TechBlog

A CubeSat is a type of space research picosatellite with dimensions usually of 10×10×10 centimetres (i.e., a volume of exactly one litre), weighing no more than one kilogram, and typically using commercial off-the-shelf electronics components.

Developed through joint efforts, California Polytechnic State University and Stanford University introduced the CubeSat to academia as a way for universities throughout the world to enter the realm of space science and exploration.

Currently, a large number of universities and some companies and other organizations around the world are actively developing CubeSats. One of these companies Clyde-Space, has just developed an ‘off-the-shelf’ website with information and resources for various sized cubesats and their subsystems. Other suppliers such as ISIS and GomSpace are also offering products and services through their websites.
With their relatively small size, CubeSats can be made and launched for an estimated US$65,000–80,000 each (2004 US dollars). This low price tag, as compared to most satellite launches, has made Cubesat a viable option for schools and universities across the world.

Continue reading ‘Researchers And Students To Develop Small CubeSat Satellites, the Size of a Loaf of Bread’ »

Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. released two new high-voltage, single- and dual-supply single-pole double-throw (SPDT) analog switches. The DG469 and DG470 devices are identical, except the DG470 provides an enable pin, which puts all of the switches in a high-impedance state, maintaining a “safe state” at power up and preventing accidental signal or power shorts.

Continue reading ‘Vishay Announces High-Voltage SPDT Analog Switches’ »

In a revolutionary leap that could transform solar power from a marginal, boutique alternative into a mainstream energy source, MIT researchers have overcome a major barrier to large-scale solar power: storing energy for use when the sun doesn’t shine.

Until now, solar power has been a daytime-only energy source, because storing extra solar energy for later use is prohibitively expensive and grossly inefficient. With this announcement, MIT researchers have hit upon a simple, inexpensive, highly efficient process for storing solar energy.

Continue reading ‘Major Discovery - From MIT Primed To Unleash Solar Revolution’ »

Test engineers in industries ranging from aerospace and defense to consumer electronics are facing the challenge of testing increasingly complicated designs with shrinking timelines and budgets. To address these issues, engineers and scientists are incorporating new test and measurement technologies that are capable of meeting complex design requirements without raising costs. National Instruments (NI) has identified five trends it anticipates will significantly influence the test and measurement industry over the next three years.”Companies are turning to the latest technologies including PXI, FPGAs and multicore processors to develop high-performance test systems that can meet consumer demand for higher-quality products,” said Eric Starkloff, National Instruments director of test product marketing.

“Fortunately, more technology vendors are developing industry-standard tools capable of solving problems that previously depended on expensive, dedicated test systems.”

Continue reading ‘Test And Measurement Industry Trends Toward Software-Defined Instrumentation’ »

Energy now lost as heat during the production of electricity could be harnessed through the use of silicon nanowires synthesized via a technique developed by researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California (UC) at Berkeley.

Continue reading ‘Researchers Make Thermoelectric Breakthrough In Silicon Nanowires’ »

Not too many years ago, trading your old car for a new one meant driving to the dealer, swapping personal items from one vehicle to another, and driving way — all you left behind was the old car. Today you may have to leave behind that address book of GPS locations that you built up because the design of on-board GPS systems may not have a facility for transferring that personal data to a portable memory chip that could be inserted into the new system.¹ Even if it did, the data formats may be incompatible unless automobile manufactures agree on a standard.

Continue reading ‘Technology Management: Product Life Cycle’ »

The recent energy crisis and soaring oil prices have compelled the human race to look for alternate energy sources, such solar, wind, geothermal, nuclear and bio fuels. Harnessing of nuclear power is getting new impetus.

Continue reading ‘Solar Cell Growth Flaring’ »

Acoustic waves play many everyday roles – from communication between people to ultrasound imaging. Now the highest frequency acoustic waves in materials, with nearly atomic-scale wavelengths, promise to be useful probes of nanostructures such as LED lights.

However, detecting them isn’t so easy.

Continue reading ‘Visualizing Atomic-Scale Acoustic Waves In Nanostructures’ »

The new NIR / Red Enhanced 6mm² ODA-6W-500M Photodetector-Preamplifier from Opto Diode Corporation is a photodiode preamplifier combination device that features higher gain in lower light environments. The low light, high sensitivity component has a large active area that operates in the NIR wavelength with response at 940 nm (typically 315 V/µW, min. 290). The standard 6mm² ODA-6W-500M offers 500 Mohm gain with custom gains also available, per customer specifications. Opto Diode’s new component is based on their proprietary shielded amplifier electronics, featuring extremely low noise and high sensitivity in the red enhanced preamp combination detector.

Smaller and more compact than discrete solutions, the hermetically-sealed TO-39 can is highly suitable for assembly in confined spaces. Ideal for applications such as fluorescence, microscopy and analytical chemistry, the detector is designed for easy integration into new and existing systems. Storage and operating temperature ranges from -25 degrees C to +100 degrees C.

The all new LandMark20 MEMS GPS/AHRS is an ultra low power combined digital Attitude and Heading Reference System (AHRS) that provides internally temperature compensated RS485 output of delta velocity, delta theta, heading, pitch and roll angle and altitude information and a 16 channel C/A code GPS receiver with 10Hz position update rate.

A complete turnkey software development kit with advanced features including direct PC interface, data recording, bandwidth and output rate selection is also available.A complete turnkey software development kit with advanced features including direct PC interface, data recording, bandwidth, output rate selection and GPS is also available.

Continue reading ‘MEMS LandMark20 GPS/AHRS - Low Noise AHRS with GPS’ »