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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.
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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.
Learn more.

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.

Advanced overtemp detection for EV battery packs

Littelfuse has introduced TTape, a ground-breaking over-temperature detection platform designed to transform the management of Li-ion battery systems. TTape helps vehicle systems monitor and manage premature cell aging effectively while reducing the risks associated with thermal runaway incidents. This solution is ideally suited for a wide range of applications, including automotive EV/HEVs, commercial vehicles, and energy storage systems.
Learn more.

Benchtop ionizer for hands-free static elimination

EXAIR's Varistat Benchtop Ionizer is the latest solution for neutralizing static on charged surfaces in industrial settings. Using ionizing technology, the Varistat provides a hands-free solution that requires no compressed air. Easily mounted on benchtops or machines, it is manually adjustable and perfect for processes needing comprehensive coverage such as part assembly, web cleaning, printing, and more.
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LED light bars from AutomationDirect

Automation-Direct adds CCEA TRACK-ALPHA-PRO series LED light bars to expand their offering of industrial LED fixtures. Their rugged industrial-grade anodized aluminum construction makes TRACKALPHA-PRO ideal for use with medium to large-size industrial machine tools and for use in wet environments. These 120 VAC-rated, high-power LED lights provide intense, uniform lighting, with up to a 4,600-lumen output (100 lumens per watt). They come with a standard bracket mount that allows for angle adjustments. Optional TACLIP mounts (sold separately) provide for extra sturdy, vibration-resistant installations.
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World's first metalens fisheye camera

2Pi Optics has begun commercial-ization of the first fisheye camera based on the company's proprietary metalens technology -- a breakthrough for electronics design engineers and product managers striving to miniaturize the tiny digital cameras used in advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), AR/VR, UAVs, robotics, and other industrial applications. This camera can operate at different wavelengths -- from visible, to near IR, to longer IR -- and is claimed to "outperform conventional refractive, wide-FOV optics in all areas: size, weight, performance, and cost."
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Orbex offers two fiber optic rotary joint solutions

Orbex Group announces its 700 Series of fiber optic rotary joint (FORJ) assemblies, supporting either single or multi-mode operation ideal for high-speed digital transmission over long distances. Wavelengths available are 1,310 or 1,550 nm. Applications include marine cable reels, wind turbines, robotics, and high-def video transmission. Both options feature an outer diameter of 7 mm for installation in tight spaces. Construction includes a stainless steel housing.
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Mini tunnel magneto-resistance effect sensors

Littelfuse has released its highly anticipated 54100 and 54140 mini Tunnel Magneto-Resistance (TMR) effect sensors, offering unmatched sensitivity and power efficiency. The key differentiator is their remarkable sensitivity and 100x improvement in power efficiency compared to Hall Effect sensors. They are well suited for applications in position and limit sensing, RPM measurement, brushless DC motor commutation, and more in various markets including appliances, home and building automation, and the industrial sectors.
Learn more.

Panasonic solar and EV components available from Newark

Newark has added Panasonic Industry's solar inverters and EV charging system components to their power portfolio. These best-in-class products help designers meet the growing global demand for sustainable and renewable energy mobility systems. Offerings include film capacitors, power inductors, anti-surge thick film chip resistors, graphite thermal interface materials, power relays, capacitors, and wireless modules.
Learn more.

Researchers create impressive image of what dolphins 'see' when they use echolocation

[Editor's note: While I still have questions about the enhancements in the "cymatic-holographic imaging technique," the idea that dolphins may communicate via shared echolocation images is incredibly fun to think about. -- Mike]

Researchers in the USA and UK and have made a significant breakthrough in imaging a submerged man from the echolocation beam transmitted by a dolphin.

The resulting image is faint, but key features of the man and background are revealed after using enhancement techniques. Team leader Jack Kassewitz of SpeakDolphin.com says he is delighted with the result. "This is the first time we have captured a 'what-the-dolphin-saw' image of a submerged man," he says. "We employed a similar technique in 2012 to capture a dolphin's echolocation picture of a flowerpot and several other submerged plastic objects, but the present research has confirmed that result and so much more."

A dolphin's echolocation beam was directed at a submerged man, and the echo was captured by a hydrophone system. The echo signal was then sent to a sound imaging laboratory that created the first-ever "what-the-dolphin-saw" image of the submerged man by using a cymatic-holographic imaging technique.

 

 

 

 

The research took place at the Dolphin Discovery Center in Puerto Aventuras, Mexico. The submerged man, Jim McDonough, wore a weight belt and exhaled most of the air in his lungs to overcome his natural buoyancy, then arranged himself against a shelf in the research pool. It was decided not to use a breathing apparatus to ensure that there would be no bubbles to adversely affect the results of the experiment. The whole experiment had to be accomplished within a single breath.

With Jim in position, a female research dolphin named Amaya was tasked to echolocate the man, to "see" Jim with her sound-vision sense.

Most of the resulting echo from Jim's body was reflected back to Amaya, but one of water's sonic properties is similar to that of air, causing sounds to diffract in many directions simultaneously. One of the theoretical implications of this property of water is that when a dolphin sees an object with its sound-vision sense, it is possible that all other dolphins in the near vicinity will also receive the image. This effect could have profound benefits for a pod of dolphins. In experimental setups, it has been found that the hydrophone (high-frequency microphone) can be positioned almost anywhere in the vicinity of the target object or dolphin.

A further finding of the experiment setup is that it is not necessary to collect the whole of the dolphin's reflected echo beam. All parts of the echo contain quasi-holographic sonic data that represent the object and can, in turn, be used to create an image of the object. Light provides a good analogy to this basic principle: When light reflects from an object, it contains data that represents the object; any small part of the reflected light contains an image of the object as viewed from a particular angle.

The dolphin's echo signal was recorded using high-specification audio equipment by Alex Green and Toni Saul, and sent via email to the CymaScope laboratory in the UK. Acoustic physics researcher John Stuart Reid, head of the CymaScope team, says, "When I received the recording, Jack had told me only that it might contain an echolocation reflection from someone's face. I noticed the file named 'Jim,' so I assumed that the image, if it existed within the file, would be that of a man's face. I was somewhat dubious whether this could be achieved, because the imaging we had carried out in 2012 was of simple plastic objects that had no inherent detail, whereas a face is a highly detailed form. I listened to the file and heard an interesting structure of clicks.

"The basic principle of the CymaScope instrument is that it transcribes sonic periodicities to water wavelet periodicities, in other words, the sound sample is imprinted onto a water membrane. The ability of the CymaScope to capture 'what-the-dolphin-saw' images relates to the quasi-holographic properties of sound and its relationship with water, which will be described in a forthcoming science paper on this subject.

"When I injected the click train into the CymaScope, while running the camera in video mode, I saw a fleeting shape on the water's surface that did not resemble a face. I replayed the video, frame by frame, and saw something entirely unexpected, the faint outline of a man. At this point, I sent the image to Jack, with a note that simply read, ‘This frame has what appears to be the fuzzy silhouette of almost a full man. No face."

When Jack Kassewitz received the still image, it turned out that he was just as surprised as Reid because he had been unaware that Amaya had been echolocating on Jim as she approached him from several feet away.

"I was astonished when I received the faint image of Jim, as I had no idea that Amaya had been echolocating during its in-run," says Kassewitz. "I called John in the UK, and we discussed the image in detail. Later, he sent me a computer-enhanced version that revealed several details not easily seen in the raw image, such as the weight belt worn by Jim.

"Having demonstrated that the CymaScope can capture 'what-the-dolphin-saw' images, our research infers that dolphins can at least see the full silhouette of an object with their echolocation sound sense -- but the fact that we can just make out the weight belt worn by Jim in our 'what-the-dolphin-saw' image suggests that dolphins can see surface features too. The dolphin has had around 50 million years to evolve its echolocation sense, whereas marine biologists have studied the physiology of cetaceans for only around five decades. ... We now think it is safe to speculate that dolphins may employ a 'sono-pictorial' form of language, a language of pictures that they share with each other. If that proves to be true, an exciting future lies ahead for interspecies communications."

Learn more at http://SpeakDolphin.com.

Source: Sonic Age Ltd

Published December 2015

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