 Is the electronic manufacturing industry in SA dead?
by Murison Kotzé, Tellumat Electronic Manufacturing
Despite tough times, the manufacturing industry has seen some improvement over the last 18 months. It is imperative to expand the industry's pool of customers, and that will require looking for new opportunities beyond our borders... ( more) |
 Tshwane metering contract branded "blatantly corrupt"
by Chris Yelland, EE Publishers
On 5 Dec 2013, Afrikaans business organisation, AfriSake, initiated court proceedings to prevent a contract between the City of Tshwane (Pretoria) and private service provider PEU Capital Partners from proceeding... ( more)
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 In conversation with Dr. Stephen Mncube, ICASA by Hans van de Groenendaal, EngineerIT A constant change of ministers, one more dysfunctional than the other, and a Department of Communications that was leaderless yet had a direct say in the funding of ICASA, could not have been easy for Dr. Mncube. ... ( more) |
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Virtual panel discussion: Is fibre-to-the-home for the elite only?
by Hans van de Groenendaal, EngineerIT
Fibre-to-the-home is currently a serious discussion point in many sectors of the communications industry in South Africa. We all know that it is costly, particularly for a widespread population... ( more) |
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Software defined everything - a step closer to capacity trading?
by Grant Vine, Cybervine IT Solutions
The buzz around software defined storage, networking and security is sparking new concerns in businesses. The terms software defined storage (SDS), software defined networking (SDN) and even software defined security are sparking concern... (more)
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Q&A: Ask an expert...about measurement
Mike Weidenmann of Wika Instruments answers questions such as: What is a magnetic snap-action contact, and what is an electronic contact? In the area of standards, he answers: What is ATEX and what standard regulates contact gauges?... (more)
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Is the commercial use of HPC lagging in SA?
by Hans van de Groenendaal, EngineerIT
South Africa is not lagging behind when it comes to the world of high performance computing. The Cape Town-based Centre of High Performance Computing (CHPC) has an impressive track record, although mostly in the sphere of academia... ( more) |
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Lightning protection - start with a risk analysis
by Hans van de Groenendaal, EngineerIT
Lightning is a serious issue which is often under-estimated until faced with its disastrous consequences. Protection against this severe energy source requires professional equipment, professionally installed... ( more)
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Eliminate software disasters with a self-repairing OS
by Sun Lee and Bruce Chen, Moxa
Although reliance on computers is now ubiquitous, in the industrial context these machines are literally of capital significance. Automated system crashes due to software failures are not mere annoyances; they are destructive events that cost money and may threaten a business' survival...
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Comparison of Class 1 surge protective devices
by Holger Heckler, Phoenix Contact, Germany and John Ortika, Phoenix Contact, Australia
Lightning current arrestors for LV power systems are usually designed and tested only for use in AC systems. The performance and operational behaviour of a surge protective device, connected to an AC power system, can be completely different... ( more) |
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Protect your assets
by Paul Gruhn, Rockwell Automation, USA
Make sure you understand the do's and don'ts of process safety, including safety instrumented systems, PLC redundancy, fieldbus technology, field devices, standards and employee skills. Changes in technology have led to a variety of recent developments... ( more) |
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Two industrial worlds have merged
by Michael Jost and Martin Podrouschek, Beckhoff Automation, Germany
Traditionally, the worlds of PLC, motion control and control technology on one hand, with measurement technology and "lab applications" on the other, have diverged when it comes to data entry and processing in an industrial environment... (more)
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Choosing the right analysis tools for measurement systems
Information from National Instruments
Raw data is not always the best way to communicate useful information. Data transformations like removing signal noise, compensation for environmental effects like temperature and humidity, and calibration for equipment error are needed to help turn raw data into useful data... ( more)
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Antenna matching for RFID reader
by John Schillinger, Texas Instruments
This article describes the design method for determining an antenna matching circuit. While there are an infinite number of possible impedance matching networks, this application example focuses on a 50 ohm three-element match... ( more)
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Accelerating the design of radio astronomy instruments
Information from Mathworks
When it is complete, the MeerKAT array in South Africa's Karoo region will include 64 antenna dishes, making it the largest and most sensitive radio telescope in the southern hemisphere. It will be used by scientists worldwide on a range of research projects... ( more)
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Graphene - miracle material?
Compiled by Hans van de Groenendaal, EngineerIT
Is graphene a new miracle material that will resolve stumbling blocks in electronics and the internet world? Two universities, continents apart, believe so... ( more)
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Amateur radio celebrates 30 years of manned space flights
by Hans van de Groenendaal, EngineerIT
Thirty years ago, Owen Garriott pioneered amateur radio communication from Space on his historic STS-9 flight from the space shuttle Columbia. Launched on 28 November 1983, Garriott was part of the six man crew that performed 24-hours a day international science investigation on the STS-9 Spacelab-1 mission... ( more)
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| Telecoms developments in Africa
Compiled by Matthew White
- Internet services "could contribute 10% of Africa's GDP by 2025"
- MTN to sell its towers in Zambia and Rwanda
- Nigeria opens wholesale broadband spectrum licence to bidders
- Kenyan telcos fail compliance test
- Cellcom claims delivery of 4G technology to rural Liberia
- Zimbabwe banks push for mobile banking policy
- Somali optical fibre installation halted after disagreement
- Fast economic growth to boost Ugandan telecoms competition
- Looming digital switchover creates headaches for Cameroon
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Gadgets4geeks
- Connecting your laptop to a large screen is now easier - Loud and clear - Enhanced features for smartpen
- Tom Tom watches for sports performance
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Views, Comment and Opinion
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