 The paradox of low-power technology
by Roger Lilley, editor Energize
The public has become accustomed to a certain way of life, and that is something that technology on its own cannot resolve. Demand needs to be curtailed now, and the only way to get everyone to save electricity is through education... (more)
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 How digital coding led to the development of the CD
by Hans van de Groenendaal, EngineerIT
Prof. Kees Immink can truly be called the father of the compact disc. I chatted to Prof. Imminck, engineer, scientist and inventor, on the eve of the conferral on him of an honorary doctoral degree by the University of Johannesburg... (more)
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ICASA kills industry's hope for E-band
by Hans van de Groenendaal, EngineerIT
At WAPA's Future of Wireless Technology Forum there was hope that a regulatory framework could soon be in place for E and H millimetre bands. ICASA councillor, William Stucke showed his support for this in the opening presentation, but ICASA's management dealt a blow to this notion the very next day... ( more)
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Fighter pilot strategy for ICT entrepreneurs
by Allon Raiz, RaizCorp
Nothing moves more quickly than the ICT sector. This brings a specific set of challenges to entrepreneurs in the sector, where the opportunities for success are almost limitless, but where the goalposts move so quickly that failure can completely blindside you... ( more)
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Virtual panel discussion on security issues for embedded systems
by Hans van de Groenendaal, EngineerIT
The members of this panel are Craig McDonnell, Eaton; Petrus Booyens, Avnet Kopp; Christo Buys, Rockwell Automation and Gary Friend, Extech Safety Systems. This virtual panel discussion covers embedded software and security issues, with particular focus on embedded software in the automation and control industry... (more)
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letters from our readers
This month, Chris Coetzee of SmithsPower and Jonathan Palmer of Powerman engage in a spirited debate on the features and limitations of various surge protection devices... ( more) |
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Q&A: More security in the digital world
answers from Christian Krieber, EMEA
The digitisation of the world is advancing rapidly, with most products housing microprocessors. The functionality stored in the chips is often the key feature of the product. Christian Krieber, vertical segment director identification EMEA, responsible for security matters within EBV Elektronik, explains how to protect that know-how... ( more)
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Cyber security protection industrial control systems
by JHJ Pool, Proconics
The landscape for industrial cyber security has been changing along with the general cyber security landscape. New threats have emerged to challenge the shock created by Stuxnet. At the same time South Africa is still lagging behind in terms of industrial protection... (more)
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Operations monitoring software for reliability and safety
A Honeywell White Paper is reviewed by Hans van de Groenendaal
Any business wants to maximise asset uptime, reduce maintenance costs and avoid unplanned outages. Operational excellence is becoming an expectation and not just a buzzword in the industry. This requires a clear understanding of the facility's process variables, operational constraints and production targets... ( more)
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A White Paper review by Hans van de Groenendaal, EngineerIT
This White Paper is designed to provide a process engineer with some of the knowledge necessary to implement a high-yield AART process. The principles illustrated in this paper can be designed into a product at the product design phase, or used as a "drop-in" solution to an existing PCB assembly... ( more)
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Preventive maintenance with insulation resistance test
Information from Agilent Technologies
Insulation resistance testing is commonly performed as part of electrical testing in a preventive maintenance program for rotating machines, cables, switches, transformers, and electrical machinery. and helps identify potential electrical issues to reduce unpredictable, premature equipment repairs and replacement costs... ( more) |
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Non-invasive thermal infrared cameras
by Julian Moss, Schneider Electric
This article discusses and answers common questions related to thermal cameras, thermography, gas detection with gas analytics, as well as applications for these pioneering cameras. It starts off by asking what is a thermal camera?...
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Exploring the feasibility of fibre to the home
Information from BitCo
Fibre to the home (FTTH) is a new concept in SA. It promises high speed broadband services via optic cable. The pledged speed being the core of FTTH's demand, following closely by its reliability. Fibre is invulnerable to electromagnetic interference, severe weather conditions and (hopefully for the foreseeable future) theft... ( more)
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by V Lakshminarayanan, C-DOT, and Prof. N Sriraam, MSRIT, Bangalore, India
Failure of capacitors affects the other components in the circuit and causes secondary failures in many cases. This article discusses the failure modes and mechanisms in capacitors of various types which are typically used in electronic systems and methods to prevent capacitor failures due to thermal stress... (more)
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by Eckart Zollner, Jasco
Dark fibre is very expensive to install. In South Africa, it's not surprising to see a street dug up in quick succession by three different telecoms network providers, all laying their own fibre optic cables. There's no sharing here. Not even of installation costs... ( more)
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by Mike Knott, Corning Optical Fiber
The network has to be able to support high-data rates and to maximise coverage area from the central office. Although designing the network to meet many conflicting considerations at once might seem difficult, the fibre type selected can actually make a positive difference... ( more)
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by Riaan Janse van Rensburg, ATEC
The real need for fibre to the home (FTTH) is starting to show with mobile data providers and legacy copper networks coming under pressure by bandwidth hungry services like Youtube, AppleTV and cloud services... ( more)
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by Mohammed Manjra, VH Fibre Optics
According to the FTTH Council Europe, the definition of a fibre to the home (FTTH) network constitutes a fibre-based access network, connecting a large number of end users to a central point known as an access node or point of presence. The deployment of fibre closer to the subscriber may require the fibre infrastructure to be located on public and/or private land and within public and/or private properties... ( more)
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by Eleanor Huang and Mark Wu, Moxa
When migrating to a converged IP-based network, acquiring an Ethernet communication framework will be necessary to provide higher bandwidths and longer transmission distances, which can require the installation of new cables. However, installation of new cables can incur substantial costs... ( more)
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Compiled by Matthew White
- Mobile growth in Sub-Saharan Africa "will be twice global rate"
- ITU promotes international standards for mobile money
- Yahsat set to launch third satellite in Africa
- 17 000 km East African Internet cable ring completed
- Vodafone acts to avert further network downtime in Ghana
- Kenya hopes online procurement system will stem corruption
- Liberian universities, colleges to be linked by 4G system
- Nigeria invites bids for first phase of broadband infrastructure
- Tanzania: "We will meet digital migration deadline"
- Telecel plans US$200-million boost to Zimbabwe mobile network... (more)
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Gadgets4Geeks - July 2014
- Battery operated multi function printer
- Sound tuned for emotion
- Purple takes on a new meaning
- Bluetooth speakers deliver great sound just where you want it... (more)
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Amateur radio: SA AMSAT's CubeSat is making good progress
by Hans van de Groenendaal ZS6AKV, South African Radio League
The first prototype of the linear transponder was successfully tested and demonstrated on air at the recently held SA AMSAT Space Symposium. Named Kletskous (Afrikaans for chatterbox), the satellite measuring 10 x 10 x 10 cm is being developed and built by radio amateurs who volunteer their expertise, time and often, their money for the project... (more)
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Views, Comment and Opinion
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