Server sales up; revenues down

IDC server revenues

Server revenues declined 4.4% in Q4 to $14.2 billion – making it the fourth quarter in a row that server revenues have shown y-o-y declines, says IDC.

However unit shipments were 2.5 million going up 8.2% in Q4 2013 compared to Q4 2012.

For the full year, worldwide server revenue was $49.7 billion representing a 4.4% decline over 2012, although full year unit shipments increased 3.2% to 9 million.

The ‘volume’ segment, driven by an expansion of x86-based servers, had 8% revenue growth to $10.2 billion in 4Q13. The mid-range and high-end systems had y-o-y revenue declines of -19.6% and -28.5% to $1.2 billion and $2.8 billion, respectively, in 4Q13.

White-label server sales, referred to by IDC as ODM Direct, grew 47% y-o-y and now make up 6.4% of industry revenue. “Density-optimized” server sales, which include white-label gear and OEM offerings, grew 70%.

“While a record number of servers shipped in 4Q13, the market was constrained by weak demand for midrange and high-end systems,” says IDC’s Matt Eastwood, “the market continues to be impacted by enterprise focus on 2nd platform workload consolidation, which at this point in time is only partially offset by 3rd Platform hyperscale server deployments around the globe. 2nd Platform workloads continue to represent a healthy profit pool for server vendors targeting consolidation opportunities across the market. However, new profit pools in the 3rd Platform are emerging that create new market opportunities for OEMs and ODMs. IDC believes this market transformation requires increased focus from vendors in order to best capitalize on these diverging market

HP and IBM were statistically tied* for the number 1 position in the worldwide server systems market. HP had 26.9% market share in factory revenue for 4Q13, as revenue increased 5.7% year over year to $3.8 billion.

HP experienced improvements in demand for its x86-based ProLiant servers, particularly in the U.S. IBM had 26.8% market share for the quarter as revenue decreased -28.5% year over year to $3.8 billion in 4Q13. IBM experienced significant year-over-year declines in quarterly revenue for all three families of systems – System x, POWER Systems, and System z mainframes.

Dell server revenue declined -2.4% year over year to $2.1 billion, maintaining third place with 14.5% factory revenue market share in 4Q13. Cisco and Oracle ended the quarter in a statistical tie for the number 4 market position with 4.5% and 4.1% factory revenue share, respectively.

from News http://ift.tt/1kfRGYT

via Yuichun

NXP aims high with secure MCUs

NXP has been awarded passport-level security clearance for its P60 microcontroller.

The MCU, based around what the firm brands ‘SmartMX2 technology’, received Common Criteria Certification level EAL6+, “the highest achievable level by a semiconductor company”, said NXP. “The certificate was presented by the German Government’s Federal Office for IT Security [BSI] during a ceremony held during the RSA conference in San Francisco.”

This certification, in accordance with Common Criteria, is the security level for products deployed in ePassports, eID cards, and sovereign documents.

It also allows NXP to get into smart metering in Germany.

“It will will be the platform powering the high-end of NXP’s A-series turnkey cyber security solutions. In particular, the security module for smart metering and automation gateways in Germany,” said NXP.

from News http://ift.tt/1dI71da

via Yuichun

NFC and mobile payments – always a bridesmaid never a bride

NFC-friendly Android

Is NFC finally going to make it into mainstream cellphones for mobile payments? Apple, using BLuetooth Low Energy – aka Bluetooth Smart may have other plans, notes David Manners. And it’s all part of the Great Game between Android and iOs…

Is NFC finally going to make it into mainstream cellphones? NFC has been a bit of a bridesmaid to the cellphone industry, hanging around hopefully without ever getting to the altar.

IHS reckons that 275 million phones were sold with NFC in them last year – that’s out of 1.5 billion phones shipped last year i.e. 18.2% of the total number of phones shipped had NFC in them.

In 2012 IHS says 120 million were sold, this year it expects that 416 million will be sold and, in 2018, it expects 1.2 billion to be sold when phones with NFC will represent 64% of the market.

So now, with Apple supposedly entering the world of mobile payments in the summer, NFC’s nuptials could be nigh.

Except that Apple may use low energy Bluetooth.

iOS7 supports BLE and so, for that matter, does PayPal’s mobile payment system.

The advantage of BLE over NFC is range – 50 metres compared to 30 cms – so reducing the number of Apple iBeacons or PayPal beacons used to cover a store.

So poor old NFC, after waiting for so long, may get jilted just as she prepares to sashay up the aisle.

Is Apple really going to do the mobile payments thing?

Well corporate pest, sorry activist investor, Carl Icahn, says: “We believe a revolutionary payments solution is now a very real opportunity that the company could choose to pursue.”

NFC handsets – Source: IHS

Now one thing which might make Apple keen to go down the mobile payments trail is the fact that nearly all the NFC-enabled phones sold last year – 93% of them – were Android, with 254 million NFC-enabled Android phones sold.

If Android – possibly using PayPal’s mobile payments system – were to go down the mobile payments route, then an Apple without a mobile payments system would be the one looking jilted.

And since both Apple and Samsung now have fingerprint technology in their phones allowing identification without the need for complex log-ins and passwords – mobile payment starts to look attractive.

So you could say the stage is being set for mobile payments. Certainly everyone expects it. The argument is more about implementation.

The most popular method of incorporating NFC into cellphones now is by embedding a standalone modem device directly into the handset. This method made up 90%, or 267 million, of all NFC modems that were shipped in handsets in 2013.

However, in the coming years, other implementations will become more popular, such as combination connectivity integrated circuits (ICs).

IHS forecasts that shipments of combination connectivity ICs will increase to 603.0 million units by 2018, or 50 percent of all modems, up from 17.2 million units in 2013. The introduction of combination connectivity ICs has been slower to market over the last 12 months than first projected.

from News http://ift.tt/1dHWq1K

via Yuichun

Italian President vows to help Micron protesters

The President of the Italian Republic has met the striking Micron workers protesting about the decision of Micron Technology of Idaho to sack 40% of its Italian workforce without severance pay.

The President of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, met the Micron workers on a visit to STMicroelectronics’ site in Catania.

A Micron employee told EW: “The President has promised to talk to the government and to the EU to sustain our case.”

Carlo Bozotti, CEO of ST, accompanied Napolitano on his visit to Catania, and can be seen in this video behind the Italian President looking extremely embarrassed by the encounter with the Micron protesters.

Bozotti comes into frame at 1 minute 20 seconds from the start of the clip.

Bozotti should feel embarrassed because ST precipitated the current mess by forcibly transferring the Micron workers out of ST into the joint venture Numonyx which was later sold to Micron.

Micron workers have been demonstrating against the Micron sackings in Avezzano, Arzano and Agrate.

Meanwhile Micron hides behind local management without the authority to negotiate terms, and ‘no comment’ statements from its PR people.

Speaking about the negotiations a Micron employee told EW: “The answer is always the same: ‘We’re not entitled to give that kind of answer’. It’s honestly embarrassing, from their side (who are however used to play the embarassing part, and will have their bonuses on this job) and humiliating and frustrating from the Unions.”

This is Amateur Night stuff. Micron is now the 4th largest semiconductor company in the world and can’t go on hiding behind the ‘Hicksville from Idaho’ approach without making itself look foolish.

Meanwhile Micron is still planning to terminate its Italian employees starting on April 7th.

from News http://ift.tt/1mItL2G

via Yuichun

Wind River prepares VxWorks for IoT

With the internet of things in mind, Wind River has introduced mini and maxi versions of its VxWorks RTOS, and boosted over-web update security as well as safety.

These and other updates appear in version 7 of VxWorks.

“There is a standard kernel for big processor cores, and a micro-kernel for small processor cores,” product line manager Prashant Dubal told Electronics Weekly. “The smaller kernel is about 20kbytes and has a fast threading model, and hooks for power management.”

The micro-kernel has a sub-set of functions from the standard kernel.

“There are certain apps that are common,” said Dubal. “So, if you have the standard kernel and a big core, and decide to add small core, you can take functions easily to the micro-kernel and small core – but not all functions.”

With both big and small cores on the same chip, micro and standard kernels are set-up to communicate with each other. “You could use various transport mechanisms,” said Dubal. “It depends on chipset and user.”

The micro-kernel, he added, is much smaller than the standard 100-120kbyte, and is therefore easier to qualify for, for example, medical application.

So small is it that Dubal is advocating it for IoT sensor. This said, as before VxWorks is limited to 32bit cores and up. Even the micro-kernel does not cover 8 or 16bit cores.

On the subject of qualification, the firm has decoupled RTOS and middleware with v7.

“It is a modular approach, leading to the separation of the VxWorks core operating system from packages such as the file system or networking stack,” said Wind River. “As a result, individual applications can now be updated at any time without requiring a re-work or re-test of the entire system.

“It is like the separation between Windows and Office,” added Dubal, “both keep working when other is up-dated.”

For security, particularly for on-line code updates, built-in security features now include secure data storage, tamper proof design, secure upgrade, root of trust, and user and policy management.

Changes have been made for high-reliability applications – medical, industrial, transportation, aerospace and defence, for example.

“What we had was, in a way, different VxWorks for different safety profiles,” said Dubal. “Now it is always VxWorks 7, but different configuration choices determine which safety profiles you use.” (see top diagram).

Standards and protocols such as USB, CAN, Bluetooth, FireWire, and Continua, “as well as out-of-the-box networking capabilities” are included for I/Om and there is a new stack based on the published OpenVG API for 2D graphics, alongside OpenGL ES support for 3D. There are hardware-assisted graphics drivers, and the Tilcon graphics designer tool.

from News http://ift.tt/1epwZWS

via Yuichun

EEVblog #584 – What Effect Does Your Multimeter Input Impedance Have?

What effect does your multimeter input impedance have on the circuit you are measuring? Dave shows a practical example of how it can really screw things up if you aren’t watching out for it.

Forum HERE

from EEVblog - The Electronics Engineering Video Blog http://ift.tt/1kmUZdE

via Yuichun

Space: Indian space agency prototypes its first crew capsule

India is about to take one small step towards human space flight. Last week the country’s space agency unveiled a prototype of its first crew capsule, a 4-metre-high module designed to carry two people into low Earth orbit.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning a test flight for later this year – even though it still awaits government approval and funding for a human space-flight programme. The unpiloted capsule will fly on the maiden launch of a new type of rocket that would otherwise have carried a dummy payload.

“We thought it better to gain some confidence in the design of our crew module,” says Sundaram Ramakrishnan, director of ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

Built by Hindustan Aeronautics in Bangalore, the prototype capsule cannot be hermetically sealed and so cannot take people into space. But if the rocket launch is a success, ISRO should be able to remotely test some in-flight controls and see how the module survives the stresses of re-entry and landing at sea.

The capsule will fly on a new variant of India’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle, with its first test in a few months. When fully operational the rocket will loft satellites of about 4 tonnes to geosynchronous orbit, or place up to 9 tonnes into low Earth orbit. It could even be used to launch a future robotic moon mission.

The rocket’s test flight will only explore part of its capabilities, but it should be enough to launch the crew capsule into sub-orbital flight, just over 100 kilometres above Earth. Instruments will relay data about the capsule’s speed, acceleration and temperature.

Engineers will also monitor its structural integrity as it re-enters the atmosphere, as well as the performance of heat-resistant tiles and a carbon nose-cap designed to protect astronauts from the heat of re-entry. The capsule will deploy two parachutes as it falls back to Earth, which should allow it to splashdown gently in the Bay of Bengal.

India most recently launched its first Mars mission, and ISRO has plans to send a lander and rover together to the moon around 2017. But there is no time frame for government approval of human space-flight, and Ramakrishnan reckons it would take at least five years from getting approval to putting Indian astronauts into low Earth orbit.

While about 70 per cent of the manufacturing for any given ISRO mission is done by India’s private sector, it is unlikely that a single commercial firm will step in to the space race, as several companies have done in the US.

Still, Ramakrishnan thinks human space flight is a crucial component of any advanced space programme and an important step for India. A crewed mission to Mars, for instance, may have to be an international collaboration as it will probably be too expensive for any one nation to pull off alone. “In that context, our having this capability makes us a strong partner for any international effort,” says Ramakrishnan.

Scott Pace, director of the Space Policy Institute in Washington DC, agrees. “India is a major spacefaring country, and it would seem reasonable to expect that it would eventually want to develop its own human space-flight capability.”

Syndicated content: Anil Ananthaswamy, New Scientist

Image: New Sceintist – India, from where it aims to go (Image: NASA Earth Observatory/NOAA NGDC/SPL)

from News http://ift.tt/MwZiY2

via Yuichun

Announcement – EEVBlog Negative Feedback T-Shirts

Get your T-Shirt here:

http://ift.tt/1fVWn2Q





from EEVblog - The Electronics Engineering Video Blog http://ift.tt/1fVWo79

via Yuichun

The enigma wrapped up in a mystery

It was vitally important that Intel use all its resources to succeed in LTE including making LTE chips on its most advanced processes, believes David Manners. But understanding Intel’s mobile strategy is like trying to understand a riddle inside an enigma wrapped in a mystery.

You spend three times more than anyone else on R&D, you have the most advanced manufacturing capability in the world, and you’re lagging in an important strategic market.

So you leverage the R&D and the manufacturing advantage to make the most advanced chip in the world and win a crushing market share. Right?

Not if you’re Intel.

Intel’s latest LTE modem, the XMM 7260, will be made by TSMC on a 28nm process. Qualcomm is fabbing integrated SOCs including the LTE modem, apps processor and baseband on 20nm at TSMC.

That would be all right if LTE is not important to Intel, but it is.

Last year Intel’s share of the baseband processor market dropped to 8% from 12.3% in 2012. The reason? Because the market moved from 3G to LTE.

Intel says it is expecting a decline in baseband processor revenues this year despite a sharp ramp in the market as everyone moves to LTE.

So it was vitally important that Intel use all its resources to succeed in LTE including making LTE chips on its most advanced processes.

But it didn’t.

Despite spending $10.6 billion on R&D last year, and another $10.5 billion on new factory processes, Intel fell behind the leaders in mobile chip design and mobile chip process technology.

Which presents Qualcomm a generational lead in mobile SOC design with the baseband, apps processor and modem all integrated.

And also presents Qualcomm with a generational lead in process technology with the move to 20nm.

Although ARM is expecting mobile SOCs on TSMC’s 16nm finfet process this year, Intel is not expecting to put a mobile IC on its 14nm process until 2015.

Understanding Intel’s mobile strategy is like trying to understand a riddle inside an enigma wrapped in a mystery.

Intel disdains to use its R&D strength and its manufacturing strength to make mobile ICs and instead appears to pursue a strategy aimed at failure. Why?

My personal theory is that the internal workings of Intel are such that an Intel CEO, any Intel CEO, doesn’t have the clout to optimise the company’s leading-edge process for mobile and insist that mobile chips are made on that process.

If the CEO can’t deliver this, is this a sign of a dysfunctional company?

Some might say so.

from News http://ift.tt/MwWnyx

via Yuichun

China market: B2B e-commerce trades in 2013 valued at CNY16.98 billion, says Analysys

In the China market, B2B e-commerce services generated total sales value of CNY16.98 billion (US$2.76 billion) in 2013, growing 25.1% on year, according to China-based consulting company Analysys International.



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1hBLGoC

via Yuichun

Solar EPC landscape consolidates in 2013 as tight margins pressure medium-size integrators, says IHS

The 30 largest engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) companies in the global photovoltaic (PV) industry installed 30% of the world's non-residential PV capacity in 2013, up 5pp from 2012, according to IHS.



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1hBLGov

via Yuichun

PTI to pay Tessera US$196 million in patent lawsuit settlement

Packaging and testing firm Powertech Technology (PTI) has issued a company filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TSE) disclosing it has settled a patent infringement dispute with Tessera. PTI will pay Tessera a total of US$196 million based on the settlement.

from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1hBLE05

via Yuichun

Worldwide server shipments up 2.1%, revenues down 4.5% in 2013, says Gartner

In the fourth quarter of 2013, worldwide server shipments grew 3.2% on year, while revenues declined 6.6% from the fourth quarter of 2012, according to Gartner. In all of 2013, worldwide server shipments grew 2.1%, and server revenues declined 4.5%.



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1hBLG83

via Yuichun

Worldwide WLAN market continues to show solid growth in 4Q13, says IDC

The combined consumer and enterprise worldwide wireless local area network (WLAN) market segments increased 11.5% on year in the fourth quarter of 2013, according to IDC. The enterprise segment continued to grow at a very healthy rate and increased 11.7% over the same period in 2012. While the pace of the enterprise WLAN market growth is starting to moderate from the 20%-plus on-year increases seen for several quarters, the enterprise WLAN market continues to be one of the fastest growing networking market segments. The consumer WLAN market also had an excellent quarter in the fourth quarter and grew 11.2% on year. The growth in the consumer WLAN space appears to be accelerating due to strong growth in the emerging markets and market transition from the older 802.11n standard to the newer and faster 802.11ac standard. For the full year of 2013, the enterprise WLAN market increased 15% on year and the consumer WLAN market jumped 11% on year.



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1hBLDJB

via Yuichun

China market: Over 5.8 million consumer tablets sold in 4Q13, says Analysys

There were 5.854 million consumer tablets sold in the China market during the fourth quarter of 2013, increasing 34.5 on quarter and 83.1% on year, according to China-based Analysys International.



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1hBLDt0

via Yuichun

Worldwide server market revenues decline 4.4% in 4Q13, says IDC

According to IDC, factory revenues in the worldwide server market decreased 4.4% on year to US$14.2 billion in the fourth quarter of 2013. This was the fourth consecutive quarter of on-year revenue decline, as server market demand remained weak ahead of a forthcoming refresh cycle, which is expected to emerge in early 2014. Worldwide server shipments increased 8.2% to 2.5 million units in the fourth quarter when compared with the same year-ago period. For the full year 2013, worldwide server revenues decreased 4.4% to US$49.7 billion when compared to 2012, while worldwide unit shipments increased 3.2% to 9 million units, a record high.



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/OFxYcd

via Yuichun

Digitimes Research: Taiwan panel makers look to expand LTPS LCD production capacity

Taiwan-based panel makers had conservative developments in expanding production capacity for LTPS TFT LCD technology in 2013 amid increased competition from Japan-, Korea- and China-based makers. However, from 2014 to 2016 Taiwan makers are expected to increase production capacity on 6.5G and 4.5G, according to Digitimes Research.

from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/OFxYc0

via Yuichun

China battery pack makers reportedly to enter iPad mini supply chain in 2H14

Apple has reportedly invited China-based battery makers to join its iPad supply chain, and the makers will start supplying orders in the second half of 2014, according to sources from the upstream supply chain.



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1eyLyTl

via Yuichun

Taiwan Star Cellular to increase paid-in capital

Taiwan Star Cellular, one of the six next-generation (4G) mobile communication licensees in Taiwan, will issue 1.2 billion new shares to expand paid-in capital by NT$12 billion (US$395 million) to NT$20 billion, according to the company.



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1cTypb8

via Yuichun

Toshiba, Canon team up for 15nm NAND flash, says report

Toshiba, the world's second-largest maker of NAND flash memory behind Samsung Electronics, will work with fab-tool maker Canon to develop 15nm NAND chips with volume production slated for 2015, according to a report in the Japanese-language Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun.



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1cTyiMS

via Yuichun

Tong Hsing sees net profits up over 20% in 2013

Module packaging service and LED substrate vendor Tong Hsing Electronic Industries has reported net profits of NT$1.58 billion (US$52.18 million) for 2013, up 20.6% from a year earlier.



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1cTygo7

via Yuichun

Chimei to construct polarizer plants in China

Chimei Materials has announced it will construct new polarizer plants in China that will take roughly two years to complete, according to the company.



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1cTyeg2

via Yuichun

Microinverters and DC power optimizers to be critical to grid-scale integration, says firm

One part power electronics and one part networking and communications technology, microinverters and DC optimizers (commonly referred to as module-level power electronics, or MLPEs) are playing an increasingly significant role in large-scale and distributed renewable electricity generation. With the potential to improve the grid's reliability and increase the overall energy harvest of solar PV projects, they are essential for integrating large amounts of renewable energy onto the grid. According to Navigant Research, annual installations of MLPE capacity will grow from 1,185MW in 2013 to 12,844MW by 2020.

from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1cTyawN

via Yuichun

Dell to enter home entertainment market via AlienWare

Dell is planning to add new product lines under its sub-brand AlienWare and will expand from the PC industry to the home entertainment market, according to sources from the upstream supply chain.



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1eyutJb

via Yuichun

Flytech aims at net profit of NT$1 billion for 2014

Taiwan-based POS (point of sale/service) system and peripheral maker Flytech Technology aims at net profit of NT$1 billion (US$32.9 million) for 2014, according to company chairman Thomas Lam.



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1eyurkG

via Yuichun

Chip resistor supplier Ralec expects to post 15% sales growth in 1Q14

Chip resistor maker Ralec Electronic expects to report revenue growth of 15% on year for the first quarter of 2014, thanks to rising orders for chip resistors from the LED lighting industry, growing shipments of metal-plate resistors, as well as its expanding OEM business.

from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1dCzFMS

via Yuichun

Sony Electronics to close 20 US stores affecting 1,000 employees

Sony Electronics has announced plans to close 20 of its US stores, and eliminate one-third or 1,000 of its US employees, by the end of 2014.



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1dCzCjU

via Yuichun

MWC 2014: Qualcomm optimistic about 4G smartphone market

The release of 4G TD-LTE licenses by the China government at the end of 2013 triggered the competition in the 4G smartphone segment, and 4G models with a price tag of CNY1,000 (US$163) are likely to hit the market soon, according to Alex Katouzian, senior vice president of product management at Qualcomm.



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1dCzyAW

via Yuichun

China auto semiconductor market drives up 11% in 2013, says IHS

The fast-growing semiconductor market for China's automotive industry is set for double-digit expansion in revenues in 2014, propelled by an increasing desire among Chinese car buyers for added vehicle safety features and helpful infotainment applications like car navigation, according to IHS.



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1dCzwc1

via Yuichun

China market: TD-LTE chip market to expand robustly starting 2Q14

The TD-LTE chip market in China is expected to grow robustly starting the second quarter of 2014 as chipset vendors including Qualcomm, MediaTek, Marvell Technology, Broadcom, Intel, Nvidia and Tsinghua Unigroup are expected to launch an array of new TD-LTE chips, according to industry sources.

from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1dCzuRE

via Yuichun

Weltrend to ramp up SDIO controller chip shipments

Weltrend Semiconductor is expected to start ramping up shipments of its SDIO controller chips to the financial sector from the second quarter of 2014, according to industry sources.



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1cT4XC2

via Yuichun

BOE to expand production capacity for small- to medium-size panels

China-based panel maker BOE is reportedly expanding its production capacity to land more orders for small- to medium-size panels, according to industry sources.



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1cT4YWz

via Yuichun

Tripod reports EPS NT$4.52 for 2013

PCB maker Tripod Technology saw its net profits decrease 18.2% to NT$2.37 billion (US$78.04 million) in 2013 despite a 4.2% increase in revenue to NT$40.77 billion. EPS for the year stood at NT$4.52.



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1cT4UpL

via Yuichun

HKTDC Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Spring Edition)

Asia's Largest Spring Electronics Fair organised by the HKTDC and held at the HKCEC, the Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Spring Edition) presents all kinds of electronics products and services such as audio-visual products, branded electronics, eco-friendly products, i-World, packaging & design, navigation systems, new inventions, telecommunications products and testing, inspection & certification services. 

Source From：

http://www.hktdc.com/fair/hkelectronicsfairse-en/HKTDC-Hong-Kong-Electronics-Fair-Spring-Edition.html

Protection advantages of surface mount Power TVS Diodes for AC and DC power supplies

Power line surges and indirect lightning strikes greatly affect maintenance costs and uptime in AC and DC power supplies. A new application note from Bourns shows how Power TVS diodes can be implemented

read more

from Components http://ift.tt/1cn29d6

via Yuichun

How to select the right rotary position sensor for draw wire transducers

Draw wire transducers measure linear motion and are considered optimal solutions to calculate very fine movements of machinery. The accuracy of the draw wire transducer and effectiveness

read more

from Components http://ift.tt/1ptgsFG

via Yuichun

Find the best-fitting rotary position sensor for factory automation valve designs

An integral part of automating factory equipment, PLCs and I/O modules transmit valuable information on valve adjustment based on the actual position provided by the position feedback sensor

read more

from Components http://ift.tt/1ptgspa

via Yuichun

Embedded World: PC scope has eight 20MHz 12bit channels

Pico Technology has released an eight channel PC oscilloscope.

Called PicoScope 4824, it has 12bit resolution, a USB 3.0 interface, an integrated 14bit arbitrary waveform generator (AWG), and is powered over the USB cable.

Input bandwidth is 20MHz (50mV-50V vertical sensitivity, or 10 MHz (10 and 20mV)

Sample rate is 40Msample/s/channel with all channels in use, which can be doubled to 80Msample/s/channel if only four channels are needed.

The buffer holds 256Msamples and, for long-term monitoring, data streaming to the host PC is possible – at 10Msample/s (PicoScope 6 software on PC), or 80Msample/s/channel (160Msample/s total max) using the supplied API on a fast PC.

“The eight-channel PicoScope has the same footprint [190x170x40mm] as Pico’s existing 2 and 4-channel models,” said company MD Alan Tong.

Applications are expected in power supply start sequencing, seven- channel audio, 3 phase voltage and current measurement, and multi-phase motor drives.

As standard comes a 20MHz FFT spectrum analyser, segmented memory for bursts of up to 10,000 captures in less than 30ms, math channels, automatic measurements, colour persistence display mode, digital triggering, mask limit testing and serial decoding (SPI, I2C, I2S, RS-232/UART, CAN, LIN and FlexRay).

A free SDK is included for developing applications in languages including: C, Visual Basic, LabVIEW and MATLAB. Example code is available.

Price is £1395 ($2302 or €1688) including USB 2.0 and 3.0 cables, and a five year warranty.

Pico Technology makes its scopes in the UK.

The PicoScope 4824 data sheet is here.

from News http://ift.tt/1c8gPCr

via Yuichun

MWC 2014: Faster phone charging from Dialog

Dialog Semiconductor is aiming at Chinese phone makers with a phone charger chip implementing ‘Pump Express’, MediaTek’s proprietary fast-charge protocol – which is back-compatible with conventional Micro-USB charging.

Pump Express requires the wall adapter to vary its output voltage in response to commands from the phone (see below).

Dialog, which bought power chip company iWatt last year, has produced iW1680, an ac-dc wall adapter chip that reads Pump Express protocol through the adapter’s isolation transformer.

“MediaTek sends information back via the V+ by modulating the load current,” Dialog marketing v-p Scott Brown told Electronics Weekly. “The IC, despite being on the primary side, is able to extract that modulation.”

What modulation?

“All I can say is that it is load current modulation, MediaTek invented the protocol, and we will be first to market with a chip,” said Brown.

MediaTek has yet to reveal all. Electronics Weekly speculates that ‘up a bit’ and ‘down a bit’ commands are sent back on the V+ rail by modulating load current at two different frequencies.

iW1680 can set the adapter output voltage from the standard 5V down to 3.6V in 200mV increments – for why this is down rather than up from 5V, see below.

The chip is largely digital inside – iWatt’s trademark is the use of sophisticated state-machines for digital power control.

It comes in a 6pin SOT23, supports power adapters up to 7.5W, and can consume under 30mW with no load.

Mains voltage switching is via an external bipolar transistor, and protection features include output short-circuit, output over-voltage, output over-current and over-temperature – there is an iW1680 application note here.

Why drop the USB voltage?

MediaTek is initially using Pump Express to knock cost and size out of mobile phones by replacing the phone’s internal switching battery charger with a linear regulator.

It argues that there is already a switching regulator in the wall adapter, so why also have a buck regulator at the front end of the phone?

If the internal linear regulator can dissipate say 1W, and the battery needs to be charged at say 4V, charging has to be limited to 1A maximum with a 5V adapter.

If the wall adapter can be throttle back to 4.5V, 2A can now be delivered to the battery without exceeding the dissipation limit.

With 200mV steps at the adapter, the adapter voltage can be set so close to the battery voltage that system efficiency is similar to that of an all switching solution, said Dialog’s Brown.

An enabled phone will still function with a standard charger, although accelerated charging will not be available.

Increasing USB voltage

Voltage scaling up from 5V is proposed to solve another issue in phones – the 1.5-1.8A limit imposed by the contacts inside Micro-USB connectors.

Increasing the charger voltage allows more power to be sent through the connector – although a buck front-end within the phone becomes essential.

Qualcomm’s scheme for increasing supply voltage while remaining compatible with bog-standard charging is called Quick Charge 2.0, for which Dialog also has a chipset. This protocol is slightly less elegant – requiring a secondary-side interface chip in enabled wall adapters because it signals on the USB data pins.

MediaTek is expected to extend Pump Express to voltages above 5V in the near future.

from News http://ift.tt/1hfhktJ

via Yuichun

Qualcomm extends baseband lead

Qualcomm has extended its share of the baseband processor market to 64% on the back of success in LTE, reports Strategy Analytics.

Qualcomm had 64% share of the baseband market up from 52% in 2012.

MediaTek took 12% of the baseband market in 2013, dropping from 12.5% in 2012.

In third place, Intel had an 8% share of the baseband processor market in 2013, down from 12.3% share in 2012.

Intel’s share dropped because people switched from 3G to LTE and Intel was late to LTE.

Intel is expecting a decline in baseband processor revenues this year, despite an expected steep ramp in the market as LTE takes hold.

In the applications processor market, Strategy Analytics reports that Intel had a 0.2% market share in 2013.

from News http://ift.tt/1kf62FI

via Yuichun

Qualcomm continues cellular baseband processor market lead, says Strategy Analytics

The global cellular baseband processor market grew 8.3% on year to US$18.9 billion in 2013, according to Strategy Analytics.



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1keJbu0

via Yuichun

ASE to pay US$30 million to Tessera to settle patent case

Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASE) has issued a company filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TSE) announcing that the company will pay Tessera a total of US$30 million to settle a patent infringement suit filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1keJaX8

via Yuichun

Generalplus posts EPS of over NT$2.8 in 2013

Consumer IC provider Generalplus Technology has reported net profits of NT$305 million (US$10.04 million) for 2013, a four-fold increase from a year earlier. The earnings translated into an EPS of NT$2.81 for the year.

from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1keJcOs

via Yuichun

LEDs in biophotonics and medical science devices reach US$77.3 million in 2013, says firm

The worldwide consumption value of LEDs in biophotonic and medical devices reached US$77.3 million, an increase of 19.8% versus 2012, according to ElectroniCast Consultants.



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1keJapZ

via Yuichun

Global pro camcorder market remained stable overall in 2013, though many regional fluctuations, says firm

The global pro camcorder market remained stable in 2013 with a decrease of less than 1% from the previous year, to reach 289,000 units in total, according to newly released figures from Futuresource Consulting. However, end-of-year data show that the stability of the overall market hides very different regional pictures.



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/N1KMsc

via Yuichun

3S ramping MEMS microphone chip shipments

IC design house Solid State System (3S) is ramping up shipments of its MEMS microphone chips, buoyed by new orders for low- to mid-end smartphones and tablets, according to the company.



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/N1KKjW

via Yuichun

Demand for any-layer HDI boards to rise in 2H14

Demand for any-layer HDI PCBs is expected to rise in the second half of 2014 due to the rollouts of new smartphones, including LTE-enabled phones and models with fingerprint sensors which will consume more high-end HDI boards, according to industry sources.

from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/N1KLVg

via Yuichun

Digitimes Research: China handset vendors to rely on local AMOLED panel production from 2016

On December 17, 2013, China-based touch panel maker Truly Optoelectronics announced that it had entered a joint venture with the Huizhou City Government to invest in a 4.5G AMOLED line that will go into production in the second half of 2015 and have a production capacity of about 15,000 substrates a month. This follows similar agreements made between China-based Tianma and BOE with Visionox and EDO to establish a fifth AMOLED line as well as developments by Century and China Star Optoelectronics Technology (CSOT) to further invest in AMOLED production. As such developments unfold, from 2016 onwards China's handset vendors are likely to use AMOLED panels from local makers, according to Digitimes Research.



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1keJ8yp

via Yuichun

Taiwan January unemployment hits 67-month low, says DGBAS

Taiwan had 462,000 jobless citizens in January 2014, equivalent to an unemployment rate of 4.02%, which was the lowest monthly level since July 2008 and down 0.06pp on month and 0.14pp on year, according to statistics released by the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) on February 26.



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1keJ69D

via Yuichun

Hermes Microvision expects 2014 sales to rise 25-30%

E-beam inspection equipment supplier Hermes Microvision (HMI) expects to post 25-30% revenue growth in 2014, thanks to rising orders of tools for 1Xnm processes and demand created by new technologies, according to company general manager Jack Y Yau.



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/N1KLnZ

via Yuichun

Taiwan market: FET aims at 500,000 4G users in 2014

Far EasTone Telecommunications (FET), one of the six next-generation (4G) mobile communication licensees in Taiwan, will start commercial operations on a 700MHz frequency band unit initially in the third quarter of 2014 and aims at 500,000 subscribers by the end of the year, according to company executive vice president and chief sales & marketing officer Maxwell Cheng.



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/N1KL7q

via Yuichun

MWC 2014: BlackBerry unveils Z3, Q20 smartphones

BlackBerry has unveiled two new smartphones, the BlackBerry Z3 and BlackBerry Q20, at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2014. The Z3 packs a 5-inch touchscreen and target markets in Southeast Asia as well as the US.

from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/N1KIZA

via Yuichun

3D sonar fits in blood vessel for medical imaging

US researchers have integrated more than 100 ultrasonic transducers onto a 1.5mm silicon chip. The aim is to create a forward-looking real-time 3D scanner for examining blood vessels from the inside.

On-chip signal processing allows the data to be sent down 13 cables, which would form a catheter.

“You want the most compact and flexible catheter possible. We could not do that without integrating the electronics and the imaging array on the same chip,” said Georgia professor Degertekin.

The prototype sends images at 60frame/s from a dual-ring of 56 transmit elements and 48 receive elements. Each element is a 20MHz capacitive micro-machined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT), and the front-end electronics is CMOS.

When assembled, the doughnut-shaped array is 1.5mm in diameter with a 430µm centre hole to accommodate a guide wire.

Power-saving circuitry in the array shuts down sensors when they are not needed, allowing the device to operate on 20mW.

In medical speak, it provides three-dimensional intra-vascular ultrasound (IVUS) and intra-cardiac echography (ICE) images.

“Our device will allow doctors to see the whole volume that is in front of them within a blood vessel. This will give cardiologists the equivalent of a flashlight so they can see blockages ahead of them in occluded arteries. It has the potential for reducing the amount of surgery that must be done to clear these vessels,” said Degertekin. “Most of the devices being used for this today provide only cross-sectional images. If you have an artery that is totally blocked, for example, you need a system that tells you what’s in front of you. You need to see the front, back and sidewalls altogether. That kind of information is basically not available at this time.”

Are the images good enough so far? Degertekin and his collaborators obtained what they believe are clinically-useful images with only 13 cables,” said Georgia.

Based on the prototype, animal trials are expected.

For the future, Degertekin hopes to develop a version of the device that could guide interventions in the heart under magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Other plans include reducing the size of the device to place it on a 400µm diameter guide wire.

Along with a multi-disciplinary team from Georgia Tech, the team included Professor Mustafa Karaman of Istanbul Technical University.

The work is published as ‘Single-chip CMUT-on-CMOS front-end system for real-time volumetric IVUS and ICE Imaging‘ in the IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.

from News http://ift.tt/1eiMa4b

via Yuichun

How to Control LCD Displays - Arduino Tutorial

How to Control LCD Displays - Arduino Tutorial

Working on a project where you need to display something (like data/debugging info)? Why not use an LCD! In this video, I go through various aspects of controlling the device with an Arduino, including setting different types of cursors, toggling the display and even creating custom characters!

Source From：http://www.electronics-lab.com/blog/?p=27227

Casetek to expand chassis capacity in China

Taiwan-based metal-alloy chassis maker Casetek Holdings has revealed it will invest NT$2-3 billion (US$65.9-98.8 million) to expand production capacity at its factory in eastern China in 2014.



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1kdzjRi

via Yuichun

Asia NFC Alliance formed at 2014 MWC

Taiwan-based Chunghwa Telecom (CHT) has announced the formation of Asia NFC (near field communication) Alliance with Japan-based KDDI, South Korea-based SK Planet and Hong Kong-based HKT at the 2014 Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain.



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/N0ZgbL

via Yuichun

STATS ChipPAC fcCuBE technology achieves significant growth in 2013

STATS ChipPAC has announced that unit shipments of semiconductor packages utilising its patented fcCuBE technology more than quadrupled in 2013 compared to 2012. The performance and cost advantages of this advanced flip-chip packaging technology has driven adoption by customers in the mobile, consumer and cloud computing markets.

from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/N0Zhwp

via Yuichun

Equipment supplier Csun to see revenues grow 5-10% in 1Q14

PCB, LCD and semiconductor equipment supplier Csun Manufacturing is expected to see its revenues grow 5-10% sequentially in the first quarter of 2014 despite the impact of seasonal factors, according to industry sources.



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/N0ZfVp

via Yuichun

More chipset vendors to step into 8-core CPU segment

Chipset suppliers including Nvidia, Broadcom and Marvell Technology are likely to step into development of 8-core smartphone solutions following Qualcomm's announced plans to begin sampling its 64-bit 8-core chip, the Snapdragon 615, in the third quarter of 2014, according to industry watchers.



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1kdzhJ6

via Yuichun

TV vendors bump up orders for curved Ultra HD TV panels

TV vendors are bumping up orders for curved Ultra HD TV panels amid increasing demand for curved TVs. Curved TVs gained popularity in late 2013 and are picking up momentum in the high-end segment, with vendors expected to release new units throughout 2014.



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1fF0R1s

via Yuichun

Taiwan market: FET launches 4 own-brand smartphones

Far EasTone Telecommunications (FET), one of the three largest mobile telecom carriers in Taiwan, on February 25 unveiled the Smart 401, Smart 402, Smart 501 and Smart 502, for immediate contract-bundled sale.



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1fF0MuN

via Yuichun

Supply chain aims to increase production for wearable device components

The upstream supply chain is increasing production and R&D for wearable device components as vendors are gearing up to release or expand product lineups in 2014, according to industry sources.

from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1fF0La5

via Yuichun

Waltop lands orders for pen-input modules from China-based smartphone vendor

Waltop International has started shipments of EM (electromagnetic) pen-input modules to second-tier China-based smartphone vendor GiONEE, according to the company.



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1fF0GDj

via Yuichun

Silego upgrades configurable mixed signal family

Silego Technology has introduced more devices in its one-time programmable GreenPAK (GPAK) Programmable Mixed-signal Matrix family.

GPAK integrates common discrete ICs and passive components into a single device.

The SLG46721 and SLG46722 represent the highest level of functionality, an increased number of I/Os per device (18) and the highest level of performance in the GPAK family.

Higher precision on the oscillator frequency and higher precision on the analog accuracy will dramatically expand the range of applications that can use the SLG46721 and SLG46722 as a replacement for discrete analog, digital and passive devices.

GPAK Designer software allows the designer to work in a simple GUI interface for development.

300m GPAK devices have shipped since the introduction of the family in 2009.

“Our goal with the SLG46721 and SLG46722 is to allow customers to integrate 30 components!” says Silego’s Nathan John, “Silego CMICs (Configuable Mixed-Signal ICs) will give a designer the opportunity to dramatically reduce the power consumption of their board

Starting with more I/O, every type of resource on these devices has been expanded to allow for more complex customer designs.

In addition, the oscillator and analog accuracy have been improved for greater system benefit.

These new devices will support a host of applications, including power supply sequencing, sensor interfaces, programmable resets, and lighting control.”

The SLG46721V and SLG46722 are packaged in a 20-pin (2 x 3 x 0.55 mm) STQFN package.

Target applications include;

• Consumer: Tablets, Smartphones and Notebooks where space, cost, and design security are a premium.

• Industrial: Motor control, point of sale devices, sensor interface, peripheral boards and embedded PCs

• Telecom: Power supply sequencing and voltage monitoring.

• Internet of things

• Scientific instruments

• Medical devices

Silego’s claim is that the design system allows you to integrate 20 components in 20 minutes for 20 cents.

from News http://ift.tt/1fnYLyo

via Yuichun

Image Gallery: What's Hot on Day 1 at Embedded World 2014

The best of Day 1’s technology show at Embedded World in Nuremberg, Germany, brought to you by Electronic Design Europe’s editors.

read more

from Components http://ift.tt/1hPAnxG

via Yuichun

Position Sensor Brings Chassis Control System Into ISO26262 Compliance

AMS’s AS5162, an AEC-Q100-qualified device, allows international automotive supplier Continental to achieve ISO26262 compliance for its CPS series chassis height sensor.

read more

from Components http://ift.tt/1hPAnxy

via Yuichun

Epoxy Adhesive Films and Preforms for Electronics Manufacturing

Film adhesives are an alternative to liquid adhesives. Read more about the advantages that these unique epoxies offer and why they are often preferred over their conventional counterparts.

read more

from Components http://ift.tt/1hPAolg

via Yuichun

Accelerometers Track Activity Of Objects, People Before Reporting To “Mother”

“Motion Cookies,” smart-connected devices for the Internet of Things developed by Sen.se, use STMicroelectronic’s “nano” LIS3DH accelerometer to detect and understand the movements of objects and send the data to the “Mother.

read more

from Components http://ift.tt/1hPAnha

via Yuichun

Achieve Infinity Edges Through The Use Of Reactive Hot Melts

Elana Jacobs

Process efficiency, bond strength, end use performance, and more all help make reactive hot melts more cost-effective and reliable than tapes or other adhesives in making infinity edges for today's consumer electronics.

read more

from Components http://ift.tt/1hPAol3

via Yuichun

Image Gallery: What's Hot on Day 1 at Embedded World 2014

The best of Day 1’s technology show at Embedded World in Nuremberg, Germany, brought to you by Electronic Design Europe’s editors.

read more

from Components http://ift.tt/1dv4ZNt

via Yuichun

Embedded World: 8pin PIC has 16bit PWMs for LED lighting

Microchip announced a series of 8pin 8bit MCUs with three 16bit PWMs for LED lighting today at Embedded World in Nurnberg.

Called the PIC12(L)F157x family, they each have three 16bit PWMs with independent timers, “for applications such as LED lighting, stepper motors, and battery charging where high-resolution is needed”, said the firm. “In addition to standard and centre-aligned PWM output modes, the peripheral also has four compare modes and can serve as an additional 16-bit timer.”

There is also a ‘complementary waveform generator (CWG) block which can be combined with the PWMs to create half-bridge and full-bridge drive control.

It allows control of polarity, dead band and emergency shut-down states – useful for use driving FETs in motor-control and power conversion.

Also on-board are 10bit ADCs, a comparator and a 5bit DAC for closed-loop feedback and control. The ADCs can be used for capacitive touch sensing.

There are two chips, 1571 and 1572, each in F and FL versions. F1572 has a EUSART for general-purpose serial communication, the cheapest in its range to do so said Microchip, and LIN for automotive and industrial control.

‘LF versions are lower power, operating at under 35µA/MHz and sleeping down to 20nA.

“The PIC12F157x family brings precision 16bit PWM drive and closed-loop control capabilities to our 8pin MCU portfolio,” said Microchip v-p Steve Drehobl.

Microchip also created the RGB Badge Demonstration Platform and ‘High resolution RGB LED color mixing’ application note (AN1562) to go with the family.

PIC12(L)F1571 and (L)F1572 are available now in 8pin PDIP, SOIC, MSOP and 3x3mm DFN.

There is a brief PIC12(L)F157x presentation.

from News http://ift.tt/1jxgY1Z

via Yuichun

FTDI breaks into 32bit microcontrollers

Glasgow-based FTDI has revealed a 32bit microcontroller at Embedded World.

Yielding 2.93Dmips/MHz, it is designed to work alone, or with the firm’s novel FT800 embedded video engine (EVE) – a surprise release at last years Embedded World.

Running at up to 100MHz, “it delivers the levels of processing needed to make considerable impact in video over IP, surveillance, quality audio, industrial inspection and door entry intercom system deployments,” claimed the firm.

Rather than licence a core, FTDI has produced a proprietary 32bit RISC core called FT32.

This is at the centre of its new FT900 microcontroller, surrounded with 256kbyte program memory and 64kbyte of data memory.

“By executing instructions from shadow RAM, rather than flash memory, it can operate at true zero wait states up to 100MHz and 293Dmips,” said FTDI.

Interfaces include 480Mbit/s USB 2.0, and a VGA (640×480 pixels) video camera interface.

“FT900 provides a plethora of connectivity options, making it suited to bridging solutions. The MCU’s unique data streaming domain eliminates the need for complex direct memory access [DMA] interfacing to transfer data internally,” said the firm, which s getting a name for itself for unusual archetectures – the FT800 video chip entirely does away with video RAM by calculating all pixels for every frame on-the-fly.

Bridging different communication standards is bread and butter business for FTDI.

Along with the camera interface, the microcontroller has 10/100 Ethernet support with built-in physical layer, CAN bus support, I2C slave and master, I2S for external audio, SPI slave and master, SD card interface (2.0) and PWMs.

FT901 is a version without the CAN controller.

Alongside these are a 7channel multiplexed 10bit, 1Msample/s ADC and 10bit 1MHz DAC.

“We try to put ourselves into hardware designers’ shoes, so that every device has unique merit,” said FTDI founder and CEO Fred Dart. “The FT900 series is flat-out blazing fast. When paired with our EVE product, it can enable the realisation of video, audio and control functions. The Ethernet and CAN bus interfaces mean that is suitable for commercial, residential and automotive design projects.”

Both FT900 and FT901 come in QFN100 packages and operate over -40°C to 85°C.

from News http://ift.tt/1esZG0q

via Yuichun

Embedded World: Electric bikes can be linked to the IoT

ebike

Lantronix demonstrated how an electric bicycle can be connected to the internet of things using its xPico Wi-Fi module at Embedded World 2014 today in Nuremberg.

The xPico Wi-Fi device, which measures just 24mm x 16.5mm, was demonstrated in a concept design for an electric bicycle.

Called eBike, it is the result of a partnership with Elmoto and demonstrated the potential to incorporate a wireless interface. The wireless transfer of data includes charging status, battery life and use, gearbox data, drive-by-wire behaviour, GSM and GPS tracking for route optimisation.

Take the Electronics Weekly UK Salary Survey 2014 »

“eBikes are very rapidly gaining popularity in Europe and Asia, with China leading the way, already boasting more than 28 million eBikes in use today,” said Björn Bergfelder, head of engineering and Elmoto eBike development at ID Bike GmbH.

“Electric bicycles are just one of many alternatives being adopted worldwide, and working with M2M companies such as Lantronix are enabling us to develop and more quickly bring to market more intelligent, efficient, wirelessly-connected eBikes,” said Bergfelder at Embedded World 2014.

See also: Embedded World: Your Electronics Weekly guide

from News http://ift.tt/1cjEgDi

via Yuichun

Embedded World: basketball, Bluetooth and the IoT

Mark Zack, Digi-Key

The latest version of Bluetooth has seen an explosion in innovative and interesting fitness applications, writes Mark Zack, v-p global semiconductors, Digi-Key.

Imagine a Bluetooth-enabled basketball that tracks all the moves in your game or a Bluetooth-enabled tennis racket that monitors your swing to help you improve.

Take the Electronics Weekly UK Salary Survey 2014 »

With Bluetooth Smart, all kinds of equipment has suddenly, and perhaps surprisingly, become connected.

This is just the first stage. Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) has enabled a wide range of wireless transceiver modules that can be easily added to equipment. With the smartphone at the other end, there is a ready-made terminal and control software available to everyone through the App Store or Google Play.

Now the next iteration of Bluetooth Smart, version 4.1, adds capabilities that allow one smartphone to link to a network of devices, rather than just one. Moreover, this opens up previously passive consumer and industrial everyday equipment to the internet of things (IoT).

The internet of things means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. There may be billions of devices (maybe 30 billion, maybe 50 billion, depending on your fortune teller of choice) connecting together, and behind the scenes, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group has been learning from other network technologies to produce an easy to use low power specification for a network of devices.

Imagine if your electric toothbrush becomes connected to your smartphone – you can tell whether the kids have brushed their teeth this morning, if it needs a new head, or even download the latest new brushing technique.

Connecting up and controlling your TV, stereo, oven, refrigerator, air conditioning, security system and any other home system becomes quick and easy. The opportunities for new ways to make life easier are endless. The same applies for connecting heating and cooling systems in offices and factories, linking and easily controlling all manner of equipment.

Key to Bluetooth Smart 4.1 is that it allows devices to support multiple roles simultaneously, so that a Bluetooth Smart Ready product can act as a hub and a peripheral at the same time. The coexistence with other wireless technologies, notably Wi-Fi on the same 2.4GHz band, has been improved, and dedicated channels have been added for IoT applications.

This Logical Link Control and Adaptation Architecture (L2CAP) supports higher-level protocol multiplexing, packet segmentation and reassembly, and quality of service information with 64kbyte packets.

The architecture is based around channels where each endpoint has a channel identifier (CID). The CID assignment is relative to a particular device and a device can assign CIDs independently from other devices, making it easy to add devices to a network.

There are many modules now available from manufacturers such as Laird Wireless, connectBlue and BlueGiga that support the current 4.0 version of the specification. Dropping these into existing designs – from basketballs to fitness devices – has given industrial and consumer designers confidence to move quickly.

Many different wireless technologies vying to be part of the internet of things, and they all have their place. However, Bluetooth holds a trump card by being part of every current smartphone, providing a ready-made, low power, high performance terminal.

The Bluetooth-enabled basketball is just the start. Just wait for the connections we will make in the home, office, and factory floor.

Mark Zack, v-p global semiconductors, Digi-Key

See also: Embedded World: Your Electronics Weekly guide

from News http://ift.tt/1hOzaGN

via Yuichun

Embedded World: XMOS qualifies to AEC-Q100 for automotive

XMOS is chasing automotive business by qualifying its multi-core microcontrollers to AEC-Q100.

“The xCORE architecture is a fit for many applications in the automotive space, from infotainment and driver assistance to powertrain control,” said Dr Paul Neil, v-p of product management at the firm. “Completing AEC-Q100 qualification is a key step for us.”

The architecture “lends itself to modular redundancy and safety-critical operation. The company’s microcontrollers have already been designed into a number of next-generation automotive products”, said XMOS.

The first AEC-Q100 product is the XS1-L16A-128, a 16 core microcontroller that offers up to 1,000Mips.

The cores in the firm’s microcontrollers have fast, low latency response to external signals, and deterministic behaviour. Unlike conventional microcontrollers, it is the cores themselves that are configured into peripherals and interrupt handlers, as well as processing units.

“Like all xCORE devices, the XS1-L16 can be configured with the exact range of interfaces and peripherals required for the developer’s application, via a C-based programming environment,” said the firm.

It has championed the Ethernet AVB standard, which has already emerged as a technology for in-car infotainment distribution, and is now being looked at for driver assistance and body control.

“XMOS has already demonstrated Ethernet AVB communications via a twisted pair connection using BroadR-Reach, a key step forward in satisfying the cost and reliability requirements of automotive OEMs and tier 1 suppliers,” it claimed.

AEC-Q100-qualified versions of the XS1-L16A-128 are available immediately, with 6, 8, and 12 core versions planned for the second half of 2014.

from News http://ift.tt/1cKUk4d

via Yuichun

SiGe transistor hits 800GHz

Silicon germanium has been demonstrated at 798GHz fmax, exceeding the previous speed record for SiGe chips by around 200GHz, according to Georgia Tech, which was testing a transistor made by German lab IHP.

This operating speed was achieved at 4.3K, but record speeds at room temperature look close, said Georgia professor John Cressler.

“The transistor we tested was a conservative design, and the results indicate that there is significant potential to achieve similar speeds at room temperature,” said Cressler. “I believe that these results indicate that achieving terahertz speeds in a robust and manufacturable SiGe transistor is within reach.”

At room temperature, 417GHz was achieved. “At that speed, it’s already faster than 98% of all the transistors available right now,” said Cressler.

IHP, which is a German government funded research centre in Frankfurt an der Oder (the other Frankfurt), designed a SiGe heterojunction within a silicon bipolar transistor and fabricated it on its own 130nm BiCMOS process – which the lab offers in its multi-project wafer foundry service.

Breakdown voltage is 1.7V.

“The results show the potential for Si-based technologies in areas in which compound semiconductor technologies are dominant today,” said Bernd Tillack, who leads the technology department at IHP.

Cressler sees even this transistor as a potential commercial replacement for InP and GaAs in outer space, where temperatures can be extremely low.

The research was published in IEEE Electron Device Letters, February 2014.

Photo: High-speed SiGe chips in a cryogenic probe station at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

from News http://ift.tt/1dsXZ3E

via Yuichun

$130bn of spectrum assets going to waste, says Accelleran

According to the Belgian small-cell base station specialist Accelleran, operators worldwide are wasting $130 billion of spectrum assets by neglecting LTE TDD

The wireless industry needs to take better advantage of TDD and its favorable economics by using wasted spectrum and from the efficiency of TDD for asymmetric data traffic, argues Accelleran.

The anomaly here is the concern over the shortage of spectrum, and the huge sums spent on it.

Operators have paid $25 billion for spectrum that is not being exploited.

This colossal waste is significant enough just in its purchase price, but the missed opportunities to the operator and the wider economy are even larger at $130 billion, estimates Accelleran.

What is more, at a time when LTE roaming is a challenge many of these bands are usable globally, representing another waste.

The importance of TDD technology and its capacity advantage over FDD for small cells is because it better reflects the asymmetry of data transfer.

However, despite these efficiency advantages, billions of dollars worth of unpaired spectrum remains unused or underused years after it was allocated.

More than a decade ago, European operators paid over $160 billion in the UMTS 2.1GHz auctions held across Europe. Part of that UMTS spectrum, being unpaired, was intended for use with UMTS TDD technology.

A simple proportional calculation of the price for that TDD spectrum is almost $25 billion. This unused resource is in European Band 33, a subset of the more successful Chinese B39.

But that does not consider the real value for society and the digital economy lost over time for neglecting a very scarce resource. Using data from studies on the general economic value of mobile services in Europe (Europe Economics, Analysys Mason, Plum), the extrapolated lost economic value of this spectrum in Europe between 2002 and 2014 would total $130 billion.

Above 3 GHz, the spectrum situation differs regionally. Much of the spectrum and deployments were initially allocated for fixed wireless access, initially used for WiMAX, and would be ideally suited to LTE TDD. In Europe, we seem to have finally agreed to harmonize 3400-3600 MHz spectrum towards a “TDD preferred” allocation and 3600-3800 MHz spectrum towards a TDD allocation.

The extrapolated economic value of this spectrum in Europe for a decade between 2005 and 2015 would be more than $2500 billion. In some cases this spectrum is in use, but mainly for fixed wireless applications, which at the best case yields a fraction of the economic value mobile services would generate.

This is especially important as Japan is gearing up to the allocation of 3.5GHz spectrum during 2015. In the US, the 3.5GHz situation seems to be gaining real momentum (FCC organised an important 3.5GHz Spectrum Access System workshop last 14th January). This US 3.5GHz spectrum, for which small cells are key, will eventually use a spectrum shared access system based on geolocation databases and a tiering model. Europe is developing similar proposals for shared access, but for the 2300-2400 MHz spectrum.

South Korea was unusual in its widespread use of TDD for WiBro and WiMAX in the 2300-2400 MHz band. Korea is one of the most advanced markets for LTE FDD, pushing the boundaries of the LTE-Advanced features to the limit – and yet still neglecting the use of the LTE TDD mode and the potential LTE FDD/TDD combined synergies and economies of scale.

To summarize, things are slowly moving on the regulatory front in different regions towards embracing the advantages, the economies of scale and global roaming potential of LTE TDD in certain spectrum bands. However, the overall costs of unused spectrum resources, regulatory delays and lack of harmonization are very costly to society as a whole and are putting a brake on the development of the digital economy and generation of economic value in the different regions.

“At Accelleran we are very aware that one of the key requirements for operator is to have a small cell platform that is flexible enough to accommodate the evolution of the LTE TDD spectrum in different bands such as 3.5GHz, 2.6GHz, 2.3 GHz or 1.9/2.1GHz.”, says Accelleran’s Jeff Land, “that is why we designed the M101 small cell platform to allow operators to take advantage of this otherwise wasted spectrum.”

M101 is a small cell designed for LTE and LTE-Advanced with the specific additional support for 3.5GHz and 1.9/2.1GHz TDD bands.

With 73 LTE TDD networks launched, in deployment or firmly planned worldwide, 304 devices supporting LTE TDD (GSA, Jan 2014) and global roaming potential of LTE TDD spectrum, interest in LTE TDD is huge – but until now there has been no optimised, small form factor LTE TDD small cell.

from News http://ift.tt/1h9nr2O

via Yuichun

China PCB makers begin shipping IC substrates and high-end PCBs

China-based PCB makers have begun shipping IC substrates, high-end multi-layer boards and HDI boards for notebook, networking device and consumer electronics applications, which will gradually affect sales of Taiwan-based PCB and IC substrate suppliers, according to industry watchers.



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1flt49c

via Yuichun

TSMC remains key foundry partner for 28nm chips, says MediaTek

In response to recent market speculation indicating that MediaTek is shifting some of its 28nm chip orders to Globalfoundries and United Microelectronics (UMC), MediaTek president Hsieh Ching-chiang indicated that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) remains the company's major foundry for 28nm devices.

from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1pnyDfS

via Yuichun

TV-centric connected devices in homes top 1 billion, says firm

The global installed base of TV-centric connected devices surpassed one billion units in 2013 and will exceed two billion by 2017, driven by smart TV, IP-enabled set-top boxes (STBs), games consoles, Blu-ray players and low cost digital media adapters, according Futuresource Consulting.



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1pnyF7r

via Yuichun

KYEC enjoys brisk orders for CMOS image sensors, says report

Taiwan-based King Yuan Electronics (KYEC), which provides chip probing and final test services for LCD driver ICs and chip components used in mobile devices, has landed a pull-in of orders for CMOS image sensors, according to a Chinese-language Commercial Times report.



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1flt3SE

via Yuichun

LTE data plan share of the market grows by 150%, but does not always boost revenues, says ABI Research

According to ABI Research, more than 55% of the cheapest country tariff plans are 4G compared to just 22% a year ago. This has been driven by the aggressive deployment of LTE networks and a wider choice of consumer-centric LTE smartphones.



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1pnyEQY

via Yuichun

Is a US$25 smartphone possible?

Mobile World Congress (MWC) kicked off with a bang, with Mozilla announcing a US$25 smartphone built around a turnkey solution that features silicon from China-based Spreadtrum and software from Firefox.



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1pnyEAG

via Yuichun

Advanced content recommendations to reach 75% of US Pay TV households by 2018, says ABI Research

Consumer exposure to advanced recommendation engines will grow to reach 75% of Pay TV households on multi-screen services and 55% on set-top boxes (STBs) in North America by 2018, up from 20% and 10% in 2013, respectively. This growth is driven by today's highly competitive viewer landscape for Pay TV and OTT operators. At the core of this are search, recommendation and discovery technologies that rely heavily on rich metadata as well as user analysis and learning.



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1flt3Ca

via Yuichun

MWC 2014: Huawei ushers in new LTE devices

China-based vendor Huawei is showcasing an array of LTE-enable devices at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2014, including a 4.5-inch smartphone, 8-inch tablet, , 7-inch tablet/smartphone hybrid, and a smart bracelet equipped with a.4-inch flexible OLED screen.



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1flt5d8

via Yuichun

Ritek subsidiary to offer diamond-like carbon coating for use in LED lighting, says paper

RiteDia, a wholly-owned subsidiary of optical disc maker Ritek, has developed a diamond-like carbon coating which can be used on LED epitaxial wafers to enhance heat-dissipation for LED lighting chips, and plans to license the technology to LED lighting vendors/makers, according to a Chinese-language Economic Daily News (EDN) report.

from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1pnyCsi

via Yuichun

MWC 2014: Samsung unveils new flagship smartphone Galaxy S5

Samsung Electronics has unveiled its new flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S5, at the ongoing Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2014, highlighting a fingerprint reader, heart rate monitor, and water- and dust-resistant capabilities.



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1flt3BU

via Yuichun

Taiwan Mobile to deploy 8,000-10,000 4G base stations by end of 2015

Taiwan Mobile (TWM), one of the six next-generation (4G) mobile communication licensees in Taiwan, will kick off 4G commercial operations on a 700MHz frequency band in quarter of 2014 and expects to set up 8,000-10,000 base stations to cover about 90% of the total population in main urban areas by the end of 2015, according to company president James Jeng.



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1pnyCbT

via Yuichun

Global 2013 smartphone and tablet chip markets rise, says Strategy Analytics

The global smartphone applications processor (AP) market climbed 41% on year to US$18 billion in 2013, while the market for tablet APs grew 32% to US$3.6 billion, according to Strategy Analytics.



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1flt3ly

via Yuichun

Leadframe maker JL Technology to debut on TSE

Leadframe provider Jih Lin (JL) Technology is scheduled to debut on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TSE) on February 25, with a planned listing price of NT$30 (US$1.00).



from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia http://ift.tt/1flt2hr

via Yuichun

EEVblog #583 – Wyong HAM Radio Field Day 2014

Dave visits the 2014 CCARC Wyong HAM Radio Field day and sets up a car boot sale.

Forum HERE

from EEVblog - The Electronics Engineering Video Blog http://ift.tt/1pngI9f

via Yuichun

12-bit A/D Converter is Fastest yet

Texas Instruments have announced the industry's fastest 12-bit A/D converter. At 4Gsample/s the ADC12J4000 also supports the JEDEC JESD204B serial interface standard for data converters up to 8Gbit/s with a power requirement of 1.9 W.

The ADC12J4000 provides RF sampling capabilities covering an input bandwidth range of more than 3 GHz. This makes it useful for test and measurement, wireless, and defence applications, including spectrum analyzers, munitions, digital pre-distortion feedback and radar. The converter combines TI's existing giga-sample A/D converter IP with low power digital processing blocks providing digital filtering and down conversion. This enables designers to use it to sample a large block of the frequency spectrum at RF and down convert it to quadrature in the digital domain, which helps reduce signal distortion. TI state that its JESD204B serial interface standard allows it to output data on up to eight lanes, depending on the decimation and link rate settings.

 

Its 9 mm square QFN package is suitable for the industrial ambient temperature range of -40°C to +85°C. TI also offers a variety of free tools and support to speed development with the ADC12J4000, including an IBIS model to verify board signal integrity requirements and an Op Amp to ADC Circuit Topology Calculator for anti-aliasing filter design and circuit topology.

Source From：

http://www.electronics-lab.com/blog/?p=27205