Features

Fluke Networks, the worldwide leader in certification, troubleshooting, and installation tools for professionals who install and maintain critical network cabling infrastructure, will be exhibiting at this year’s Data Centre World taking place 8th-9th March at London’s Excel Centre.

Data Centre World will be the world’s largest gathering of data centre professionals and end-users and will see Fluke Networks return to the event after a few years due to the global pandemic. Visitors to stand D62 will be able to learn from the experts about how to test their copper and fibre cabling like a network pro.

“Data Centre World is the place where data centre professionals gather to meet the experts, and so the Fluke Networks team will once again be at the heart of it, showcasing our one-stop shop for trusted cabling testing tools,” said Nigel Hedges, Application & Technology Expert at Fluke Networks. “We invite all visitors to come to our stand to chat with our experts and learn and experience all there is to know about network testing.”

On our stand, alongside the complete Versiv Copper and Fibre platform, there will be recent additions to the range including the FI-3000 MPO Fibre Inspector, and the LinkIQ which adds a new category to the range, with a single unit copper cable and active network test solution, providing network details and PoE performance data.

With attendance expected to be over 10,000 global professionals and leaders in the cloud and data centre field, from sectors such as retail, banking and logistics, Data Centre World is a key event in the calendar.

Fluke Networks will bring over 60 years of combined experience to its stand, as well as its full range of trusted cable testing tools for any network needs. Fluke Networks can support and advise on all your network cable testing issues, from installing advanced data centres copper and fibre links to troubleshooting across campus wide networks and identifying PoE issues.

To meet with Fluke Networks at Data Centre World, visit them at Stand D62. Visitors to our stand can enter a prize draw. Each day five lucky stand visitors can win our new FiberLert Live Fibre Detection Tool, via a daily draw. So, we are giving away 10 FiberLerts in total, 5 each day.

See more about Fluke Networks’ cable testing tools here:  https://www.flukenetworks.com/cabling-certification

Teledyne FLIR, part of Teledyne Technologies Incorporated, today welcomed new editions to its lineup of Thermal by FLIR products that will be shown at Mobile World Congress (MWC). The two new affordable, rugged mobile phones and a new smart building sensor to monitor room occupancy feature the Lepton thermal micro camera module.

Collaborator Innovations

The new handsets from Thermal by FLIR collaborators Blackview and Ulefone offer the most affordable thermal-enabled handsets on the market. The Ulefone Armor 19T also provides high-end features including 810H protection, 108-megapixel photography, and 66W fast charging. It incorporates the high-resolution Lepton 3.5 thermal sensor and industry-leading MyFLIR application compatible with Teledyne FLIR’s advanced ecosystem.

Blackview is previewing an upcoming handset with a new automatic gain control (AGC) system and an effective 26-degree field of view, providing greater object details at farther distances. It will also feature the new, streamlined MyFLIR Lite thermal camera application empowering users that are new to thermal to easily explore and leverage the power of seeing infrared energy.

“As the Thermal by FLIR program continues to expand, Teledyne FLIR is providing its ecosystem collaborators with significant improvements in functionality and design, offering half a century of thermal engineering expertise to help extract even more value from the highest-volume selling thermal camera of all time, the Lepton,” said Mike Walters, vice president, uncooled thermal imaging camera cores, Teledyne FLIR. “Teledyne FLIR is helping to create new and innovative thermal-centric products that match impressive functionality with cost-conscious customers, all the while helping get them to market faster.”

A Multitude of Form Factors

Beyond mobile phones, Lepton is making its way into smart building environments and wearables. The Teledyne FLIR MWC booth will also showcase the Edge Sensor SA building occupancy sensor. By using the reliable and cost-effective Lepton to track building occupancy, building managers can view and manage the building capacity in real-time without compromising individual privacy, assist with asset management, manage people flow effectively, and help reduce energy and operational costs.

Visitors can also experience the world’s first fully hands-free, voice-controlled thermal camera module on the RealWear Navigator 520 headset. The dual thermal-visible camera rugged wearable empowers frontline industrial workers to quickly and safely locate temperature anomalies in industrial environments and share the thermal imagery in real time using Microsoft Teams or Zoom.

Full Support for Thermal Innovation

Thermal by FLIR program collaborators access more than 40 years of industry experience and receive support ranging from product development to marketing. To learn more about the Thermal by FLIR program, please visit https://www.flir.com/oem/thermal-by-flir/.

Visit the Teledyne FLIR stand at Mobile World Congress to see the thermal-enabled devices at stand number 7B6, Hall 7, at the Fira Barcelona Gran Via, February 27 – March 2, 2023.

OTT HydroMet, the developer and manufacturer of environmental monitoring solutions, has announced the appointment of Dr Liam Goodes as Sales and Business Development Manager in the south of the UK.

Liam has an MSci in Oceanography from the University of Southampton and the University of Bordeaux, and a PhD in Marine Surface Engineering from the University of Southampton. He has since worked in optics and scientific hardware sales for a number of years, and in his spare time, he is a keen competitive archer.

Looking forward, Liam says: “Working closely with customers, the OTT HydroMet Group is constantly developing new technologies, and now offers a comprehensive package of solutions for environmental monitoring, communications and data management. I am therefore extremely excited to be appointed to this role, and look forward to helping customers gather the measurement insights they need.”

Fluke, a global technology leader in the manufacture of compact, professional electronic test and measurement tools and software, has today launched the new SMFT-1000 Multifunction Photovoltaic (PV) Tester, Performance Analyser and I-V Curve Tracer. The all-in-one SMFT-1000 is an ideal solution for solar professionals seeking to boost efficiency when completing safety and performance testing of PV systems operating up to 1000 V DC.

Solar technicians can now carry out the full range of measurement functions on the DC part of PV installations across residential, commercial, industrial and utility-scale farms with a single device that combines accuracy with safety and reliability. As the device streamlines and simplifies solar workflows, the new handheld tester could reduce field time operation by 20% and documentation time by around 50%.

The I-V curve is one of the most common methods of determining how solar modules or solar strings operate in different working areas. The versatile SMFT-1000 enables I-V curve data to be compared instantly to measured data while in the field, displaying pass/fail visuals in real-time on the device’s high-definition colour screen for easy detection without the need for a laptop or tablet. The tester can also be used for measurements of open voltage, short circuit or operating current, insulation tests, polarity checks, diode and earth bond testing. In addition, AC/DC power measurements to improve efficiency can be performed on the inverter.

A truly multifunction tester for PV systems

Hans-Dieter Schuessele, Application & Technology Expert at Fluke says: “The solar industry is booming, and new PV installations are being installed around the world to keep pace with society’s insatiable demand for renewable forms of electricity. Solar professionals tasked with installing, commissioning, and maintaining this new infrastructure require fast, accurate and safe tools to ensure solar systems to operate at high efficiency with minimal or no downtime.

“The market has been crying out for a versatile and accurate multifunction tester. The SMFT-1000 Multifunction PV tester, Performance Analyser and I-V Curve Tracer from Fluke is a rigorously tested and highly capable all-in-one tool with advance safety and functionality features. Armed with a suite of unique auto-diagnostic functions, solar professionals can now safely and accurately test the quality of PV systems while streamlining workflows faster than ever before.”

IEC/EN 62446-1 compliant testing

Using Fluke’s patented Keep the Leads system, the solar professionals need only connect to a PV installation once to perform all tests, saving time with easy-to-use Auto-Test sequences displayed in real-time. Functions include IEC/EN 62446-1 testing for Category 1 and 2 as well as insulation testing for Method A and B. Clearly marked controls show earth bond resistance, polarity, voltage and current, power AC/DC and function, insulation resistance, I-V curve and diode tests. Once all measurements have been saved in the field, data can be saved and downloaded to a computer using Fluke’s TruTest Data Management and Reporting Software, simplifying the process of data management, reporting and analysis.

Easy integration for advanced test

To deliver optimal results, the SMFT-1000 Multifunction PV tester can be enhanced with Fluke’s i100 AC/DC current clamp and the IRR2-BT irradiance meter with high-contrast LCD screen. The current clamp enables technicians to carry out inverter power analysis while the irradiance meter takes irradiance and temperature measurements. The irradiance meter communicates with the SMFT-1000 wirelessly via Bluetooth to achieve an accurate I-V rating. If the wireless connection is interrupted for any reason, the IRR2-BT will continue recording data for up to 17 hours which can be matched against tests taken with the SMFT-1000.

The new SMFT-1000 Multifunction PV Tester, Performance Analyser and I-V Curve Tracer is now available from Fluke’s network of global and regional distributors. For more information, visit https://www.fluke.com/en-gb/product/electrical-testing/best-solar-energy-industry-tools/smft-1000-pv-tester.

Farnell has strengthened its distribution agreement with ams OSRAM, a global leader in optical solutions, significantly expanding its global portfolio of LEDs, infrared emitters, photodiodes and sensors.

Design engineers will benefit from ams OSRAM’s broad portfolio of complete optical solutions with the addition of new proximity, temperature and vital sign monitoring sensors and a comprehensive range of LEDs, photodiodes and infrared emitters. The extended range from ams OSRAM reinforces Farnell’s position as a single source offering cutting-edge optical solutions for the automotive, consumer, industrial and healthcare market segments.

Simon Meadmore, Vice President of Product and Supplier Management at Farnell says: “We are committed to supporting our global supplier partners to launch new products and enhance our existing portfolio to meet the evolving needs of our customers. ams OSRAM’s dedication to innovation is supported by a robust product line that enables design engineers to create highly compact, accurate and efficient low-power solutions that can be used across different industries to meet market demand.”

Pierre Laboisse, Executive Vice President, Global Sales and Marketing at ams OSRAM says: “We are very pleased to extend our distribution agreement with Farnell and look forward to a successful long-term partnership. With our cutting-edge products available globally, we can offer complete optical solutions for sensing, visualisation and lighting applications from a single source. Farnell’s complementary portfolio provides best value for our customers in the automotive, consumer, industrial and healthcare sectors.”

The enhanced range of solutions from ams OSRAM now available for fast delivery from Farnell include:

• The AS621X Series of Temperature Sensors deliver the industry’s best combination of accuracy and ultra-low power consumption in a tiny wafer-level package. It is suitable for a broad range of consumer electronic devices and wearables, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, and health-related monitoring systems. The series consists of three models, including AS6212, AS6214 and AS6218, providing precise measurement with different temperature accuracies and ultra-low power consumption to meet demanding application requirements. The compact size of each sensor ensures ease of integration and can feature up to eight different I²C addresses, which permits eight AS6221T devices to be used on one bus with no calibration or linearisation needed.
• The TMD3725 Light, Colour and Proximity Sensor offers reduced power consumption with superior design flexibility for dark room or full sunlight operation. Key features include advanced proximity measurement, colour sense (RGBC+IR) and digital ambient light sensing. The senor also compensates for unwanted IR energy system crosstalk reflection and undesirable ambient light photodiode current. The slim module incorporates an IR LED and factory calibrated LED driver with RGB + IR filters, high sensitivity down to mLux levels, a 1M:1 dynamic range and 0.18µm processing technology with 1.8V I²C. The MD3725-EVM Evaluation Kit for the TMD3725 sensor provides everything required to evaluate the sensor.
• TMD27553M Ambient Light/Proximity Photo Sensor is optimised for narrow bezel mobile phones yet offers industrial design flexibility with accurate ambient light sensing, superior proximity sensing and reduced power consumption. The unique proximity detection feature includes object recognition using photodiode detection of reflected IR energy (sourced by the integrated VCSEL). Detect and release events are interrupt driven and occur when the proximity result crosses the upper and/or lower threshold settings. The proximity engine features a wide range offset adjustment to compensate for unwanted IR energy reflection at the sensor. Moreover, the automatic ambient light subtraction with ALS and IR photodiodes features dedicated data converters which have the capacity to produce 16-bit data. The extremely narrow 1.1mm module incorporates an IR VCSEL and factory calibrated VCSEL driver.
• The AS7056 Biosignal Analogue Frontend (AFE) Sensor is the next generation of vital sign sensors enabling users to detect biosignals such as photoplethysmogram (PPG) and pulse transit time (PTT) as well as proximity measurements. The AS7056 is an analogue frontend optimised for size and performance to support space-limited applications, such as in-ear vital sign monitoring, hearables, optical sensor platform, fitness band, smart watch, smart patches and heart rate monitors. Optical blood pressure measurements and SpO2 are enabled by the two independent working photodiode inputs of the AS7056. The AS7056 also provides two LEDs and one VCSEL driver outputs and samples up to three photodiode inputs.

Customers can now buy the full range of ams OSRAM’s optical solutions with fast delivery from Farnell in EMEA, Newark in North America and element14 in APAC.

Variohm Holdings (aka The Variohm Group), part of the sensing and connectivity cluster within LSE-listed discoverIE, continues its strategic product range expansion, manufacturing capacity and application solving capability through the recent acquisition of the Wisconsin – USA based high-performance magnetic switch and sensor manufacturer, Magnasphere Corporation. Magnasphere’s extensive product range is centred around its patented and unique magnetic switch technology that offers significant advantages over reed and Hall Effect switches and other switch types in terms of fail-safe security, EMI resistance, installation simplicity and cost. Product variants cover security, intrusion detection and access control as well as industrial applications for proximity, tilt, and level sensing in sectors that include Aerospace & Defence, Agriculture, Oil &Gas, Medical, Automotive, Robotics and more.

Magnasphere was founded over twenty years ago, successfully launching its patented high security switching technology as a replacement for security-vulnerable reed switches which are easy to defeat using simple magnets. Whilst competitors had developed expensive and complex alternatives, Magnasphere’s solution offered a low-cost and non-defeatable solution with similar magnetic field strength, product size and with much improved durability over reed switch-based security contacts. Other advantages included higher temperature extremes, no power source required, and excellent resistance to EMI and surge voltages. The basic principle behind the Magnasphere high security switch involves a magnetic ball held within a durable, hermetically sealed metal housing. In its open state, the ball attaches to a ferro-magnetic base within the housing and is drawn magnetically to a contacting ‘closed’ position when a magnet is moved within an activation zone outside of the housing. This ‘tamper and defeat-resistant principle’ also works where the magnetically charged ball is drawn towards a ferrous target – allowing a very low-cost proximity sensor. This principle also forms the basis for Magnasphere’s low jitter, non-mercury tilt switches – an environmentally safe and competitively priced solution. Magnasphere’s technology perfectly suits high security applications, and its cost and durability also makes it a compelling alternative for reed and Hall Effect switches for industrial and commercial OEM applications.

A comprehensive range of products of security contacts and switches, available in a wide variety of installation configurations and sensing zone alternatives, include recessed and surface mounted variants with single and multiple switch capability. Magnasphere’s products comply with UL -634, Levels 1 and 2 and CE listed equivalents. Magnasphere also manufactures smart motion detectors based on FMCW radar technology.
Variohm EuroSensor, through its UK and Germany based facilities will provide full technical and commercial support for Magnasphere’s products throughout Europe. Magnasphere’s acquisition brings The Variohm Group to nine sensing, switching and motion control manufacturing companies, offering highly differentiated components and systems across almost all areas of industry. With a total staff of more than 500, including 25 engineers, each Group member has high degree of autonomy but maintains complete access to the Group’s shared expertise and resources – this synergy promises a service and expertise level that is more than the sum of its parts.

As the Variohm Holdings Group expands with this latest acquisition Graham Pattison, Variohm Holdings’ managing director, is looking forward to the opportunities offered. “This latest acquisition further reflects Variohm Group’s collected vison and reinforces discoverIE’s continued investment. Now, with an even more diverse range of products and an increased application capability across the Group, we can extend a more progressive and comprehensive service to our valued customers”. Joseph Hedeen, Magnasphere’s general manager is anticipating great things from the increased market opportunities The Variohm Group will present. “We are looking forward to working with our new sister companies in The Variohm Group and the cooperation and opportunities on hand from the diversified range of sensing and switching products available”.
Magnasphere joins the Variohm Group with fellow USA-based members Control Products Inc., from New Jersey (harsh duty position sensing and switching technologies) and Indiana based Phoenix-America (magnetic encoder and magnetic sensors). UK based companies are Variohm EuroSensor (sensor and transducer supplier and manufacturer), Herga Technology (switching and sensing solutions), Ixthus Instrumentation (specialist measurement systems), Heason Technology (motion control components and custom engineered systems), and Positek Limited (specialised linear and rotary inductive displacement sensor technologies). The German/Hungarian manufacturer Limitor GmbH (temperature control components) completes the line-up. Variohm EuroSensor also has a German subsidiary and Variohm Group products are extensively served by global distributors.

For further information on Magnasphere, visit https://magnasphere.com/. For UK and European sales, email sales@variohm.com or call +44 (0) 1327 351004.

AVEVA has announced the launch of its latest AVEVA Predictive Analytics software release, purpose-built for predictive monitoring of industrial assets in oil and gas, power, chemicals, mining and minerals, and manufacturing. The software helps industrial operators achieve the highest possible levels of reliability and performance of industrial assets while improving sustainability and increasing workforce productivity.

This software release makes it significantly easier to deploy, validate, maintain, and clearly interpret the results of predictive models, enabling asset stakeholders to make better, more timely and informed decisions to improve profitability.

The new release features automated model building. This new capability enables users to autonomously deploy new predictive models in a single action. This greatly reduces the time required to deploy and scale the predictive maintenance solution while reducing errors and ensuring consistency in model development.

Inderpreet Shoker, ARC Advisory Group said “With rising market pressures industrial organisations must find ways to facilitate agile, resilient, and profitable operations. The predictive analytics market continues to evolve as the technology has advanced to a point where the data can be leveraged in such a way that asset stakeholders can easily operationalise predictive monitoring of their assets at scale enabling rapid improvements in asset reliability and performance.”

“Key for success is connecting data, systems and processes, enabling people throughout operations and maintenance to make, and act upon, decisions confidently. Scalability of predictive maintenance efforts for maximum return on investment will definitely be seen as a must have for many industries going forward.” Continued Inderpreet Shoker, ARC Advisory Group.

AVEVA continues to deliver on market and customer requirements with a bring your own algorithm capability. This enables data science teams to add their own artificial intelligence algorithms and intellectual property to the solution. Furthermore, deep integration with the AVEVA PI System ensures AVEVA’s customers are continuing to capture increased value from their existing industrial software investments.

David Bleackley, Value Chain Optimization Lead at AVEVA said: “Data is the new currency of the industrial world and an effective predictive asset monitoring strategy is predicated on the ability to continuously transform massive amounts of sensor data into clear and actionable results. Operationalising a predictive monitoring program at scale has never been easier than it is now with AVEVA’s PI System and latest predictive analytics software release”.

Bleackley added: “This latest update demonstrates AVEVA’s continued leadership in creating innovative solutions that transform the global industrial analytics market.”

Molex has released a new report on miniaturisation in product design that highlights the cross-disciplinary engineering design and manufacturing expertise required to integrate an onslaught of increasingly sophisticated features and functionality into constantly shrinking device footprints. The report, “Mastering Miniaturization, Expert Perspectives,” offers insights on how to navigate top trade-offs when meeting the cost and space requirements of densely packaged electronics amid the increasing demand for lighter, smaller products.

“Design engineers must ‘think big to go small,’ especially when applying high-speed connectors onto printed circuit boards (PCBs) reliably,” said Brian Hauge, SVP and president, Consumer & Commercial Solutions, Molex. “Cross-functional expertise in electrical, mechanical and manufacturing process engineering is needed to deliver microelectronic interconnects that operate at higher speeds without sacrificing long term reliability, while still remaining commercially viable. Molex’s industry leading miniaturisation capabilities are backed by a legacy of delivering the smallest, densest and most advanced connectivity solutions available today.”

As miniaturisation continues to permeate every industry and application category, product designers must balance competing factors, including:

● Power and thermal management

● Signal integrity and integration

● Component and system integration

● Mechanical stress and manufacturability

● Precision, volume manufacturing and costs

The report addresses miniaturisation trends in consumer devices and medical wearables, as well as demand for smaller, lighter electronics and connectors in automotive, data centre and industrial applications. Observations from experts across different sectors also shed light on how miniaturisation is impacting factories, data centres, automobiles, medical wearables, smartphones, the evolution of 5G, and more.

Miniaturisation Redefines Innovation

Examples of new and game-changing Molex solutions help underscore the various ways that miniaturisation is redefining innovation by reducing size, weight and placement of components and connectors, including:

● Quad-Row Board-to-Board Connectors. The world’s smallest board-to-board connectors have staggered-circuit layout for 30% space savings to support smartphones, smartwatches, wearables, game consoles and Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality (AR/VR) devices.

● Next-Generation Vehicle Architectures. Molex is driving development of zonal architectures, which replace traditional wiring harnesses with zonal gateways that group vehicle functions by location using fewer, smaller, more powerful and ruggedised connectors.

● Flex-to-Board RF mmWave 5G25 Connectors. Micro-connectors combine compact size and superior signal integrity to deliver step-changes in performance to meet demanding 5G mmWave applications up to 25 GHz.

● NearStack On-the-Substrate (OTS). Direct-to-chip solution places NearStack connectors directly on the chip substrate package, enabling high-density interconnects supporting 112 Gbps transmission over longer distances.

OTT HydroMet has added additional communication options to its water level and temperature logger, the OTT ecoLog 1000. Now equipped with low-power LTE-M (CAT M1) connectivity, the device provides water professionals with simple, fast access to their water level data.

LTE-M is a type of low-power wide area network communication technology standard for a wide range of cellular devices and services in machine (M2M) and IoT applications, such as networks of groundwater monitoring sites. LTE-M has 5G compatibility making it future proof as cellular networks evolve. Mobile devices, smart phones, and tablets operating with Android, iOS or Windows 10 are all supported. In addition, simple local communication is available via Bluetooth.

By supporting 4G and cellular IoT transmission, LTE-M increases the speed and lowers the cost of data transmission, enabling users to conduct remote two-way operations such as configuration, network management, data download or the viewing of real-time data.

Robust, simple to install, and running on low-power with a 10-year battery life, the ecoLog 1000 has been designed specifically for long-term, unattended deployment. Enhanced connectivity further reduces the requirement for site visits, and lowers the cost of ownership.

Further information is available at www.ott.com.

Pickering Interfaces, a global supplier of modular signal switching and simulation solutions for use in electronic test and verification, today announced the company’s leading-edge hardware and software simulation tools. These tools enable test engineers to begin writing and verifying test program code today, freeing them from supply chain constraints.

This news comes on the heels of Pickering Interface’s 3-pronged approach to obsolescence, further underscoring the company’s commitment to customer success. 

Try Pickering Interface’s Simulation Software or request Simulation Hardware today: https://www.pickeringtest.com/products/software/pxi-lxi-simulation-tools

Speed Test System Development with Simulation

The software and hardware tools can simulate all Pickering PXI and LXI switching products and most of the company’s PXI simulation products, allowing for fast code development independent of application hardware.

With these simulation tools, test engineers can:

• Mitigate Supply Chain Risks: Applications can be designed and developed without the presence of physical hardware, allowing engineers to begin working on a test system immediately – while waiting for hardware to ship.
• Accelerate Development Time: Engineers can speed up the traditional waterfall development process and complete multiple development steps at once.
• Debug Code without Physical Hardware: Engineers can pre-qualify equipment and test software code early in the development process – switch routes that could once only be verified and later debugged when hardware was available can now be verified before the hardware has arrived. By simulating switching and simulation modules before using physical components, engineers also minimise the risk of damaging costly test system hardware during verification.

“We want to remove every barrier engineers face in getting their test systems up and running,” said Noman Hussain, VP of Software at Pickering Interfaces. “With the Pickering Simulation tools, engineers can start evaluating hardware or testing code immediately. They can use these tools to easily select the optimum Pickering products for their test application. Then, the moment hardware arrives, they’re ready to deploy their test system.”

The PXI Simulation Software is now part of the standard Pickering PXI driver installation, while the LXI Simulation Software is a standalone windows application that can emulate Pickering’s switching and simulation products in virtual environment. Engineers can use both PXI and LXI software simulations to interact with their test programs.

The LXI Simulation tool (model 60-901) is a plug-and-play device, and engineers typically have it up and running within minutes. By simply connecting power and ethernet cords, downloading and installing free Pickering drivers and selecting the appropriate Pickering modules to test, engineers can run a simulation, and then easily re-program the tool to simulate different modules. These capabilities allow engineers to access thousands of modules within just a few clicks.

Interested in learning more? Download the Simulation Software or request a Simulation Tool today.