september 2015 | volume 6, issue 9 www.electronicspecifier.com PLAYING THE PLATFORM GAME – reaping the gains of modern hardware & software platforms Printed Electronics Power Wireless News 3D-printed ‘smart cap’ Charge your phone Forget fingerprints, you can Mother robot builds and detects spoilt food with two AA batteries pay with your heartbeat tests its own ‘children’ Volume pricing Economy with scale We now offer larger volumes and extended price breaks on over 92,000 products START HERE Research > Design > Production uk.farnell.com 77778_Q3offline_Volume pricing_230x297 (4mmb).indd 1 02/09/2014 08:12 Contents 04 Comment 08 06 News 10 Distribution Blog 12 Renesas feature 14 Automotive 18 Printed Electronics 16 22 Frequency Control 24 Power 28 Connectors 30 Passives 32 Design 20 34 Communications 36 Sensors 38 Wireless 40 Optoelectronics 28 Editor: Ad sales: Head Office: Copyright 2013 Electronic Specifier. Contents of Electronic Specifier, its publication, websites and Nat Bowers Ben Price ElectronicSpecifier Ltd newsletters are the property of the publisher. The [email protected] [email protected] Comice Place, Woodfalls Farm publisher and the sponsors of this magazine are not responsible for the results of any actions or Gravelly Ways, Laddingford omissions taken on the basis of information inthis Designer: Publishing Director Kent. ME18 6DA publication. In particular, no liability can be accepted Stuart Pritchard Steve Regnier in result ofany claim based on or in relation to Tel: 01622 871944 material provided for inclusion. Electronic Specifier [email protected] [email protected] www.electronicspecifier.com is a controlled circulation journal. electronicspecifier.com 3 Comment The next industrial revolution gathers pace! t’s been a really ‘interesting’ time for anyone involved infrastructure and production logistics, IT security, big in the currency or equity markets. Traders and data and the cloud, IT and energy and M2M. Whether Iinvestors of all types have been affected by the optimised process control, automation or the intelligent uncertainty of the on/off Greek relationship with Europe planning of resources – the use of software solutions, and the reversal of fortunes in the Chinese stock sensors and embedded systems in electronics market based on the fact that China’s annual growth is manufacturing is increasing. down below 10% – a figure any other country would be delighted with by the way. According to some experts, more than half of the increases in productivity in the European economy Watching from the side-lines, those who run during the past 15 or so years can be attributed companies must decide when the time is right to invest to innovations in information and communication in people, inventory or capital equipment and, despite technology. In the area of software embedded systems the uncertainty generated by these wild fluctuations for example, Germany has achieved a leading position, in currency and share values, there is enough positive particularly in the automotive and machine-building news around to make these difficult investment sectors. Still not clear? Well the subject now has its decisions a little easier. own show and conference. One area where investment is beginning to pay Called IT2Industry, it is being held alongside this dividends is in what is described by many as the year’s productronica in Munich and will focus on ‘fourth industrial revolution’ - which is probably intelligent, digitally networked working environments why it’s called ‘Industry 4.0’. This is the industrial and deals with topics that cover the entire forerunner to the IoT, which is sometimes described as production process. Not wanting to miss out, Machine to Machine (M2M) communication, and it is productronica’s opening event is a CEO Roundtable starting to find applications in countries with a strong discussion on Cyber security: Challenges for the manufacturing base. Germany is a good example. Get Manufacturing Industry. Leading personalities from the implementation of Industry 4.0 right, and you’ll the industrial, scientific and political sectors will be ahead in the manufacturing game. Get it wrong or discuss questions such as How can I gain insights ignore its potential and you’ll lose out to your forward into our security status? and How relevant is cyber thinking competition. security to companies that don’t think they have highly sensitive data? Besides focusing on office IT So what is Industry 4.0? Put simply, it covers the entire (attacks by viruses and malware), specific aspects of production process on the road to the smart factory cyber security in industry (smart factory) will also be - i.e. automation, industry software, data networks, examined. 4 electronicspecifier.com Adding Bluetooth® Low Energy to Your Application Just Got Easier with the RN4020, a Complete Bluetooth 4.1 Low Energy Module The RN4020 is a Bluetooth® 4.1 Low Energy Module for designers who want to easily add low-power wireless capability to their products. It provides a highly integrated solution designed with an easy to use ASCII interface for complete confi guration and communication over UART. The RN4020 will reduce your development cycle with: Simple ASCII UART interface Selectable on-board Bluetooth profi les Microchip’s Low-Energy Data Profi le (MLDP) for custom serial data Scripting for standalone analog and digital data collection and transmission Bluetooth SIG and regulatory agency certifi cation* *Check Microchip’s website for latest Regional Government Regulatory Certifi cations www.microchip.com/wireless The Microchip name and logo and the Microchip logo are registered trademarks of Microchip Technology Incorporated in the U.S.A. and other countries.All other trademarks are the property of their registered owners. © 2015 Microchip Technology Inc. All rights reserved. DS00001761B. MEC2022Eng07/15 News Technique Near-infrared device makes it could enable easier to find veins environmentally A device that allows medical professionals to see exactly friendly fuel cells where a patient’s veins are Researchers at UCLA’s has been introduced by California NanoSystems Christie Medical Holdings. The Institute have developed a VeinViewer Vision2 works by in real-time. With VeinViewer dramatically advanced tool projecting near-infrared light technology, professionals can for analysing how chemicals onto the patient’s skin, which see blood patterns at up to called nanocatalysts is then absorbed by the blood. 15mm deep and veins at up to convert chemical reactions The information captured is 10mm deep. into electricity. Current processed and projected back spectroscopy methods require onto the surface of the skin Read more... large laboratory machines to measure chemical reactions, but the new technique uses a Hydrogel works like an artificial muscle nanoelectronic chip to do the In research published in have also managed to use the same thing while the reactions Nature Materials, a team polymer to build an L-shaped are taking place with better led by scientists from the object that slowly walks accuracy, and while gathering RIKEN Center for Emergent forward as the temperature a completely new set of data. Matter Science in Japan is repeatedly raised and has developed a hydrogel lowered. Hydrogels are Being able to analyse these that works like an artificial polymers that can maintain reactions with increased muscle, quickly stretching and large quantities of water. accuracy, heightened contracting in response to sensitivity and greater changing temperature. They Read more... cost-effectiveness will vastly improve scientists’ understanding of Google helps calculate nanocatalysts, which will the best solar plan for you enable the development of new environmentally friendly As the price of installing solar option for decreasing their fuel cells that are more has gotten less expensive, energy bill. Google want to efficient, more durable and more homeowners are make installing solar panels less expensive to produce. turning to it as a possible easy and understandable Eventually, those new fuel for anyone. Project Sunroof cells could be used to power puts Google’s expansive data vehicles that run on hydrogen, in mapping and computing the 10th most abundant resources to use, helping element on Earth, and give off calculate the best solar plan water as exhaust. for users. Read more... Read more... 6 electronicspecifier.com News Chocolate physics Google’s new Lecithin plays a vital role in the $200 router made production of chocolate and for better WiFi many other foods. It’s never been clear how this ingredient In response to today’s works on a molecular level, connection issues, Google and confectioners have relied the researchers, based created a router that’s more on observational methods to at Technische Universität capable of handling our daily perfect their recipes. Now, München, Germany, report needs. Google has developed scientists have shown how the that they were able to use a solution to ‘slow-as-snails’ field of molecular dynamics molecular dynamics to gain and unstable WiFi connections could be a valuable tool in new insights into the molecular – OnHub. Google was very understanding chocolate interactions during chocolate concerned about society’s conching, the part of the conching. “There are many ability to keep advancing chocolate-making process hypotheses on how lecithins with internet connection that where aromatic sensation and work during the manufacturing