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Electronics For You
December 2013 Issue
Vol. 45 No. 12
Technology Focus
To Strip Down or Not! How to Make a Mass Market Product
Amongst all the markets in the world, the fastest growing section is at the bottom of the pyramid, claims C.K. Prahalad in his renowned book, ‘The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid.’ Do you have a tech product that can sell to this huge market?
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Circuit Idea
ASK Communication Trainer
Amplitude shift keying (ASK) is a form of amplitude modulation that represents digital data as variations in the amplitude of a carrier wave.
| Circuit Idea
Simple Tester for Dual Operational Amplifiers
Here is a simple audible tester for dual operational amplifiers (op-amps). Dual op-amps such as TLE061, TL072, TL082, NE5532, RC4558 and MC1458 are widely used in hobby circuits and professional equipment.
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Do-It-Yourself
Create e-Books from Wiki Pages
Wikipedia is an excellent free online source of information for almost everything. It is now possible to convert all the information on a subject of your interest found in Wikipedia into an e-book for reference from time to time.
| Do-It-Yourself
Raspberry Pi: Controlling Eight Servo Motors
A servo motor is a rotary actuator that allows precise control of angular positions. It consists of a motor coupled to a sensor for position feedback, through a reduction gearbox.
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Software Section
Digital Communication Design Using MATLAB
Digital communication has been a boom for the telecommunication industry which demands higher and higher speeds with passage of time.
Download source code
| Software Section
Multi-Format World Clock Dashboard
Some airports and hotels have clocks showing different times in different countries for the convenience of people from those time zones.
Download source code
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sStyle Buyers Guide
Selecting the Best Big-Screen Tablet For You
Big-screen tablets are for gamers who like to stay glued to their Modern Combat 4. They are for executives who do not like to carry heavy laptops for their presentations. They are for movie buffs who like to have their entertainment handy. In fact, 25.4cm (10-inch) tablets are for almost everybody. Gone are the days when tablet makers were wary about bringing out big-screen tablets and were investing primarily in small-screen devices. Today, 25.4cm (10-inch) tablets are the norm for Indian consumers. So let us see how we should choose one from the many big-screen tablets available today
| Design & Manufacture
How to Ensure High Reliability in PCBs for Space Use
This article discusses the critical aspects and characteristics to be kept in mind while designing and manufacturing PCBs destined for use in space products. It also describes the environments that electronic systems face in space
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Telecom
Underwater and other Emerging Trends in Laser Communication
Underwater laser communication poses a number of challenges today. However, this technology is being researched extensively as it has a wide range of military and other applications
| eStyle First Look!
. Sony’s Colourful Portable Chargers
. Lenovo’s New Yoga Line of Tablet Devices
. ASUS brings World’s Smallest Router to India
. LG Debuts LG G Pro Lite in India
. 65-inch UHD TV With 4K 60p Input
. Samsung’s New Flip Smartphone
. Simmtronics 3G Calling Tablet
. Zync’s low-cost Android Smartphone
. GizMo ByTes
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Retail Technology
Malls of the Future
New technologies such as augmented reality, Near Field Communication, smart shopping devices and SixthSense technology are facilitating emergence of highly interactive customer touchpoints. These technologies are developing at an astonishing pace, throwing complex challenges for retailers. While some touchpoints have been adopted, many are still in the pilot stage. Here is a brief overview
| Embedded
Processor Selection for Embedded Systems
Most embedded systems need some type of processor, but which one would you select? Would you go for the one that is familiar because it is what ‘we have always used,’ or would you benchmark them with your application code first? Well, it could be a mix of both and then some others, which this article will help you determine
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Internet Of Things
“Gesture interfaces would act as a catalyst for other modes of interaction...”
Satish Patil is chief designer–Use Experience, Tata Elxsi. He speaks to Janani Gopalakrishnan Vikram about the importance of the user interface in making communication with devices more natural, in an IoT era that promises a tech-filled environment, which can sometimes be intimidating
| Test & Measurement
Big Data in Test and Measurement
As of 2012, the size of data sets that was feasible to process in a reasonable amount of time, was limited to exabytes level. Data sets grow in size in part because they are increasingly being gathered by ubiquitous information-sensing mobile devices, aerial sensory technologies (remote sensing), cameras, software logs, microphones, radio-frequency identification readers, wireless sensor networks and other such applications. Limitations due to large data sets are encountered in many areas, including genomics, meteorology, complex physics simulations, biological and environmental research. This article takes a look at how the phenomenon of Big Data has affected the T&M world
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Interview
Benefits of Using the Latest Low-Power Microcontrollers
In this feature, industry experts discuss the benefits of using low-power microcontrollers, as well as the advantages of modern-reduced power modes and power-budgeting techniques. They also explore the relative merits of selecting a microcontroller based on its target application or on development support. Abhishek Mutha of EFY got in touch with industry experts from Microchip, Freescale, Texas Instruments and Renesas, who shared their thoughts on today’s microcontrollers—how they have evolved and what benefits they offer design engineers who use them in their projects. Combining all their responses, we bring to you a broad perspective
| Technology News
A virtual child to identify paedophiles worldwide
To reduce webcam child sex tourism worldwide, a Netherlands-based charity group has reportedly created a virtual 10-year-old girl, named Sweetie, who helps them identify paedophiles.
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Useful Websites
Embedded Systems
Embedded systems are common in devices that we use in our daily life. They are mostly found in consumer, industrial, automotive, medical, commercial and military applications. These systems have a variety of applications and use. Here are some of the online resources that will help you understand them better
| Industry News
Government emphasises on ‘standards’ for electro-tech devices
Keeping in mind the high demand of electro-tech devices, the government of India now wants to pitch in ‘standards’ for the products to ensure utmost security and energy-efficiency levels.
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EFY Plus DVD
AADE Filter Design V4.5: A Design and Analysis Tool for Passive Filters
Here is freeware for the design and analysis of passive filters in both the time and frequency domains. It is easy to use, supports different types of filters, runs on Windows, and has several powerful transformations along with an extensive help file. The AADE Filter Design program was originally commercial but is now free
| Buyers’ Guide
Visual Inspection Microscopes
Visual inspection is a common method for fault detection and quality control in the electronics industry. As electronic assemblies continue to shrink in size, it becomes impossible to reach out various inspection points defined by standards such as IPC-A-610E with direct human vision. Magnification aids such as inspection microscopes can increase the efficiency and accuracy of visual inspection to a great extent
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Construction
Digital Temperature Controller
Digital temperature controller is an essential instrument in the field of electronics, instrumentation and control automation for measuring and controlling temperatures.
Download source code
| Construction
Calculator Using Postfix Notation
Doing calculations in a microcontroller-based project is common. Such calculations done by the microcontroller are pre-written as a part of the code, which means that these formulae cannot be changed or altered even if a situation demands so.
Download source code
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Circuit Idea
Solder Fumes Remover
During soldering, lead fumes are generated, which are toxic. The flux used for soldering also emits fumes, which again are highly toxic if inhaled in excess.
| Circuit Idea
One-Switch Switchboard
There is often a situation in industry when mounting too many switches is not possible and multiple loads need to be controlled with, as much as possible, very few switches.
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Nanotechnology
Carbon Nanotubes: A Promising Candidate for Electronics
This article discusses the physics of carbon nanotubes to indicate their potential for electronic device applications. The facts about CNTs have been projected for future developments
| Career
Nanoelectronics Moving Merely at a Nanoscale
Theodore Von Kármán, a Hungarian-American aerospace engineer, mathematician and physicist, once said, “Scientists discover the world that exists; engineers create the world that never was.” Nanoelectronics is an exciting field that is forecast to influence nearly every facet of our life. It definitely has a phenomenal future, but are there enough current opportunities to make a career out of it? Let us find out
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Construction
Android Phone-Controlled Robot
Android smartphones are undoubtedly the most popular gadgets these days. You will find various apps on the Internet that exploit inbuilt hardware in these mobile phones, such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, to control other devices.
Download source code
| Innovation
A Detector that Informs About Radiation Levels Around You
Detex 189 Cell Phone Tower Radiation Detector aims to empower people to measure the cumulative radiation levels in their immediate environment in order to take precautions to minimise their exposure to it. Due to the lack of public awareness about the harmful effects of cell-phone tower radiation, Indians are unwillingly exposing themselves to serious health hazards. Abhishek Mutha from EFY got in touch with Prof. Girish Kumar to learn more about his innovative product
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EFY Report
Indian LED Lighting Sector: The Future is Bright...
Indian LED lighting industry is experiencing robust growth and rapid development. It is expected to grow at a CAGR of 47.3 per cent and touch the $1.28 billion mark by 2018 thanks to the booming real-estate market, investments in green buildings, mandatory government regulations for energy efficiency and growing demand from government-aided projects, industrial and corporate houses, LED streetlighting projects and the export market
| Interview
The Latest in Chip Design
EFY catches up with four EDA firms to get their views on the latest in-chip design. Saugat Sen, vice president, Cadence; Wesley Ryder, worldwide technical director, Mentor Graphics;
Sushil Gupta, managing director, Atrenta and Vinayakam Subramanian, technical manager, ANSYS, share their views on topics ranging from the latest transistor structures and their impact on EDA tools, to solving ASIC design challenges, important EDA concerns in chip design and the latest trends in this field
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EFY Plus DVD
Software in This Month’s DVD
This month’s EFY Plus DVD features some free filter and circuit designing tools. It also has a special tool for designing an LED matrix and other projects for design enthusiasts. For MATLAB developers, it has an interesting calibrated sound wave analyser—Virtual Sound-Level Meter
| EFY Plus DVD
VSLM: Virtual Sound-Level Meter
Want to play around with the acoustic signals or the sound inputs for your audio device? This article guides you on how to start working with VSLM, a tool that allows you to do just that
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Electronics of Things
Industrial Automation Electronics
Rework Stations
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