright Series SMD RGB and Bi-Color LEDs from Visual Communi-cations Company (VCC) deliver efficiency, design flexibility, and control for devices in a range of industries, including mil-aero, automated guided vehicles, EV charging stations, industrial, telecom, IoT/smart home, and medical. These 50,000-hr bi-color and RGB options save money and space on the HMI, communicating two or three operating modes in a single component.
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All about slip rings: How they work and their uses

Rotary Systems has put together a really nice basic primer on slip rings -- electrical collectors that carry a current from a stationary wire into a rotating device. Common uses are for power, proximity switches, strain gauges, video, and Ethernet signal transmission. This introduction also covers how to specify, assembly types, and interface requirements. Rotary Systems also manufactures rotary unions for fluid applications.
Read the overview.

Seifert thermoelectric coolers from AutomationDirect

Automation-Direct has added new high-quality and efficient stainless steel Seifert 340 BTU/H thermoelectric coolers with 120-V and 230-V power options. Thermoelectric coolers from Seifert use the Peltier Effect to create a temperature difference between the internal and ambient heat sinks, making internal air cooler while dissipating heat into the external environment. Fans assist the convective heat transfer from the heat sinks, which are optimized for maximum flow.
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EMI shielding honeycomb air vent panel design

Learn from the engineering experts at Parker how honeycomb air vent panels are used to help cool electronics with airflow while maintaining electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding. Topics include: design features, cell size and thickness, platings and coatings, and a stacked design called OMNI CELL construction. These vents can be incorporated into enclosures where EMI radiation and susceptibility is a concern or where heat dissipation is necessary. Lots of good info.
Read the Parker blog.

What is 3D-MID? Molded parts with integrated electronics from HARTING

3D-MID (three-dimensional mechatronic integrated devices) technology combines electronic and mechanical functionalities into a single, 3D component. It replaces the traditional printed circuit board and opens up many new opportunities. It takes injection-molded parts and uses laser-direct structuring to etch areas of conductor structures, which are filled with a copper plating process to create very precise electronic circuits. HARTING, the technology's developer, says it's "Like a PCB, but 3D." Tons of possibilities.
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Loss-free conversion of 3D/CAD data

CT CoreTech-nologie has further developed its state-of-the-art CAD converter 3D_Evolution and is now introducing native interfaces for reading Solidedge and writing Nx and Solidworks files. It supports a wide range of formats such as Catia, Nx, Creo, Solidworks, Solidedge, Inventor, Step, and Jt, facilitating smooth interoperability between different systems and collaboration for engineers and designers in development environments with different CAD systems.
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Top 5 reasons for solder joint failure

Solder joint reliability is often a pain point in the design of an electronic system. According to Tyler Ferris at ANSYS, a wide variety of factors affect joint reliability, and any one of them can drastically reduce joint lifetime. Properly identifying and mitigating potential causes during the design and manufacturing process can prevent costly and difficult-to-solve problems later in a product lifecycle.
Read this informative ANSYS blog.

New miniaturized optical breakthrough unlocks high-speed wireless comms anywhere

In a world that relies on high-speed internet and seamless communication, the absence of a reliable fiber connection can be a significant hurdle. Fortunately, a cutting-edge technology known as free-space optical communication (FSO) offers a flexible solution for field-deployable, high-speed wireless communication in areas where fiber connections are unavailable.

FSO has garnered attention for its versatility across various scales of operation. On a global level, it plays a crucial role in establishing high-speed satellite internet projects like Starlink, ensuring global connectivity. At the ground level, particularly in low-altitude scenarios, FSO shines as an attractive option for last-mile connections, disaster recovery efforts, and military communications.

Miniaturizing an FSO system
In a significant technological leap, researchers from Nanjing University (NJU) in China have developed a miniaturized FSO system that promises to revolutionize high-speed wireless communication. As reported in the Gold Open Access journal Advanced Photonics Nexus (APNexus), this system achieved an astonishing communication bandwidth of 9.16 gigabytes per second (Gbps) over a 1-kilometer (km) link. What sets it apart is that it accomplishes such high FSO performance using readily available commercial fiber optical communication transceiver modules (no need for optical amplification).

A free-space optical communication experiment involves a pair of FSO devices with one (Alice) fixed on the top floor of a building, while the other (Bob) is loaded on a radio-controlled electric vehicle so that it can move around to vary the distance of the FSO link nodes. [Image credit: Liu, Zhang, et al., doi 10.1117/1.APN.2.6.065001]

 

 

 

 

The core of this miniaturized FSO system comprises a pair of FSO devices. Each FSO device is compact, measuring just 45 cm × 40 cm × 35 cm, with a weight of 9.5 kilograms and a power consumption of approximately 10 watts. Each houses an optical transceiver module; an acquisition, pointing, and tracking (APT) device; and its control electronics, all safely sealed within a box for rugged outdoor operation. The APT device stands out with its low-diffraction optical design and a highly efficient four-stage closed-loop feedback control system.

The FSO system exhibits remarkable tracking capabilities through the integration of multiple sensors and sophisticated algorithms, which enable automatic, fast, and highly accurate acquisition and fine tracking in just 10 minutes. This precision keeps the tracking error within an impressive 3 microradians (µrad), resulting in a low average link loss of just 13.7 decibels (dB) over the 1-km link. Such precision also eliminates the need for optical amplification. Remarkably, the FSO system can achieve bidirectional data rates averaging 9.27 Gbps over the 1-km link using only commercial transceiver modules.

According to Zhenda Xie, professor at the NJU School of Electronic Science and Engineering and corresponding author for the APNexus article, "This work highlights the potential for achieving FSO using commercially available fiber optical transceiver modules." Xie notes that the effective distance of 1 km may be extended; his team also tested the optical links at up to 4 km, where the average loss increased to 18 dB -- likely due to a foggy test environment. "With better weather conditions and optical amplification, longer FSO can be expected," Xie says.

The implications of this achievement could have profound possibilities. This miniaturized FSO breakthrough unlocks the potential for high-speed wireless communication virtually anywhere, making connectivity happen even in the most challenging environments. The devices are set to play a pivotal role in the future of FSO networks, offering plug-and-play configurations that can establish high-speed FSO channels in minutes. This innovation addresses the growing need for field-deployable, high-speed wireless communication solutions, bridging the connectivity gap in a world where staying connected is more critical than ever.

For details, read the Gold Open Access article by Liu, Zhang, et al., "High-speed free-space optical communication using standard fiber communication components without optical amplification," in Advanced Photonics Nexus.

Source: SPIE, the International Society for Optics and Photonics

Published October 2023

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