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If you´re looking for a reliable and price affordable connectors for memory cards and SIM cards, we have a solution for you.

No doubt, that data storage media and SIM cards need a reliable contact. A contact which won´t oxidize either after a long term usage in an outdoor environment. This fact is well known mainly to producers of outdoor operating devices, often in outlying localities, where every servicing causes useless expenses.

That´s why, in our offer can be found several connectors and holders of a quality construction from company Attend with an excellent price / performance ratio. Some connectors from company Attend may be familiar to you for example also from our article Migrate to a new type of a SIM card connector Attend. We gradually increased number of types held in stock and recently we also added another 2 types – holder for two SIM cards 115H-BA00 and holder for Micro SIM 115I-BEAA. Attend connectors feature gold-plated contacts and they´re specified for industrial temperature range. All details necessary for usage of these connectors can be found in datasheets at particular types.

In case of interest in any Attend component, please contact us at info@soselectronic.com.

Attend – reliable workplace for your memory- and SIM cards - [Link]

1A DC/DC switch-mode regulators TRACO TSR-1 already found their stable place on the market and they successfully replace inefficient linear regulators.

Switch-mode power supplies are still more used in all segments of power supply, to which also belongs a regulation on the side of the load (Point Of Load – POL). Perhaps every designer is familiar with classic linear stabilizers of the 78xx or 79xx series. It can be said, that linear stabilizers are still suitable for applications, where there´s not a too high power loss arising on them. But when we need to gain for example a 5V/0,5A from 12V, a power loss of approx. 7V x 0,5A=3,5W is arising on the regulator. That is already a quite considerable power, which requires a sufficiently sized heatsink and a place on a PCB. At nowadays power consumption decreasing trend, it is better preferable to eliminate useless losses, what also enables to produce a device, which is less heating, thus also being usually more reliable.

TSR-1 from company TRACOPOWER represents a pin-compatible replacement for 78xx linear regulators and it also contains input and output filtering capacitors. TSR-1 reaches up to 96% efficiency (80-90% in average) thus not requiring a heatsink. Depending on local conditions in your device, it is only necessary to observe power derating of 2%/°C at temperatures of the regulator above 60°C (if such conditions can occur in your device). TSR-1 also provides further benefits like for example excellent line and load regulation, resistance to a continuous shortcut and an industrial range of operating temperatures.

Available are 10 versions with output voltages from 1,2 to 15VDC. Detailed information will provide you the TSR-1 datasheet. In case, you need to obtain a negative voltage, then the TSRN-1 series is suitable for you.
In case of interest, please contact us at info@soselectronic.com.

Try the effective replacement for standard 78xx regulators - [Link]

Author: James Connors

Description: This ULP is quite creative and simple to use. Draw a 0 with wire on the milling layer. Run the ULP, the dialog box selection will provide options to either draw an array of holes or vias. Parameters such as Diameter, signal name amount of holes and distance can be defined.

Eagle UPL: Create Drill Line Array - [Link]

Here is a great article on EDN discussing how to select the right mcu for your project. Jacob Beningo writes:

Selecting the right microcontroller for a product can be a daunting task. Not only are there a number of technical features to consider, there are also business case issues such as cost and lead-times that can cripple a project. At the start of a project there is a great temptation to jump in and start selecting a microcontroller before the details of the system has been hashed out. This is of course a bad idea. Before any thought is given to the microcontroller, the hardware and software engineers should work out the high levels of the system, block diagram and flowchart them and only then is there enough information to start making a rational decision on microcontroller selection. When that point is reached, there are 10 easy steps that can be followed to ensure that the right choice is made.

10 steps to selecting a microcontroller - [Link]

New series of miniature embedded industrial computers of the credit card size manages HD videos, multimedia presentations and other demanding tasks in a real time.

i.MX53 is after i.MX25 and i.MX51 already the 3-rd member in the family of computers i.MX (SBC – Single Board Computer, COM – Computer On Module) from company Voipac. A big advantage of a common concept, i.e. usage of common operating systems is, that these computers are cross-compatible, thus all experience, programs and drivers, which you have for example from development of applications for i.MX25, are also usable for i.MX53.

OS Linux, Android and soon also Windows Embedded compact 7, USB 2.0 OTG/HOST, LCD 1600×1200 controller, ethernet and many other built-in peripherials make the i.MX53 a top choice for devices with small dimensions. A high-performance 1.2 GHz multimedia processor i.MX535 from Freescale provides a high performance at a low power consumption (passive cooling). i.MX53 is constructed on only 1mm thick 10-layer HDI board with microvias and provides a vast majority of peripherials expected from embedded systems. i.MX53 is able to boot not only from NAND Flash memory, but also from I2C EEPROM, SPI Flash and uSD card (all 3, including a uSD connector are on the board).

i.MX53 is, similarly like recent models of Voipac, available in 3 versions – Basic, Pro and Max. The key factor saying in favor of i.MX53 in comparison to competitors´ products is the price/ performance ratio.

A maximum hardware configuration contains literally all, what so small computer can offer. The module even contains a 3-axis accelerometer and a switch-mode power supply for user applications. For the i.MX53, there´s also available the development board (usable also for i.MX25 and i.MX51) and the multitouch capacitive display. The most simple way for development is to use complete reach-featured development kits. Voipac products are also extraordinary by the fact, that the producer supplies complete schematics and PCB from the Altium environment to every purchased development kit. Voipac provides an extensive support in a form of pre-paid 1 or 3-month support and in files free to download in a binary as well as source code.

Detailed information will provide you the i.MX53 flyer, i.MX53 datasheet as well as attached video. Further files can be found on the producer´s website in the downloads section (http://www.voipac.com/#Downloads).

In case of interest, please contact us at info@soselectronic.com.

i.MX53 – a “credit card”  with an operating system increased its performance - [Link]

Company YAGEO announced its intention to remove marking of RC/AC 0603,0805,1206 SMD chip resistors from July, 1-st, 2013.

Everything implies, that the situation with marking of chip resistors (0603/0805/1206) will soon be similar to chip capacitors – i.e. no marking on the top of the component. The reason for this step is to reduce unnecessary chemical usages for environmental protections.
Naturally, to identify the product resistance value, each single reel will be labeled with all relevant data as so far. Performance, features, specifications and manufacturing process of these resistors remain the same. So, the elimination of the marking on top of the product itself has no impact on the product functionality and reliability. There will be a short period of time that both types of the products, with marking and without marking, co exist while changing the production lines one by one.

Detailed information: Yageo – Remove marking of RC/AC 0603/0805/1206.

Will the SMD resistors marking become a history? - [Link]

You can use this cutter to cut very accurate PCB stencils on your home:

Are you sick and tired of using a tooth pick to apply solder paste? Are you still using through hole components because you don’t want to deal with soldering surface mount devices (SMD)? If so, this post provides you with guidelines for building your very own laser cutter for cutting PCB stencils. With a total cost of approximately $200 (it can be significantly less if you already have parts laying around), this project can pay for itself very quickly. While you can get “low cost” stencils for your PCBs, they still can be quite expensive if you are only creating one or two boards.

DIY Laser Cutter for PCB Stencils - [Link]

This AVR-based Frequency Meter is capable of measuring frequencies from 1Hz to 10MHz with 1 Hz resolution. The hardware of this project consists of seven 7-segment displays, AVR ATtiny2313 uController, and a few transistors and resistors. The AVR counts input pulses for a precise 1 second interval (generated using the built-in Timer) and displays the result on the multiplexed seven segment LED displays. [via]

1Hz to 10MHz frequency meter using ATtiny2313 - [Link]

Let your Arduino project deliver realtime notes to your iPhone or Mac with our iSticky/Arduino library!

iSticky lets users send an infinite number of sticky notes to themselves and others, providing a quick, real-time solution for sending important information like reminders, updates, directions, meeting times, dinner plans, meet-up changes, or any other individual or group note. iSticky provides a fast and organized way to send notes, at home, in school, on the road, or in the office.

iSticky Server is listening to your Arduino project - [Link]

Over 500 courses from the world’s leading universities – right at your fingertips.

The project — http://www.onlinecourses.com — is a free and comprehensive resource that is a collection of open college course that spans videos, audio lectures, and notes given by professors at Harvard, Princeton and MIT. They offer highly relevant courses such as iPhone Application Development from Stanford and Cyber Humor from Oxford. This is a wonderful resource for those looking to explore additional educational topics and to see what college level course has to offer.

Top Online Courses on the Web - [Link]