Arrow enables engineers to design LED products

Arrow Electronics has introduced an application that helps engineers design complete LED lighting products.

The Lighting Designer features built-in design guidelines combining tools for selecting and optimizing products, adding secondary optics, defining the power supply and selecting and laying out a design.

In addition to LED product and system data, the tool offers several LED system options, such as the recommended, highest efficacy, and ,least expensive solutions; after selecting an option, engineers can see alternatives and the roi for transitioning from traditional lighting.

Visit the lighting designer at http://web.transim.com/arrow/lighting/led/Widget.aspx

Senators moving on DoD counterfeit parts law

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Senator Carl Levin and the committee’s top Republican, Arizona Senator John McCain, spoike on the Senate floor about the amendment they want to add to this year’s defense bill to crack down on the millions of fake parts that wind up in military gear.

The Department of Homeland Security would be charged with inspecting shipments “from any country determined by the Secretary of Defense to be a signifiant source of counterfeit parts” — a.k.a., China. DoD and its vendors would be required to buy from “original equipment manufacturers, authorized dealers or from trusted suppliers who meet establish standards for detecting and avoiding."

Levin’s bill also would toughen criminal sentences for counterfeit “military goods and services;” require vendors to notify DoD when they discover fakes; and require DoD itself to define all the new rules of engagement for its suppliers.

Suppliers would need to bear the cost when they or the services discover fakes in their equipment.

CTS to acquire Valpey-Fisher for $18 million

CTS Corporation has agreed to buy Valpey-Fisher Corporation, which manufactures frequency-control electronics, for about $18 million in cash. Valpey-Fisher's sales in the last four reported quarters total approximately $15 million.

With the sale CTS will acquire the design and manufacturing of precision crystal oscillators including higher frequency, lower phase noise timing solutions, high performance RF/Microwave components, integrated modules and ultrasonic transducers serving telecommunications, computer, defense and aerospace, instrumentation and industrial markets.

Read the press release here

Carlisle to Acquire Tri-Star

Carlisle Cos Inc said it will acquire the electronic interconnect components maker Tri-Star Electronics International from private equity firm Brockway Moran & Partners for $285 million.  Tri-Star, with annual sales of about $95 million, will operate as part of Carlisle Interconnect Technologies.
Read the full press release

New "Authorized-Only" Inventory Search Site

The Electronic Components Industry Association, ECIA , has launched a new industry-owned electronic component parts search web site, www.eciaauthorized.com as part of the association's fight against counterfeit parts. 

All distributors represented on the site are ECIA members and are authorized channel partners with their manufacturers. The site only lists inventory that is genuine and backed by the manufacturer's warranty.  The distributors represented on the site include many of the largest national and international full-line distributors as well as more specialized regional firms with focused product lines. 

Free Data Converters Seminars from Avnet and TI

Avnet is offering a free technical seminar series focused on data converters. Taught by technical specialists from Avnet and Texas Instruments, these classes are intended to provide engineers at all levels with a methodology to more easily navigate the entire data converter ecosystem. The seminars run through the middle of December with stops in California, Arizona, Massachusetts, Minnesota and New Jersey. Registration is open now at www.em.avnet.com/TIDC2011.

audio video connectors

Newark/element14 offers buyers and design and maintenance engineers a comprehensive range of over 1,200 Audio and Video Connectors, splitters and adaptors including XLR, DIN, RCA and Phono types from manufacturers such as Swithcraft, ITT Cannon, and more.

Molex transfers 3D electronics to medical devices

Molex is now molding complex, three-dimensional electronic components for medical applications.  Called MediSpec, the focus of the Molex capability is on the Laser Direct Structuring (LDS) process developed by LPKF (Garbsen, Germany).  Molex will display the new technology at D&M Minneapolis.

The MediSpec MID/LDS technology has multiple applications including blood glucose meters, drug delivery systems, home healthcare telemetry, remote patient monitoring systems, disposable catheter interfaces, neurostimulation controllers, pulse oximeter sensors, CPAP devices and RFID solutions.

Find more information on the MediSpec MID/LDS capabilities.

Circuit Protection Components to be Next Market Driver

According to TTI power and current surges, imparted on electronic systems by load switching, lightning discharges and electrostatic discharges are to blame for billions of dollars of failed equipment. To battle against these dangers both government and private agencies have mandated the inclusion of overvoltage and overcurrent protection components in circuit boards produced today and has spawned a $5.3 billion market.

Read their description of the types of components used for their overvoltage and overcurrent protection capabilities in modern electronics here.

Research and Markets 2012 U.S. Semi-Conductor & Electronic Components Mfg. Report Now Available

Research and Markets announced the publication of their Barnes Reports' 2012 U.S. Semi-Conductor & Electronic Components Mfg. Report containing industry statistics, forecasts and demographics.

The report features 2012 current and 2013 forecast estimates on the size of the industry (sales, establishments, employment) nationally and for all 50 U.S. States and over 900 metro areas. New to the report this year are: financial ratios, number of firms and payroll estimates.

The report also includes industry definition, 5-year historical trends on industry sales, establishments and employment, a breakdown of establishments, sales and employment by employee size of establishment (9 categories), and estimates on up to 10 sub-industries, including circuits, microwave components, commutators, solenoids and transducers.

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/3fc50c/2012_u_s_semicon

New medical application site from Mouser

Mouser announced the launch of its second Medical Applications Product Knowledge Center training site devoted to medical therapies.

The site includes block diagram navigation, part lists, resources, videos, and featured products for the targeted therapies: Hearing aids, infusion pumps, and CPAP machines.

Visit the site at: www.mouser.com/medical_therapy.

 

New Arcolectric switches are the first antimicrobial components

Arcolectric has announces a new range of antimicrobial switches launched as part of a partnership with BioCote, a provider of antimicrobial technology.

The switches will be manufactured with BioCote’s silver ion technology during the moulding process to produce the world’s first antimicrobial electronic components.

Integrating BioCote at the point of manufacture provides in-built antimicrobial protection for the life span of the component part, reducing microbes including bacteria mould and fungi by up to 99.9%.

Read more here.