Electronics For You-SOUTH ASIA'S MOST POPULAR ELECTRONICS MAGAZINE

Electronics For You July 2010 Issue Vol. 42 No. 7 Technology Focus Telemedicine: Ophthalmologist in Theni, Patient in Aandipatti The benefits of telemedicine are obvious in a country like India. Yet, there are challenges to be overcome in terms of last-mile connectivity, simplification of technology, affordability, et al. With recent technological developments, including the impending rise of the mobile as the carrier of telemedicine facilities, is the industry all set to capitalise on this opportunity?
EFY Report Solar PV Cells Target Grid Parity The main challenge before solar cell manufacturers is to reduce the cost of devices through increase in efficiency, reduction of rejection and increase in volume of production	Construction Remote-controlled 6-Camera CCTV Switcher Here is a remote-controlled CCTV switcher circuit to monitor six cameras on a single or dual monitor/TV. Download source code

Buyers’ Guide Robotic Kits: Popularity on Rise There is a high demand for programmable bots that can be interfaced to different motors and sensors	Construction Christmas Decoration Light Here we present a circuit for LED-based Christmas decoration light. This decoration light is not only heartwarming, it is brilliant and cool too. The circuit can be applied in many ways, and there is plenty of scope for you to show your creativity in producing a design that is truly unique.

Circuit Ideas Mobile Electronic Workbench This mobile workbench is useful for students in schools, colleges, research institutions and industries alike. It can be used conveniently wherever you want.	Circuit Ideas Ball Speed Checker This circuit measures the speed of a cricket ball based on the time taken by the ball to travel the distance from the bowling crease to the batting crease.

Circuit Ideas Digital Thermometer This digital thermometer can measure temperatures up to 150°C with an accuracy of ±1°C. The temperature is read on a 1V full scale-deflection (FSD) moving-coil voltmeter or digital voltmeter.	Circuit Ideas Night Vision Enhancer Here is a simple green LED flashlight built around 555 timer IC (IC1) and powered from a 3V battery pack.

Circuit Ideas Halogen Lamp Saver For Bikes Halogen lamps are prone to burn-out owing to their low cold current. The rapid heating inside the lamp melts the thin filament and cuts the lamp life short. The circuit described here enhances the life of the halogen lamp by allowing soft turn-on of the lamp.	Circuit Ideas Triple-Mode Tone Generator Here is a simple circuit that generates three different tones. You can use it as a call bell, burglar alarm or any other security alarm.

Software Section JavaScript Based Command Line Interpreter Here we present an interactive program that can be used to simulate, debug, compile and interpret simple JavaScript commands. Download source code	Test & Measurement HIPOT Testers For Electrical Safety Electrical safety is of utmost importance for all the electrical and electronic products. Today’s HIPOT (short for high-potential) testers—key test equipment for electrical safety—have come a long way in terms of features, programmability and safety involved in testing itself

Embedded Hardware-Software Co-Design for Embedded Systems Software based functionality in today’s embedded products causes delays in project completion if you wait for the hardware prototype to begin software development and debugging. Concurrent design and verification of hardware and software is a trend that reduces time-to-market	Healthcare Brain-Computer Interface Brain-computer interfacing will make it possible to get a task done by just thinking about it. Take a look at the system, research areas and possible applications

Do-It-Yourself IR Protocol Analyser Here we discuss a method to decode the IR signal easily using very few resources. anyone who has access to a personal computer can try it	Solar Power From ‘Solar Grid’ There is an urgent need to modify policies under Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission to speedily solve power problem in small towns and rural areas where the productive life of people ends with sunset. Here are some reasons and suggestions

Sensors Taste Sensors’ Working and Applications Taste sensors, also known as electronic tongues, are particularly useful in food, beverage and pharmaceuticals industries for qualitative and quantitative analysis	IT Zone Computing Takes Quantum Leap While molecular electronics aims at attaining miniaturisation in line and/or beyond moore’s law, quantum computing applies quantum properties to information processing

Innovation Aerial Eye to Guard Against Terrorism An eye in the sky to monitor and guide anti-terrorism campaigns—that’s the power given to defend us by a new unmanned aerial vehicle developed by a startup company incubated at IIT Bombay	Satcom Evolution of Satellite Communication Over the last 45 years, since the launch of the first Intelsat, communication satellites have advanced phenomenally, changing the way the world communicates. Services have moved up from speech-only to multimedia and there has been a remarkable growth in asymmetrical interactive services and small low-cost terminals

Design Low-Power MCU Selection—Part 2 of 2 Adding a low-power MCU to the main system reduces energy use during standby mode. But when selecting the one for your application, there are some areas of concern	First Look! • Noise-cancelling Headphone • HD Media Player • 12MP HD Camera • Ultra-portable Netbook • HD Set-top Box • Water-resistant Walkman • Home Theatre Systems • Webcam with VGA Video

Interview “Consumer trend is towards having multiple cards”—Manisha Sood, country manager for SanDisk India and SAARC Founded in 1988 and headquartered in California, USA, SanDisk is a global leader in memory cards. SanDisk invented flash storage cards and pioneered the USB flash drive, and developed or co-developed the CompactFlash, SD (including microSD) and Memory Stick PRO card formats. Manisha Sood, country manager for SanDisk India and SAARC, is responsible for establishing the sales and marketing infrastructure within India and also overseeing the sales of memory cards, USB, MP3, gaming and mobile products. In a conversation with Uma Bansal, deputy editor at EFY, Ms Sood answered some common consumer queries about memory cards. Excerpts	Interview “Thin-film solar cells offer a lowercost solution”—Mano Manoharan, general manager, GE Global Research, Bengaluru With the race on to have the most efficient, low-cost solar module on the market, GE is focusing its R&D efforts on thin-film photovoltaic (PV) technology in conjunction with PrimeStar Solar, which is headquartered in Arvada, Colorado, USA. Mano Manoharan (Mano), general manager, GE Global Research, based out of GE’s largest multidisciplinary center in the world at GE John F. Welch Technology Center, Bengaluru, has immense technical expertise and experience in the areas of nanotechnology, fracture mechanics, surface engineering and mechanical properties of materials. He speaks to Uma Bansal, deputy editor at EFY, about the trends in solar cells and the reason for choosing cadmium-telluride (CdTe) technology for their modules

Next Issue... Technology Focus: Smart Energy Distribution Buyers’ Guide: 3D Gaming For You Survey/EFY Report: Medical Electronics

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June 2010

Issue Vol. 42 No. 6