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RFID battery-free sensors are a very good alternative to natural source energy harvesting solutions for those applications in need of a reliable wireless energy source. Energy harvesting from natural sources is the optimum solution. However, the efficiency of devices commercially available is still a bit limited. On top of that, natural energy sources are generally not reliable (i.e.: photovoltaics depend

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Silicon Labs, Inc. today introduced a family of digital isolators claiming the highest channel count, performance, reliability and data rates for cost-sensitive consumer electronics applications requiring functional isolation of up to 1 kV. Based on Silicon Labs’ patented CMOS-based digital isolation technology, the new Si80xx family provides a superior alternative to optocouplers for washers, dryers, food mixers, vacuum cleaners and

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Infineon is expanding its Austrian site in Villach in a project it calls “Pilot Space Industry 4.0”. This, says Infineon, is an ‘ innovative concept for networked and knowledge-intensive production’. Research on new materials and technologies will also be intensified. Infineon’s expansion plans foresee investments and research costs amounting to a total of € 290 million, creating approximately 200 new

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Large-scale energy storage is one of the major challenges facing renewable energy, but a recent breakthrough could be a real game changer. Scientists at USC, led by professor Sri Narayan, just developed a new long-lasting battery that is cheap to build, water-based, and made out of green components with no toxic chemicals and no metals. The battery can be used

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Combining Silicon Labs’ ultra-low-power technology with accelerated capacitive sensing, the C8051F97x microcontroller (MCU) family will find homes in human-machine interfaces (HMIs) used in Internet-of-Things, home/building automation, consumer, and industrial applications.  The MCUs specifically target battery-powered and capacitive-touch-sensing applications for handheld industrial devices, toys, gaming machines, and remote controls, as well as touch-panel switch replacements for white goods. Their 200-µA/MHz active

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Modern high-speed RS-485 data links are pushing the envelope to the absolute breaking point with regards to data rate versus cable length. Applications include position encoders, traffic monitoring, seismic networks, and GPS transceivers. Data rates from as low as 8 Mbits/s up to 20 Mbits/s are driven across distances of 200 to 1000 feet (70 to 300 m). The designs

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KOA Speer Electronics has expanded their line of Power Shunt Resistors to include the PSI and PSE series, which address higher current applications. The power ratings of the PSE (5 Watts) and PSI (3 Watts) allow these resistors to offer a smooth current flow making them ideal for large current detecting. KOA’s power shunt resistors feature a flat rectangular structure

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Researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) have developed a water-based organic battery that is long lasting and built from cheap, eco-friendly components. The new battery, which uses no metals or toxic materials, is intended for use in power plants, where it can make the energy grid more resilient and efficient by creating a large-scale means to store energy

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Smartenergy Renewables AG successfully completed the conversion and upgrade of its fully-automated solar panel manufacturing facility in Luckenwalde, near Berlin, Germany. The factory is certified to DIN ISO 9001, 14001, and 50001 standards. The currently manufactured 295W Utility panels are fully IEC certified. To-date 1.9MW of the ultra-reliable Utility panels have been installed in a solar park in Southern Germany.

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Texas Instruments, Inc. (TI) today introduced the industry’s first seven-channel, NMOS low-side driver, replacing standard Darlington transistor arrays with a power-efficient, drop-in compatible IC. The TPL7407L replaces half of the transistor arrays required to drive high current loads, providing a new option for high-voltage systems that previously required a number of transistor arrays or a motor driver. Reducing power by

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