Supercapacitors now come in a small, thin format that makes them candidates for uses characterized by cramped quarters. Shinji Higuma, TDK Corp. In the next several years, the internet of things (IoT) will include tens of billions of connected devices. Consumer, industrial, medical, and automotive applications will feature connected devices, but not all connected devices […]
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The brushed DC motor: Still a very viable option, Part 1: Operation
Brushless DC and stepper motors may get more attention than the classic brushed DC motor, but the latter may still be a better choice in some applications. Most designers looking to choose a small DC motor – a sub- or fractional-horsepower unit, typically – usually look initially at just two options: the brushless DC (BLDC) […]
Managing smart street lighting design
Wi-SUN may well be the linchpin that turns street lighting into a scalable IoT umbrella offering a multitude of solutions beyond illumination. Soumya Shyamasundar, Silicon Labs According to the World Bank, legacy street lighting systems based on traditional technologies can account for as much as 65% of a city’s electricity consumption. The energy consumption, of […]
Tolerance analysis distinguishes prototypes from production units
It’s not enough to model and simulate circuit behavior – you also have to investigate the effects of component variations from their nominal values due to unavoidable tolerances. There’s a semi-serious quip that scientists can build one of anything – but just one; it takes engineers and production experts to build it again and again […]
Odd ball application department: Using a scope to display SEM images
The Applied Science YouTube channel run by Ben Krasnow (who in his day job is a hardware engineer at Verily, Google Life Sciences) focuses on interesting applications of science and technology. One video in particular caught our eye where Kranow uses an oscilloscope to help view digital images captured by a scanning electron microscope made […]
Using simulation to optimize GaN-powered designs
Comparisons of transistor device models and simulation techniques illustrate which approach works best for specific design scenarios. Lei Kou, Lucas Lu, GaN Systems When designing a new system based on Gallium Nitride (GaN) power transistors, simulation provides engineers with a powerful design optimization tool. Through simulation, designers can estimate system efficiency, choose the appropriate device […]
Putting supercapacitors to work
There are a variety of modern applications in which supercapacitors are better candidates than either batteries or ordinary capacitors. George Wundsam, Cornell Dubilier Supercapacitors are not new. First developed in the 1950s, commercial versions were marketed over 40 years ago. At that time, supercapacitors were certainly not on a fast track to practical application. They […]
Brooklyn 6G: Wireless needs to just work
On day 2, we heard about where wireless needs to improve and the technologies that could bring on new use cases.
Apeel’s plant-derived technology is focus of Episode 6 of R&D 100 – The Podcast
Paul and Aimee are back after a short hiatus, and they’re rambling around in the kitchen. Please join co-hosts Paul Heney and Aimee Kalnoskas, who return with another exciting episode of R&D 100 – The Podcast. Episode 6 is now live! With this episode, Paul and Aimee make some avocado toast (!) to get them in […]
Find the fake: How to authenticate laser printers and laser-printed documents
People these days have had to become savvy about who sent the email in their inbox because of the numerous phishing scams. Thus authentication of email is serious business. For similar reasons, there is much interest in verifying both the source of laser-printed documents and whether a given printed document is the original or a […]