14/03/2017
Although predictive maintenance (PdM) is an established technique, it is quickly becoming recognised as a more viable way of preventing equipment failure than preventive maintenance (PM).
|
|
|
14/03/2017
Connecting a probe to a device under test can prove to be a time consuming activity, especially in the case of the increasingly complex devices that are now entering the market. While the ideal probe should offer ease of connection, convenience, absolute signal fidelity, zero signal source loading and complete noise immunity, there is currently no ideal probe size or configuration.
|
|
|
14/03/2017
The networking world has largely been defined by the development of fixed function chips. While these devices have been one of the means by which data rates have increased, this has been achieved at the expense of configurability.
|
|
|
09/03/2017
If you think about dielectric properties at all, it is probably in the context of school physics experiments on charge storage, or perhaps the way in which the choice of dielectric materials influences the characteristics of a capacitor you’re working with. It turns out, though, that the dielectric properties of materials matter to all sorts of industries for different reasons. Measuring those properties accurately, therefore, is important in many contexts. This article looks at some key techniques for measuring dielectric properties, and some of the application areas for each of them.
|
|
|
07/03/2017
The world today has become increasingly mobile with advancements in powerful and portable technologies and medical devices, traditionally used in hospitals and clinics, are also evolving to become more portable, creating possibilities in terms of home healthcare.
|
|
|
28/02/2017
The compliance process in electronics product development can appear intricate and precarious; especially so if mandatory rules or regulations are misinterpreted. Now, developers and OEMs have the European Union’s new Radio Equipment Directive 2014/53/EU (RED) to grapple with.
|
|
|
28/02/2017
It may seem something of an understatement, but Phil Mayo, director of sales for Altium UK, believes: “The PCB is important.” And perhaps that’s one reason why the workshop and conference sessions addressing PCB design at last year’s Electronics Design Show (EDS) attracted record numbers of engineers.
|
|
|
28/02/2017
In an ideal world, when the hardware and software for a new product are mated and the power applied for the first time, everything works just as specified. But we don’t live in that ideal world; we live in a ‘buggy’ world where not everything goes as planned.
|
|
|
14/02/2017
The McLaren Group took its first step into the world of health and well-being 11 years ago. Although internationally renowned for its Formula 1 cars, the company has since diversified, applying technologies it has developed to other industries.
|
|
|
14/02/2017
It is not unreasonable to say that we take electricity for granted. We plug appliances into sockets and turn them on, but give little or no thought to where that electricity has come from. And even less thought is given to the history of discoveries and inventions that explains how electricity can be used at a flick of a switch.
|
|
|
31/01/2017
Recently a member of TDK-Lambda’s technical marketing team experienced first-hand just how much influence small diameter electrolytic capacitors can have on long-term power supply reliability. Unfortunately he picked February to have his central heating system upgraded and Britain’s unpredictable weather system delivered snow. The seven year old boiler system in the loft had been turned off for two days while the radiators were replaced. When the installation was complete, the boiler was switched on, but failed to start
|
|
|
11/01/2017
The relationship between universities and new technology start-ups is crucial and the UK has been relatively poor at the commercialisation of ideas, let alone commercial success. Should it be about the jobs that are created or should the financial returns from technological innovation be the sole driver of whether university research is worthwhile?
|
|
|
13/12/2016
Building fires are, by their very nature, inhospitable environments. The combination of heat, a potentially toxic atmosphere, poor visibility and an unstable building can have fatal consequences, so it’s no surprise to find out that technology is being brought to bear in an attempt to improve safety, particularly when it comes to communication with and location of firefighters committed to a building.
|
|
|
16/11/2016
The external power supply has become a staple part of system design for the electronics engineer. It provides a convenient means by which to add an AC front-end to a product which already meets international safety approvals. It also provides a faster time to market, with the option to use a connector which suits the application and reduces the risk of a generic power supply being plugged in and causing damage. By supplying a lower DC voltage to the equipment, it becomes easier to design a compact product that complies with all the necessary safety standards – a key consideration in applications in the consumer, industrial and medical markets
|
|
|
26/10/2016
While none of us wants to hear a consultant telling us we have cancer, recent advances in medical technology and surgical procedures have improved significantly the prospects of our overcoming many of the cancers deemed previously terminal.
|
|
|
26/10/2016
In a world that is becoming increasingly mobile, it should come as no surprise that the medical devices traditionally used in hospitals and clinics are evolving to become more portable, creating new possibilities for their use in the home healthcare market.
|
|
|
26/10/2016
One of the longest established such centres in the UK, the Institute of Photonics at the University of Strathclyde is working in optogenetics and neurophotonics, as well as more traditional areas such as solid state lasers.
|
|
|
26/10/2016
Many consumer electronics devices are following two seemingly opposing trends – while they are offering more functionality, that functionality is being squeezed into smaller volumes. And, according to Eelco Bergman, senior director of business management with ASE Group, this is forcing designers to move quickly towards heterogeneous integration.
|
|
|
26/10/2016
If you ask an electronic engineer to name one test and measurement instrument, it would more than likely be an oscilloscope.
|
|
|
26/10/2016
The requirements for functional safety – until relatively recently considered a niche activity among chip and system developers – are now proliferating on the back of the rapid growth in the industrial Internet of Things, Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and even drones.
|
|
|
11/10/2016
A raft of new CE Marking Directives was implemented earlier in 2016. Amongst the nine new pieces of legislation was the third edition of the EMC Directive and new Low Voltage and ATEX Directives.
Rather unusually, the changes to eight of the nine Directives were identical and furthermore the ninth contains the same changes as part of a wider overhaul. So why new the Directives and what are the implications for manufacturers?
|
|
|
27/09/2016
From bioelectronics to biosciences, the pace of change in life sciences is accelerating as companies look to microfluidics, micro- and nanotechnology to develop innovative medical treatments.
Earlier this year, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) announced that it was a forming a bioelectronics firm with Verily Life Sciences, a subsidiary of Alphabet. The new company will research, develop and commercialise bioelectronics medicine, a relatively new scientific field in which miniaturised, implantable devices could treat illnesses ranging from bowel disease to arthritis, hypertension and diabetes.
|
|
|
19/09/2016
Whether you’re buying your first 3D printer or upgrading from one you’ve been running for years, it's important to understand the differences between the two leading printing technologies.
Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) and Polyjet each build 3D models layer by layer, but while the process by which they do this differs greatly, the one you choose to buy will likely be determined less by the technology itself than by the kind of models or tools you need for production.
|
|
|
13/09/2016
Since 2013, Vodafone’s annual IoT Barometer has looked at how enterprises are using and deploying Internet of Things (IoT) technology and one striking finding in the latest report is that, for many companies, the IoT is now at their heart.
|
|
|
13/09/2016
The IoT offers a technological revolution that can deliver higher efficiencies and enhanced productivity in existing equipment infrastructure. More than this, by leveraging cloud-based IT technologies and capabilities, the implementation of real-time data analysis can enable autonomous decision making and create the potential for new services and revenue streams.
|