EngineerIT_EM

Combating theft of non-ferrous metal shifts into top gear

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

by Rens Bindeman, SA Revenue Protection Association Over the past 18 years service providers in South Africa have been hard pressed installing infrastructure to supply effective telecommunication, cell phone communication, electricity, water and rail transport services while others take it upon themselves to destroy these structures for their own financial gain.
It is now time for everyone in S

Rockwell Automation drives safety and integration with new PowerFlex 750 Series

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Information from Rockwell Automation As a leader in industrial automation, Rockwell Automation's latest AC variable speed drive product, the Allen-Bradley® PowerFlex® 750-series, offers more selection options for control, communications, safety and supporting hardware than any other drive in its class. The cost-effective, user-friendly, flexible and highly-efficient drives maximise investment and

South African matriculant for Honeywell leadership challenge academy

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Donovan Sobantu was recently selected by Honeywell to participate in the Honeywell Leadership Challenge Academy (HLCA) in Hunstville Alabama, USA from 26 February to 9 March 2012. Donovan, 17, is the head boy at Wendywood high school in Johannesburg.
The HLCA is open to children of all Honeywell full-time employees globally. Donovan's, mother Carol is employed by Honeywell in Midrand. Part of a

Note from a happy iPad reader

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Dear Editor Sitting at the harbour in Barcelona I have downloaded all the magazines on the iPad. Wow it's impressive, and I can say that it's a pleasure to browse all the different magazines in my own time. So easy, only a mouse click away, from anywhere in the world. That's when it becomes great to merge pleasure with work. While my wife is busy checking her sms's and drinking sangria with a choc

Call for intent to apply for TWAS Fellowships

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) will be facilitating applications by South African scholars for postgraduate training and postdoctoral fellowships advertised in Brazil, China, India, Mexico, Pakistan and Malaysia. Each year, the TWAS Fellowship Programmes, which operate under agreements with governments and national organisations in developing countries, offer a number of fellowship

Laptops donated to schools

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

In pursuance of the Society of Telkom Engineers' social responsibility objectives pivoted specifically towards the promotion of careers in engineering and technology, brand new Samsung laptops were recently donated to deserving high potential learners at peri-urban/rural schools in three regions.
The recipients were: Bongani Makile from Tsosoloso Ya Africa Secondary School, Ebony Park, Tembisa

Invensys X-Change 2012

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Invensys X-Change 2012 (15 18 April, Sun City) certainly lived up to its theme: "Industrial, Information and Intelligence", providing some eye-opening technology and innovation with presentations and exhibits to the over 400 local and international industry professionals, including Invensys users such as Wonderware, Foxboro, SimSci-Esscor etc.
In his keynote address, Dr. Peter Martin, VP

National Policy Colloquium just another talkshop?

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The National Policy Colloquium, arranged by the Department of Communications, appears to most telecoms commentators to be yet another talk-shop. The new communications minister Dina Pule and her director-general, Rosey Sekese, promised a full review of information and communications technology policy a Green Paper this year, a White paper in 2013 and new legislation in 2014. Like her predecessor

ITU says make technology a key part of the climate change solution

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

An ITU symposium to be held in Montreal, Canada will explore the many ways in which advanced technologies can play a role in improving the environmental sustainability of the ICT sector itself, how ICTs can help countries better manage the effects of climate change, and new strategies to help tackle e-waste. The symposium will be held on 29 31 May 2012 in conjunction with the Canadian government

Atio acquires Avaya business unit from Business Connexion

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Local ICT services company Atio has acquired Business Connexion's Avaya assets and is partnering with Business Connexion in providing Avaya solutions into its customer base. As part of the realignment of the technology division, Business Connexion is reducing the number of its key strategic vendors to improve focus. However, as a systems integrator, Business Connexion remains committed to implemen

Technology remains key in the consumer IT market

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Technologies like solid state drives which, along with other hardware and software enhancements, remain at the heart of the user experience. According to Juniper Research, solid state storage in tablets and in ultrabooks is undoubtedly superior in terms of boot-time and "z" height compared with HDDs, but this has to be balanced against other factors such as cost and storage capacity. Ultrabook shi

Gartner gives high rating to Oracle for service delivery platform

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Gartner gave Oracle the overall score of "very strong", the highest possible rating given by Gartner in the next generation service delivery platform (SDP) market overview. The report evaluates capabilities of the leading next generation service delivery platform vendors and is based on an in-depth study which explores key issues related to seven SDP criteria: product and service, market understan

More woman power needed in engineering

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

A high-level dialogue held at New York's Institute of International Education and hosted by the International Telecommunication Union, the UNspecialised agency for information and communication technology, identified misguided school-age career counselling, the popular media's "geek" image of the technology field, a dearth of inspirational female role models, and a lack

SA businesses feel the pressure as new dividend tax comes into force

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The new dividend tax legislation came into force replacing the old secondary tax on companies. The new legislation has been designed to align South Africa with international standards and best practice.
The onus falls on companies to pay 15% withholding tax on dividend payments to SARS and to account for those shareholder dividend payments, so as to reconcile the tax liabilities of investors an

Dark Fibre Africa invests R75-million in Benoni

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Dark Fibre Africa (DFA) is currently deploying a fibre infrastructure in excess of R75-million in and around the Benoni, Gauteng metropolitan area. In cooperation with Benoni municipality, this project will not only launch the city into the digital age, but it will also bring significant investment into the area. DFA only provides the open fibre infrastructure to enable licensed operators like Vod

Huge growth in real time payments

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Business opportunities in the real time payment market are fast evolving and will continue to do so as consumer behaviour matures. Juniper Research has sized the escalating mobile payments market at US $240-billion this year and expects it to almost triple in value by 2015, proving to be a fertile ground for operators in emerging and mature markets. Anton van Heerden of Altech ISIS says the speed

In conversation with...

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Hans van de Groenendaal in conversation with Mike le Plastrier, divisional director, Invensys Operations Management When I recently did research on ruggedised and embedded computing systems for the industrial processing environment I had the opportunity to speak with Mike Le Plastrier, divisional director of Invensys Operations Management, an EOH company. We started talking about ruggedisation

Robotics in industry an exploration

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Compiled by Hans van de Groenendaal, EngineerIT In the automotive industry robots have been used for many years but in some other sectors their use has been slow to take off. We asked a number of people from the automation industry to participate in a virtual panel discussion on robotics. Hopefully we take the lid off some of the mysteries that many believe surround these useful combinations of el

Intelligent automation drives business processes

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

by Garth Hayward, Kaseya Africa In today's economy businesses are constantly looking to IT and technology to drive down costs and improve productivity through greater efficiencies. One key area where they are achieving this is through cloud computing and the services-oriented approach to the provisioning of software and services that it enables. By hosting software and services in the cloud, bus

South Africa is not ready for changes to the Companies Act

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

by Tim Marshall, Trifecta Capital Services New legislation which comes into force next year relating to amendments to the Articles of Association for companies has far-reaching implications for the conduct of business in the boardroom, and moreover, the role of the company secretary. According to a survey conducted on behalf of Trifecta Captital Services, the new legislation still has many chall

How will the SKA impact on residents of the astronomy advantage area?

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

by Hans van de Groenendaal, EngineerIT South Africa's new Astronomy Geographic Advantage Act protects 12,5-million hectares in the Northern Cape as a radio astronomy reserve to ensure the future of radio astronomy in the region. The question is how will it affect the population in the area? Will they still have acces to TV, radio, cellphones and to the internet? According to Adrian Tiplady, Sq

Graphical system design accelerates system development

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

by Norma Dorst, National Instruments, Australia Successful product-oriented companies choose a vector of differentiation to deliver to their customers: the best in class, fastest time to market and lowest cost. In the global arena, companies are encountering nimble competitors able to compete on multiple fronts simultaneously.
To get ahead of these disruptive forces, engineers must shed ideol

Ensuring a quality VoIP service

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

by Rob Lith and David Meintjes, Connection Telecom This article examines the quality problems that are typical on voice over IP (VoIP) calls, the methods of detecting and countering them, and a solution to resolve VoIP quality issues. Quality is a fundamental preoccupation of VoIP architects. The primary challenge is ensuring voice traffic is not delayed or otherwise compromised due to interfe

Satellite myths debunked

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

by Hans van de Groenendaal, EngineerIT While in some quarters fibre is being touted as the be all and end all, if there are any myths and misconceptions about satellites, then top of the list would be "satellites are a dying breed" and "satellites are expensive." I agree that sub-marine and terrestrial fibre has brought broadband to the masses in the metropolitan areas but those on the "pl

TV white spaces for inexpensive broadband?

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

by Hans van de Groenendaal, EngineerIT Due to potential interference, the TV band usually has unused spectrum inbetween any two stations which seems a waste of valuable spectrum that could be utilised to provide broadband connectivity, particularly in rural areas. In July 2011 the IEEE accepted the IEEE 802.22 standard which is aimed at using cognitive radio (CR) techniques to allow sharing of

Software security is an end-to-end process

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

by Leon Watkins, Altech ISIS The objective of secure software development is to design, implement, configure, and sustain software systems with security being an integral part of the complete systems development life cycle and beyond, from the requirement definition to retirement of application. The security of software is threatened at various points throughout its life cycle, both by i

Software development must think social

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

by Malcolm Rabson, Dariel Solutions According to industry analysis* the total number of Facebook users in South Africa now exceeds 4,5-million people, while Twitter and LinkedIn are experiencing massive growth with 1,1-million and 1,5-million users respectively. What's more, mobile instant messaging (IM) through applications and SMS is rapidly growing, and is expected to triple in use by 2016*. Is

Active antennas improve mobile network performance

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

by Hans van de Groenendaal, EngineerIT Conventionally, expanding the capacity of mobile networks has been achieved mainly by adding more base stations to the existing infrastructure. However, it is a relatively slow and costly way to roll out capacity and this has impeded the expansion of mobile broadband, which in today's highly competitive market is challenging. Although smaller cells have b

Telecoms developments in Africa

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Compiled by Matthew White, Iona Press Services Kenya Telkom's LION2 submarine cable goes live Kenya's fourth submarine fibre-optic connection to the world has gone live with the conection of the Lower Indian Ocean Network cable (LION2) operated by Telkom Kenya. Telkom Kenya CEO Mickhael Ghossein said LION2, whose laying cost more than US$75-million, will significantly boost Kenya's bandwidt

Complete solution to optimise circuit performance

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

National Instruments has recently introduced Multisim 12.0 with specialised editions for circuit design and electronics education. Multisim 12.0 Professional Edition is based on industry-standard Spice simulation, and is optimised for usability. Engineers can improve design performance to fit their applications by minimising errors and prototype iterations with Multisim simulation tools

Rugged, hi-power, linear 2x2 radio

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Rocket M is a rugged, hipower, linear 2x2 Mimo radio with enhanced receiver performance. It features good range performance (50+km) and breakthrough speed (150+Mbps real TCP/IP). It combines the "brains" in one robust unit; and can be paired with your choice of AirMax BaseStation or Rocket antennas. This versatility gives network architects flexibility and convenience. Rocket M and A

Strategic partnership renewed

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

BT recently announced the signature of a global managed networked IT services contract with Anglo American, one of the world's largest diversified mining companies. The contract covers all Anglo American's networking requirements at several hundred locations around the world and is valued at approximately $220-million over the next five years. BT will be deploying its BT Connect portfolio of "inte

Local availability of air conditioning range

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

APC by Schneider Electric has announced the local availability of the Amico air conditioning range by Uniflair S.p.A. Uniflair, a manufacturer of in-room precision cooling systems and modular access floors primarily for data centres and telecommunications applications, has recently been acquired by Schneider Electric. This range of precision air conditioners was conceived and designed

Helping customers adopt cloud computing

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Oracle recently announced Oracle Enterprise Manager Ops Center 12c, to help Oracle systems customers adopt cloud computing faster and with less effort and risk. A key part of the Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c product family, this system introduces unique capabilities for establishing, managing, and supporting Infrastructure as a service clouds and provides the best solution for managing all Oracle

Next-generation camera management system

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Ubiquiti is known for its performance, and low price wireless broadband solutions. It has now introduced AirVision, a next-generation H.264 IP camera management system. AirVision provides advanced recording capabilities and powerful analytics with a breakthrough webbased user interface, and can be installed on Windows or Linux platforms. The best part is that this powerful IP surveillance softwa

New suite of enterprise mobility products and services

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Vox Telecom's new suite of enterprise mobility products and services aims to solve a major problem CIOs currently face: the security and integration headaches introduced by the proliferation of smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices in the workplace. As part of its mobility strategy, Vox Telecom has secured the distribution rights in South Africa for MobileIron, described as a global leader

Mobile containerised data centres and secure power energy centres

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Demand for mobile, containerised data centres and secure power energy centres is increasing worldwide and in South Africa, according to Master Power Technologies, a specialist in secure power back-up solutions. According to the company, these solutions can be easily deployed and expanded. Offering one-stop engineering, high security and highly efficient solutions, they are pre-tested at the factor

Improve performance and scalability

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

To help businesses improve their crosschannel customer experience and maintain optimal performance during peak shopping periods, Oracle's ATG Web Commerce has been certified and optimised to run on Oracle Exalogic Elastic Cloud and Oracle Exadata Database Machine. In multiple benchmarking tests completed during the certification process, ATG Web Commerce delivered a threefold performance improveme

Contact centre solutions

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Inovo has partnered with Vox Orion to develop the Verto range of hosted contact centre solutions. According to Inovo, just under 90% of South Africa's contact centres have fewer than 250 seats, and are also far less specialised than the typical contact centre in a larger economy. In the US for instance most agents are employed to do only one specific kind of task, in SA they have to be far more mu

Near-field communications still far in SA's future

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

South African banks and retailers are likely to be slow to adopt near-field communications (NFC) technology for mobile payments because of the high costs of installing point-ofsale (PoS) terminals and other enabling infrastructure, according to Nashua Mobile. It is said that there is little appetite among institutions to drive adoption of yet another new PoS payment technology just as the end of t

Data, voice, video and managed services

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

MWeb has concluded a strategic long-term agreement with Level 3 Communications, an international provider of fibre-based communications services, to exchange traffic to Level 3's global IP network and content distribution network (CDN), bringing services, to South Africa and the Southern African region. Level 3 offers a comprehensive suite of data, voice, video and managed services leveraging a re

Green UPSs for pre-packaged data centre

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Eaton was contracted by SDE Consulting Engineers to supply two 9395 UPSs to Megatron in Midrand. The Eaton 9395 275 kVA UPSs, complete with variable module management system (VMMS), patented hot-sync and advanced battery management, are being installed in a "blade room" at Megatron's pre-packaged data centre. VMMS technology maximises efficiencies at lighter loads without compromising reliability.

Business Connexion acquires Quad Automation

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Business Connexion has announced that it has acquired 100% of the issued share capital of Quad Automation a South African company that specialises in the industrial sector in programmable logic controllers (PLC), supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) and manufacturing execution systems. It provides specialised engineering design, development and consulting services to it

Data processing solution for data warehouses

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Master Data Management data quality, data integration and master data management solutions has announced the availability of expressor v 3.6, which features several major areas of enhancement for the company's data integration platform. In this new release, the expressor engine now offers superior data processing performance necessary to address big data requirements by introducing partit

Space mining application for South African mining robotics

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

by Michael Neale, Hatch Africa The concept of mining in space in not new, but the topic has been getting more attention in recent years. Many authors agree that mining space resources and the settlement of space would require extensive use of robotics. This paper explores the notion that future South African mining robotics could make the country a key player in the space mining industry. Sout

Defence in depth is key to process and SCADA security

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

by Eric Byres, Tofino Security Products, USA Security is becoming increasingly important for the modern SCADA and industrial control system (ICS). Without security, the reliability and safety of the entire industrial process can be at risk. Unfortunately, good security doesn't just happen. It needs to be designed into the system, using proven security strategies and processes.
One of the foun

Butterfly valve for corrosive media

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The demand for highly corrosion resistant butterfly valves continues to grow and Gemu has recently introduced a new range to complement its other lined butterfly valves.The Gemu 490 butterfly valve is fitted with a TFM liner and PFA-encapsulated stainless steel disc as standard. The design of the butterfly valve, and especially the liner, the shaft seal and backing has been optimised to reduce act

Full featured graphic operator interface

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The new GP4000M Series graphic operator interfaces from Pro-face is a range of full featured HMI models with exceptional graphics.
The Pro-face GP4000M HMIs offer bright and colourful images on a 320 x 240 pixel QVGA TFT colour display which guarantees optimal operation from the analogue touch panel. All these models have two USB ports (one for project transfer, and one for barcode reader con

Dual display fibre optic amplifier

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

A dual display fibre optic amplifier that can be easily programmed for a wide range of applications and conditions has been introduced by Banner Engineering. The new DF-G1 Expert has two easy-to-read digital displays showing signal level and threshold simultaneously for simple operation and pinpoint accuracy.
Its expert "teach" and "set" methods allow users to modify response time, signal level

Level measurement with guided microwave

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

With the new LFP Cubic, SICK offers a level sensor said to provide maximum amount of flexibility and measuring accuracy. Thanks to IO-Link, it also opens up possibilities for integration in the type of automation common in machine and plant engineering. The LFP Cubic combines continuous level measurement with level detection in a single device. The level sensor, nearly wear- and maintenance-free,

A modular platform for robotics

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The MLX100 Robot Gateway is a modular platform that leverages the strength of Rockwell Automation and their ControlLogix PAC, along with Yaskawa's advanced robots. The MLX100 Robot Gateway provides a unified control architecture for robot control, logic and communications. Motoman robots are programmed directly from RSLogix software environment with add-on-instructions. The ability to program robo

Innovative control solutions for the rail sector

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Deuta Werke harnesses innovative solutions to make new technologies easier to control, and therefore safer for the rail sector. This company focuses both on individual product solutions and on the entire process chain from the initial quote up to obsolescence management and the aftermarket. Products range from simple indicators to integrated displays, from basic pick-up sensors to contactless

Faster compact CPU with more Profinet communication and user memory

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Siemens Industry Automation Division has extended the top end of its Simatic S7-1200 controllers portfolio with the addition of the Simatic S7-1215C.
At 100 kB, the user memory has twice to four times the capacity of existing devices.
The new CPU also has a second Profinet interface, two analogue outputs as well as fast outputs for controlling up to four stepper motors. Process

Video encoders and IP cameras integration

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Moxa has announced that the Moxa VPort 461 industrial video encoder and VPort 36-1MP IP camera are now compatible with Milestone Systems XProtect IP video management software via OnVIF specification integration. It is said that the Milestone System's XProtect open platform IP video management software is the global industry standard, and has been deployed in thousands of applications in more than

Giving better control to smaller applications

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Rockwell Automation has introduced its latest version of RSLogix 5000 software, to deliver the high performance of an integrated control system for manufacturers and machine builders requiring a smaller control system. With the updated v20, Rockwell Automation brings integrated motion capabilities on the Ethernet/IP network to the Allen-Bradley CompactLogix controller family. Using this software i

HMI with Ethernet connectivity

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Pro-face AGP4104 is a 87,5 mm HMI with Ethernet connectivity and represents an expansion to the company's existing serial communication series of compact operator interfaces. The Ethernet connection simplifies the user's option to connect to a vast selection of third party PLCs, drives, bar code readers, and other devices. The AGP4104 is programmed using the free edition of the Pro-face develo

New large digit loop powered indicators introduced

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Since the installation of the first intrinsically safe loop powered indicator in 1984, Beka associates have been at the forefront of indicator development culminating in the launch of their fourth generation models. These new instruments are designed and manufactured in the UK, and are based on the accumulated experience gained from thousands of installations coupled with the latest electronic, pr

Authorised distributor appointed

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

RET Automation Controls has been appointed an authorised distributor for Adelsystem. Based in Italy, Adelsystem has over 20 years experience in designing and manufacturing switch mode power supplies. Included in the product range are the "Battery Care" intelligent battery chargers, "Flex" power supplies up to 600 W, and "All In One" uninterruptible DC power supplies that include battery charge

Miniaturisation in pressure measurement technology

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

by Daniel Hofer and Bernhard Vetterli, Keller, Germany Keller`s OEM transmitters are systems that can be described as "embedded" in the best sense of the word and in two different ways.
First, the sensor and the downstream electronics are embedded in the same housing and second, the transmitter capsules themselves are ideally suited for embedding in application-specific systems. Depending o

Types of data acquisition architectures

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Information from Agilent Technologies, USA There are a number of test equipment choices in the data acquisition market, ranging from PC plug-in cards to standalone data acquisition units. To select the optimal equipment for your application, it is important for you to evaluate your measurement performance needs, including resolution, accuracy, functionality and throughput speeds. With so many

Fieldbus interface on thermal mass flow meters and controllers

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Bronkhorst High-Tech has announced the availability of an EtherCAT fieldbus interface on their thermal mass flow meters and controllers for gases and liquids, as well as their digital pressure controllers. Bronkhorst is said to be the first and only supplier of these devices to offer this option. EtherCAT is a highly flexible Ethernet network protocol with unique advantages. It operates at high sp

High-resolution fault finding and testing

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The PicoScope 4262 is a high-precision oscilloscope that is also suitable for generalpurpose fault-finding. With two input channels, it can display signals in both time-domain and frequencydomain views, or even both at the same time. Spectrum views provide a number of automatic measurements including distortion and noise. The analogue to digital converters in most digital oscilloscopes have 8-bi

Safe detection of metal

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The new GG851S fail-safe inductive sensor from Ifm Electronic enables a simpler solution for safely detecting metal. The safe state is reached when the damping element is within the safe switch-off zone. If however, the metal is in the enable zone, the outputs are switched on. The innovative operating principle can be explained by using the example of crane bridge monitoring. A fail-safe sensor

New low cost temperature switch and transmitter

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Allpronix now distributes the EMA product line, one of which is a programmable temperature transmitter and switch, including a display. The TA1001 is a new low cost temperature switch and transmitter. It is IP67 rated, complete with local indication and two outputs. The unit can be programmed for a temperature range and a relay can be programmed for alarms. The temperature sensing range of the uni

High bandwidth oscilloscope launched

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

LeCroy has launched its new LabMaster 10 Zi, substantially extending its oscilloscope technology. The device is decribed as improving standard oscilloscope features, and the modular design provides the simplest upgrade path in bandwidth and channel count.
Key specifications include: 25 GHz 60 GHz real time bandwidth; a 160 GS/s sample rate; 1024 Mpts/ch analysis memory; 4 x 36 GHz in

Intelligent surge protection

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The new Plugtrab PT-IQ product family from Phoenix Contact is the first generation to provide proactive functional monitoring for signal interface surge protection devices.
A yellow status signal indicates that the performance limit has been reached as a result of frequent surge voltages, while a small reserve capacity ensures that protection remains effective. The user is in

Measuring data analysis in real time

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

To be able to analyse the huge amount of measured data in real-time, a transmission medium with high bandwidth is necessary. Ethernet provides this high performance.
To access the data CAM supports the commonly used Modbus/TCP protocol, which is supported by many visualisation tools as a standard. The time synchronisation of the devices can be performed using a NTP server, which is integrated i

Fast real-time oscilloscopes with true analogue bandwidth

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Agilent Technologies recently introduced Infiniium 90000 Q-Series oscilloscopes with industry-leading, real-time bandwidth of 63 GHz on two channels and 33 GHz on four channels. The new lineup includes 10 four-channel models ranging from 20 GHz to 63 GHz, all of which are bandwidth upgradeable.
These new scopes deliver the lowest noise and have the lowest jitter measurement floor in t

Empty pipe detection in electromagnetic flow meters

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Krohne IFC 300 signal converter monitors the measuring tube for complete filling using its diagnostic function "flow profile test", regardless of electrical conductivity, viscosity and incrustations.
Generally, the flow profile test only responds when the liquid level has sunk below a value of approx. 75%.
The empty pipe detector must then be activated as well. This is the simplest and m

Condition monitoring of surge protection devices

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Dehn's DRC MCM XT condition monitoring system is a DIN rail mounted device for monitoring up to ten preprogrammed BXT arresters with an integrated LifeCheck monitoring circuit.
The LifeCheck testing device quickly and easily monitors surge protection devices (SPDs) to detect thermal or electrical overload conditions, faulty or previously damaged devices which are not generally visible. Result

The growing importance of power supply efficiencies

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

by David Norton, TDK-Lambda Americas Many factors are driving designers to improve power supply efficiency from going green to simple dollars and cents. Economic and environmental factors are playing an ever-increasing part in the drive to improve efficiencies and reduce pollution from electronic equipment. Simply put, power supply efficiency is measured by comparing the AC power going into th

Laser out-performs chemically manufactured RF circuit boards

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

by David Power, Cadshop Microwave printed-circuit board (PCB) prototypes can be quickly and cost-effectively produced in-house by means of any number of commercial mechanical milling machines or chemical etching. A faster and more accurate approach, however, is to perform the etching and machining by laser. One of the new developments which combines laser and electronics to mill and drill both

Intelligent surge arresters

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Dehn's Blitzductor XTU modules are combined lightning current and surge arresters for protecting information and automation systems. The nominal voltage is not specified, allowing the arrester to be used for all voltages in the range of 0 180 V DC. actiVsense technology allows the arrester to automatically detect the signal voltage of the information signal and adapt its protection performance t

New Linux-based operating system

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Keystone Electronic Solutions launched Guinnux, a Linux-based operating system distribution developed in-house by their team of electronics engineers at National Electronics Week 2012 where the OS was demonstrated in a live environment using the Guinnux Starter Kit, which is now also available for evaluation from Keystone. According to the company, the main design goal of Guinnux was to create a

30 W miniature regulated DC - DC converter

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Mean Well introduces the SKM30 series: a new generation of 30 W miniature single output regulated DC-DC converters with size of 5,08 x 2,54 x 11 mm. Featuring a dual-in-line package, this new series greatly reduces the size (by 65,1%) compared to the current corresponding models of SDM30 (30 W, 5,08 x 5,08 x 16 mm), and increases the working efficiency (by 5 11%). Furthermore, compared to the SD

Outdoor TWT amplifiers

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

MCL´s MT3400 and MT4400 outdoor TWT amplifiers have been described as reliable, rugged, and economical solutions for satellite uplink applications.
You can now add "energy efficient" to that list. The MT3400 is available with a 400 W linear TWT, drawing 1100 W as opposed to 1500 W, while the MT4400 offers a 750 W linear TWT, drawing 2000 W vs.
2400 W. These new TWT options are only offered i

Expansion of microcontroller family

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Microchip has announced the expansion of its eight-bit PIC16F(LF)178X enhanced Mid-range core microcontroller (MCU) family to include advanced analogue and integrated communication peripherals, such as on-chip 12-bit analogue-to-digital converters; eight-bit digitalto-analogue converters; operational amplifiers; and high-speed comparators. The MCUs also feature a high level of a

Coaxial connectors for future PCBs

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Rosenberger, said to be a leader in RF technology, has developed a wide range of RF coaxial connectors for future PCB applications; solder versions and also surface-mount connectors are available. The spectrum includes straight and right angle connectors in innovative coaxial series such as SMP , Longwipe SMP , P-SMP, Mini-SMP, FMC, Micro-RF or multiport connectors, but also in standard series

Modular power supplies meet latest medical approvals

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

TDK has announced that its Lambda Vega is now approved to IEC/EN 60601-1, ANSI/AAMI ES60601-1 and CAN/CSA-C22.2 No 60601-1-08 3rd Edition medical safety standards this is in addition to the current approval to the 2nd Edition, ensuring full safety approval for medical equipment is maintained during the transition period from 2nd to 3rd Editions.
Typical applications for the Vega range include

Aluminium cabinet platform

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Schroff has developed the new Novastar platform of cabinets in aluminium for measurement and control systems, laboratory and audio, video and broadcasting markets. The supporting structure of the Novastar consists of a die-cast aluminium frame and aluminium struts. The fluted design gives them the look of classical pillars. The cladding components are not mounted on the exterior of the frame but r

Innovative new antenna for GPS applications

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

EAD has introduced an innovative new antenna for GPS applications.
The GPS-Stubby is an active GPS stub antenna designed for mobile terminals requiring an external GPS antenna. Especially in applications where a traditional patch antenna with a cable is unsuitable or where the cable will get in the way, the GPS-Stubby provides a cost-effective and compact alternative. With an effective gain of

Integrated relay driver for switching inductive loads

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

By integrating a complete solid-state relay driver into a single surface mount package, DRDC3105 minimises the PCB footprint, reduces the component count and improves the reliability of inductive load control circuits. Enabling 3 to 5 V logic level signals to switch coils, DRDC3105 provides a rugged interface between standard logic and 3 to 6 V DC inductive relay coils. The relay driver is designe

Panel mount DC power jack

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Kycon has introduced a high-current panel mount DC power jack option to its current series of power jacks. The expansion of its power jack line allows for greater design flexibility, with reliability in high-current and repetitive applications such as laptop computers, portable modems and other portable devices. The new KLDPX-0302 series is rated at 5 A and is available with a 2,0 mm and 2,5 mm di

Guided mortar project challenges Denel engineers-in-training

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Denel Dynamics has a philosophy that engineers graduating from university need to enter an internship so that they can link their academic achievements to the real world of engineering. Once bursary recipients graduate from university they are given fulltime employment, with their first year spent as an engineer-in-training at the Denel Dynamics Engineering Academy. The aim is to bring them into

Moscow at night

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Moscow appears at the centre of this night-time image photographed by the Expedition 30 crew aboard the International Space Station, flying at an altitude of approximately 390 km on 28 March 2012. A solar array panel for the space station is on the left side of the frame. The view is to the north-northwest from a nadir of approximately 49,4° north latitude and 42,1° east longitude, about 160

Cassini finds Saturn's moon Phoebe has planet-like qualities

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Data from NASA's Cassini mission has revealed that Saturn's moon Phoebe has more planetlike qualities than previously thought. Scientists had their first close-up look at Phoebe when Cassini began exploring the Saturn system in 2004. Using data from multiple spacecraft instruments and a computer model of the moon's chemistry, geophysics and geology, scientists found Phoebe was a so-called planetes

Is Antartica melting?

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Warm ocean currents attacking the underside of ice shelves are the dominant cause of recent ice loss from Antarctica, a new study using measurements from NASA's ice, cloud, and land elevation satellite (ICESat) revealed.
An international team of scientists used a combination of satellite measurements and models to differentiate between the two known causes of melting ice shelves: warm ocean cur

Radio amateurs get a new band

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

by Hans van Groenendaal, EngineerIT In this monthly feature, Hans van de Groenendaal ZS6AKV, executive chairman of the South African Amateur Radio Development Trust (SAARDT), looks at various technologies and activities that drive amateur radio. SAARDT is dedicated to the development of amateur radio in South Africa with a special interest in the youth. The organisation is funded by donations and

Reaching the roof of AFRICA

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

It's an experience never to be forgotten. Mount Kilimanjaro, with its white glaciers and contrasting brown alpine desert, is a magnificent mountain. It stands majestically amid vast open plains only three degrees south of the equator. It has it all ï farms, rain forests, moorlands, highland deserts and glaciers on "the roof of Africa."

To witness a sunrise from 5895 m above sea level, from Uhuru

Upcoming events

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

4 7 June 2012 ICT Indaba 2012, Cape Town International Convention Centre, Cape Town Contact Primrose Moloantoa, Tel 082 389-9707, primrose@ctindaba.com 5 7 June 2012 Industrial Showcase Cape, CTICC, Cape Town Contact Johnny Malherbe, Tel 021 685-0845 2 July 2012 ScopeX telescope and astronomy expo SMilitary Museum, Saxonwold, Johannesburg Contact Lerika Cross, ScopeX, Tel 082 650-8002, lerik

New appointments

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Todd Bradley has been appointed Executive V-P , HP Printing and Personal Systems Group.

Tjaart van Jaarsveld has been appointed field sales engineer, Ifm Electronic.

Wannette van der Westhuizen has been appointed marketing services manager, AC/DC Dynamics. Christine Herden has been appointed marketing manager for Africa, Fujitsu.<