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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.
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.
View the video.

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.
Learn more.

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.
Learn more.

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.
Learn more.

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."
Learn more.

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.
Learn more.

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.

Powered for life: Self-charging tag tracks fish as long as they swim

PNNL's self-powered acoustic fish-tracking tag is designed to track long-living fish such as sturgeon (shown here) throughout the course of their lives. [Courtesy of swimfinfan/Flickr]

 

 

By Frances White, PNNL

With each swish of a tail, scientists now have a tool that could study the movements of fish throughout their entire lives.

The Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) developed a self-charging tracking tag for fish behavioral studies. This new tag uses a flexible strip containing piezoelectric materials that generate electricity through physical movement. The tags emit tiny beeps that are recorded by underwater receivers and are designed to track many different species of fish, including long-living fish such as sturgeon and migratory species of concern such as eel and lamprey. It is described in the journal Scientific Reports.*

"Our self-powered acoustic tag can help us better understand how dams and ocean energy devices affect fish behavior," said the paper's corresponding author, PNNL chief scientist Zhiqun "Daniel" Deng. "Sturgeon are ancient fish and have been on this planet for millions of years. This tag can help us mitigate the impacts of human activities, and help these fish survive many more years."

PNNL implanted its self-powered tracking tag into a juvenile sturgeon (shown here) and a rainbow trout, representing the first time a piezoelectric device was powered by a live fish. The surgery went so fast that researchers didn't have time to take a picture of the event. Shown here is an artist's representation of where the tag was implanted in the sturgeon.

 

 

 

 

The tag's ability to power itself is the latest upgrade to the Juvenile Salmon Acoustic Telemetry System, which PNNL has continuously developed since 2001 to evaluate how fish move near hydroelectric dams and other water structures. Researchers gradually made the system's tag smaller and more energy efficient, but it could only beep as long as the tiny battery inside it produced power. The tag's previous version typically lasts about 100 days. Now, the new tag is designed to work as long as the fish carrying it swims.

Piezoelectricity is a hot area of research, with the self-charging materials being used to harvest energy from everything from insects to human joints. Deng and his team believe their tag is the first device to be powered by live fish.

PNNL's self-powered fish-tracking tag comes in two lengths to accommodate differently size fish: 100 and 77 mm, or about 11 to 14 grains of long rice placed end to end.

 

 

 

 

PNNL's self-powered fish tag has three parts: a piezoelectric composite strip, a circuit board, and a beeping transducer. The tag comes in two lengths to accommodate different size fish: 100 and 77 mm. The longer variety weighs about the same as a paperclip, or 1.05 g, while the shorter one weighs 0.80 g.

A computer drawing of PNNL's self-powered fish-tracking tag displays the device's three components: a flexible piezoelectric strip (right), a circuit board, and a beeping transducer (left).

 

 

 

 

Deng and his team initially tested the concept in the lab with a robotic fish tail. Next, the scientists tried it out in two live fish: a white sturgeon and a rainbow trout. They surgically inserted a tag just under skin near each fish's rear dorsal fins. The team watched the tagged fish swim in circular tanks equipped with underwater microphones, which picked up the tags' telltale beeps for the full two weeks the fish were observed. The tag did not appear to hinder either fish's swimming ability.

PNNL will test the self-powered tag outside the lab for the first time next year. Tagged white sturgeon will be studied along the Columbia and Snake rivers in Washington state. The field research is being supported by DOE's Office of Technology Transitions in collaboration with industry partners.

Future development could also include determining the tag's optimal placement inside different fish species, which sizes of fish can be implanted with the device, and determining how the tag operates under high pressures.

The self-powered tag's initial development was supported with internal PNNL funding and DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy.

The paper describes a self-powered tag that charges a capacitor as the fish moves, and can only beep if the fish is moving. But Deng and his team have also developed another version with a small battery, which enables such a tag to beep more regularly and even if a fish is resting.

Those interested in partnering with PNNL or licensing opportunities related to this technology can contact PNNL Commercialization Manager Sara Hunt.

* REFERENCE: Huidong Li, Chuan Tian, Jun Lu, Mitchell Myjak, Jayson Martinez, Richard Brown & Z. Daniel Deng, "An Energy Harvesting Underwater Acoustic Transmitter for Aquatic Animals," Scientific Reports, Sept. 20, 2016, DOI:10.1038/srep33804.

Published October 2016

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