 While Dina Pule sorts out her life, the broadband flame is dying
by Hans van de Groenendaal, EngineerIT
Broadband for all! 2020 Vision! Government to focus on broadband! How many more times will Government make these statements? From President Zuma to just about every ministry we hear about the wonderful plans about broadband yet they remain empty words... ( more) |
 Businesses - step back and evaluate security posture
by Andrew Kirkland, Trustwave South Africa
Nobody listens to the word "security" anymore. And yet, for the modern business, it has never been as important. Stolen data, a corporate hack, down-time - these translate into lost money and time, resources that are essential to corporate success... ( more) |
In conversation with Albert Kopp, CEO Avnet Kopp
by Hans van de Groenendaal, EngineerIT Way back in 1958 H Kopp & Co, a local representative for foreign manufacturers was started by Albert's father. Today it is one of the two largest component distribution companies in South Africa... ( more) |
Import duty hike rocks LED boat 
by Mark Botha, EE Publishers
A 20% import duty was imposed on LED lamps and fittings as of 1 January 2013, and a further application by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the International Trade Administration Commission (ITAC) for another duty increase is currently pending... ( more) |
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Panel discussion on EMC and EMI
by Hans van de Groenendaal, EngineerIT
We posed questions to a number of industry experts about electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) involving the unintentional generation, propagation and reception of electromagnetic energy with reference to the unwanted effects i.e. electromagnetic interference (EMI) that such energy may induce... ( more) |
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Q&A: Ask an expert
Answers from Edmund Geldenhuys, TraX Interconnect
Edmund Geldenhuys has a BSc (Hons) in mathematics and is the senior CAM engineer at TraX Interconnect. He discusses questions related to printed circuit boards.Q: What is the first thing to consider when designing a PCB? A: Get to know your manufacturer... (more)
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EngineerIT Inbox: Cloud computing and more
Letters to the editor
This month's letters cover cloud computing, South Africa not just being a cheap labour pool, and education being everyone's business... ( more) |
ICASA - damned if you do, damned if you don't
by Hans van de Groenendaal, EngineerIT
ICASA has been labelled as an organisation that has neither the teeth nor the will to enforce its own regulations. This changed when it swooped on Wireless Business Solutions and its subsidiaries, and seized radio communications equipment, leaving thousands of their customers without internet connection... ( more) |
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CMMI - is it what it is made out to be?
by Hans van de Groenendaal, EngineerIT
CMMI is the acronym for capability maturity model integration. The Joburg Centre for software engineering (JCSE) defines CMMI as a process improvement model that is used to rate the maturity of organisations' processes...
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Video and voice conferencing - new dimensions
by Hans van de Groenendaal, EngineerIT
Electronic conferencing could become the new buzzword - after teleconferencing, video-conferencing, voice-conferencing and telepresence. They all claim to reduce time, money, travel and carbon footprint. While we do not doubt these, the argument has now settled on interoperability, interconnect and collaboration... ( more) |
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Optimising PLC network performance and management
by Gary Chang and Mark Wu, Moxa USA
To increase productivity and reduce operating costs, many manufacturers and plant operators have deployed industrial Ethernet to converge remotely isolated fieldbus systems for centralised control and monitoring... ( more)
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How robots enhance lean manufacturing environments
Information from ABB
Traditionally, robots have not played a prominent role in the implementation of lean strategies. However, due to their repeatability, speed, accuracy and flexibility, the role of robots in lean implementations is constantly increasing... (more)
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Handheld techniques for time domain measurement technologies
Information from Agilent Technologies
At EngineerIT we often receive interesting application notes which due to their length cannot be published in full. However, to alert you to new developments in test equipment and applications we present a brief summary and provide a link to the full document for downloading... ( more) |
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Modern LVDT linear position sensors in industrial process applications
by Lee Hudson, Macro Sensors, USA
Today's industrial process control applications increasingly use automated systems to optimise operations and ensure a safer, more productive process. Linear position sensors used in these automated systems provide highly accurate feedback on product parameters, control states and outputs to machine controllers... ( more)
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What is a vector signal transceiver?
by Erik Johnson, National Instruments
Software-defined RF test system architectures have become increasingly popular over the past several decades. Almost every commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) automated RF test system today uses application software to communicate through a bus interface to the instrument... ( more)
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Electromagnetic compatibility and the Square Kilometre Array
by Dr. Braam Otto, Paul van der Merwe and Prof. Howard C. Reader, MESA Solutions
The Square Kilometre Array will be the most sensitive radio astronomy receiver ever constructed. It is essential that its infrastructure and systems are kept electromagnetically "whisper-quiet". A local company is working on ensuring this... ( more)
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Inside Bluetooth low energy technology
by Kjartan Furset, Nordic Semiconductor, Hong Kong
Bluetooth low energy wireless technology employs some clever technology to minimise its power consumption. The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has recently formally adopted the latest variant of the popular short-range wireless technology, known as Bluetooth Core Specification Version 4.0 ("Bluetooth v4.0")... ( more)
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| Amateur radio: SA radio amateurs face frequency challenge
by Hans van Groenendaal, EngineerIT
The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) has issued licences for experimentation on three new frequencies, 5250, 5260 and 472 kHz to the South African Radio League (SARL). The SARL has for many years been petitioning ICASA to allocate frequencies in the 5 MHz band for propagation research... (more)
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Telecoms developments in Africa
Compiled by Matthew White
- Altech exits East and West Africa, looks eastward
- Ericsson partners Swedish government to boost ICT in Africa
- Connectivity reaches remote region of Angola
- Nigeria's Globalcom signs major upgrade deal with Huawei
- Bharti Airtel to buy Warid's Uganda telecoms operations
- New link to boost Rwanda's broadband services
- Telecom Namibia posts record results
- 70% of Kenyans now covered by digital TV signal
- Gambia bans use of VoIP, dating services at internet cafes
- Regional rivalry 'slows internet access' in East Africa... (more)
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Gadgets4Geeks
- Simply more than a smart phone
- Bluetooth illuminated keyboard - complements your tablet
- Gaming your game? These nifty earphones are just the thing
- Not just an ordinary screen... (more)
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