Blog
Need a wireless mesh network? 5 reasons to love Dust
In a world where the IoT dominates headlines, not enough is said about Dust Networks and its steadfast concentration on serving industrial applications. Tim Bonnett, Director at Alpha Micro Components explains. With an installed base of over 50,000 networks in over 120 countries however, and its involvement in evolving wireless network standards, perhaps Dust Networks, acquired by Linear Technology in 2011, merits more consideration.
You were made for me?
Connectors come in all shapes and sizes depending on environment and application. There are literally thousands of options, sometimes for the same job. Inevitably, this can cause a lot of confusion. To make sure you find the best product for every job, there are a few questions you might want to ask yourself before making a purchase. Here Amy Wells, Business Development Manager, Electroustic, poses the questions you need to be asking when specify...
How LTE is changing the world of automotive entertainment
In implementing Long Term Evolution, or 4G LTE networks, communications operators have achieved the fastest ever rollout of a network standard. Its popularity is partially explained by our hunger for bandwidth, particularly in a world where the growth in data traffic is accelerating, driven by our thirst for streaming video from YouTube, IPTV, Netflix and others. In fact, video is now the largest consumer of video bandwidth. It's also interesting...
From 3D printing to lithography
TI DLP Products is reinforcing its reputation in imaging technology with the release of the DLP9500UV chipset. The latest addition to its portfolio features the highest resolution UV DLP chip to quickly expose and cure photosensitive materials in industrial and medical imaging applications.
ECU consolidation in practice
By Georg Doll, General Manager of automotive solutions at Wind River, an Intel company The number of ECUs you’ll find in even the most standard of car models is staggering. There has long been a drive to consolidate ECUs but it is not just the number of them that is the challenge. The complexity of new functions such as adaptive cruise control, blind spot detection and hill start assist further complicate the software development and testi...
Engineering is no longer a man's world
Women’s roles throughout history have varied dramatically from one civilisation to the next. For Britain, the sharply defined domestic role of women lay relatively untouched from the Middle Ages right through to the end of the Victorian era. But when we look further into history, gender roles were not so sharply defined. Here, Amy Wells, Business Development Manager, Electroustic, compares unusual roles women have played in the past with th...
Remote monitoring on cathodic protecion
Often dubbed the inconspicuous killer, rust costs the global economy $2.2 trillion dollars every year. It accounts for anywhere between 3.5 to 4.5% of gross domestic product and is responsible for the structural failure of steel frames around the world. From bridges and cars, transcontinental and marine pipelines, to industrial machinery, tools and parts, rust contributes significantly to plant downtime the world over.
Is it time to ditch the CV?
High rates of youth unemployment have created an abundance of available talent for entry-level positions. As a result, hiring managers can be increasingly particular in their requirements, demanding specific credentials and experience in the hunt for the ‘perfect’ candidate, an individual described in recruitment circles as a ‘purple squirrel’. Here, Carl Plant, CEO of, bITjAM, explains why the time has come for recruiters...
Man or machine?
Since manufacturers introduced the first robot arms onto assembly lines in the early 1960s, the fear that they will take human jobs has slowly spread. And it's true; many jobs have already been delegated to robots, including assembly, farming, surgery and even vacuuming. Here European Automation's Darren Halford continues the discussion.
Choosing a wireless protocol for your IoT design
By Nick Pummell, Strategic Business Development at Alpha Micro Components Until recently, the automatic choice for many remotely deployed sensors was a cellular WAN, generally GSM. WAN coverage is almost global via 2.5G, 3G and 4G networks in the licensed radio spectrum from 850 to 2,500MHz. However, global coverage isn’t relevant for all IoT applications.