Bench Talk

Third Harmonic!

On February 28, 2014 in All by Caroline Storm Westenhover

I know there are all kinds of rules against anthropomorphizing the equipment with which you work. It makes you overly attached to it, but I just can’t help it when it comes back with a Fourier Transform like this...

Tagged With: Technology, Third Harmonic

CES 2014 Review from a Power Perspective

On February 27, 2014 in Power by Landa Culbertson

The 2014 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) wrapped up with the usual plethora of product debuts and announcements. Here are some highlights and trends related to power supplies and power management products.

Keep Open Source Weird

On February 26, 2014 in Open Source by Lynnette Reese

When I lived in Austin, the phrase “Keep Austin Weird” meant to me that Austin was special in a weird, quirky way. And I feel that way about open source, because as a means for expressing one’s self, there’s a project for everything. Seriously, open source hardware is branching into everything from prosthetics, clothing, and drones to dead cats...

Tagged With: Arduino, drones, Internet, Open Source, OSH, Weird

Light of Day

On February 26, 2014 in Lighting by Paul Golata

With my new blog, Light & Illumination, I will be seeking to explore contemporary technology and product issues related to LEDs and illumination. My aim is to assist the design engineering community through active and ongoing dialogue regarding the industry’s mission to impact our world through improved methods of incorporating LED technology. I endeavor to serve this mission by providing some personal knowledge, the resources of Mouser Electronics, and the resources of manufacturers throughout the world.

Tagged With: LED, Lighting

State of the COTS Parts Market

On February 26, 2014 in Quality by Chuck Amsden

I have been involved in counterfeit mitigation since early 2009. I’ve had hundreds of interesting conversations with peers and industry experts. Yesterday it dawned on me what was happening to the commercial off the shelf (COTS) market for parts. Defense contractors and the DOD are trying hard to make the COTS industry conform to QPL or military conformance. Whether it is a conscious effort or not, is yet to be seen. The problem is the COTS industry has not done this in the past and now has problems complying. It’s not that the COTS industry doesn’t want to do it, it’s just the infrastructure and specific records required don’t exist.

Tagged With: COTS, DOD, MFG, Quality

Intro to Chuck Amsden, Director of Quality for Mouser Electronics

On February 26, 2014 in Quality by Chuck Amsden

Welcome to my blog. Here I intend to present information relevant to our customers and Mouser Electronics. I recently got an interesting question from a customer who asked, “How do you certify the parts as conforming and meeting specifications?”

Tagged With: Manufacturing, Quality, Warranty

2014: The Year of Wearables

On February 21, 2014 in All by Justin Risedorf

2013 became the first year in history that the majority of American adults have owned a smartphone of some kind. [1] Now that carrying around a pocket-sized computer has become the norm, designers are exploring the use of wearables to find new ways for people to become even more connected to the Internet of Things. Consumers are showing an early interest causing some to estimate that over 200 million wearable devices will be shipped by 2018, driving more than $30 billion in revenue.

Tagged With: CES, Consumer Tech, FiLIP, Looxcie 3, Oculus Rift, wearables

Genuine People Personalities

On February 21, 2014 in All by Caroline Storm Westenhover

Star Trek's transporters. Star Wars’ death ray. The Jetsons’ flying car. Back to the Future's time machine. Stargate’s (and many other) cloaking devices. Science Fiction has a myriad of cool gadgets and gizmos. So my question to 2014 is: Why did I end up with The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy's appliances?

Tagged With: Interface, Sci-Fi, User-Experience

Engineer's Week 2014 and the Next Generation of Engineers

On February 20, 2014 in All, STEAM by Erik Smith

It’s Engineer’s Week, and outside of celebrating by reading Col. Chris Hadfield’s new book, “An Astronaut’s Guide To Life On Earth”, I’m also doing some volunteer work, representing Mouser Electronics at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. We have both a display, showing kids various functioning LEDs, chips, speakers and a nifty little robot built from a Parallax kit, and a hands-on table showing young kids how to build their own homopolar motor. This fascination with how things work and being able to build it yourself is a common trait I’ve seen in engineers of all ages.

Valentine's Gifts for your Favorite Geek: the Soldering Iron with USB

On February 12, 2014 in All by Lynnette Reese

I don’t know why, but certain stuff really gets us going. Sometimes you look at something, and you just have to have it. Here’s a couple of things for your favorite nerd/geek/engineer/maker friend...

Tagged With: Boardganizer, Geek, Gifts, Maker, Soldering Iron, Valentine's Day

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