Features

Omron’s D6F-PH digital differential pressure sensors are now available from TTI, a specialist distributor of passive, connector, electromechanical and discrete components. Featuring superior accuracy and repeatability over standard differential pressure sensors currently on the market, the D6F-PH differential pressure sensors are particularly suitable for low-flow conditions due to their wide pressure range and sensitivity.

Despite a major surplus in the light-emitting diode (LED) market, leading suppliers are increasing their capital spending and production because of government incentives and in order to cash in on an expected boom in the lighting business. Global shipments of metal organic chemical vapor-deposition (MOCVD) equipment, tools that are essential for LED manufacturing, are expected to rise by 17 percent in 2013, according to new research from IHS .This will be the first annual growth for the MOCVD market since 2011, and will represent a major turnaround from the 70 percent plunge of 2012.

Rutronik is now stocking Fujitsu’s new family of D322x-B of µATX mainboards with LGQA1150 sockets. The mainboards support the 4th generation Intel Core processor family. The new mainboards, the D3220-B with the Intel B85 chipset, D3221-B with Intel’s Q83 chipset and the D3222-B with Intel’s Q87 chipset are now mass-produced using the latest versions of the respective chipsets.

Silicon Labs has introduced an new highly integrated, feature-rich 8-bit microcontroller (MCUs) that has been optimised for cost-sensitive motor control applications. The C8051F85x/6x MCUs combine best-in-class analogue and communications peripherals, flash sizes ranging from 2 kB to 8 kB, high performance, small-footprint packaging and cost-effective pricing, making them suitable for brushless dc motor control applications used in remote-control helicopters and cars, PC and electric fans, electric tools and small appliances.

Toshiba Electronics Europe has launched a compact and efficient sine wave driver IC for control of three-phase DC brushless motors in electric fan applications. The TB6585AFTG will suit ventilation fans and fans in home appliances that require quiet operation and low energy consumption. Mass production of the new IC started last month.

Optoelectronics specialist, OMC, is now offering a fibre optic link service specifically tailored to meet the requirements of the high voltage market. HV applications such as power distribution networks and power supplies often require optical isolation because of the voltages present, however, achieving consistency of performance has proven a challenge for many providers.

Molex Incorporated has introduced the MX150L Industrial Sealed Connector System, a rugged solution that has been designed for the severe conditions found in commercial vehicles, marine equipment and industrial power modules and equipment. The system exceeds IEC IP67 waterproof requirements for sealed connectors and has been fully tested under submersed conditions in various fluids.

Cascade Microtech, a specialist in precision measurements of integrated circuits at the wafer level, and imec, the nanoelectronics research centre, have announced breakthroughs in probing stacked integrated circuits (3D-SICs), seen as an important engine for growth in the semiconductor market. Through a Joint Development Agreement, Cascade partnered with imec to probe 25µm-diameter micro-bumps on a wide I/O test wafer with its fully-automated CM300 probe solution using an advanced version of Pyramid Probe technology. This work forms part of imec’s 3D integration research program which includes other industry partners from the entire semiconductor value chain.

Microsemi Corporation has announced what it claims in the world’s only secure, half-terabyte (TB) solid state drive (SSD) for mobile video surveillance operations, storage area networks (SANs) and other high capacity storage applications requiring real-time data protection. The ruggedized TRRUST-Stor Series 200 2.5” SATA SSD operates at sustained 200 megabytes per second (MB/s) and delivers what is said to be the industry’s fastest full-hardware-based erase time of less than 10 seconds.

Marl International has started a bilateral engineering partnership with the California-based LED lighting manufacturer Bivar Inc. under which the two companies will look to combine their design resources and share IP to develop and bring LED lighting and indicators to the market more quickly. The announcement marks a furtther stage in the strategic alliance between the two which was announced in January 2013.