Needing no external components, Microchip Technology’s PICDEM Touch Sense 2 demo board (Part # DM164128) includes the mTouch Sensing Solution software development kit (SDK) for capacitive touch. The component comes with a 16-bit PIC24FJ256GB110 MCU that integrates a charge time measurement unit (CTMU) and USB On-the-GO (OTG). The board exhibits 256 KB Flash memory and […]
Components
Transformers Perform in Harsh Environments
Meeting international specifications for harsh environments, Datatronics’ 4283-1200 and 4283-1250 Series transformers operate in line and portable medical devices, such as defibrillators, industrial lasers, ion generators for powder coating and painting equipment, cathode ray tube transformers and traveling wave tube transformers. The flyback 4283-1200 Series offer primary-to-secondary isolation of up to 7 kVDC and the […]
Direct RF sampling with high performance ADC
by Philip Pratt, Texas Instruments Previously analog-to-digital converters (ADC) at high input frequencies were limited in usefulness due to distortion and noise performance. Today, however, ADCs can provide nearly 9.5 bits of effective number of bits (ENOB) at radio frequencies (RF) of 1 GHz with signal bandwidths greater than 200MHz. Such performance at high frequencies eliminates […]
Embedded Systems: Sniff ZigBee Packets
Embedded Systems Sniff ZigBee Packets A variety of software and hardware lets you monitor and analyze IEEE 802.15.4 radio traffic. by Jon Titus, Senior Technical Editor When engineers tackle a project that uses ZigBee communications they may get a surprise. Unlike point-to-point communications, ZigBee involves a network that can establish nodes, repeaters and complex mesh […]
LX800-based SBC Offers Mid-range Computing, Low Power Consumption
Diamond Systems Corporation announced its Rhodeus PC/104 form factor single board computer. It offers mid-range computing power and low power consumption. The SBC is appropriate for low cost/high volume applications with mid-range performance requirements, such as medical equipment, process control and instrumentation. Rhodeus uses the AMD Geode LX800 processor operating fan-less at 500 MHz. It […]
ESC Update(2)
Base Station Modems: Why Multicore? Why Now?
Thermal Concerns in LED Lighting
by Steve Bowling, Microchip Technology Inc. While LEDs offer mainstream lighting applications benefits such as long life, durability and high efficiency, the lifetime of an LED product may be significantly shortened without proper thermal management safeguards in your design. It’s hard to miss the news these days that high-brightness LEDs are finding their way […]
Software Verifies Compliance with DO-178B, IEC-61508, and MAAB Modeling Standards
The MathWorks announced that its Simulink verification and validation software automatically evaluates and verifies system models for compliance with DO-178B and IEC-61508 standards and MAAB modeling guidelines, which have been extensively adopted by international aerospace, automotive, and industrial equipment markets, among others. The model-checking features for these standards extend the existing support available within Simulink […]
19” Enclosures Accept 3U Subracks and Chassis
The ‘INSTRUMET’ 19” case range from METCASE conform to the DIN and IEC standards for full and half width 19” equipment, and accept standard 3U subracks and chassis. Typical applications include test and measurement devices, communications equipment, medical equipment, and laboratory systems. The aluminium cases are available in three standard sizes: 3U × 10.5” × 13.8”, 3U […]