Southern Manufacturing and Electronics

1 min read

Last week, NE visited Southern Manufacturing and Electronics to see what the show’s exhibitors had to offer. Here, we explore just a few that took to the Farnborough-based event.

Among the busy crowds of 'Southern', Powerbox, known for its power conversion systems, took the opportunity to showcase Cosel’s first portable product selector app. This is developed to operate across all mobile devices and computers – with or without an Internet connection.

To reduce the size of the app on users’ terminals, only datasheets are built into the application. However, links to supporting documentation e.g. instruction manuals, are included under ‘Features’ and are accessible when online.

Cosel’s PCA series of AC-DC power supplies was also on show. These are approved for medical and industrial applications and feature the latest in digital and analogue control through a UART or PMBus interface.

NE also visited Relec’s booth, where, among the power supplies on display, the company showcased its protective capacitive (PCAP) and resistive touch panels. This technology provides users with the ability to control a waterproof screen even when wearing gloves – an important quality for the industrial sector, according to Mathew Rehm, the account manager.

The solutions also offer noise immunity up to 32V/m, making them ideal for medical, automotive and avionic applications.

But it was electric vehicles – specifically charging – that seemed to be a recurring trend at the show.

Commenting on this, Jeremy Scholefield, Director of Strategic Business at TR Fastenings, said: “The rapid growth of the EV sector is being exacerbated further by developments such as the Government’s initiative to ensure that by 2040, all new vehicles will either be electric or hybrid, zero-emission models.

“Our product ranges, combined with our knowledge of and experience in design, distribution and manufacture, puts us in an excellent position to assist customers on the best ways to achieve cost-effective and quality-driven routes to market.”

While Bytesnap Design demonstrated its OCPP Adaptor, a single board computer custom designed to allow control of an EV charger from a Building Management System (BMS).

This tool supports functions specific to the charge and discharge of vehicles attached to the charger, allowing load balancing to be performed directly by the BMS.

Direct communications between chargers and BMS provides local control of the charger via a common standard interface to the BMS.