Electronics design blogs by Electronic industry specialists

Home	Advertise	Magazine	Events	NETV	Directory

Blogs

The thoughts and opinions of New Electronics’ editorial team on the ever changing electronics industry.

One voice, three million votes	08/03/2010
The Future of UK Manufacturing Summit, held last week in London, was the setting for fierce debate amongst representatives from a wide range of sectors.

Time is money and manufacturing is a solution	05/03/2010
Since the global economic crisis exposed the UK's reliance on the financial services sector, manufacturing has enjoyed a renaissance. Now, the sector is seen as one of the ways of turning things around. But it's going to be a long haul. Findlay Media's Manufacturing Summit, held on 4 March in London, provided the platform for strong debate on the future of UK manufacturing.

A question of logic	01/03/2010
One of the advantages of the programmable logic device is its ability to be repurposed. Users can download a new bitstream to the device and it can perform different tasks.

The next stage	22/02/2010
Semiconductor feature sizes are now much smaller than the wavelength of the light being used in their creation.

Masking complexity	22/02/2010
EUV lithography gets boost from TSMC

Just buy me a blue dress	18/02/2010
That was the last thing my wife said to me as she kissed me goodbye and I settled into the cab bound for the airport. I was departing for a week long business trip to the US and her parting request was for a blue dress. "Sure," I thought. "How hard can that be?"

Still trying to get the hang of it	15/02/2010
Hit hard by the recession, the semiconductor industry lost $40billion in 2008 and 2009, according to research company Gartner. But, in a recent report, the company hints that semiconductor companies haven't done themselves any favours in the past.

Changing the shape of consumer electronics	10/02/2010
Composites have found use in many applications over the years, but they have always been at the exotic end of the spectrum – airframe components, Formula One brake disks and so on – where cost isn't a major factor.

iPad or iPhad?	09/02/2010
Will the iPad establish a new market or will it be a footnote in Apple's history?

iPad or IPAD?	28/01/2010
If not quite raining on the parade, STMicroelectronics is certainly presenting some clouds. As the world's media sings the praises of the iPad, it appears that the Apple tree may well be given a little shake.

Skills strategy	28/01/2010
The second Annual skills conference organised by the UK Electronics Alliance was an interesting event. The presentations attempted not only to quantify how many engineers will be needed in the near future, but also to put in place strategies to boost recruitment to the sector.

Video game becomes reality	25/01/2010
There can be little doubt that one of the sexiest gadgets on display at this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas was a wifi helicopter with two cameras, controlled by an iPhone and iPod touch.

Mobile phones, 25 years on	25/01/2010
It's 25 years since the first call was made on the UK's mobile phone network on a phone that was large, heavy and gave 30 minutes of talk time. How things have changed.

Dead right or dead end? 21/01/2010

The Consumer Electronics Show, the largest event of its kind, is the launch pad for tomorrow's technologies. Some products are innovative; others are often variations on a theme or updates. Under the heading of 'variations on a theme' were a number of e-readers, all attempting to catch up with the Amazon Kindle and Sony's eReader. One of these is Plastic Logic's Que, pictured, which features technology developed at Cambridge University. Great things are predicted for the e-book market, but the future for e-readers is less clear. The reason? Convergence.

Kindling the fires of innovation	14/01/2010
Down here in Australia there's been a flurry of media interest in Amazon's new version of its Kindle DX electronic book reader device.

What goes around, comes around 13/01/2010

They say what goes around, comes around. If you wait for long enough, the trendy 1980s clothes at the back of the wardrobe will come back into fashion. The only problem is whether they will still fit. But the concept doesn't normally apply to the technology world. Once something becomes yesterday's technology – and, with mobile phones, that can be a matter of a few months – it tends to remain firmly in the past.

Lies, damned lies and statistics	07/01/2010
On Christmas Day, says Amazon, it sold more e-books than it did printed versions. No surprise really. When people woke up on Christmas Day and unwrapped their brand new Kindle e-reader, what else would they do than order up a couple of books to populate it?

Richard Noble's Bloodhound Project diary	21/12/2009
I'm late again – the workload here is massive and getting time for creative writing is proving really difficult!

Has complexity killed the engineering bug?	16/12/2009
Over dinner with some friends, I'd gotten into a discussion about my earliest motivations to get into engineering and computer science / computing systems.

Andy Green's Bloodhound Project diary	02/12/2009
After months of waiting, lots of great things have come together all at once. The final design of the Car, the move into our new HQ, the confirmation of our run location and the new animation video – which is fantastic!

Build a better mousetrap …	18/11/2009
Ralph Waldo Emerson famously observed that if you build a better mousetrap, the world will beat a path to your door. That presupposes a number of issues, including whether anyone knows that you have that better mousetrap available.

Burying the hatchet	13/11/2009
Suing everyone in sight has been par for the course in the electronics industry for as long as people can remember. And it's no surprise; patents are lucrative possessions.

Making a difference	06/11/2009
Intel senior vice president Anand Chandrasekher gave the audience at the NMI's annual dinner some interesting facts to digest.

Engineering Knowledge Half Life: When is it okay to NOT know the detail?	04/11/2009
While looking online for some training material, I stumbled across a website reporting the half life of engineering knowledge to be around two years. That means that half of what I know today as an engineer will be obsolete in two years' time. And in 10 years, only 3% of today's knowledge will still be relevant!

Richard Noble's Bloodhound Project diary	02/11/2009
I failed to get the September blog together in good time, and Nick Chapman is not pleased again – we're into November, and here's the October report!

Lack of support	02/11/2009
Most of my Saturday morning was spent on the telephone. You see, I was trying to cancel a mobile phone account for reasons I won't bore you with.

Get your tanks off my lawn	27/10/2009
ARM looks to compete in Intel's territory

More ‘real engineering’ needed	22/10/2009
Delivering the Hinton Lecture to the Royal Academy of Engineering earlier this week, industry secretary Lord Mandelson called for more 'real engineering'.

Communication breakdown	19/10/2009
Last week's Anti Counterfeiting Forum, organised by UKEA and The Electronics Component Supply Network (ECSN) highlighted the huge problems of counterfeiting – but ended on an optimistic note.

Connectivity, the new essential service	06/10/2009
One of the legacies of having an engineering background is that, inevitability, you'll be called on to sort out computer problems for friends and family. Like most engineers, I've been doing that for years while modestly accepting misdirected accolades like 'guru' and 'wizard' – which I'm not.

Careful with that axe Gordon	18/09/2009
UK electronics needs all the support it can get if it market leaders are to emerge from a costly downturn.

Auto-transformers, moving country and the status quo	14/09/2009
One of the privileges I have had working for a company with a global presence has been the opportunity to travel and live in another country. While this is generally a rewarding, mind-broadening experience, practical differences are often overlooked.

Torment in digital tv land	03/09/2009
Hands up anyone who has aging parents – even grandparents – struggling to get to grips with technology. Thought so; there's plenty of us around.

Richard Noble's Bloodhound Project diary 01/09/2009

The end of September is, I hope, going to be a huge waypoint for BLOODHOUND; hopefully JP and the design team will have made their decision on the final external layout of BLOODHOUND SSC and reached what we call Aero Solution. Over in the US, Daniel Jubb and his team will have successfully fired the full-scale hybrid rocket. Can we achieve all this? – I am beginning to learn that we have a really outstanding series of teams here and I reckon it can be done.

Mount Fujitsu	21/08/2009
Fujitsu has managed to permeate the darkest realms of geekdom with a secret code hidden within its website for the Fujinon range of binoculars.

The chamber of secrets	20/08/2009
JK Rowling seems to have inadvertently become the figurehead for designers around the world.

It ain't over 'til it's over	17/08/2009
Japan today declared that it has emerged from the recession with its first quarter of growth for over a year.

Divide and conquer, or…	11/08/2009
Divide and conquer is a valid strategy for solving complex problems. In essence, one seemingly insurmountable problem is broken down into smaller, manageable parts. These parts are solved separately and the results combined to produce an overall solution.

Countering counterfeits	10/08/2009
Counterfeit components are estimated to cost the UK electronics sector as much as £1billion every year.

Richard Noble's Bloodhound Project diary	09/08/2009
My apologies- this is late again! Nick Chapman asked for this update in July, but the pace and demands of the project are so great that I have to give precedence to activities that make money, structure the programme and help the rest of the team achieve their objectives. The project is moving very very fast now on a very wide front and it's doing really well.

The UK is a good place to do electronics	24/07/2009
Reviewing the state of the UK electronics industry in the latest issue of New Electronics has been an interesting challenge. But what it has shown is that, despite outward appearances, the UK's electronics industry is alive and well – particularly at the advanced technology end. And some companies wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

Backing the future	14/07/2009
One of the things which has been high up the Electronic Leadership Council's (ELC) list of priorities is funding for start ups and small companies.

Infineon courts private equity, but why?	10/07/2009
The two highest profile private equity investments in the semiconductor industry of late have not been the runaway successes that the investors believed they would be.

Burn and learn – stimulate don’t simulate	10/07/2009
The other day I was having a conversation with a hardcore fpga guy about the way I develop system on chip designs. The very fact that I had mentioned the word 'fpga' prompted him to ask how good the simulator was.

Black box or can of worms?	07/07/2009
Sharp Microelectronics Europe has announced it is to launch a black box recorder designed for the domestic market.

Take electronics seriously	07/07/2009
Over the last few years, it has become harder for graduates to find a job once they leave university. There's a number of reasons for this, primarily the number of people now following degree courses. By definition, more graduates will mean more competition, unless the number of graduate vacancies increases in proportion.

Is it old or new money? And when will it be seen?	07/07/2009
The Government's creation of the £1billion UK Innovation Investment Fund has been, in general, well received.

There's money for start ups – or is there?	03/07/2009
One of the things which has been high up the Electronic Leadership Council's (ELC) list of priorities is the difficulty that start ups have in accessing funding, particularly in today's economy.

Moonwalk in London - blame it on technology	26/06/2009
The power of hi tech communication took an unusual twist today as my friend Rob managed to inadvertently create an event from a hoax.

Is the industry fragmenting again?	17/06/2009
Does the industry need another trade association? The members of distribution body Afdec believe so.

Death, taxes and government changes	11/06/2009
The old saying says there are only two certainties: death and taxes. This could well be modified for the modern era by adding government changes.

Comparing apples	08/06/2009
Gauging the power of a processor has always been an interesting process for engineers. For the longest time, it was the manufacturer – who also tended to be the supplier of the computer in which the chip was housed – who provided the information.

Does the UK fear failure?	05/06/2009
Starting your own company is a risky business, even during the good times. But if you've got a good idea and have developed it to a reasonable level and have the courage of your convictions, then why not?

The problem with being logical	05/06/2009
Engineers are by nature, a logical bunch. In the science of electronics engineering we work with logical elements – zeros and ones at the core level, logic devices in the hardware domain and logic based instructions in the software arena.

Intel buys Wind River, but is it good news for the sector?	04/06/2009
Acquisitions are the name of the game in the electronics industry – and often, it's the bigger the better. Shading into the latter category is Intel's acquisition of Wind River for $884million.

Engineering Tales	03/06/2009
While studying for my English A' Levels, despite every cell in my body telling me not to, I waited until a week before the exam before embarking on my literary journey through Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.

Richard Noble's Bloodhound Project diary	01/06/2009
Apologies - my update is late yet again, but I need to explain what is going on!

Power to the people	26/05/2009
A breakthrough in battery technology could have broad implications.

Cuckoo in the nest?	26/05/2009
We are always being told that UK universities are doing 'world leading' research, but there's not always data to back those claims up. But the Engineering and Technology Board (ETB) says its recent Research Assessment Exercise shows 59% of electrical and electronic engineering research taking place in UK universities is 'world leading' or 'internationally excellent'.

Have your cake and eat it too – with computer modules	21/05/2009
There's no doubt about it - the current economic downturn is having a noticeable effect on the electronics sector. After prolonged years of boom, even the integrated computer module market is seeing growth figures drop below the long term average of 25%.

Regulated power?	15/05/2009
Power supply specialists will no doubt be raising an eyebrow at a report which calls for government intervention in the design process.

The disappearing dsp	12/05/2009
When dsps were introduced commercially in the early 1980s, they were regarded by many as the 'best thing since sliced bread'. And, as the devices grew in popularity, their target markets broadened as did their complexity.

Happy talk	06/05/2009
A robot will soon be joining the online community Facebook.

Design by discovery	05/05/2009
We all remember our first project brief as a rite of passage. As I think back to that first project, it seemed only natural to assume that project briefs were complete documents with no variable elements.

Down, but not out	05/05/2009
The electronics industry is not quite in the position in which Ricky Hatton found himself on Saturday night. But it's still not pretty.

Giving the little guy a break	28/04/2009
One of the recurring themes over the last few years has been the problems which small companies face when trying to get Government contracts.

Don't blame the recession for corruption	28/04/2009
Design engineers working with lcd technology may have read the report about a top level executive who is to serve a year in prison for his part in a global lcd panel price fixing conspiracy.

Merging on their minds	27/04/2009
Consolidation is no stranger to the semiconductor industry. As process technologies get smaller, the cash needed to play at the top table gets frighteningly large. One by one, leading companies realise they can't afford to play, particularly in times of economic hardship. And as buyers become even more price sensitive, margins get ever thinner.

New use for scopes	22/04/2009
Bored test and measurement experts have managed to find an alternate and entertaining use for oscilloscopes.

VCs are keeping their hands in their pockets	17/04/2009
Electronics technology was once a very rewarding business for entrepreneurs. Venture capitalists fell over each other in a feverish attempt to throw as much cash at start ups as they possibly could.

Circuitry snacks	17/04/2009
In a bid to attract youngsters to the world of electronic design, internet bods have created a website which claims to be 'the tastiest way to design and learn about electronic circuits.'

An eye to the future	08/04/2009
A recovery is in prospect, but companies should start planning today.

Pointing the finger at the electronics industry	02/04/2009
Campaign group Greenpeace has named and shamed the electronics companies it has deemed the least environmentally friendly.

Miracle batteries charge in seconds	02/04/2009
If, like me, you have minimal patience when charging your laptop, chances are that you will be cursing the most common rechargeable battery in consumer electronics – lithium-ion.

Are EDA users ready for hosted applications?	30/03/2009
It's an approach that was floated in the early days of the internet, but didn't catch on. Is the time right for another try?

ASICs still have a role to play	30/03/2009
Gartner Dataquest tells us asic design starts are likely to decline by 22% this year, having seen a 9% drop in the last quarter of 2008. It's no surprise, to be honest. Even without the current financial problems, it's likely asic design starts would have declined – it's a trend of the last few years.

Breathing new life into NEW	27/03/2009
Speaking with Claire Jeffreys, events director at National Electronics Week, it's difficult to ignore her infectious enthusiasm for the electronics industry.

Are EDA users ready for hosted applications?	27/03/2009
It's an approach that was floated in the early days of the internet, but didn't catch on. Is the time right for another try?

You can lead a horse to water…	24/03/2009
The UK's academic sector is, by general acclaim, doing excellent work, but there has been a long term – some would say institutional – problem in exploiting that basic work commercially.

Hand holding: the new technology	24/03/2009
Despite all the razzamatazz surrounding 32bit microcontrollers, most applications are still served by 8 and 16bit devices. And there's good reason for this; 8 and 16bit parts have always provided pretty much the right balance of power and peripherals for the job at hand.

Student demonstration time	24/03/2009
Individual producer responsibility (IPR) could well become this year's de rigueur phrase (after 'green shoots of recovery' and 'it's not just cooking – it's a journey').

Collaboration, that’s what you need	23/03/2009
Being at the receiving end of a daily flood of hyperbole cunningly disguised as press releases, it's often difficult to filter facts from exaggerated propaganda.

Get ready with the corporate indigestion tablets	23/03/2009
IBM continues to consider whether or not to make a bid for Sun Microsystems. Should it make that leap, the deal could value the latter at $8billion.

Court out	20/03/2009
Hugo Boss is no doubt peering watchfully over its shoulder as Samsung Electronics makes its own bid to become the name most synonymous with suits.

Tunnel vision?	19/03/2009
It appears that Transport for London (TfL) has abandoned plans to provide mobile communications services in the underground part of the Tube network.

The big freeze	19/03/2009
Sources have revealed that Japanese electronics giants are planning a series of pay freezes throughout 2009.

TLA, FLA: it’s all alphabet soup	18/03/2009
Semiconductor repping organisation Spectrum Electronics has renamed itself Ismosys. Fair enough; nothing wrong with that. But it has also invented a new FLA.

Caught by the buzz	17/03/2009
Hearsay and rumour are often the backbone behind the more attention grabbing news stories, for those inclined to not let facts get in the way of a good story.

Conjecture is the way forward	16/03/2009
New Electronics' HQ is constantly flooded with press releases from industry analysts forecasting market trends for the next few quarters.

Left in limbo?	13/03/2009
In the late 1980s I turned down the opportunity to backpack around India for six months. My friends returned exhausted, grossly underweight, with nits - among other ailments - and told tales of basic cleanliness, begging and minimal technology.

Trichorial tie back	13/03/2009
Engineers, it's fair to say, are not renowned for their sartorial elegance.

Exhibitions still work	13/03/2009
Given that engineers can get pretty much all the information they need from the internet, many wonder what's the point in going to an industry exhibition?

When the going gets tough ...	12/03/2009
One of the imperatives in business is to make a profit, particularly when times are tough. Failing that, the driver is to do better than the competition.

How deep can you cut?	11/03/2009
The seemingly endless stream of bad news continues with the publication of National Semiconductor’s latest financials.

Why don't we shout about success?	11/03/2009
Does the UK hide its technology light under a bushel? General perceptions would seem to support the contention.

A design for life	10/03/2009
Richard Waterhouse, Intellect’s components and manufacturing services manager, spoke recently on the importance of eco design within the electronics industry on a webinar hosted by Envirowise.

Radio active	09/03/2009
Austrian firm Abatec has been working on the implementation of rfid to help coaches and professional skiers analyse their performance during training.

Intel and ARM set to enable future creativity	09/03/2009
Intel has always had an interest in embedded systems, but its focus has been on the desktop. You had the feeling the company didn’t really take the embedded systems market seriously.

Forum friendly	09/03/2009
MontaVista’s new MELD forum – a social networking centre for Linux designers – underlines the success of similar sites, namely Facebook, Twitter and the now passé MySpace.

Nuremberg and chips	09/03/2009
The electronics’ industry’s eyes were always going to be focused on the success of this year’s Embedded World exhibition in Nuremberg.

Richard Noble's Bloodhound Project diary	02/03/2009
I am sorry this is late – it's symptomatic of the pace of the project. It's growing very fast now and every waking minute has to be spent in trying to drive us forward and sorting all those difficulties which come with rapid growth.

3d saves the world	26/02/2009
The recession is over. All hail 3d television!

Richard Noble's Bloodhound Project diary	05/01/2009
Now the true character of BLOODHOUND is becoming clear – we had a highly successful launch in October at the Science Museum and generated over £3m AVE of publicity, and 20 TV documentary offers while 9,000 people made it to our 5 day exhibition.

Richard Noble's Bloodhound Project diary	03/10/2008
Richard Knight had chosen October 23rd at the London Science Museum for launch day back in August.

Richard Noble's Bloodhound Project diary	02/09/2008
As we approach the all important BLOODHOUND project launch, this is a great opportunity to look back at what has been achieved during the research period and what remains to be completed.