GAO sleuths say counterfeit military electronics easily purchased online

Fierce Government IT is reporting that investigators for the Government Accountability Office (GAO) had no problem procuring counterfeit mil-spec components online via private sector Internet buying websites. All counterfeit parts purchased came from 13 vendors located in China, states a recent GAO report.

How did this happen? As explained by the government IT news site's David Perera:

"At the request of the Senate Armed Services Committee, the GAO set up a fake company that was able to obtain membership in two online electronic parts Internet commerce platforms. From there, they solicited bids for 16 parts, seven of which were obsolete or rare, five of which investigators stipulated should have date codes after the last date the part was manufactured, and four of which investigators called for different specifications than those listed in a valid part number.

After selecting a vendor based on the lowest-price bid, investigators had a third party laboratory examine the parts they received. The lab concluded that all parts were counterfeit--or in the case of the parts with the modified specifications, bogus."

Based on the sleuthing conducted by the GAO, government officials wouldn't say definitively whether counterfeit parts have entered the DoD supply chain via online purchasing, but this is suspected to be the case. Some greater degree of vigilance is no doubt required.

Link: Counterfeit milspec electronics easily bought online (fiercegovernmentit.com)

Engineering video: Chevy Volt teardown

Over a recent 3-day span, a team of automotive engineers conscripted by EE Times took apart a Chevy Volt enhanced range vehicle, in an effort to find out more about the engineering that went into the electric vehicle's design, and the technology and systems involved. A series of videos documents the engineering team's teardown activities, while gauging their impressions over the course of the vehicle's disassembly. You can watch the videos here.

More from Interconnection World:

Smart Grid adds SAE electric vehicle standards to interoperability catalog

Source: Thunderbolt to become standard PC interface by 2013

As the Intel-Apple technology bloc shifts the Thunderbolt technology from copper wire to optical cabling before the end of 2012, adoption of the technology is expected to increase sharply, and Thunderbolt "is likely to become a standard connection specification for PCs and related products" by 2013, according to sources at Taiwan PC manufacturers cited by the Taipei-based technology news site Digitimes. According to the sources, Lenovo, Asustek and a number of other Taiwan-based motherboard makers are preparing to launch products based on Intel's upcoming Ivy Bridge platform, which will incorporate Thunderbolt ports that utilize optical cables.

Source: Thunderbolt may become standard for PCs in 2013 (digitimes.com)

Intel says watch for Thunderbolt optical cables

Intel has reportedly confirmed an IDG News / PC World report saying that it will release its Thunderbolt optical cables later this year. Co-developed by Apple and first introduced in 2009, the Thunderbolt technology was originally posited as a speedier, fiber-optics based alternative to USB 3.0 for data transfer speeds up to 10 Gbps. Current Thunderbolt implementations are copper-based, but optical cables will provide more bandwidth and longer cable runs for a wider swath of applications, said a spokesman for Intel.

Check out the Thunderbolt Technology Community, which has compiled quite an extensive list of recent articles on the technology.

Links: Intel Says Thunderbolt Optical Cables Coming This Year (tomshardware.com)

Intel: Optical Cables for Thunderbolt Coming This Year (pcworld.com)

Foxconn implements production line X-ray inspections

As the industry prepares for the launch of Apple's iPad 3, CNET is reporting that the company's main contract supplier, Foxconn, has now installed inline X-ray machines at some of its assembly facilities, the better to weed out faulty solder joints and/or printed circuit boards from finished products -- defects that can be easily missed by human eyes. Foxconn expects move to improve efficiency and reduce product defects -- as well as labor costs, in the form of worker headcounts. As has been widely reported, the OEM giant has for some time been under increased scrutiny for working conditions at some of its plants.

Link: iPad maker Foxconn turns to X-ray inspections to cut defects (news.cnet.com)

Taiwan connector makers foresee increased orders on PC ultrabook demand

Taiwan-based makers of electronic connectors are reportedly expecting a surge in orders based on an uptick in global demand for ultrabook PCs, which is expected to significantly grow following the launch of Intel's Ivy Bridge processor. With the release of the Ivy Bridge chips now reportedly delayed till the second half of 2012, sources reporting to Taipei-based Digitimes believe that demand for ultrabooks will start rising after Q3 -- with some makers even expecting the demand "to help the 2012 PC market to return to a shipment proportion of 4:6 for the first and second halves of the year." Some real competition for the ascendant tablet PC market? We shall see.

Cornhusker State bets on data center incentives

State senators in Nebraska have decided that data centers could and should be a potential economic boon for small communities in rural parts of the state. State Senator Galen Hadley recently told Omaha's ABC television news affiliate that he and others in the legislature are hopeful that new government incentives will sweeten the deal for facility builders and operators.

Hadley said in a Nebraska.TV (NTV/ABC) report, "There are five cities that have pad-ready sites, so I hope we have five projects that come to Nebraska that come to five cities." Hadley made the data center incentive bill his priority for the legislature's 2012 session; the bill could reportedly soon go before the state's governor. Nebraska cities with tech parks include Kearney, Aurora, Fremont, and South Sioux City.

Additionally, the Omaha World-Herald is currently reporting that despite Omaha's dark horse stature the running for the huge and mysterious "Project Edge" data center, state commerce officials are seeking to amend the bill for the big data center to provide more generous tax incentives for smaller projects that would be more likely to locate in the Omaha metro area.

"This makes Nebraska more competitive," said Joseph Young of the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce. "We don't want to lose a project to Iowa."

Project Edge is reportedly considering eyeing Kearney, Neb., and a site in Iowa for a project that state officials said is difficult to comprehend due to its size, according to Omaha.com. The new project is said to be the biggest private investment ever sought by the State of Nebraska. The proposed facility is projected to be of a scale 10x larger than Yahoo's La Vista data center constructed in 2010. It would reportedly also become the state's single largest user of electricity.

More from ICW: OFC/NFOEC expands to address fiber-optic datacom trends

Links: Legislature Advances Data Center Incentives (nebraska.tv)

Omaha in race for data centers (omaha.com)