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France to Divest Nukes
 Now that France has elected a new leader, POWERnews reports
that the word on the street is France's state owned nuclear power plant
builder Areva will be partially divested. An aim of the sale is to position French firms as leaders for the design and construction of new nuclear power plants worldwide.
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OMS Minimizes Distribution Downtime
 Utility distribution systems are often struck by outages. New
information and automation technologies are helping utilities to better
manage outage calls, locate sources of outages, and dispatch crews. T&D World shows how a Florida utility is using an outage management system integrated with geographic information to minimize distribution system downtime.
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Electrical Meets Electronic
 The dividing line between higher voltage electrical components and
lower voltage electronic components is blurring because many companies
operate in both areas. Recognizing this reality, two UK distributors
are merging to offer customers a single source of supply for both electrical and electronic connectors and other related components.
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Powered USB
 USB is a very good universal interface for connecting PC
peripherals, but it is not without its faults. Chief among them is the
inability to power devices that consume lots of electrical energy. This
blog entry not only posits a solution to that problem, but also gives a
comprehensive look at the USB standard.
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Extech Instruments Corp.
Passive Component LCR Meter
Measures Capacitance and Inductance to 0.7% and Resistance to 0.5%
• Simultaneous 20,000/10,000 count display of the primary parameter (L,
C, or R) with the secondary parameter of Q (quality), D (dissipation),
or R (resistance)
• Test frequencies of 120 Hz and 1k Hz
• Set Hi/Lo limits using absolute values or percentage limits
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NSF International
Comprehensive Electrical Safety Program
 As your one-stop shop for all your compliance needs, NSF can help you maximize efficiencies in logistics, time, and money with a range of electrical and equipment certification as well sanitation audits. This will help you deliver the safest product in the safest environment possible.
Visit us for more information.
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RFID in India
 ZDNet Asia reports that India is significantly behind North America and Europe in adopting RFID technology. Hindering Indian RFID
are the relatively small size of Indian companies, the cost of the
technology, and the lack of commercial or government mandates. Despite
hurdles, some predict that Indian RFID use will increase by 70%
annually.
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Bioactive Paper Detects Danger
 ISA reports that a Canadian research group has developed a bioactive paper that can detect bacteria and viruses.
Possible uses include food packaging that signals the presence of E.
coli and salmonella; hospital masks that detect harmful air-borne
viruses such as SARS; and dipsticks that can identify unsafe drinking
water.
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Get In the Game
 Computer gaming controllers are starting to make extensive use of accelerometers and electrical proximity sensors to detect motion, orientation, proximity, and touch. This Sensors
magazine article shows how these sensors are being used to increase
game player interaction through the console. The next step is even more
involvement in the games through body sensors.
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Integrating Smart Meters
 It's relatively easy to install smart power meters, but integrating
them into a utility's ERP system can be a nightmare. Integration is
simplified when buying both software packages from the same company.
This combination promises to give utilities the tools they need to
interact more with their customers on time-of-day pricing and demand-side management.
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VENKEL LTD.
Hi-Cap C0G Kit — A Lower Cost Alternative
VENKEL LTD. has recently added a line of high value C0G ceramic chip capacitors
that offer better performance characteristics and cost savings, making
them a very good replacement for film capacitors. The high value C0G's
are available as a kit in sizes 0402 through 1206.
Contact VENKEL LTD. today.
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Okaya Electric America, Inc.
ANNOUNCEMENT: NEW Noise Suppression Products Introduced by Okaya
A world leader in Noise and Surge Suppression products since 1939, Okaya introduces NEW LINE of Single and 3-Phase Filters. These filters are 54% smaller and 67% lighter
than previous designs. Our ISO 9000 certified facilities and
state-of-the-art manufacturing enable these technological advancements
and a series of other product updates.
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Americor Electronics, Ltd.
Thinking of Solenoids? Think Americor!
Give us your requirements. . . we will build them.
• Open Frame Solenoids
• Flapper Solenoids
• Tubular Solenoids
• Valve Solenoids
• Special Custom Designed Solenoids
We offer Solenoids custom assembled with other components and wire harnesses per customer specification as a system assembly.
View our product line at www.americor_usa.com.
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Screenprint/Dow
T1: Micromotion Membrane Switch
The MICROMOTION membrane switch
is a custom, non-tactile array of normally open single pole single
throw (SPST) switches. The design consists of a top and bottom circuit,
an insulation spacer, and an optional graphic overlay. Pressure applied
to the top layer deflects the top circuit through the spacer, making
mechanical and electrical contact.
Learn more about Screenprint/Dow.
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Dice
Re-Engineer Your Career
DiceEngineering.com offers thousands of high quality engineering jobs at top technology and engineering companies — jobs for Electrical Test Engineers, Board Level Designers, and Electronic Technicians.
At DiceEngineering.com, you can:
• Find jobs in your area of expertise
• Post your resume and let employers find you
Search now.
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If your peers are embracing a disruptive new technology that helps them to work faster, you need to jump on board or find a new line of work. This Control Design article shows what happened to board drafters that resisted computer aided drafting, and it also explains how new technologies change work practices and incomes.
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 EE Movie Star
When was the last time you saw an electrical engineer play a key
role in a big budget Hollywood movie?
A recent viewing of the 2006
release The Prestige was enjoyable for a number of reasons, not the least of which was seeing David Bowie portray the great engineer Nikola Tesla as a strong and dashing character.
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