Apple addresses Thunderbolt FAQs

As noted at Macworld, Apple has posted a FAQ document covering ten questions that users may have regarding the use of its Thunderbolt I/O cable, recently developed in collaboration with Intel. Notable information from the FAQ includes the fact Thunderbolt has “two separate 10Gbps links -- one for displays and one for PCI-E device traffic.” Also, to maintain maximum performance, Apple recommends that a Thunderbolt cable should be no longer than two meters.

View the full Thunderbolt FAQ at Apple.com

New building-integrated photovoltaics technology converts windows into solar panels

A Northern California company is working to develop "solar windows" that double as solar panels. Pythagoras Solar of San Mateo has received an award of $100,000 from the GE ecomagination Challenge in support of the technology's development. According to a San Francisco Chronicle report, the company's "window laced with solar cells" could generate power for office buildings while at the same time shielding offices from sunlight, reducing energy costs -- especially those associated with air-conditioning.

The SF Chronicle report notes that the Pythagoras window belongs to a class of solar equipment known as building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), which also includes solar window awnings and photovoltaic roofing tiles. For the window technology as developed by Pythagoras, thin horizontal rows of silicon cells embedded between dual panes of glass catch sun light from above; via a trick of optics, the window blocks direct sunlight from entering the building, cutting the amount of power required for A/C. Instead of heating the room, the captured sunlight generates clean solar power.

Interesting stuff!

Connector industry giants saw banner 2010 sales growth

Connector industry analyst firm Bishop and Associates has reported that the world's top 10 connector manufacturers including TE Connectivity, Molex, Amphenol, Yazaki, FCI, JST, Foxconn, Delphi, Hirose and JAE all saw tremendous, across the board growth of approximately 30% in 2010 -- even exceeding roughly the same percentage growth for the industry on the whole. Will be interesting to see if this dramatic uptick in business holds for 2011!

Unmanned agricultural helicopters add to UAV proliferation

Agricultural market chroniclers at Australia's Stock and Land hit the local farm fair circuit to cover the debut of "the Rmax chopper," a remote-controlled UAV that can be used for spraying crops and seeding, among other uses. Promoted by Yamaha, the craft's current design weighs in at 28kg, is powered by a 250cc water-cooled two stroke engine, and handles liquids or granules via attached equipment that can alternatively be replaced by cameras and sensors weighing a similar amount.

According to the report:

'The debut of the racy-looking Rmax chopper, essentially a flying computer...‘wowed’ visitors to the Yamaha stand at the Queensland-based [CRT Farmfest field days] event, where its business development manager, Liam Quigley [of Yamaha's Sky Division] had little trouble convincing visitors of its agricultural potential in Australia...

...Yamaha...operates a fleet of the machines to treat rice crops in Japan, [and] says the Rmax can spray just over three quarters of a hectare (two acres) every six minutes...

Mr. Quigley believes there is “a strong role” for the Rmax to be used anywhere for work that is “dull, dirty or dangerous” using a small spray boom to treat 7.7m wide swaths on each pass across a paddock.

Interested grower groups, and there have been quite a few, can’t actually buy an Rmax, only lease one, for about $120,000 over three years with training and maintenance included.

“We can recoup those costs because most operators I’ve spoken to would be looking to charge between $200 to $300/hour which is only a fraction of the cost of running a (full-sized) helicopter,” Mr. Quigley said.'

Full Story: Lift off for unmanned ag choppers (sl.farmonline.com.au)

IPC says 3Q sales slowdown likely for electronic interconnect orders

As noted by John Keller, chief editor of InterconnectionWorld sister site Military and Aerospace Electronics, IPC's latest market analysis concludes that combined orders for rigid printed circuit boards and flexible circuits in North America decreased for the fourth consecutive month in April, compared with the same period one year ago - while combined orders of rigid printed circuit boards and flexible circuits in the United States and Canada continued their upward trend.

During the first four months of 2011, combined orders of rigid printed circuit boards and flexible circuits are down 6.7 percent, and shipments of these products are up 5.9 percent over the same period in 2010, IPC analysts say. Further, combined orders of rigid printed circuit boards and flexible circuits in North America dropped by 5.6 percent in April, compared to orders the same month in 2010, while shipments increased 3 percent in April over the same month last year.

The slowdown in sales growth in North American electronic interconnect products is likely to continue through at least this summer, added Denny McGuirk, IPC's president and CEO.

December 2010 was the last time North American orders of rigid printed circuit boards and flexible circuits posted a year-over increase, points out MAE's Keller. Combined shipments of these products, however, have posted steady monthly year-over increases since December 2010 and beyond.

"Growth in North American PCB sales continues to follow normal seasonal patterns and seems to have returned to normal, and the book-to-bill ratio is holding steady at just under parity," concludes IPC's McGuirk. "This suggests the slowdown in sales growth is likely to continue into the third quarter of this year."

Fireproof electronic connectors: design challenges

In 2006, the EU introduced the ATEX directive, outlining stringent criteria to offer protection to workers operating equipment in hazardous areas. Heretofore, all equipment and component parts deployed for use within hazardous environments in the EU must meet exhaustive testing standards to assure high performance in work environments where there is a risk of explosions, fire or extreme temperatures. While design engineers can choose simple component parts accredited by the ATEX directive in the assurance that they will perform well in hazardous areas, the strict rules of ATEX testing also extend to all parts of connector systems, such as the sealing caps used to maintain integrity when connectors are not mated. It is with these facts in mind that Stuart Hutchings, marketing manager at UK connector manufacturer Bulgin, has outlined design challenges for creating interconnect equipment for use in hazardous areas.