The Spec Dilemma

Specifying a product may seem straightforward, but is it really?



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EEVblog #688 – How To Rework Solder SMD Chips – BTTF Time Circuits Repair!

Dave shows you how to rework and replace a blown SSOP surface mount SMD chip with ChipQuik, solder wick, and drag soldering. And also mentions other methods using a hot air gun and pre-heater.

Can he fix the Back To The Future Time Circuits and restore the timeline to it’s original order?

Bonus rant about the lack of PDF schematics in Github projects.

The BTTF Time Circuits were designs and made by Shackspace

Video of Dave blowing up the Time Circuits:

Forum HERE

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Tesla is not Nvidia’s only HPC processor

Graphics processor firm Nvidia sees a big opportunity for its GPUs in high performance computing (HPC), sometimes referred to as supercomputing.

Nvidia-Tesla-K80

GPUs differ from the CPUs of Intel, IBM and AMD used in PCs and servers because they at every good at number-crunching. That is GPUs are designed to process data very quickly, but do not have the programmable flexibility of CPUs.

Maybe a decade ago research showed that by using many GPUs in a low latency (ie with high speed interconnect) it was possible to create a powerful number-crunching supercomputer for a fraction of the cost of bespoke HPC hardware.

Nvidia has seized the opportunity. It designed a new type of high-end GPU called Tesla, which was good at being cascaded in an HPC array.

Part of the Tesla Accelerated Computing Platform, K80 dual-GPU accelerator is designed for number-crunching operations such as machine learning, data analytics, and scientific computing – collectively known as HPC.

In Tesla there are two GPUs per board with 12Gbyte of GDDR5 memory each (12Gbyte/board). Memory bandwidth is 480Gbyte/s.

There are 4,992 CUDA parallel processing cores.

But Nvidia is not only relying on Tesla for its HPC strategy. It has a plan to create an HPC from 2,000 Tegra K1 mobile processors.

Nvidia is working with IDT and Orange Silicon Valley to develop a scalable, low-latency cluster Tegra K1 mobile processors using RapidIO interconnect to create 16Gbit/s data interfaces between processor nodes.

There will be 60 processor nodes on a 19-inch 1U board, with more than 2,000 nodes in a rack.

This can provide computing power of up to 23Tflops per 1U server, or greater than 800Tflops of computing per rack.

This is twice the computing density of the largest supercomputer, Tianhe-2 in China.

“By integrating a large volume of low-power GPUs in a server rack at scale, this industry first creates a clear path to massive cloud-based clusters for analytics and gaming,” commented Jag Bolaria of the Linley Group.

richard wilson

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Top 10 Undergrad Supply Chain Programs

More than ever before, undergrads who are looking to enter the supply chain profession can choose from plenty of programs.



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Chip Market for Wireless Sensor Networks on 23% CAGR

Wireless sensor networks market will grow to $12 billion industry by 2020, says San-Francisco based market analyst firm.



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Potential Pot of Gold in Mobile Marketing

There are billions of smartphones and tablets out there that represent a captive audience for marketeers. However, mobile marketing is relatively new and has been slow to take off.



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Gyroscope Accuracy Beats MEMS

Qualtre claims its bulk acoustic wave (BAW) beats tuning fork.



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9 Top Tech from Electronica 2014

After 50 years, Europe's bellwether conference Electronica shows the state of the art is small powerful boards, automotive vehicle to infrastructure, and Internet of Things.



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Comment: LEDs light up UK suppliers

Plessey 5mm LED

LED street lights shine brightly on the industry right now.

In the past the UK electronics sector was heavily dependent on defence and telecommunications for its large infrastructure business.

These sectors, while still important to suppliers, are no longer the cash-cows they were in the 1980s and 1990s.

In desperation companies have been looking around for a sector which will use electronics systems in large and lucrative projects. Perhaps they have found it in LED lighting.

The replacement of filament light bulbs with LEDs is a global phenomenon.

But a visit to Lux Live 2014 exhibition in London last week convinced me that UK-based suppliers and design houses are well-placed to take advantage of the LED lighting revolution.

UK companies were very prominent in the presentation of their technologies, products and business successes.

What caught my eye was West Yorkshire’s Harvard Engineering plans to sell LED lighting to councils.

Significantly, along with the technology development and design wins, there is a reassuring rebirth in UK-based manufacturing.

This includes the production of lighting systems, sub-assemblies and even the semiconductor LEDs themselves.

Harvard designs and manufactures its products in the UK.

Long-time Cumbria-based manufacturer Marl is expanding its production facility to take advantage of the LED lighting opportunity.

And Plessey is reinventing the fabrication of semiconductors in the UK with its GaN-on-silicon LED wafer fab in Plymouth.

The mood lighting was very definitely reassuring. UK companies have been quick to see the opportunity LED lighting represents to electronics suppliers.

Twenty years ago the UK industry was quick to respond the wireless revolution. Could it have found its new cash-cow?

richard wilson

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AVX claims smallest tantalum capacitors

AVX has extended its F38 series of polymer tantalum capacitors, introducing the smallest, highest capacitance-voltage (CV) version yet.

Packaged in an 0603 (1608 metric) M case with an 0.9mm maximum profile, the 6.3V 47μF capacitors “nearly halve the footprint of the next smallest polymer tantalum capacitor with equivalent CV – a 0805 [2012 metric] case with a 1.0mm profile”, said AVX. The components are robust against ignition, “making them a safer alternative to comparable MnO₂ types”.

They are rated for use in operation from -55 to +105°C.

Applications are expected in power supply circuits in smartphones, tablet PCs, hand-held gaming systems, wireless modules, and hearing aids.

M case capacitors come in 6.3 and 10V versions, spanning 2.2 to 47μF.

F38 S case (0805, 2012 metric, 0.7-0.9mm profile) are 6.3V and 22-47μF.

Extensions, including a 6.3V 33μF M case, and 4V 100μF, 6.3V 68μF, and 10V 22μF S cases, are planned.

steve bush

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Taiwan market: Financial holding firms mulling investments in PV power generation

Three to four Taiwan-based private financial holding companies have been evaluating existing PV power-generating stations or ones under construction in Taiwan as investment targets, according to industry sources in Taiwan.

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India market: Local brands continue to make ground in smartphone segment

Local handset brands in India have continued to gain ground in their home market, with Micromax taking a 20% share in the smartphone segment in the third quarter of 2014, trailing after only Samsung Electronics, which had 24% in the sector, according to IDC.



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Gemtek Technology to adopt Cloud Foundry operational model

Wireless networking/communication device maker Gemtek Technology, in order to transform its business operation, will adopt Cloud Foundry, a business operational model of integrating its hardware products with internally-developed cloud computing service platforms to provide cloud computing application solutions and related maintenance services for clients including hardware vendors, telecom carriers and Internet-based application service providers, according to company chairman and CEO Howard Chen.



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Taiwan PCB production value to rise 7% in 2014, says IEK

Factories set up by Taiwan-based PCB makers in Taiwan and China are forecast to generate total production value of NT$558.4 billion (US$18.1 billion) in 2014, rising 6.93% on year, according to the Industrial Economics and Knowledge Center (IEK). IEK previously estimated a smaller 3% increase.



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iPhone chip orders slowing down, say IC designers

Apple has started scaling back on chip orders for its latest iPhone, according to sources at IC design houses.



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Taiwan market: TV vendors slash Ultra HD TV prices 15% to spur sales

TV vendors in Taiwan are cutting prices for Ultra HD (4K) TVs by 15% and are also releasing new 4K OLED units and various 60-inch and above size units in order to spur sales in the market.



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Co-Tech looking to diversify products

Co-Tech Copper Foil has developed copper oxide powders for use in HDI manufacturing, with volume shipments slated for the second quarter of 2015, according to the copper foil maker.



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COF tape supply likely to fall short

As the number of suppliers decreases, global supply of chip-on-film (COF) tapes has shrunk significantly, according to industry sources. Supply may fall short in 2015, as demand for LCD driver ICs for use in Ultra HD TVs will rise robustly, said the sources.

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Wage rates in eastern China rise in November

The local government in Jiangsu Province, eastern China, increased wage rates on November 1, much later than other cities, to avoid imposing a heavy burden on electronics factories during the third quarter of 2014 when there was a serious shortage of labor. The minimum monthly wage increased CNY150 (US$24.50) to CNY1,680 and minimum hourly rate by CNY1.50 to CNY14.50, according to Taiwan-based supply chain makers.



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Friday Quiz: Bipolar Transistors

Remember basic transistor physics? Let's see if you really do.



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Taiwan medical equipment industry output value rising, says IEK

Taiwan's medical equipment industry output value has already increased 5.4% on year in 2014 to NT$85.8 billion (US$2.78 billion), driven by demand for new and smart applications, according to the Industrial Economics and Knowledge Center (IEK) of Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI).



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Foxconn to cooperate with Alibaba, 21 Vianet to set up Wi-Fi network in southwestern China

Foxconn Electronics, Alibaba and 21 Vianet Group on November 26 jointly signed with the city government of Guiyang, southwestern China, to set up a citywide network of Wi-Fi hot spots to provide free Internet-access services, according to Foxconn.



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Tablet shipments expected to decline 3.5% in 2015, says firm

Notebook shipments will grow 0.6% in 2015 to 174.6 million units, while tablet shipments will decline 3.5% to 185.6 million units, according to TrendForce.



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China market: VMware tying up with China Telecom to offer hybrid cloud services

VMware has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with China Telecom and will begin to provide VMware hybrid cloud services through China Telecom's networks starting January 2015, according to company vice president and president of Greater China, David Sung.



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Global LED lighting production value in 2015 to grow 30%, say Taiwan makers

Global LED lighting shipments in 2015 will double those in 2014, but the corresponding production value will increase only 30% due to estimated price drops of 30-35%, according to Taiwan-based supply chain makers.



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IC suppliers gear up for automobile memory chip market

With the global automobile electronics market set for strong growth in 2015, a number of semiconductor firms including Micron Technology, Spansion, Micronix International, Winbond Electronics and Silicon Motion Technologies, have begun strengthening their deployments in the segment.



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Taiwan market: Smartphone shipments in 3Q14 hit record, says IDC

There were 2.45 smartphones shipped in the Taiwan market during the third quarter of 2014, hitting a quarterly record and accounting for 96.1% of total handset shipments. Taiwan had the third highest smartphone penetration next only to Hong Kong and Singapore, according to IDC.



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Sinbon Electronics capitalizes on IoT

Electronic connector and cable harness maker Sinbon Electronics has extended its products to new areas following the fast growing demand for IoT (the Internet of Things) applications, chairman Wang Shao-xin said at a November 27 investors conference.

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Panel makers to see increased orders for qHD, WVGA and FWVGA panels in 2015

Panel makers expect strong demand for qHD (540 by 960), WVGA (480 by 800) and FWVGA (480 by 854) handset panels in 2015 as China vendors aim to increase their lineups of CNY500 (US$81) and below smartphones.



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Nexus 6 Vs. iPhone 6 Plus: Phablet Deathmatch

There's never been a better time to buy a big-screened phone. Here's how the Google Nexus 6 and the Apple iPhone 6 Plus stack up.



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Lords question Government on civil and hobby drone use

A House of Lords committee investigating civilian drone use in the EU will hear from Government Minister Robert Goodwill on Monday 1 December.

The committee is the House of Lords ‘EU sub-committee on the internal market, infrastructure and employment’, and is investigating the use of civilian remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS), otherwise known as drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

Pre-announced questions are:

• Does the Government plan to consult with the public on drone use and guidelines?


• If so, when?


• Will the Government distinguish between commercial users and hobby users?


• Should drones be regulated according to their size or their potential risk to the public?


• Is the current law around misuse of drones working properly?


• Do we need to replace the legislation which currently relies on difficult-to-prove contraventions?


• Does the Government plan to employ drones to assist with law enforcement?


• How does the Government monitor its own contractors’ use of drones?


• Should regulation around privacy and data protection stay within the jurisdiction of each Member State?

The evidence session will start at 4.15pm on Monday 1 December (#HLRPAS on twitter).

Robert Goodwill MP is parliamentary under secretary of state at the Department for Transport.

The House of Lords EU sub-committee on the internal market, infrastructure and employment is chaired by Baroness O’Cathain.

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MIPS ports hypervisor to low-end 32-bit MPU

MIPS Technologies is sourced a hypervisor for its M5150 (5-stage pipe) 32bit microcontroller, which includes hardware virtualisation.

Combining hypervisor software with virtualisation hardware, allows multiple operating systems and applications to be run on the same silicon with a significant (some claim total) cut in the risk of hacking. In phones, this pairing is used to protect, for example, banking applications.

This level of security is now looking essential for Internet-of-things applications, which is one of the markets the firm’s M-Class cores are aimed at.

Japanese firm Seltech, known for creating hypervisors for Nvidea Tegra, said MIPS, has provided a hypervisor called Fexerox for M5150.

“This accomplishment creates the framework for next-generation security solutions based on trusted execution environment (TEE) concepts defined by GlobalPlatform,” said MIPS.

It suggests applications in: wearable devices running, for example, multimedia DRM streaming, e-health data collection and in-app billing, and hardening automotive electronics against malicious attacks.

There is a video on Fexerox and MIPS M-class.

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Elektra Awards 2014 – The Winners

The Elektra European Electronics Industry Awards 2014 were presented at a Gala Dinner in London last night.

Isle of Wight-based RFEL was named company of the year, recognising its achievement as a world-class developer of high-speed real-time high definition video processing technology.

A landmark for the company this year was being engaged by Oxford University to prepare the initial signal processing study contract for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope project at Jodrell Bank.

From its research centre on the Isle of Wight, RFEL is also providing its FPGA-based processing expertise to a European consortium developing a driver assistance system for the military.

The judges said: “RFEL has created a team of exceptionally skilled software and hardware designers who are contributing leading edge signal processing technology to international companies and consortiums.”

Elektra 2014 presented its prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award to Mark Larson, president of Digi-Key.

He joined the company in 1976 and during the last 38 years has been instrumental in creating one of the largest global brands in component distribution.

The Elektra Awards has been recognising technical innovative and business success for more than a decade.

A highpoint of the electronics industry, the event was hosted by comedian and TV personality Andy Parsons, and watched by a large and enthusiastic audience representing all sectors of the industry.

Congratulations to all the winners, and thanks again to all the sponsors who make the event possible.

Winners at the Elektra European Electronics Industry Awards 2014, in full

Company of the Year

RFEL

Lifetime Achievement Award

Mark Larson of Digi-Key

Design Team of the Year

RFEL – Real-time HD video stabiliser

Environmental Award

Environ – Environmental compliance web-based reporting system

Distributor of the Year

Digi-Key

Highly commended

Mouser Electronics

Manufacturer of the Year

Harwin

New Company of the Year

Blu-Wireless Technology

Consumer Product Innovation of the Year – Online vote

P2i

Electronics Technology Blog of the Year – Online vote

Raspberry Pi Blog

Engineers of the Future –

Elektra Awards support young engineers and students

Educational Support Award

Keysight Technologies – EEsof university educational support programme

Rising Star New Engineer of the Year

Daniel Marshall

Highly commended

Dr Bogdan Pasca

University Department of the Year

University of Southampton

Highly commended

University of Edinburgh

Product Technologies –

Elektra Awards promotes exceptional technical innovation

Design Tools and Development Software Award

Altera – SDK for OpenCL

Internet of Things Product Innovation Award

Omron Electronic Components Europe – Human Vision Component Module

LED lighting Product of the Year

Khatod Optoelectronic – Silicon lenses for COB LEDs

Passive and Electromechanical Product of the Year

Smiths Connectors – Transformer connector range

Power System Product of the Year

Vicor – ChIP high voltage converter

Renewable Energy Design Award

Microsemi – DC-powered POE Midspans use solar power

Analogue Semiconductor Product of the Year

Analog Devices – AD9625-2.5 ultra-wideband data converter

Digital Semiconductor Product of the Year

Integrated Device Technologies – programmable universal frequency translator

Test Product of the Year

National Instruments – NI VirtualBench

Highly commended

Rohde & Schwarz – RTE digital oscilloscope

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Infineon sparkles

Dr Reinhard Ploss, Infineon

Infineon had a sparkling calendar Q3 (its fiscal Q4) with revenue of €1,175 million for a profit of €188 million and a margin of 16%.

Calendar Q3′s revenues were 6% up on calendar Q2′s at €1,110 million.

For the full fiscal year to the end of September its revenues were up 12% on FY 2013 to €4,320 million a profit of €620 million and a 14.4% margin.

The outlook for the 2015 FY is a revenue increase of 8% plu or minus two percentage points.

Outlook for calendar is a revenue decrease of between 5 and 9% with a margin between 10 and 13%.

“We have made good use of the opportunities open to us in a dynamically growing market. We were well prepared to handle steeply rising demand from our customers and therefore always able to deliver reliably,” says Infineon CEO Reinhard Ploss.

“Revenue, earnings and margin all saw solid increases, in line with our expectations. Despite a challenging market environment, we plan to continue growing in the current 2015 fiscal year – in addition to growth resulting from the planned acquisition of International Rectifier.”

Due to the strong free cash flow, the gross cash position amounted to €2,418 million at September 30, 2014, compared with €2,263 million at the end of June 2014.

The net cash position also improved over the same period from €2,073 million to €2,232 million.

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The IoT Conundrum

Internet of Things – IoT

The IoT conundrum was addressed by Intel v-p Philip Moynagh at the European Nanoelectronics Forum in Cannes this morning.

“IoT”, said Moynagh, “is going to cause extraordinary levels of disruption.”

He put forward the example of a fab, with all the equipment connected, as being the most sophisticated IoT system on the planet.

But why, asked Electronics Weekly, would anyone want to connect a fab to the Internet where terrorists and hackers could disrupt it?

Moynagh agreed that it would be stupid to connect a fab to the public Internet. Intel’s fabs are not connected to the public Internet but are closed private systems – what Moynagh called a ‘private internet’.

This is where all IoT discussions fall down. If factory automation, something that has been commonplace for half a century, can be described as IoT, then anything can be.

But if IoT is to mean anything, it has to mean things which are connected to the Internet.

And no one wants their fab or their smart city system to be connected to the Internet where terrorists and hackers can disrupt them.

IoT could indeed cause ‘extraordinary levels of disruption’ but not the kind of disruption which Moynagh meant.

david manners

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Moore's Law Competitor Wins $150K Elevator Pitch Prize

Quilt packaging wins $150,000 prize for best elevator pitch explaining a new MEMS-based device or technology.



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TV shipments improve 4% in 3Q14; LCD TV shipments rise nearly 9%, says DisplaySearch

TV shipments improved 4% on year in the third quarter of 2014, and LCD TV shipments alone rose nearly 9%, according to DisplaySearch.



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Lenovo reportedly to start producing wearable devices soon, says report

China-based electronics maker Fenda Technology recently announced it has been selected by Lenovo as a qualified supplier for the vendor's wearable devices, which implies that Lenovo is poised to start mass producing a wearable device in the near future, according to a Chinese-language Sina.com report. Fenda declined to provide further details about the cooperation.



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Samsung Electro-Mechanics to expand businesses in China in 2015, says paper

The Samsung Group's component manufacturing affiliate Samsung Electro-Mechanics has seen its performance seriously impacted by Samsung Electronics' weakening smartphone sales recently and therefore is looking to expand its businesses in China in 2015 to reduce the risk of having all its eggs in one basket, according to a Chinese-language China Business News report citing a Samsung executive as saying.



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SemiLEDs reports fourth quarter and fiscal year end 2014 financial results

SemiLEDs, a developer and manufacturer of LED chips and LED components, has announced its financial results for its fiscal fourth quarter and full year 2014, ended August 31, 2014.

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Revenues from smart meters expected to reach US$6.6 billion annually by 2023, says Navigant

With deployments in North America slowing, the smart electric meter market has shifted emphasis to projects in Europe and Asia Pacific. Business activity is increasing in western Europe, where projects in Spain, France, and the UK will account for some 93 million new meters by the end of 2020, and in Asia Pacific, where major deployments continue in both China and Japan. According to a recent report from Navigant Research, worldwide revenues from smart meters are expected to grow from US$5.1 billion annually in 2014 to US$6.6 billion in 2023.



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ChipMOS 2015 capex to stay flat

ChipMOS Technologies, which specializes in assembly and test services for LCD driver ICs and memory chips, is expected to maintain its 2015 capex at near 2014 levels, according to industry sources.



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Most motherboard players to focus on gross margins in 2015

Asustek Computer has been aggressively cutting motherboard prices to defend its leading position in the market recently and is likely to use the same strategy for 2015. In response most competing motherboard players have turned to focus on maintaining their gross margins for 2015, according to industry sources.



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Commentary: MediaTek offers food for thought about investing in China

The announcement by MediaTek that it will invest in a private equity fund led by SummitView Capital and the Shanghai city government indicates that the Taiwan-based smartphone solution vendor has managed to avert the pressure from China's efforts to promote its own semiconductor industry.



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CPT seeing increased smartphone, tablet and vehicle shipments

Chunghwa Picture Tubes (CPT) is reportedly seeing increased orders from China handset vendors looking to release new units in the fourth quarter of 2014 and into 2015, which is expected to help CPT's performance maintain stability as well as decrease its inventory through the rest of 2014.

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Innolux clarifies Chi Mei Lighting debt issues, looking to secure loan from Taiwan banks

Commenting on one of the Taiwan government-owned banks reportedly having refused to join Innolux's syndicated loan plans because of debt issues at Innolux's ex-affiliate Chi Mei Lighting Technology, Innolux noted that Chi Mei Lighting will be offered for sale at the end of December and, prior to that, Innolux will keep in close contact with the banks.



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Micron, Winbond team up for serial NOR flash

Micron Technology has partnered with Winbond Electronics to jointly develop serial NOR flash memory for automotive and Internet of Things (IoT) applications, according to the US memory chipmaker.



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China market: 4G smartphone chip prices continue to fall

Prices for 4G smartphone solutions have fallen below US$10 per unit, and will continue to drop reaching US$7-8 during the first half of 2015, according to industry sources.



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Wistron to see good profits in 2015 thanks to iPhone 5c, says paper

Wistron is expected to achieve shipments at levels similar to those of 2014 for its notebook, desktop and LCD TV businesses in 2015, but the ODM's handheld device business is expected to continue benefiting from Apple's iPhone 5c orders and an improved yield, the company is looking at a possible EPS of NT$2.90 (US$0.09) for 2015, according to a Chinese-language Economic Daily News (EDN) report citing figures from market watchers.

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Taiwan market: 4G user base tops 2.1 million at end of October, says NCC

The total number of 4G mobile communications subscribers in the Taiwan market increased to 2.103 million as of the end of October, according to the National Communications Commission (NCC).



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Mobile DRAM revenues rise 6% in 3Q14, says DRAMeXchange

Revenues for mobile DRAM reached US$3.46 billion in the third quarter of 2014, up 6% from US$2.27 billion in the second quarter, according to DRAMeXchange. Growth was driven by increased bit output despite a slight decline in ASPs.



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Coolpad, China Telecom to launch dual-OS smartphone Platinum Dayton, says report

China-based vendor Coolpad is cooperating with China Telecom to unveil the Platinum Dayton, a flagship smartphone featuring dual operating systems (OS) for security purposes, for launch initially in the China market at a retail price of over CNY4,000 (US$653) in late November, according to China-based tech.sina.com.



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Digitimes Research: China smartphone makers increase overseas shipments by 53% in 3Q14

Huawei Device was the top China-based smartphone maker in the third quarter of 2014, with shipments of 14.8 million units, according to Digitimes Research.



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Patent wars may become competitive strategy in China smartphone market

China-based smartphone vendors may engage in patent wars in their home market as Huawei and ZTE reportedly have begun taking legal action against rivals including Xiaomi Technology, Oppo and Vivo, according to industry sources.



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Inotera orders equipment from Applied Materials

Inotera Memories has purchased a batch of production equipment from Applied Materials for NT$1.38 billion (US$44.76 million), according to a company filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TSE).



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TPV sees LCD TV and monitor shipments increase 7.5% in 3Q14

TPV has reported its consolidated shipments increased 7.5% on a sequential basis to 18.3 million units, while revenues rose 5.5% to US$3.02 billion. Profit also improved, from a loss in the first quarter and US$6.2 million in the second, to US$34.8 million. The company's gross profit margin expanded to 9.1%, compared to 8.2% in the second quarter and 8.9% in the first.

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China market: Smartphone vendors to streamline product lines

China-based smartphone vendors, including ZTE, Huawei, Coolpad and Lenovo, all plan to streamline their product portfolios in order to cope with changing market conditions, China-based sina.com has reported.



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Oppo, Gionee increase AMOLED handset panel orders to Samsung

China handset vendors including Oppo and Gionee are expanding their cooperation with Samsung Display and are currently increasing orders for AMOLED panels for units to be released in 2015.



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China market: Over 5.4 million consumer tablets sold in 3Q14, says Analysys

There were 5.445 million branded consumer tablets sold in the China market during the third quarter of 2014, decreasing 1% on quarter but increasing 25.1% on year, according to China-based Analysys International.



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Epistar sees decreasing capacity utilization

LED epitaxial wafer and chip maker Epistar has seen its overall capacity utilization drop from about 50% in October to below 50% in November and the utilization is expected to further slip in December, according to the company.



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Europe vs. Google

Google may not give much thanks for the gift Europe is about to hand it on Thanksgiving this year.



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Sony's 3-Year Plan: Treading Water or Just Sinking?

Sony's three-year outlook for its mobile business "isn't aiming for size or market share," said Sony's new mobile chief.



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HMC Spec Update Signals Healthy Adoption

The release of the Hybrid Memory Cube specification 2.0, along with early-stage products that make use of the potential successor to DRAM, suggests it will gain traction, starting with high-performance computing and networking applications.



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Supercapacitors: A New Hero in the Spotlight

Today's supercapacitors are being used to replace rechargeable batteries in applications such as electric/hybrid vehicles, wearables, and more.



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Power Week: Si-Based Power Discretes to Continue to Dominate Over Next Decade

Discrete power electronics are predicted to become a $23 billion market by 2024, with fast-growing SiC- and GaN-based components grabbing a combined 13% share, and silicon continuing to remain the technology of choice.



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Book Review: Deadly Odds by Allen Wyler

This is a great read that will have you on the edge of your seat shouting things like "Don't answer that telephone!"



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EC will support foreign semi manufacturers if locals won’t invest

If the European semiconductor companies don’t invest in semiconductor production facilities in Europe then the EC will support investment by foreign companies, Khalil Rouhana (pictured), director for components and systems in the EC’s DG CONNECT project, told the European Nanoelectronics Forum 2014 in Cannes this morning.

Rouhana reiterated the target of his former boss, EC vice-president Neelie Kroes, to double the output of semiconductors manufactured in Europe with the target of obtaining a 20% world market share.

The budget for increasing manufacturing in Europe to meet this target is €20 billion over the next ten years.

Asked by Electronics Weekly how the EC expected to achieve that target with Europe’s Big Three chip companies having no plans to build significant front-end wafer production capacity in Europe, Rouhana replied: “We have asked the CEOs. We have talked to each of them, one by one, to get a complete picture of their investment plans.

“What we are about is investment in Europe whoever decides to invest,” added Rouhana, “if it is not for the companies around the table today, then it is open to investment from somebody else.”

While the EC is focusing some of its money on European areas of strength like MEMS, Rouhana was quite clear about his general aspiration. “We have an ambitious plan to reverse the decline in market share in the whole of the semiconductor field.”

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3D printer uses pressure control to cut costs

A pressure controlled 3D printer has raised $65,000 on the Kickstarter crowd-funding website.

The Elemental 3D printer is designed to be lower cost by replacing complex mechanical operation with a pressure control system.

The printer deploys a new resin-based suspension technology, which simplifies the control of resin levels.

It can be used to render projects with a thick or thin resin base, which is more cost-effective.

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The kitchen table, the pub and money

Ben Verwaayen

The kitchen table, the pub and money are the ingredients for getting the European nanoelectronics industry to thrive, Ben Verwaayen, former CEO of BT and Alcatel Lucent, told the European Nanoelectronics Forum 2014 in Cannes this morning.

The kitchen table is where a kid raises the prospect of starting an enterprise and is either encouraged or discouraged.

The pub is where ideas and information are shared and exchanged.

Money, while not the starting point, is needed to grow the enterprise.

“Talent wants to rub shoulders with talent,” said Veerwayen, “people want to be recognised for what they bring. Young people make silent choices – they need to feel the vibration that talent is recognised in this industry.”

Veerwayen quoted The Pope who recently told the European Parliament: “One receives the general impression that Europe is a grandmother who is neither fertile nor vivacious anymore.”

“It’s not that we don’t know where we’re going,” said Veerwayen, “we know where we’re going.”

But though the future of technology is clearly road-mapped there is no certainty where that future will be implemented.

“Somewhere in the world it will happen but there’s no guarantee it will happen here,” said Veerwayen, “this will happen globally but we don’t know where will the benefits will come down from a business perspective,”

It’s not just money, he argued, China will outspend us. Talent is the only edge Europe has to deploy in this race, and the kitchen table and the pub mixed with EU money is the way we must do it.

david manners

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Micron workers strike in Italy

Micron workers went on strike again yesterday with three quarters of the company’s workers at its Catania site going out on strike.

They were joined by some people who were Micron employees but have now returned to ST, who came out in sympathy.

“I think that the message is clear, the solidarity among the workers is great,” a striker told Electronics Weekly. “I think this is not well understandable in the Anglo-Saxon world, but we consider a job a matter of life and death.”

That’s because in some parts of a Italy there are few opportunities for jobs for skilled people.

More strikes are planned at Micron’s sites in Agrate and Arzano (Naples).

Problems arose last year when Micron tried to sack a third of its Italian workforce – 419 people.

Subsequently ST re-hired 160 of these because the workers originally came from ST’s jv with Micron, Numonyx, which was transferred to Micron.

Some of the 419 have been re-employed by Micron and some have taken redundancy but 33 Micron employees remain without a job.

Under the deal between Micron, ST and the unions, it was agreed that ST would re-employ 170 of the sacked Micron researchers.

If ST sticks to its promise and employs another ten people, then that leaves 23 people without a job and it is hoped that Micron, which is doing extremely well at the moment, will find employment for the final 23.

Micron’s 2014 sales are expected to be up 16% on 2013 at $16.6 billion. It has a market cap of $34 billion and cash of $4.3 billion.

david manners

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Microchip ups controller voltage for noise immunity

Microchip has introduced a range of 16-bit dsPIC33 Digital Signal Controllers at the SPS IPC Drives Conference in Germany, which provides 5V operation for improved noise immunity.

The dsPIC33EV family is the first dsPIC DSC with Error Correcting Code (ECC) flash for increased reliability and safety.

For safety-critical applications, the dsPIC33EV devices also include Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC), Deadman Timer (DMT), and Windowed Watchdog Timer (WWDT) peripherals as well as a backup system oscillator and certified Class B software.

The devices can offer up to six motor control PWMs, 12-bit ADC, and operational amplifiers.

There is also an interface for 5V automotive sensors such as level or flow sensing. The devices can execute smart sensor filter algorithms and integrate CAN communication software.

The dsPIC33EV devices offer up to 150°C operation with AEC-Q100 Grade 0 qualification enabling robust automotive applications that are suitable for under-hood applications.

The dsPIC33 “EV” family is supported by Microchip’s dsPIC33EV 5V CAN-LIN Starter Kit (DM330018) priced at $79.99.

richard wilson

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Boeing to Double Workforce at Pennsylvania Assembly Plant

SMITHFIELD, PA—Boeing will expand its factory here, where the company makes complex electronic assemblies. Boeing expects to add 168 new jobs over the next three years, doubling the facility’s workforce.

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EEVblog #687 – EFTPOS PIN Pad Terminal Teardown

What’s inside a smart card pinpad EFTPOS terminal? Dave looks at the anti-tamper mechanisms involved. DS5240 High-Speed Secure Microcontroller MAX32550 DeepCover Secure Cortex-M3 Flash Microcontroller NCN6004A SIM Card interface Forum HERE

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MediaTek reportedly no longer supplies chips to Xiaomi

China media outlets have reported recently that MediaTek has decided to suspend its chip supply for Xiaomi's smartphone.



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PC outlook remains cautious, despite modest 3Q14 gains, says IDC

Worldwide PC shipments are expected to fall by 2.7% in 2014, an improvement from the previous forecast of negative 3.7%, according to the IDC Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker. Although third-quarter results were a few points ahead of forecast with shipments down only 0.5% from the prior year, most regions and market participants saw this as a short-term gain rather than as a sign of stronger growth in the medium- or long-term.



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Worldwide tablet growth expected to slow to 7.2% in 2014 along with first year of iPad decline, says IDC

The worldwide tablet market is expected to see a deceleration in 2014 with on-year growth slowing to 7.2%, down from 52.5% in 2013, according to a new forecast from IDC. At the core of this slowdown is the expectation that 2014 will represent the first full year of decline in Apple iPad shipments. Both the iPad and the overall market slowdown do not come as a surprise as device life-cycles for tablets have continued to lengthen, increasingly resembling those of PCs more than smartphones.

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Foxconn to continue investment in central Taiwan, says chairman

Foxconn Electronics (Hon Hai Precision Industry), viewing that local governments and enterprises in central Taiwan plan to integrate resources to develop precision machinery, precision optics, electric vehicles, robots, industrial automation and the Internet of Things, will continue to invest in the region, according to company chairman Terry Guo.



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Taiwan market: Acer, Lenovo expect good PC sales during IT Month

While global PC demand in the fourth quarter of 2014 is expected to decrease on quarter, Acer and Lenovo expect their PC shipments to still enjoy growth. They are also confident about sales performance during the IT Month fairs to take place in major cities around Taiwan from late November to early January 2015, according to industry sources.



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Qisda looking to further expand business model to medical segment

Qisda has seen projector shipments increase 40% on year to about 1.2 million over the first three quarters of 2014 while LCD monitor shipments reached 11.8 million, up about 20% on year, according to company president Peter Chen.



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LED packaging houses to see 10% sequential drop in 4Q14 revenues

Due to weak demand for LED backlighting and lighting, Taiwan-based LED packaging service providers are expected to see fourth-quarter 2014 consolidated revenues decrease 10% sequentially on average, but will see significant sequential growth in first-quarter 2015, according to industry sources.



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Taiwan market: Chunghwa Telecom raises target 4G user base for end of 2014

Chunghwa Telecom (CHT) has upward adjusted its internal target of 4G subscribers for the end of 2014 to 1.3 million, according to industry sources.

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BOE shifts focus from Samsung to China vendors

China-based panel maker BOE is shifting its focus away from Samsung Electronics to China-based vendors as Samsung's smartphone sales have recently seen lower-than-expected results.



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FineTek to see revenues grow 10-15% in 2014

Instrumentation solution provider FineTek is expected to see 2014 revenues increase 10-15% on year thanks to fast growing demand for IoT (Internet of Things) applications, according to market watchers.



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Taiwan IC designers seeing gross margin under pressure

Taiwan-based IC design houses are seeking to improve their gross margins in 2015, by securing new orders for mobile devices set to roll out during the first half of the year, according to industry sources.



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TV panel shipments increase 10.2% on year in October to 22.55 million, says TrendForce

Global TV panel shipments increased 10.2% on year in October to 22.55 million units as vendors stocked up for holiday demand.



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Digitimes Research: Global tablet shipments to reach 74.53 million in 4Q14

There will be 74.53 million tablets shipped globally in the fourth quarter of 2014, increasing on quarter by 17.6% but decreasing on year by 10.1%, according to Digitimes Research.



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TSMC to grab 40-50% of A9 chip orders

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is expected to secure a combined 40-50% of Apple's A9 processor orders for next-generation iPad and iPhone devices, according to industry sources.



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Getac expects ruggedized mobile device shipments to grow 15%

Ruggedized mobile computing solution provider Getac Technology has obtained orders for ruggedized notebooks and tablets from the US Army, US-based Pacific Gas and Electricity Company (PG&E) and Germany-based automobile maker BMW, with shipments beginning in the fourth quarter of 2014, according to company chairman James Hwang.

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Tablet vendors may decrease number of models to be launched in 2015

As it is difficult to make profit from tablets, Asustek Computer has decided to reduce the number of new models to be launched in 2015, and Samsung Electronics and Lenovo are also likely to do so, according to sources from Taiwan's chain.



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Digitimes Research: Taiwan small- to medium-size panel shipments reach 329.7 million in 3Q14

Taiwan makers' small- to medium-size panel shipments reached 329.7 million in the third quarter of 2014, down 6.2% on quarter and 12.8% on year, according to Digitimes Research.



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Connector maker BizLink looks to double-digit revenue growth in 2015

Connector maker BizLink Holding expects its sales to grow by a double-digit rate in 2015, buoyed by increasing shipments to the automobile and medicare sectors, according to company vice present Tsai Yao-chen.

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Your Part in the Recovery

Engineers and innovators are central to the slow but ongoing economic recovery, a top economist told a recent gathering of semiconductor executives.



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Motor Controllers Offer Improved Noise Immunity

Operating at 5V gives these digital signal controllers enhanced noise immunity and system robustness.



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NXP to Pick Up Its Missing IoT Link - Bluetooth Low Energy

In pursuit of the Internet of Things market, NXP Semiconductors has picked up a key technology conspicuously absent from its portfolio -- Bluetooth Low Energy -- from Quintic, a nine-year-old startup.



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USB Oscilloscopes Get Beta Drivers for Open-Source Hardware

Pico Technology has released beta versions of drivers for BeagleBoneBlack and Raspberry Pi open-source controller boards.



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It's Alive! The 3D Printing of Living Tissues

Within a generation, we likely will not just hear of things like 3D printed hearts serving as models, but as real, functioning organs.



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Curiosity Killed the Cat (Just Call Me Mr. Curiosity)

Max desperately needs a cat deterrent, but how should this work? A 50,000V electric shock? Vaporization by high-powered lasers? Teleportation to another dimension?



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Megachips to Launch DSP-Based Sensor Fusion IC

The growing sensor-fusion controller market for smartphones and wearable devices is about to meet a new competitor - this time from Japan. Megachips is rolling out a motion engine and sensor hub chip, dubbed Frizz.



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MediaTek Plans $49 Million Investment in China's Chip Fund

Taiwan's largest chip designer has announced it will invest $48.9 million in a Chinese government fund as the company aims to sharpen its competitive edge in the world's largest cellphone market.



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Brunell scientists saves £1,000s with £160 DIY microscope

Scientist Adam Lynch was stuck for a piece of research equipment, so he made his own, saving thousands of pounds, and getting a research paper published on the instrument.

From Brunell University’s College of Health and Life Sciences, Lynch was studying cell movement and needed a microscope to look up at the cells through the bottom of a transparent container, or more than one container so test could be run in parallel.

“When you’re looking at motility in cells you’re only interested in the data – how fast the cell gets from A to B means more than a high-resolution image,” he said. “Even with a high-cost microscope you will reduce the image down so that it’s just a black dot on the screen moving against a white background so that it’s easier for a computer to read.”

Lynch bought three USB microscopes on-line – they tend to have 2Mpixel (1,600×1,200) resolution and 50-500x zoom magnification – and clamped them upside-down it under the samples.

“It worked ok as I could sort of see cells, which are about 50µm long, but the images weren’t fantastic,” he said. “But people don’t realise that you can quite easily make a high-magnification microscope, it’s just a matter of getting a lens and the right angle of lighting, so when I turned off the lighting that came with the instrument and used external lights I found I could see the cells quite clearly.”

Equally important was the availability of open-source tracking software to automate the analysis.

In the experimental rig, just over 200x magnification (out of ~400x max) and 640×480 resolution was used.

According to the paper’s abstract, confirmation of performance came from measuring mean velocities of 0.81, 1.17, 1.24, and 2.21µm/min for biomphalaria glabrata hemocytes (uncoated plate), MDA-MB-231 cancer cells, SC5 mouse Sertoli cells, and B. glabrata hemocytes (poly-L-Lysine coated plates) respectively, which ‘are consistent with previous reports’.

Lynch is studying snail immune systems – in particular, how chemical pollutants in water might influence the transmission of Schistosome parasites from snails to humans.

The microscope paper, ‘Low-cost motility tracking system (locomotis) for time-lapse microscopy applications and cell visualisation‘, is published by the Public Library of Science.

In the photo:

Three black USB cameras point up into the transparent acrylic incubator box.

At the back of the box is orange heating wire, controlled by the white rectangular thermostat.

Above the thermostat in the incubator is a temperature sensor, and light comes from an LED table lamp.

Cells live and move in the tray in the bottom right of the incubator.

For fine microscope height adjustment, each one sits on part of an adjustble kitchen cabinet leg.

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Sensorless control turns stepper into servo motor

Sensorless control of stepper motors, in which the speed of the rotor is determined through a virtual encoder within the controller, is possible, claims German firm Nanotec.

“This enables the stepper motor to be operated as a servo-motor, with no step loss, no resonance and no risk of overheating,” said the firm. “It is now possible to exploit the advantages of closed-loop mode in applications in which the classic closed loop with encoder cannot be used due to cost constraints.”

An auto-set-up routine measures the connected motor and determines the required parameters.

Depending on the motor type, speed and positioning information is obtained at between 25 and 250rpm, with an accuracy comparable to that of an optical encoder with 500 or 1000 increments said Nanotec, allowing “a level of control can be achieved of the same quality and with the same torque as a motor controlled by means of an encoder”.

Open-loop mode is also available for lower speeds and for positioning.

Sensorless control is available as a firmware update for all Nanotec N and C series controllers.

Nanotec is exhibiting at SPS IPC Drives 2014 in Nuremberg.

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Symtavision and Lauterbach integrate flow.

Symtavision and Lauterbach have further integrated the SymTA/S and TraceAnalyzer timing design tools with Lauterbach’s TRACE32 suite of microprocessor development tools.

The workflow, which enables real-time traces from TRACE32 to be imported and analysed using SymTA/S and TraceAnalyzer has been improved to facilitate better support of rich traces with wait and release behavior, the import of traces with runnable activity within tasks and the ability to import and analyze functional-level traces generated by TRACE32.

With the Symtavision / Lauterbach joint workflow, code for automotive ECUs is imported into TRACE32 from any third party ECU configuration tool for target debugging, emulation and software validation.

Trace data from ECU measurements or hardware independent simulations is then passed to TraceAnalyzer to visualize and analyze timing traces and validate ECU scheduling. The resulting timing models can be processed further in SymTA/S to perform worst-case and statistical timing analysis, as well as to virtually change the scheduling and explore / optimize the overall software architecture.

The optimised configuration is then passed back to TRACE32 via the third party ECU configuration tool and uploaded to the target, completing the round-trip workflow.

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More on: Newbury Electronics tracks animals

Yesterday it was announced that Newbury Electronics is to start a new electronic design services division called Newbury Innovations, and that the team transferring to the new entity had already designed some interesting electronics, including tags for tracking wild animals.

Here is some more on those tags.

They were created for the Swansea Live Animal Monitoring (SLAM) group, led by Professor Rory Wilson at Swansea University, are the size of a stamp, and weigh 3g.

Dr Mark Holton of SLAM approached Newbury Electronics with initial designs in the spring. From this, Holton and the firm developed the concept to get the smallest PCB that would still work with multiple sensors – see below.

To date Newbury Electronics has supplied around 200 of the sensor/loggers along with several dozen bespoke GPS logger, and timed release modules.

“We have been working on data analysis algorithms which, together with these devices, will certainly place us as a significant competitor within the animal research market place, said Holton, who is also MD of Swansea University spin-out Wildbyte Technologies.

The list of animals so far fitted with the trackers includes: badgers, beavers, camels, eagles, vultures, condors, whale sharks, turtles and humans – the latter to aid psychology and sports injury recovery through movement analysis, said Newbury.

Most recently was monitoring the movement of turtles off the west coast of Africa.

In this case the sensors detect movement and heading from accelerometer and geomagnetic sensors, along with light, temperature and depth – sensors are either on-board or blugged into the board.

Up to 75 million data points recorded over three weeks has been analyses to give an insight into behaviour under (movement and orientation, and depth) and at the surface (+GPS) including duration of dives, the number of breaths taken and foraging patterns at depth.

‘Daily Diary’ tag

• Weight: ~2g +battery +housing)


• Size ~27x26x8mm


• Accelerometer: 3axis 13bit resolution +/-16g (3.9mg/LSB)


• Magnetometer: 3axis 12bit resolution +/-1.3Ga


• Thermometer: -40 to +85°C (0.1°C)


• Air pressure: 300 to 1,100hPa (0.01hPa steps) Not active in sealed housing


• Depth sensor: down to 200m (resolution ~1m)


• Light – light dependent resistor (12bit) for dark to daylight transition


• logging rate: 60Hz max

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Infineon packages diode with IGBT

Infineon is sampling an IGBT package which can hold an IGBT up to 120A and a full rated diode in the same footprint and pin-out as JEDEC standard TO-247-3. Volume production is planned for Q1 2015.

The TO-247PLUS can be used in industrial applications such as UPS, welding, solar, industrial drives as well as automotive applications such as powertrain inverter to upgrade existing designs for higher power output or to improve the thermal conditions in the application consequently improving the system reliability and lifetime.

The higher current capability of the TO-247PLUS allows for reducing the number of devices in parallel thus enabling more compact product designs.

The package is designed for clip or pressure mounting to the heat sink. These mounting techniques ensure homogeneous distribution of pressure over the package, better heat conductivity and higher mechanical stability even under strong vibrations and mechanical shocks.

Due to the absence of the mounting hole the TO-247PLUS package may accommodate a 70% larger silicon die area compared to standard TO-247.

The 26% larger thermal pad area contributes up to a 20% lower thermal resistance Rth (jh) compared to standard TO-247, says Infineon.

The package body has “plastic trousers” to increase the creepage distance to 4.25mm – 2mm larger than the TO-247-3.

The plastic body compound of the TO-247PLUS package has tighter tolerances to clip pressure while a new bond wiring concept allows a DC collector current increase from 80A to 160A contributing to a better reliability and longer lifetime of the IGBT.

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Soitec, SK Innovation team up for semiconductor materials

France-based Soitec and SK Innovation of Korea have signed an agreement to establish an alliance focused on accelerating innovation in the area of semiconductor materials for information communication technologies and Internet-of-things (IoT) applications.



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Biostar says Samsung-Nvidia lawsuit not affecting operation

Commenting on Samsung Electronics' complaints to the US International Trade Commission (ITC) against Nvidia and its clients over the Nvidia Shield tablet's alleged violation of eight of Samsung's patents, Biostar Microtech International has claimed that it does not play any role in Shield's manufacturing and Nvidia is an upstream supplier of Biostar.

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GIS applies for listing on Taiwan Stock Exchange

General Interface Solution (GIS) Holding, a touch panel module subsidiary of the Foxconn Group (Hon Hai Precision Industry), has filed an application to seek a primary listing on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TSE).



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ASML lands EUV tool orders from TSMC

Lithography system vendor ASML announced on November 24 that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has ordered two NXE:3350B EUV systems for delivery in 2015 with the intention to use those systems in production.



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Taiwan and Korea makers expanding touch-embedded solutions in 2015

Despite China makers holding an 80% proportion of embedded touch solutions to China handset vendors, Taiwan and Korea makers are expected to continue expanding production in 2015 in order to meet expected demand for entry-level and mid-range handsets in emerging markets.



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In-car safety innovations drive expand use of dashboard screens, says DisplaySearch

With more safety features requiring a greater level of driver monitoring, demand for multifunction TFT-LCD panels in the automotive instrument cluster are accelerating. In fact, TFT-LCD shipments for the instrument cluster in automobiles are expected to grow 48% to reach 30.2 million units in 2014, growing further to reach 50 million units in 2018, according to DisplaySearch.



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Residential demand response revenues expected to reach US$2.3 billion annually by 2023, says firm

The development of smart grid technology – particularly advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) and smart, two-way communicating thermostats – is enabling utilities in many countries to offer residential demand response programs. These systems allow utilities to discreetly dispatch customers according to the load on the grid, and customers to control their own devices through mobile applications, giving them more control over their energy usage and spending. According to a recent report from Navigant Research, worldwide revenues from residential DR is expected to grow from US$332 million in 2014 to US$2.3 billion in 2023.

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Commentary: Android smartphone vendors set to meet more challenges

Sluggish demand for Android-based smartphones is taking its toll on vendors including Samsung Electronics, HTC and Sony Mobile Communications as evidenced by third-quarter reports released by related vendors. And the fourth-quarter figures for Android smartphone vendors are expected to be worse than the previous quarter given strong sales of iPhone 6 devices.



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Monitor vendors eyeing 5K units in 2015

Following the release of Apple's iMac with Retina 5K display, more LCD monitor vendors are talking about releasing high-end units with similar resolutions in 2015.



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Acer, Asustek pushing Chromebooks and inexpensive notebooks

Acer is set to invest heavily in Chromebook development in 2015 with related shipments to grow over 50% on year to reach 4.8 million units. Meanwhile, Asustek Computer is also planning to increase its shipments of inexpensive 11.6-inch Windows-based EeeBook notebooks, and the devices are expected to account for over 30% of the vendor's overall notebook shipments in 2015, surpassing six million units, according to sources in the upstream supply chain.



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Digitimes Research: China makers to drop Full HD panel pricing by 11.5% in 2015

As China makers expand production capacity in order to meet increasing demand for cheaper panel supply in China, local handset vendors will receive Full HD panels for use in smartphones in 2015 below US$21, down 11.5% on year, according to Digitimes Research.



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MediaTek participates in government-led fund in Shanghai

MediaTek has announced plans to invest about CNY300 million (US$49 million) in a China government-led investment fund aiming to boost development of the local IC industry in Shanghai.



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Reduce Noise When Making M-PHY Measurements

To make useful measurements on M-PHY Gear 3, you need a low-noise measurement system because of the low-amplitude signals.



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China, Taiwan makers eyeing 3D printer market

China-based Xery 3D Printing Science & Technology (Anhui), which was founded in 2013, has an annual production capacity of 50,000 FDM (fused deposition modeling) home-use 3D printers, 20,000 FDM business-use units, 5,000 SLS (selective laser sintering) industrial units and 500,000 tons of 3D printing materials.



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ARM seeing troubles penetrating into PC, server industries; IoT becomes new battlefield for Intel, ARM

Despite aggressively attempting to advance into the PC and server industries, ARM-based CPU platforms will not be able to achieve any significant results within the next two years in the two segments; however ARM and Intel have found a new business opportunities in the Internet of things (IoT) segment and both expect growth in that area, according to sources from the supply chain.



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ASMedia announces partnership with AMD

Taiwan-based ASMedia has announced is has signed contracts with AMD for a partnership, but no details were disclosed about the relationship except that the projects are related to next-generation chipset technology, according to a company post on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TSE).

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Will Xiaomi be a target for Foxconn's new collaboration with Innolux?

Following the announcement that Foxconn Electronics will collaborate with Innolux to invest roughly US$2.8 billion to construct new 6G facilities in Taiwan geared at producing LTPS technology for high-end smartphones, rumors have been spreading in the market as to which clients the two companies intend to target.



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Taiwan IC designers see demand slowing down

Demand for PC, 3G phone and consumer electronics ICs has slowed down recently, due to seasonal weakness, according to sources at Taiwan-based IC design houses.



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Server player AIC sees SSD server orders from Sony and France client, says paper

Taiwan-based server player AIC has recently landed orders from Sony for its NVMe PCIe solid state drive (SSD) server solution SB122-TO and also acquired orders from the largest data center in France for the same device, and the orders are expected to boost the company's gross margins in the fourth quarter, according to a Chinese-language Apply Daily report.



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Taiwan October manufacturing production index up on month, year, says MOEA

Taiwan recorded a manufacturing production index (2011 as base year) of 112.10 for October 2014, increasing by 2.76% on month and by 9.00% on year, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) on November 24.

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China market: Online search value over CNY15 billion in 3Q14, says Analysys

Online search engines in the China market generated total revenues of CNY15.68 billion (US$2.54 billion) in the third quarter of 2014, increasing by 11.7% on quarter and by 39.0% on year, according to China-based consulting company Analysys International.



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ITO film demand expected to grow 25.6% in 2014

ITO film demand is expected to grow 25.6% on year in 2014, showing a slowdown over the on-year increase of 40% in 2013.



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TSMC orders equipment for NT$2.4 billion

Contract chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has purchased a batch of machinery and engineering equipment from cleanroom constructor United Information Systems (UIS) and NuFlare Technology, specializing in electron beam mask writing systems, for a total of about NT$2.44 billion (US$78.85 million), according to a company filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TSE).



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Some Taiwan solar cell makers plan to cut personnel

Some Taiwan-based crystalline silicon solar cell makers, faced with price drops and decreased orders arising from the US imposition of preliminary anti-dumping tariffs at an average rate of 24.23%, have plans to relocate production lines abroad to avoid the impact and/or reduce manpower to decrease production costs, according to PV industry sources in Taiwan.



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Xiaomi to launch smart home device soon

Xiaomi is planning to launch a product for the smart home market between the end of 2014 and January 2015 and expects the product to surprise the market, according to the head of Xiaomi's smart hardware platform business, Gao Ziguang.

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China market: Mobile gaming revenues over CNY7.2 billion in 3Q14, says Analysys

Mobile gaming service operators in the China market generated total revenues of CNY7.265 billion (US$1.18 billion) during the third quarter of 2014, increasing 9.2% on quarter and 86.8% on year, according to China-based consulting company Analysys International.



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Panel makers aim to secure orders from Motorola

Motorola is currently assessing new panel makers going into 2015 as the company prepares for strong shipments, including entry-level and high-end smartphones.



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Interactive whiteboards and interactive flat panel displays reach 440,000 in sales in 3Q14, says Futuresource

Interactive whiteboards (IWB) and interactive flat panel displays (IFPD) in the education and corporate segments achieved close to 440,000 unit sales globally in the third quarter of 2014, according to Futuresource Consulting.



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Intel decides to keep tablet subsidies, say sources

Intel has reportedly decided to continue subsidizing its mobile device processor platform after a series of evaluations recently and will even expand the product coverage from 10-inch and below devices to 12-inch and below ones, according to sources from the upstream supply chain.



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On-cell smartphone and tablet shipments picking up due to orders from Motorola, Nokia

GFF and OGS touch panel solutions are seeing increased pressure from on-cell technology as makers are aiming the technology for use in entry-level and mid-range smartphone and tablet products.

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Revenues from energy efficient buildings in Europe expected to reach US$109 billion annually by 2023, says firm

Stringent regulations that apply across the European Union (EU) have contributed to the development of a growing market for energy efficient buildings in Europe. At the same time, mandatory changes to country-level building codes are increasing the performance requirements that apply to new construction and major renovations of existing buildings, with the goal of delivering nearly zero energy buildings by 2019 and 2021 for public and private buildings, respectively. According to a recent report from Navigant Research, continent-wide revenues from energy efficient buildings in Europe, including products and services, are expected to grow from EUR41.4 billion (US$56 billion) annually in 2014 to EUR80.8 billion (US$109 billion) in 2023.



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EEVblog #686 – Mailbag

A monster sized high definition 50fps Mailbag, with two special guest helpers!

SPOILERS:

uRad Radiation Monitor (Hack A Day Prize entry)

VFD Displays

Norand Pen Key 6100 USPS tablet computer

Sagem & Keycorp EFTPOST pinpad

Electric Imp Internet of Things

Interview with Brandon Harris

Romanian MAVO30 Analog Multimeter

Casio FX-31 Calculator

2PrintBeta DIY BAM & DICE 3D Printer Controller for the Arduino Mega

Forum HERE

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Startup to Open Source Parallel CPU

Rex Computing plans a parallel processor that could deliver a 10x leap in performance/watt. It will open source the design through Facebook's Open Compute Project.



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OCZ Cuts Into Read-Intensive SSD Segment

The SATA-based Saber 1000 Series is yet another option in a crowded market of SSDs specifically targeting read-intensive workloads such as web hosting and distributed computing environments.



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Scaling Up Text Rendering on Scaled-Down Devices

The need to support a widening range of languages and font sizes is pushing the bitmap approach up against the tight resource constraints in low-end devices.



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Can Japan Get Her Groove Back With IoT?

Japan once looked like a world leader in smart home standards. Now she's trying to get her groove back via the Internet of Things.



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The 10 Commandments of Electronics

Although these 'commandments' are presented in a humorous manner, they also offer some useful advice.



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Broadband Demand Hits the High Seas

Cruise ship operators Royal Caribbean and Carnival are exploring new ways to provide on-board Internet access, highlighting advances in remote connectivity.



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NXP acquires Bluetooth LE capability from Quintic

NXP is to buy Bluetooth Low Energy IP and engineering assets from the eight year-old Californian fabless company Quintic.

Sixty-five engineers in Quintic’s wearable and Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE) group are expected to join NXP.

Internet of Things – IoT

“With this transaction, NXP now offers the complete range of ultra-low power connectivity standards relevant to the internet-of-things, being NFC, Zigbee and BTLE,” said NXP’s Mark Hamersma.

NXP believes the acquisition will help its efforts in health and fitness wearables, mobile transactions, proximity marketing, smart home and automotive.

Quintic, founded in 2006 by two ex-Marvell engineers and a Philips engineer, focuses on sports/fitness wearable devices and smart app-enable accessories for smartphone and mobile computing platforms.

david manners

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€21bn to fund public-private EU investment

The EU will set up a €21bn fund to kick-start public-private investment projects, reports Bloomberg.

The EC will kick in €16bn and the European Investment Bank (EIB) will contribute €5bn.

The EC reckons the €21bn plus a package of debt, loans, lending guarantees and equity stakes will stimulate €300bn of investment

EC president Jean-Claude Juncker is expected to announce the scheme this week.

The idea is to stimulate EU growth above the 0.8% rate expected this year. The EU is said to be drawing up a list of projects.

david manners

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TPV likely to shift panel orders to CEC Panda

TPV estimates its LCD TV panel purchases from CEC Panda LCD Technology will increase in 2015 as the panel maker increases yields in the second half of the year, according sources from the displays supply chain.



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