Concerns over global warming and uncertain conventional energy supplies are spurring interest
and construction plans for new nuclear plants. In the U.S., NukeWorker reports that the nuclear power industry is planning construction of seven new reactors. NRG Energy has plans to build two new nuclear plants in Texas. Florida Power & Light Company, Duke Power, and Santee Cooper in conjunction with the South Carolina Electric & Gas Company are all planning new nukes. The National Center for Policy Analysis' E-Team says that 40 new nuclear power plants are currently under construction or being licensed worldwide, mostly in fast-growing Asian countries.

What is your opinion about this? Use the Questions& Discussions button to voice your comments about this trend at
CR4 — GlobalSpec's Engineering Community.

Honeywell continues to expand its product offerings: introducing the V9 Series miniature basic DC switch. A cost-effective solution for position detection, the V9 switch has the ability to directly control high electric loads while delivering enhanced reliability.

Besides the best-in-class features,
dual three color (Red/Green/Orange)display achieves easy operation of digital pressure sensor. At a glance current and threshold value. Data copy function for multiple units setting.

SUNX DP-100 series Digital Pressure Sensor is available from Panasonic Electric Works.

Perfect for embedded applications, Dataforth Corporation's SensorLex® 8B isolated analog signal conditioners are housed in a package 80% smaller than similar products, while providing fully functional Instrument Class® performance and cost-effective pricing. Superior specifications include ±0.05% accuracy and ±0.02% linearity. Seventeen family groups offer 102 models.

UVX series of sensors is used for verification of glue, sealants, epoxy, adhesives, and coatings application. The UVX sensor verifies in real time that the right amount of adhesive was applied in the right location.

Follow this link to receive UV sensor application handbook.

According to International Power Generation, China has overtaken Japan and is now the world's second largest consumer of electricity, trailing only the U.S. Surging exports are causing an increased demand for power, and China is currently adding as much power capacity every two years as the installed total in France or Canada.

The Electricity Forum reports that Pacific Gas & Electric will install 9 million high-tech electricity smart meters. In conjunction with the new meters, a new rate will be offered that will allow customers to pay less during most of the year if they opt to pay more on high-energy-use days.

European Community directives like WEEE, RoHS, REACH, and EuP will affect manufacturers and users of connectors, relays, and other electrical components. Electronic Business magazine interviews Stavros Dimas, the European Commissioner for environmental policies, to find out how these directives will change the way the world's electronics companies do business.

Brian Wilson, the managing director of MineCom Australia, says that the only reliable way to provide communications to underground miners is via a switched ring cable fed from two separate above-ground points. The switch must automatically change the direction of communications should the cable be cut or damaged.

International and North American cordsets and power cords from stock, with no minimum order quantity. Class I and class II cords available with current ratings from 2.5 to 16 amps. Standard lengths of 2.5 meters/8.2 feet from stock, custom lengths available with short lead times. Complimentary evaluation samples available upon request.

This series of unregulated power supply assemblies are designed to convert the AC power line to a low voltage, bipolar DC source. The nominal output from the supply is plus and minus 15 volts DC.

Read More.

Custom electrical connectors to match your specifications. No other cable supplier has a better understanding of the operating conditions and performance demands unique to a wide range of specific industries.

C&M is a leading worldwide manufacturer of high performance cable and cable assemblies, providing cost-effective solutions for the most challenging interconnect needs.

For 16 years, the Power Quality & Reliability Exhibition/Conference has been raising awareness of the challenges in the field with an unparalleled education program and the most comprehensive array of product solutions available.
Who Should Attend:
 • PQ Engineers & Specialists
 • Executive/General Managers
 • Building/Operations Managers
 • Consultants/Contractors
 • Customer/Field Service Specialists

The two most common methods of protecting electrical and electronic assemblies are potting and conformal coating; but these methods are costly, wasteful, and may not provide long-term protection. Assembly Magazine claims that low-pressure injection overmolding, which encases assemblies with a molten thermoplastic material impervious to the elements, is a better alternative.

The Border Patrol uses a variety of devices — including seismic meters, infrared equipment, magnetic sensors, and remote video stations — to help keep an electronic eye on vulnerable locations. Devices can be dropped in as needed and often need their own power supply because much of the terrain is off the grid.

Researchers at MIT have developed a novel magnetic semiconductor that can increase the computing power of electronic devices while dramatically reducing power consumption. The new material is a step forward in spin-based electronics — or spintronics — where the spin state of electrons is exploited to carry, manipulate, and store information.

This past summer's heat wave uncovered many flaws in U.S. electrical generation, transmission, and distribution systems. As reported by the San Jose Mercury News, chief among these flaws was the inability of older transformers to take the heat, driving many Pacific Gas & Electric customers out of their kitchens.

Magnecraft and Schneider Electric's Commitment to RoHS Compliance: Magnecraft and Schneider Electric have decided to make the RoHS compliance plan a priority.

Since the publication of the directive, Magnecraft and Schneider Electric launched a plan to have full compliance of most products by July 2006.

When your packaged electronics application demands the best environmental protection possible, STEGO can help you with a wide range of innovative Thermal Management Products, as well as other Enclosure Accessories designed to meet your requirements. Products include:
• Enclosure Heaters           • Climate Controls       • Lights
• Enclosure Accessories   • Filter Fans 

Hailed as the paramount show of its kind in Asia, TAITRONICS AUTUMN serves as a conduit for exchange between buyers and suppliers for all kinds of electronics. Come and witness miraculous accomplishments in electronic wizardry that will unfold October 9th through 13th at the Taipei World Trade Center (TWTC), Exhibition Halls 1, 2, and 3.

Industrial Automation Show CIIF 2006 is scheduled for November 1-5, 2006, at Shanghai New International Expo Centre. China's Prime Minister will address keynotes and attend the opening ceremony, events, and forums with more than 1000 products, and technology suppliers on Robotics, Process Automation, and Factory Automation.

Ranked among the Top 50 Electrical Engineering Graduate Degree Programs by U.S. News & World Report, Drexel’s online Master's in Electrical Engineering covers the latest applications and emerging technologies. More.

DiceEngineering.com offers thousands of quality engineering jobs at top technology and engineering companies. Find jobs in your area of expertise. Search now.

August 4 marked the launch of Eons, a 50+ media company created by Monster.com founder Jeff Taylor. Eons intends to be a spirited adult online community — a MySpace for boomers. The Eons career center includes a job search engine and other career management tools optimized for the over 50 crowd.

Thermo Electron Corp., analytical instruments leader, seeks a manufacturing engineer to develop manufacturing processes for improved productivity and reliability by: understanding and refining assembly requirements and techniques. A BS in engineering, a basic electronics knowledge, the ability to troubleshoot both at system and component level, and knowledge of lean engineering/manufacturing process techniques is a must.

Through the years, sci-fi writers have predicted virtually every major advance in technology, often decades in advance. Of course, they also predicted time travel and flying cars.

PC Magazine looks at how sci-fi greats like Heinlein, Asimov, and others foresaw cell phones, flat-screen TVs, the Internet, and other neat stuff.

A SuperGrid could simultaneously deliver electrical power and hydrogen fuel, reports Scientific American. Cables would transmit high-current electricity nearly resistance-free through superconducting wires. Cable conduits would carry ultracold hydrogen as a liquid or high-pressure gas to factories, vehicle fueling stations, and perhaps one day, to home furnaces and boilers.

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