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June 2008 Archives

June 2, 2008

An Engineer in Wonderland - Arguing about solar heating

w-b solar panel boiler_type_6.jpgThe solar panels are up, and on a not-very-sunny day got the water in the domestic cylinder up from 22 to 40 degrees, an 18°C rise, requiring 20°C of additional heating to get the cylinder to its operating temperature.

The temperature rise in the cylinder would have been greater, as the panel exit temperature was 61°C, but the long feed pipes from the loft to the cylinder are not yet insulated.

But it got me thinking.

At the moment, the two panels are plumbed in parallel. 

Continue reading "An Engineer in Wonderland - Arguing about solar heating " »

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Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on June 2, 2008 10:23 AM | | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

June 3, 2008

Q5 interview - Stig Enslev, Arrow UK

04jun08Q5arrow.jpg The latest Q5 interview is with Stig Enslev is managing Director of broadline distributor Arrow UK.

He reveals his thoughts on the most active product markets in Europe, the single biggest business challenge of 2008, and the potential for further consolidation in the European market... The five short sharp questions this week are:

1. How would you describe the European distribution market in a sentence?

2. Which are the most active country markets in Europe?

Continue reading "Q5 interview - Stig Enslev, Arrow UK" »

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Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on June 3, 2008 10:48 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

June 4, 2008

Missing Manuals

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A press release for the website SafeManuals.com has just caught my eye.

It aims to provide that gap in information we are all familiar with when a manual for a piece of kit goes missing. TV, DVD player, washing machine? It is supposed to have them covered.

And of course, we can't all RTFM when the manual may not be present in the first place: "The website is visited mostly by users who did not keep their user manual for their products, or never owned it, i.e. when buying from auction sites or pre-owned," states the release.

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Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on June 4, 2008 11:07 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

June 5, 2008

My monitor is considerably bigger than yours...

monitor.jpg(Click to enlarge the graph)

Are you sitting in front of a small, fat, flickering CRT or a matt-black, modern-day widescreen LCD?

HitBox throws up so many stats for a webmaster - see The wonder of HitBox leaves me wondering - and one of them concerns the display resolution of users viewing the site, which is a very good indication of monitor size.

Continue reading "My monitor is considerably bigger than yours..." »

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Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on June 5, 2008 10:57 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

June 10, 2008

Q5 interview - Jay Alexander, Agilent

11jun08Q5alexander.jpg

The latest Q5 interview is with Jay Alexander, v-p and general manager of the oscilloscope business at Agilent Technologies.

He reveals his thoughts about technical and commercial trends in the scope market. The five short sharp questions this week are:

1. What factors are determining the development of oscilloscopes?

2. What is the future for the standalone bench-top oscilloscope with the growing use of PC-based systems?

Continue reading "Q5 interview - Jay Alexander, Agilent" »

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Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on June 10, 2008 9:36 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

June 6, 2008

Uncyclopedia - not reference material

uncylcopedia.jpgI admire Wikiedia as much as the next man, but check out this funny spoof I've only come across recently - Uncyclopedia. (Not sure who is behind it, but you can read the About Us section). 

Lots of categories to choose from - Science, Politics, History, Computers, People, Quaint and Coherent - but check out these entries, for example:

Thomas Edison

Satellite

Hologram

Continue reading "Uncyclopedia - not reference material" »

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Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on June 6, 2008 12:59 PM | | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

June 9, 2008

Intel's finger burning fine from KFTC

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In the ongoing battle for processor market share, Intel and AMD ever wax and wane.

A relatively successful period for AMD, a few years ago, was largely based on the speedier adoption of 64-bit computing and dual-core processing, for which Intel was largely, at first, a critical bystander.

Since then fortunes have reversed strongly, with delays to the native quad-core 'Barcelona' processor dogging AMD while Intel raced ahead with the Core 2 Duo, increasing revenues and mounting market share. In the background, however, for those keeping an eye on this area, there was always a subterranean issue waiting to take effect: antitrust proceedings.

These have resurfaced with full force, in Korea, in this instance. Intel has now been fined $25.4 million (26 billion Korean won) by the Korean Fair Trade Commission (KFTC), over antitrust issues. Even more recently, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has now launched an official probe into the leading chip maker.

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Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on June 9, 2008 1:18 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

June 10, 2008

Steve Jobs dials up 3G iPhone

Apple iPhone range.jpgThe much-vaunted touchscreen technology of the Apple iPhone is now joined by 3G comms, for 8GB and 16GB models.

GPS functionality has also been added, to support map-based and movement tracking apps. Geo-locational info can be triangulated using Wi-Fi and mobile transmitters.

Additionally, there is integration with Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, for the Blackberry-style delivery of 'push email', calendar synching, and access to corporate resources (with Cisco IPSec VPN and wireless network services with WPA2 Enterprise and 802.1X authentication).

Continue reading "Steve Jobs dials up 3G iPhone" »

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Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on June 10, 2008 1:07 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

June 16, 2008

A call for book reviewers - MIMO Wireless Comms, Wireless LANs

coverpage - emerging technologies in wireless lans.jpgcoverpage - mimo waireless comms.jpg

Want to review either of these two technical books?

The books will be provided gratis in return for a publishable review (to a length of at least 300 words).


The two books are:

If you are interested, drop me a line at webmaster@electronicsweekly.com

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Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on June 16, 2008 8:01 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

June 17, 2008

Q5 interview - Hal Philipp, founder of Quantum Research

18jun08halphilipp2.jpgThe latest Q5 interview is with Hal Philipp, founder of Quantum Research Group.

He reveals his thoughts on expanding a UK-based semiconductor business globally, steering clear of VC funding and the customer impact of the acquisition by Atmel.

The five short sharp questions this week are:

1. What were the most challenging aspects of expanding a UK-based semiconductor business globally?

2. Why did you decide to steer clear of VC funding and bank loans when these options may have given you the opportunity to grow much faster?

Continue reading "Q5 interview - Hal Philipp, founder of Quantum Research" »

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Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on June 17, 2008 9:25 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

June 18, 2008

Solar Cells, the developments heat up

IBM solar cooling.jpgSolar Cells are in the spotlight this week as interest heats up. As well as Intel entering the Solar Cells business with the formation of the new company SpectraWatt, IBM is involved in a number of developments.

Big Blue has been busy both improving power efficiencies and improving chip cooling. Work on the latter is pictured.

Don't forget to bookmark the dynamically-updated and Electronics Weekly guide to Solar Cells - www.electronicsweekly.com/solarcells. And you can read An Engineer in Wonderland, where 'Alice' has been getting to grips with the practicalities of harnessing solar engery - see An Engineer in Wonderland - Arguing about solar heating, for example.

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Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on June 18, 2008 9:32 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

June 19, 2008

Another good Dilbert

dilbert 4 jpg.jpgYes, the Boss is my favourite character, which may be why today's Dilbert made me laugh.

Don't miss 'em - the Dilberts change daily - just bookmark www.electronicsweekly.com/dilbert

You can find the latest, along with a Daily Sudoku puzzle, in our Circuit Break section. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy!

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Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on June 19, 2008 10:34 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

June 23, 2008

Warren Savage On: Our Virtual Future

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Just to let you know that the eighth instalment of Warren Savage's monthly column on the Semiconductor IP industry is already live on the site - Warren Savage On: Our Virtual Future

It's not surprising that the attendance and the importance of industry exhibitions and events are going down, he writes - it's simply not a very efficient way of communicating to customers in the modern day. 20th century methods don't do well in our 21st century reality, he believes.

He begins:
A couple weeks ago I found myself standing on the floor of the Design Automation Conference in a circle of old colleagues, exchanging business cards and being updated on each other's careers and lives. One of our group quipped that "the people who come here never change, only the logos on the business cards." An astute comment nervously recognized as such by everyone in our increasingly greying group.

Continue reading "Warren Savage On: Our Virtual Future" »

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Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on June 23, 2008 10:28 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Sharp sells "world's largest LCD monitor"

Sharp 108 LCD Monitor.JPGSharp is starting to sell what it describes as the "world's largest LCD monitor", the LB-1085.

There is an asterisk in that statement, which clarifies "* As of June 13, 2008, for commercially available, direct-view LCD monitors." The size of this beast, the new king of the LCD jungle? 2.74 metre / 108 inches.

Not one for your living room, then.

"A full HD resolution and its static contrast of 1200:1 also ensure brilliant image reproduction from all sides," writes Sharp. "As thanks to Sharp's own in-house developed Advanced Super View (ASV) technology, these 108-inch displays offer an extremely wide viewing angle of 176° in all directions.
 

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Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on June 23, 2008 2:56 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

An Engineer in Wonderland: Alice on the road to Damascus - Am I wrong to doubt power floors?

victoria line.jpgA couple of years ago the BBC carried a report that the "34,000 commuters who pass through Victoria underground station at rush hour, for example, could theoretically generate enough energy to power 6,500 LED light fittings."

Being generous, allowing a fitting to be a single 5mm LED taking 70mW, that is 445W.

I use Victoria underground station, and although I haven't timed it, I suspect I spend about three minutes walking in it (and many more standing around on its platforms) each time I use it, so if that is true of everyone, there will be 34,000 x 3/60 or 1,700 people in it at any on time.

So 445W between 1,700 moving people is 0.26W each.

Hmm, not too bad so far.

Will anyone notice this?

Continue reading "An Engineer in Wonderland: Alice on the road to Damascus - Am I wrong to doubt power floors?" »

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Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on June 23, 2008 3:51 PM | | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

June 24, 2008

Q5 interview - Kevin Ritchie, senior vice president Texas Instruments

25jun08kevinrichie.jpgThe latest Q5 interview is with Kevin Ritchie, senior vice president Texas Instruments.

He reveals his thoughts on the limits of CMOS process technology, TI operating its own fabs, and the key technologies and applications facing TI.

The five short sharp questions this week are:

1. Power efficiency is the industry watch-word right now. What are the main tools and capabilities a chip maker such as TI has to address this in its products?

2. How close are we to the theoretical limits of CMOS process technology?

Continue reading "Q5 interview - Kevin Ritchie, senior vice president Texas Instruments" »

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Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on June 24, 2008 3:46 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

June 25, 2008

RF: Will it ever be plug-in IP?

Broadcom BCM2055.jpgCheck out a recent feature added to our site: RF: Will it ever be plug-in IP?

Written by Ron Wilson, Executive Editor of our sister site EDN, it covers the requirements for future mobile handsets and the integration of radio into the SOC, including issues around an 802.11n MIMO radio.

He begins:

For the next generation of smart phones, mobile video players, and roaming web accessories, integration means not just placing multipurpose basebands onto the same SOC (system on chip) with the application processor, accelerators, and memory, but also integrating the small-signal RF circuits of many radios onto the SOC. And therein lies a challenge.

Continue reading "RF: Will it ever be plug-in IP?" »

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Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on June 25, 2008 10:36 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

June 26, 2008

Electronics giants plummet in new Greanpeace rankings

Greenpeace 18 rankings.jpgGreenpeace has released its latest rankings of 18 major electronics companies, and the 'green' scores are plummeting.

In the 8th edition of its Guide to Greener Electronics, only two companies - Sony Ericsson and Sony - score above 5 out of 10. (Click to expand the graphic)

The reason for the decline? Greenpeace has tightened its requirements on electronic waste and toxic chemicals. Newly-added energy criteria also include:

Continue reading "Electronics giants plummet in new Greanpeace rankings" »

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Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on June 26, 2008 8:12 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The price of the Symbian Foundation

Handshake image small.jpg

A little-reported aspect of the Nokia / Symbian manoeuvres earlier this week is the job cuts at UIQ, the User Interface provider for phones from the likes of Sony Ericsson, Motorola and BenQ.

The cost of forming the "open software" Symbian Foundation has a human element. Two hundred people are reportedly losing their jobs from the Swedish-owned operation, out of 375 in total. (The company has offices in London and Budapest, as wells as Ronnerby in Sweden.)

Read AllAboutSymbian.com's report on the layoffs

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Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on June 26, 2008 11:16 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

An engineer in wonderland - Designers I have known

lathe at night.jpgI have worked with excellent engineers.

On the desk of one I shall call Simon, was a piece of lathe work he produced as a teenager.

It was in three parts, one brass, one aluminium and one steel.

He had bored the brass cylinder, and cut a fine thread on the outside of one end onto which screwed the aluminium in the form of an end cap.

Together, the aluminium and the brass part formed a blind hole about 40mm across and 30 deep which sat on the desk like a cup.

Continue reading "An engineer in wonderland - Designers I have known" »

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Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on June 26, 2008 4:04 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

June 27, 2008

An Engineer in Wonderland - LED candles

led candles.jpgA friend showed me these amazing little things from Philips.

Basically, they are fake night-light-in-a-glasses based on LEDs. I didn't put one next to the real thing, but on their own or in bunches they flicker very realistically.

As far as I can see, there are only two small LEDs in each, plus a rechargeable battery and some kind of pseudorandom driver for the emitters.

Continue reading "An Engineer in Wonderland - LED candles" »

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Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on June 27, 2008 2:22 PM | | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

June 30, 2008

An Engineer in Wonderland - The best tin opener?

p38add.jpgOne of the neatest designs I have ever come across is the military folding tin opener.

I am talking about the little rectangular ones with a hinged tooth, sometimes known as P-38s.
For a few grammes of steel, you get something that opens food containers in under 10s, and is far less dangerous than the ram-in-and-chew-your-way-around portable type that leaves a nasty sharp edge on the container.

Continue reading "An Engineer in Wonderland - The best tin opener?" »

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Posted by Alun Williams - Electronics Weekly.com on June 30, 2008 9:02 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

About June 2008

This page contains all entries posted to Electro-ramblings in June 2008. They are listed from oldest to newest.

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