Author Archives: steve bush

Simple surface nano-particles could improve LEDs

Predictable arrays of plasmonic nano-particles can be grown on the surface of LEDs to improve photon emission by localised surface plasmon resonances, according to the University of Michigan. “The idea of adding nano-particles to increase LED efficiency is not new, but previous efforts to incorporate them have been impractical for large-scale manufacturing,” said the University. ...

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Multi-way connector for 56Gbit/s PAM-4 channels

Molex has expanded its zSFP+ Interconnect System to support 56Gbit/s PAM-4 channels in a stacked 2xN port, aiming at next-generation Ethernet and Fibre Channel applications, and claiming it to be the first of its kind. “The preferential coupling design uses a narrow-edge, coupled, blanked-and-formed contact geometry and insert moulding which provides superior signal integrity and ...

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THz FDM yields 50Gbit/s communication

International researchers demonstrated THz frequency-division multiplexing with an aggregate data rate of 50Gbit/s. “We showed that we can transmit separate data streams on terahertz waves at very high speeds and with very low error rates,” said Professor Daniel Mittleman or Browns University in the US. “This is the first time anybody has characterised a terahertz ...

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USB is not secure

USB connections can be snooped, according to the University of Adelaide, which tested more than 50 different computers and external USB hubs and found that more than 90 per cent of them leaked information through channel-to-channel crosstalk. The team modified a cheap USB-powered novelty lamp to read keystrokes from an adjacent keyboard USB interface, sending the ...

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Silicon Labs unifies chips for car radios

Silicon Labs has announced a family of car radio receiver chips with a common software API, claiming designers can share R&D effort across multiple product lines, from low-cost, single-tuner AM/FM radios to high-performance systems with multiple tuners and antennas. Si4795x (branded Global Eagle, (right)),  Si4796x and Si4797x (together branded Dual Eagle) are analogue AM/FM receivers and ...

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Always-on USB-C power chips wastes little

Maxim has cut quiescent current to 20µA for a 24V 500mA buck converter, aimed at USB Type-C products. “USB Type-C products must generate an always-on 3.3V rail to detect USB insertions,” said the firm. “Products utilising the Power Delivery voltage range of 5 to 20V can generate an always-on 1.8, 3.3 or 5.0V digital supply rail ...

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Writing conductors with a laser

Conductors can be written and re-written in three dimensions inside an insulating solid, according to Washington State University physicists. It happens when crystals of strontium titanate are exposed to a laser beam, causing ‘persistent photoconductivity’. Heating improves the writeability. “It opens up a new type of electronics where you can define a circuit optically and then ...

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Electric car body is made from flax and sugar beet

Lina is an electric car from TU/ecomotive of the University of Technology Eindhoven, whose body is made from plant-based materials. The bio-based composite is claimed to have similar strength/weight to glass fibre, although it is based on flax fibre-reinforced sheets with a honeycomb core (see photo) made from (sugar beet-based in this case) PLA bio-plastic ...

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Saliva fuel cell mooted for powering medical testers in the field

Researchers at Binghamton University in New York have developed a spit-powered microbial fuel cell, which might be able to power medical diagnostic equipment in the field. “On-demand micro-power generation is required especially for point-of-care diagnostic applications in developing countries,” said researcher Seokheun Choi. “Typically, those applications require only several tens of microwatt-level power for several ...

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