More consumers expect their consumer electronics (CE) devices to be environmentally friendly, according to new data from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)®.
Going Green: An Examination of the Green Trend and What it Means to Consumers and the CE Industry, finds that 89 percent of households want their next television to be more energy efficient, for example. Although awareness of "green" CE offerings lags behind sectors like household products and automobiles, 33 percent of consumers say they expect to make some type of green CE purchase within the next two years. Read more...
AHAM President Joseph M. McGuire has been elected to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Board of Directors beginning a three-year term on January 1, 2009.
"The ANSI accreditation process has been an integral part of AHAM's standards development process for the credibility it lends to our standards," said Joseph M. McGuire, AHAM President. "I am very pleased to serve on the ANSI Board as standards, and particularly international standards harmonization continues to be a top issue for AHAM members." Read more...
Improving implementation and enforcement of laws on electrical and electronic equipment and cutting unnecessary administrative burden are the main objectives of the revised directives proposed by the Commission.
The directives on the collection and recycling of electrical and electronic equipment and on the restriction of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment - the so-called WEEE1 and RoHS directives2 - have been in force since 2004 but there is room for further improvement and simplification. The proposed directives set higher but more flexible targets on the collection and recycling of electrical and electronic equipment and introduce greater coherence with other EU legislation. Read more...
Sony Electronics employees at its Pittsburgh Technology Center were advised Dec. 9 that the company will be discontinuing all of its operations at the Westmoreland County facility over the next 16 months, beginning with television manufacturing by the end of February 2009.
This action is one of the first of several plant closings Sony Corporation recently announced that will take place worldwide through March 2010 as part of a global profit recovery plan. A recorded media plant in France will also be closing in this fiscal year. Sony announced on December 9 that 10% of its current 57 manufacturing sites will be closed. Read more...
Although information technology is well integrated into the lives of many Americans, gadgets and communication services require, for some, a call for help. Some 48% of technology users usually need help from others to set up new devices or to show them how they function. Many tech users encounter problems with their cell phones, internet connections, and other gadgets. This, in turn, often leads to impatience and frustration as they try to get them fixed.
New research from the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project shows that:
-- 44% of those with home internet access say their connection failed to work properly at some time in the previous 12 months.
-- 39% of those with desktop or laptop computers have had their machines not work properly at some time in the previous 12 months.
-- 29% of cell phone users say their device failed to work properly at some time in the previous year. Read more...
Video game consoles nationwide use about as much electricity in a year as every home in San Diego combined, and can significantly add to consumers' electric bills, according to a new report released by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Much of this energy use is consumed by machines that are left on, but not in use.
Looking at the "big three" video game consoles - Sony Playstation 3, Microsoft XBox360 and Nintendo's Wii - the report measured the amount of power they use when they are active, idle and turned off. It found these systems use nearly the same amount of power when they are played as they do when they are left on and the user walks away from the game. Read more...
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has released Combined Heat and Power: Effective Energy Solutions for a Sustainable Future, a new report highlighting Combined Heat and Power (CHP) as a realistic solution to enhance national energy efficiency, ensure environmental quality, promote economic growth, and foster a robust energy infrastructure. The report provides an in-depth discussion of current opportunities and challenges to more widespread national CHP deployment, and sets the stage for future policy dialogue aimed at promoting this clean energy solution. Learn more...
DECEMBER 2008 ISSUE HIGHLIGHTS
For a comprehensive look at the Decemberissue, click.
The appliance DESIGN 2008 Buyers Guide is the #1 resource for Design Engineers in the Global, Commercial and Medical Appliance/Durable Goods Industry. Easily find detailed information on suppliers of components, materials & services used in the design and manufacturing of your appliance products!
Read more ...
The A4490 is a triple output, step down, switching regulator with an input voltage range of 4.5 V to 34 V. Each output is adjustable from 0.8 V to 5 V with a maximum current of 2 A.
Read more.
The ACPL-W70L and ACPL-K73L digital CMOS stretched optocouplers operate at dual supply voltages of 3.3 V and 5 V at a minimum speed of 15 MBd. The single-channel ACPL-W70L and two-channel ACPL-K73L come in SSO-6 and SSO-8 packages, respectively. Read more.
An additional 800 washers and spacers have been added to the company's product line. With this addition, non-standard washers and spacers are now available without tooling charge in more than 22,800 sizes. Read more.
The CR Series of snap-in, panel-mount rocker switches are available with circular, oval, or paddle actuator styles, and can be illuminated in white, red, amber, or green colors. Find out more.
The SH Series of switches come in non-illuminated, single and bi-colored LED options. Pre-engraved off-the-shelf process symbols include lighted "on/off" and directional arrow symbols in more than 25 cap and actuator options. Find out more.
The SmartFan Nimbus-HP is a compact, TRIAC-based fan, pump, and motor control unit. It controls induction motors including shaded-pole and permanent-split-capacitor types that have been approved for voltage control by the motor manufacturer. It operates from an 85 VAC to 300 VAC single-phase power source. Find out more.
The Arnite T-XG 510 PBT halogen-free (HF) grade of electrical insulating materials is suited for components such as connectors in clothes washing machines, dryers, and dishwashers. Want to learn more?
The CES Selector software combines data on more than 3,000 materials. The 2008 version features a pictorial menu in which engineers can view and select the mechanical, thermal, electrical, or barrier application that they wish to study.
Want to learn more?
The Loctite 5510 adhesive/sealant and Loctite 5570 adhesive are highly resistant to vibration, movement, and impact. The permanently elastic, primer-less formulations bond and seal a variety of dissimilar substrates including metals, glass, nylon, and plastics. Want to learn more?
The 12-member PIC24FJ256GB1 microcontroller family of 16-bit MCUs has a 100 nA standby current, and up to 256 KB Flash and 16 KB RAM memory. It has an integrated USB 2.0 device, embedded-host, dual-role, and On-the-Go functionality. Read more.
The EV Series of thyristors feature a minimum rated blocking voltage of up to 800 V, a maximum turn-on time as low as 25 µs, and a minimum rated static dv/dt of up to 75 V/µs. The series includes four families.
Learn more.
Four new series of snap rings have been introduced that are directly interchangeable with Eaton rings. The XAH, XAS, XDH, and XDS series are available from stock in more than 300 sizes ranging from 0.375 in. to 10 in., 13 mm to 300 mm. Learn more.
The VX CAD/CAM Version 13 is an assembly visualization tool that lets users toggle the display mode of any component. A user can see inside of a gearbox or through a mold plate, and render it as transparent or wireframe. Want to learn more?
The Encore! 32 Series microcontroller is based on the ARM9 processor family. It is a high-performance 32-bit Reduced Instruction Set Computing SoC solution that incorporates functionality for an integrated memory controller and interfaces such as USB, LCD, and Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI). Read more?
Please let us know what you think by sending your comments to Larry Adams, E-News Editor,at adamsl@bnpmedia.com .
BNP Media
2401 W. Big Beaver Road, Ste. 700
Troy, Michigan, 48084-3333
U.S.A.
Please let us know what you think by sending your comments to Larry Adams, E-News Editor,at 
