In the previous article, we presented a resistor selection reference table. With the help of this table, you can determine which type of resistor will be most suitable for a given circuit or application. Once you’ve determined which type of resistor suits the best, it’s time to pick up the desired resistor. For that, it…

Ametherm, a company that specializes in thermistors for industrial, automotive, AMS (avionics, military, and space) markets, has unveiled a new circuit thermistor. The device features industry’s smallest diameter for a UL-approved device with a maximum continuous current rating of 4.0 A and energy rating of 50 J.  With the introduction of a radial lead package carrying a maximum diameter of only 15mm, the designers will be able to avail benefits like lower costs, limitation on the excess circuit board heat, faster reset times, and more board space.

Microchip Technology has introduced a new 1.8V Serial Quad I/O SuperFlash memory device. The SST26WF06C is a low voltage 64 megabit device that combines Dual Transfer Rate (DTR) with proprietary SuperFlash NOR Flash technology, thus making it ideally suitable for wireless and battery-powered applications.DTR allows customers to output data on both edges of the clock which not only reduces the overall data access time but also brings down the power consumption. The typical chip erase time for the SST26 WF064C ranges between 35 and 50 milliseconds (ms), while the competitive flash devices take more than 30 seconds to erase.

Tektronix, an industry-leading innovator of video test, monitoring, and diagnostic solutions, has unveiled comprehensive video on demand (VOD) and live OTT monitoring solutions. This will enable the video content distributors to meet the challenge of ensuring the availability as well as the quality of both live and file-based content.  These solutions allow broadcaster and other video distributors using cloud, virtual or physical networks to ensure good quality of the content. These solutions have been designed while keeping the scalability in mind. Hence, broadcasters can start at any level as per their needs.

Renesas Electronics, a premier supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, has announced the latest update of the Synergy Platform. It’s the first qualified, maintained, and fully supported software/hardware platform that removes the obstacles usually faced by engineers while designing IoT products. The platform also accelerates time to market and reduces the cost of ownership. It contains fully integrated software, development tools, and a family of Scalable microcontrollers (MCUs) devoid of any upfront fees or back-end royalties. 

Maxim Integrated Products Inc., a leading producer of innovative analog and mixed-signal products and technologies, has come up with a new buck converter. The device MAX77756 is a flexible 24V, 500mA, low quiescent current (Iq) unit. It can be utilized by the developers of multi-cell, USB Type-C products requiring higher current, dual input, and I2C support. In order to detect USB insertions, the USB Type-C products must generate an always-on 3.3V rail. Products making use of the Power Delivery (PD) voltage range of 5V to 20V can generate an always-on (1.8V/3.3V/5.0) digital supply rail for the port controller using MAX77756 step-down converter. 

Renesas Electronics Corporation, a premier supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, has released a new high-sensitivity, high-resolution 8.48 megapixel (MP) CMOS image sensor. The device is termed as RAA462113FYL and supports 4K video cameras. In combination with the existing Renesas 2.12 MP product that is already in mass production, the company will be offering full-scale sales support for its high-end CMOS image sensor for network security cameras.

Tektronix, an industry-leading innovator of video test and monitoring solutions, has unveiled a comprehensive set of production tools to help the content creators minimise and manage this complexity at its source- the camera. The new solutions will be demonstrated at IBC 2017 this September.  With the mixed use of HDR (High Dynamic Range) and SDR (Standard Dynamic Range) cameras, while using traditional waveform monitors, the different trace levels of the same luminance levels forces operators to do a lot of guess work as they are required to balance the cameras.

Intersil, a subsidiary of Renesas Electronics Corporation, announced two new high-speed, isolated RS-485 differential bus transceivers. These provide 40Mbps bi-directional data communication for Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) networks. The ISL32741E offers 1,000VRMS working voltage and 6kV of reinforced isolation, more than 2x higher than competitive solutions. The higher working voltage and reinforced isolation are required for today’s most rigorous medical and high-speed motor control applications. 

IBASE, a global leader in the manufacture of embedded computing and IIoT solutions, has announced the official release of the brand new AMS300 series expandable modular box PC. AMS300 is a compact, yet expandable fan-less system designed for industrial control and measurement processes in smart factory automation applications. It is powered by 7th/6th Gen Intel Core i7/i5/i3 processors and comes integrated with 8GB memory as well as 64GB of industrial-grade SSD storage. IT comes with an optional 2MB MRAM expansion module to store data without power. The series is built with two module compartments for PCI-E/PCI cards and Fieldbus modules, which allows customers to configure the various I/O required.

Microchip Technology Inc has introduced the MPLAB-ICD 4, an in-circuit programming and debugging development tool for Microchip’s PIC microcontroller (MCU) and dsPIC digital signal controller portfolios. The debugger includes all features of the popular MPLAB ICD 3 tool with added speed through a faster processor and increased RAM. The MPLAB ICD 4’s improved speed is the result of a 32-bit MCU running at 300 MHz. Further, the faster processing, along with an increased buffer memory of 2MB gives way to a product which is up to twice as fast as its predecessor. Housed in a durable, black case with a brushed aluminum top, the puck-shaped debugger is accented with an LED light strip to indicate the debugging status.

Littlefuse Inc., the global leader in circuit protection, has added 80A discrete bi-directional TVS Diode Arrays to its SP11xx Series TVS Diode Arrays (SPA® Diodes). The SP1103C Series 80A Discrete Bidirectional TVS Diodes offer circuit designers lower standoff voltage options so as to protect lower voltage power buses from electrostatic discharge (ESD) damage.  The diodes have been constructed by using TVS diodes fabricated in a proprietary silicon avalanche technology. These provide protection to electronic equipment which is sensitive to destructive ESDs. The robustness of the diodes helps in absorbing repetitive ESD strikes at ±30kV without affecting the performance.

B&K Precision, a leading designer and manufacturer of reliable, cost-effective test and measurement instruments, has announced its first series of DC resistance meters namely- 2840 and 2841 models. These are designed to accurately measure resistance in the milliohm range.  The 2840 model’s measurement range is 1 μΩ to 20 kΩ with a basic accuracy of 0.1%, whereas the 2841 model’s measurement range is 0.1 μΩ to 100 MΩ, with a basic accuracy of 0.01%. Both the meters feature temperature compensation and are ideally suited for measuring contact resistance of relays, switches, and PCB traces with greater accuracy and resolution than typical multi-meters.

Littlefuse Inc., the global leader in circuit protection, has released a series of 16A SCR (silicon-controlled rectifier) switching thyristors developed especially for use in electric vehicle on-board charge (EVOBC) applications. S8016xA Series SCR Switching Thyristors offer excellent AC handling capability and surge robustness.  This allows handling of Level 1 charging up to 16ARMS at 120V, and Level 2 charging up to 16ARMS at 240V at 100°C and up to 25ARMS at 80°C. The S8016xA Series is the first line of SCR switching thyristors capable of handling such high current levels in TO-220R and TO-263 packages.

Renesas Eelectronics has started the shipment of its first R-Car System-on-chip (SoC) enabled by Automotive Grade Linux (AGL) based software. AGL is a cross-industry effort to develop a fully open software stack for the connected car. As per the company, it’s a crucial step to expand the base of the software developers. The Renesas R-Car Starter Kit and AGL-based software is accelerating the development of automotive in-vehicle infotainment  (IVI) applications, and moving automakers closer to the realization of connected cars. By promoting the open source software development under the AGL project, Renesas aims to enable system manufacturers to develop automotive applications.

IBASE, a global leader in the manufacture of industrial computers and network appliances, has announced the launch of its latest FWA6706 series network appliance. It’s powered by an Intel Celeron Processor N3350 (earlier known as Apollo Lake). Talking about the FWA6706D model in the series, it’s a compact yet full-featured network appliance designed with high performance and low power consumption. Another model in the lineup i.e. FWA6706R is an entry-level network appliance in a 1U-rackmount form factor along with a smart fan solution. It ensures a rapid and stable deployment in network environments for small to medium-sized enterprises. Measuring 438(W) x 180(D) x 44mm(H), the appliance is built with a full-range 65W open-frame power supply and a programmable LCM display.

Microchip Technology Inc. has officially launched the SAM D5x and SAM E5x microcontroller (MCU) families. These new 32-bit MCU families offer extensive connectivity interfaces, powerful performance, and robust hardware-based security for a wide variety of applications. These microcontrollers combine the performance of an ARM Cortex-M4 processor with a Floating Point Unit (FPU) which offloads the Central Processing Unit (CPU).  This, in turn, increases the system efficiency and enables process-intensive applications on a low-power platform. The D5x and E5x MCUs run up to 120 MHz and feature up to 1MB of dual-panel Flash with Error Correction Code (ECC). This enables live updates without causing any harm to the running system.

Maxim Integrated, a reputed company that develops innovative analog and mixed signal products as well as technologies, has rolled out two power management ICs (PMICs) namely MAX77650 and MAX77651. These ICs have been particularly developed to address the need for increased battery life and efficiency. The PMICs cater to the user group including the likes of designers of Bluetooth headphones, activity monitors, smart garments, smartwatches, and other size-constrained devices. Size is a critical factor for the wearables and hearables as these continue to move to smaller forms. Most PMICs require additional components like boost, buck, and low dropout (LDO) regulators; a charge; and current regulators for LED indicators.