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Monthly Archives: May 2013

The weekly electronics news roundup

Don’t forget to sign up for the Electronics Weekly newsletters, to keep right up to date with industry news and redevelopments – the Daily News or Weekly roundup, depending on the frequency of your choice. Sign up for our Newsletters » For those, who don’t get the updates, here’s a pick of the main stories crossing our news index, from ...

More on iWatt's chip for low-cost dimmable LED light bulbs

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See this article for more general information. iWatt has put an awful lot of work into dimmer compatibility into its latest ac-dc converter for LED replacement light bulbs. The chip is almost entirely digital, and has no microcontroller. Instead, control is implemented in state-machines, which the firm’s engineers refer to as ‘code’ – prototyped on FPGAs during development. “During start-up, ...

The Piano Maker

Many years ago, the top physics graduate at Tokyo University was Kaichi Kawakami.

ADI’s sales push continues with Mouser

Analog Devices has signed a global distribution deal with Mouser Electronics. ADI has been refocusing its European sales and marketing strategy in the last year or so and this deal with the catalogue and online distributor indicates that the chip firm is looking at its global supply chain. “Mouser Electronics focuses on new product sales and will immediately begin selling ADI products ...

iWatt aims at low-cost dimable LED light bulbs

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California-based iWatt has announced an ac-dc power chip for low-cost dimmable LED light bulbs. By analysing the applied waveform using state-machine digital processing, the firm is claiming compatibility with most dimmers intended for incandescent bulbs. Hundreds of dimer types are available, varying widely in quality, and firms designing chips for dimmable bulbs have had to start extensive testing programmes. “For ...

Gaming: Latest Kinect sensors bring biometric data into play

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Microsoft’s depth-sensing camera will gain unprecedented information about us while we play, allowing games to adjust their difficulty in response You’re cornered and wounded. Cowering behind a crate, all you can do is hide and wait for the acid-spraying alien to move on. You desperately look for a pattern in its movements, hoping for a chance to sneak past to ...

CSR launches smart chip, as Google’s Android supports Bluetooth

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CSR has launched a new chipset for Bluetooth Smart, the low power flavour of the wireless comms standard. This follows an announcement from Google and Bluetooth Special Interest Group that Android will include native support for Bluetooth Smart Ready and Bluetooth Smart devices in the next version of its operating system, meaning 75% of smartphones will integrate with Bluetooth Smart devices. “Google’s announcement marks a significant milestone in ...

Hyperloop

So is Elon Musk’s Hyperloop – billed as a new form of transport – a maglev train running through a vacuum tunnel?