Articles
Diamonds being used to develop next-gen transistors
Diamonds are not only the hardest material known, they are a good conductor of heat and, when suitably doped, become an excellent conductor of electricity. Laurens H Willems van Beveren, a senior postdoctoral research fellow in solid state physics at Melbourne University, is researching these and other properties of diamonds to perhaps develop the next generation of transistors. [ + ]
Harvesting unused energy with flat thermoelectrics
A large proportion of the energy we produce disappears unused into thin air via waste heat. Tiny thermoelectric generators can tap this potential, whereby the electricity is produced by way of temperature differences. However, so far their production has been laborious and expensive. [ + ]
Upgraded PCB design
Hybrid Electronics Australia manufactures thick film hybrid (hybrid) electronic circuits which can replace PCBs, be integrated with PCBs or upgrade PCBs. [ + ]
Breakthrough in race to create ‘bio-batteries’
Findings published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) show that proteins on the surface of bacteria can produce an electric current by simply touching a mineral surface. [ + ]
Improving chip-cooling technology
Researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology have won a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) contract to develop 3D chip cooling technology able to handle heat loads as much as 10 times greater than systems commonly used today. [ + ]
Cap-based display for runners and other outdoor sports enthusiasts
Ultralow power RF specialist Nordic Semiconductor has announced that o-synce is employing a Nordic nRF24AP2-8CH 2.4 GHz transceiver to provide ANT+ wireless connectivity for up to eight ANT+ sensors in its Screeneye X head-up, cap-based display for runners and other outdoor sports enthusiasts. [ + ]
Power converter applications - heat radiation in design
Appropriate heat radiation design will extend the lifetime of a power converter and reduce the possibility of failure or safety issues. This article will discuss heat radiation design in power converter applications. [ + ]
Heart rate monitor for athletes uses wireless technology
The MIO Alpha sports watch employs optical technology to accurately and continuously measure heart rate of athletes without requiring a conventional heart-rate strap. Measured data can be transmitted live or after training to any Bluetooth v4.0 enabled smartphone via a Nordic Bluetooth low-energy wireless link. [ + ]
EMC design technology based on power supply
This article introduces how you might implement design ideas and design methods of power supplies, which are essentially the energy heart of every system, encompassing the whole machine and its electromagnetic compatibility problems. [ + ]
Undervoltage protection circuit design for DC/DC power modules
In electronic systems terms, power supplies are usually considered to be the heart of the system. This is because reliable operation of the whole electronic system depends on the power supplies’ performance and reliability. As well as this, one should also take the input and output voltage ranges into consideration. [ + ]
Paint-on plastic electronics
Semiconducting polymers are an unruly bunch, but University of Michigan engineers have developed a new method for getting them in line that could pave the way for cheaper, greener, ‘paint-on’ plastic electronics. [ + ]
Controlling the assembly of atoms
University of Canterbury scientists have discovered a new way of assembling atoms that could lead to increases in the power of mobile phones, computer tablets and memory sticks. [ + ]
LF noise research
Graphene has played a major role in providing an answer to an almost century-old problem of pink and flicker noise. [ + ]
Fourfold increase in TV screen resolution
A new video standard enables a fourfold increase in the resolution of TV screens, and an MIT chip was the first to handle it in real time. [ + ]
Commercialising battery with super storage
A CSIRO invention that turns a conventional lead-acid battery into a two-energy super storage device could contribute to a wider take-up of hybrid electric vehicles among other uses. [ + ]