Feature
Synaptics capacitive touchscreens: Just the right touch for appliances
Touch user interfaces have made significant advances in the consumer electronics market particularly for mobile phones and notebook computers, opening the door for adoption in other applications including white goods, computer peripherals, medical equipment, and instrumentation. Synaptics made its debut in the home appliance market earlier this year with the launch of the Samsung... »
SID 2010 roundup: Day 3
The standout products on day three of the SID 2010 conference is Universal Display's new PHOLED display architecture with a unique four-color, sub-pixel design, which promises to drive commercial development of all-phosphorescent active-matrix OLEDs and Sony's tiny rollable OLED display that can wrap around a pencil. »
Top 50 Distribution Leaders
Smaller distributors were the only ones to post sales gains in 2009. Interestingly, two of the five distributors that posted growth last year -- Interstate Connecting Components and Sherburn Electronics -- derive 100 percent of their sales from interconnect products. Both of them also target the military/aerospace industry. Here are the top 10 sales... »
Top 50 NA distribution ranking: Avnet takes top spot
Many of the Top 50 franchised electronics distributors experienced double-digit declines in 2009, but hope several markets including energy, medical and aerospace/military will fuel greater demand in 2010. In comparison, the top 10 independent distributors were able to increase their sales by six percent in 2009. »
Electronics distributors struggle in 2009
Due to an industry downturn marked by lower demand, falling prices and shrinking profit margins, the total North American revenue for the top 50 distributors fell by $4.4 billion or 16 percent to $22.8 billion in 2009, according to Electronics Advocate's survey of the electronic components distribution industry. »
Smart networking platform can deliver big energy and cost savings
Energy efficiency is opening new markets in the mature building control space. With the introduction of the second generation LonWorks networking platform and FT 5000 Smart Transceiver, enterprises of all sizes can improve their energy efficiency, while lowering their overall operating costs, helping them to stay competitive. »
Are system designers just meddling middlemen?
A unified design environment can deliver the capability to design a complete system that incorporates application software and hardware, allowing all design domains -- software, hardware and system engineers -- to take a high-level approach to overall product design. These new tools are also creating a new breed of electronics designer with a mix... »
Part 3 of 3: Trends in advanced IC Packaging
Here's a book excerpt from "Advanced MEMS Packaging," written by experts in the field. The book details the latest cutting-edge microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) packaging techniques such as low-temperature bonding and 3-D packaging. It can certainly serve as a valuable reference for those faced with the challenging problems created by MEMS devices and packaging. Part... »
Part 2 of 3: Trends in advanced IC packaging
Here's a book excerpt from "Advanced MEMS Packaging," written by experts in the field. The book details the latest cutting-edge microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) packaging techniques such as low-temperature bonding and 3-D packaging. It can certainly serve as a valuable reference for those faced with the challenging problems created by MEMS devices and packaging. Part... »
Part 1 of 3: Trends in advanced IC packaging
Here's a book excerpt from "Advanced MEMS Packaging," written by experts in the field. The book details the latest cutting-edge MEMS packaging techniques such as low-temperature bonding and 3-D packaging. It can certainly serve as a valuable reference for those faced with the challenging problems created by MEMS devices and packaging. Parts 1 &... »
Touch user interfaces have made significant advances in the consumer electronics market particularly for mobile phones and notebook computers, opening the door for adoption in other applications including white goods, computer peripherals, medical equipment, and instrumentation. Synaptics made its debut in the home appliance market earlier this year with the launch of the Samsung Hauzen ZERO air conditioner.
Smaller distributors were the only ones to post sales gains in 2009. Interestingly, two of the five distributors that posted growth last year -- Interstate Connecting Components and Sherburn Electronics -- derive 100 percent of their sales from interconnect products. Both of them also target the military/aerospace industry. Here are the top 10 sales leaders by ICs, passives/electromechanical devices, interconnects and computer products as well as sales growth.

NXP offers a low-power IC aimed at MPPT applications using PV cells or fuel cells.
C&K Components offers a series of low-cost, miniature slide switches. The OS Series of RoHS-compliant switches feature a new high-temperature option for lead-free soldering.