Bench Talk

Arduino: Three Powerful Yet Overlooked Uses

On March 27, 2018 in All, Dev Tools, Maker, Open Source by Daniel Hankewycz

Most engineers cringe when they see an Arduino in my toolbox. What they don't realize is the powerful “shape shifting” tool that this low-cost development board is. Let's look at three commonly overlooked uses for an Arduino: Digital logic analyzer, AVR programmer, and UART to USB interface.

A Call for More Semiconductor Companies to Participate in Start-Ups

On March 22, 2018 in All, IoT, Maker, Open Source, StartUp by Mark Patrick

Hardware Pioneers founder Fabiano Bellisario explains, “From the feedback we have had tonight it is clear that the Hardware Pioneers concept is continuing to gain ever greater momentum. There is a thriving, vibrant electronic engineering community out there and organising these events gives everyone a unique opportunity to learn about what other people are doing, discuss their own ideas and hopefully find new inspiration. The next stage for us,” he continues, “is to encourage more of the larger semiconductor companies to get involved and engage with the various starts-ups we are showcasing at these gatherings.”

Tagged With: Hardware Pioneers, Conected Hardware, Embedded, EMEA, IoT

Facebook Redefines Time as “Flicks.” Is the World Ready?

On March 22, 2018 in All, Computing, General, IoT by Jeremy Cook

Some might define “time” as the fourth dimension or, perhaps, as an arbitrary set of numbers that divides each of our days into 24 hours, 1,440 minutes, and 86,400 seconds. Periods of time smaller than the second are generally expressed as fractions of a second, but these small intervals create challenges when trying to sync virtual reality and gaming environments.

Tagged With: .beats, Facebook, Flick, Frame tick, Gaming, Time, Virtual reality, VR

Lithium, Cobalt, and Lithium-Cobalt Prices, Demand Drive EVs

On March 21, 2018 in All, Automotive, Power by Steven Keeping

The price of Lithium has tripled since 2016 as electric vehicle batteries compete with mobile consumer electronics for the material. But the escalating price, driven by a threat of shortage of supply, is unlikely to dampen EV demand. Cobalt, another vital ingredient of Li-ion batteries, is another matter, and researchers are working hard to find cheaper alternatives, including Lithium-cobalt.

Not Your Mom’s Trip to the Market: Grocery Shopping Automation

On March 16, 2018 in All, Automation, IoT, Robotics, Sensors by Steve Schriber

Self-driving carts, smart shelves, cashier-less checkouts, and robotic delivery take grocery shopping to the next level of efficiency. Today’s consumers are as fickle as they are practical, but technologies are bringing highly accommodating smart shopping to stores near you.

Creating Faster, Safer, Cost-Effective Robots Using LIDAR

On March 13, 2018 in All, Automation, Industrial, Robotics by Traci Browne

The gift of sight via light detection and ranging (LIDAR) has enabled engineers to move beyond the development of robots that complete simple tasks to robots that can take on increasingly complicated workloads in safer, faster, and more cost-effective ways than ever before.

Open Source Reinvents the Keyboard

On March 9, 2018 in All, Computing, Dev Tools, Maker, Open Source by Bruce Byfield

Open source developers are rethinking the traditional mechanical keyboard. New releases, such as the Keyboardio Model 01, display an aesthetically pleasing, ergonomic, programmable, customizable, and quiet mechanical keyboard as an alternative to high-end proprietary keyboards.

Falcon Heavy Leaves Earth’s Orbit, Returns Rockets Intact

On March 7, 2018 in All, Empowering Innovation by Jeremy Cook

What sets SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket launch apart from missions that came before it? While thrusting a Tesla into space has captured media attention, the Falcon Heavy rocket accomplished something else: controlling the booster trajectory so well that the side boosters fell back to earth in a controlled manner and landed vertically on predesignated landing pads.

Tagged With: aerospace, booster landing, Elon Musk, Falcon Heavy, rocket, SpaceX, Tesla

Will You Please Be My Heat Sink?

On March 5, 2018 in All, Circuit Protection, Computing, Dev Tools by Bill Schweber

Any heat sink must undergo an evaluation to consider both the directional flow of the heat it expels (if a temperature differential is sufficient) and other sources that may be using the same cooling zone to expel excess heat. Let’s examine the reason why.

Biometrics Address Password Flaws

On March 2, 2018 in All, Computing, Security, Sensors by Steven Keeping

Password security is flawed—as Hawaiians recently found to their cost—because it relies on humans to create a memorable yet tough-to-hack secret phrase. Biometrics, pioneered by the smartphone’s fingerprint scanner, offers a better alternative.

Bench Talk for Design Engineers | The Official Blog of Mouser Electronics

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