A nationwide electronics recycling program, designed to offer consumers a convenient, responsible way to recycle tens of millions of unwanted television sets, computer monitors and other consumer electronics products, has been launched by LG Electronics USA and Waste Management.
Developed with Waste Management's subsidiary WM Recycle America LLC, the LG Electronics recycling program is being launched this month in 160 locations across the country, and is expected to include recycling sites in all 50 states by September. Read more...
CSA International, a leading certification and testing organization, today announced that it has signed a reciprocal product testing agreement to provide testing services in North America and Asia, on behalf of VDE, for products destined for European markets. A similar reciprocal agreement allows VDE to conduct testing to North American standards on behalf of CSA International. Read more...
BETCO Incorporated has developed a new male tab connector option for its patented Flat-Snap product that won the 2007 Electronic Products Product of the Year Award.
Now Flat-Snap can also mate with a new UL approved male combo tab that may be preferable in some applications. The new male tab provides a greater surface contact area than conventional UL male tabs and exhibits significant performance advantages. It also has a locking clip to prevent bendback. Its flexible design can also be customized and insulated.
Like the original unisex Flat-Snap electronic connection, this new product makes it possible to connect wires with one quick snap. In addition, either Flat-Snap product will stay connected in high vibration environments better than standard connections. Call Sean Dunn at 401-467-2400 for more information or visit etco.com.
U.S. factory shipments of heating and cooling equipment were mixed with some products increasing in shipments, while other product segments were flat or showed a sharp decline.
Central Air Conditioners and Air-Source Heat Pumps
Combined U.S. factory shipments of central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps for June totaled 937,093, down 1 percent compared with the same month a year ago. For the year-to-date, combined shipments totaled 3,342,265, a 7.1 percent drop compared with the same period last year.Read more...
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has launched the Zero-Net Energy Commercial Building Initiative (CBI) with the establishment of the National Laboratory Collaborative on Building Technologies Collaborative (NLCBT).
These two efforts focus on DOE's ongoing efforts to develop marketable Zero-Net Energy Commercial Buildings, buildings that use cutting-edge efficiency technologies and on-site renewable energy generation to offset their energy use from the electricity grid by 2025. The announcement by Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency David Rodgers was made at the California Clean Tech Open, a competition that supports innovative and sustainable new businesses which focus on energy efficiency, smart power, renewable energy, transportation, green building technologies, pollution control and resource management. DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will help sponsor the
2008 California Clean Tech Open, a business plan competition that supports the development of clean technology companies.Read more...
Medis Technologies Ltd. announced today that its 24-7 Fuel Cell Power Pack will be offered in select Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile stores beginning this month. The 24-7 Power Pack is a portable power system based on Medis' Direct Liquid Fuel Cell Technology. It is designed to keep handheld devices operational while on the go.
The Medis 24/7 offers consumers a green alternative energy source capable of charging an array of devices including mobile phones, smart phones, GPS devices, MP3 players and other handheld electronic Read more...
AUGUST 2008 ISSUE HIGHLIGHTS
For a comprehensive look at the Augustissue, click.
When thinking of image-based interaction, a touchscreen is the first thing that comes to mind. And while touchscreens are increasingly employed in contemporary product design, the primary means for navigating our high-tech world is still paddling through the stream of buttons found on keyboards, printers, remote controls, security systems, telephones, ATMs, vending machines, and more. Now there is a way to provide direct visual feedback for this button world - right on the button.Read more ...
For engineers designing pressurized air or vacuum systems, it's important to understand that no single air-pressure or vacuum technology is optimal for all applications, as illustrated by the comparisons shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. To help narrow down the choices, engineers can peruse charts for flow, pressure, and vacuum that are widely available from pump manufacturers. Before starting the process, however, it is helpful to be acquainted with the chief characteristics of the most common pump technologies used by equipment designers. Learn more...
OEM product designers and fastener application engineers have struggled to provide a self-locking screw-thread system that is reusable and cost effective. Over the years, several locking systems for threaded fasteners have been developed and implemented in a wide range of commercial products. Most of these locking fasteners depend on some type of interference fit between the male and female thread. This interference is most commonly accomplished by deforming a few threads in the fastener, which is referred to in the fastener industry as an all-metal, prevailing-torque fastener. Find out more.
Businesses are developing their own standards and protocols for regulating noise in the workplace and defining the permitted noise levels generated by specific items of equipment.
The employer is required to take certain actions, such as providing hearing protection, information, training, and so on, when the daily exposure level is likely to exceed 80 dB(A). A quiet office exhibits about 40 - 45 dB(A) while a noisier environment of 60 - 65 dB(A) requires raising the voice while talking. The culprit behind this office noise is mainly the low humming generated by the cooling fans for personal computers and servers. The fans circulating air from an office HVAC system also contribute noise. Want to learn more?
See more of the August issue, including a look at:
The 12-member PIC24FJ256GB1 16-bit USB microcontroller family has low power consumption (100 nA standby current) and large-memory (up to 256 KB Flash and 16 KB RAM). The MCU family has an integrated USB 2.0 device, embedded-host, dual-role and On-the-Go functionality, which makes it cost effective and easy to add advanced USB features to embedded designs.Read more.
FREESCALE SEMICONDUCTOR
The Flexis AC family of microcontrollers features 8-bit devices and 32-bit V1 ColdFire MCUs designed to provide exceptional EMC/EMI performance, precise motor control capabilities, and an array of on-chip peripherals to help reduce component count, system complexity, and overall system cost. Find out more.
The 78K0R/Kx3-L All Flash 16-bit microcontrollers are based on NEC Electronics' high-performance 16-bit 78K0R CPU core. It offers very low power consumption to extend battery life, and provides more on-chip integration to help reduce the size and cost of battery-driven and sensor-enabled systems. Want to learn more?
EPCOS A high-performance series of three-line EMC filters for frequency converters are distinguished by outstanding attenuation properties that provide a decisive advantage with long motor leads. Read more.
The AT42QT2160 is a touch controller IC combining touch key and touch slider functions in a single device. It can control up to 16 individual touch keys with a slider comprising between 2 and 8 of the touch key channels. In addition, the chip can also control up to 11 LEDs through a PWM output function that is controlled by the host, eliminating the need for an external LED controller. Want to learn more?
SENSIRION
Miniature liquid flow sensors using planar microfluidic substrates enables highly
sensitive thermal flow sensor microchips to measure non-invasively
through the wall of a flow channel inside a microfluidic substrate.
This design provides unique sensitivity for liquid flow measurement and
bubble detection in the microliter range. Read more...
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