PRODUCTS EDITOR’S CHOICE
ARM LAUNCHES IOT KIT TO AID STUDENT DEVELOPMENT
ARM is partnering with UCL (University College London) to launch a new education kit aimed at developing students’ Internet of Things (IoT) technical skills. The aim is to encourage more graduates to stay in Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths (STEM) related professions as statistics suggest half leave the sector to pursue careers in unrelated areas. The ARM IoT Education Kit teaches students how to use the
ARM mbed IoT Device Platform, create smartphone apps and control end devices such as a mini-robot or a wearable health device. It will be rolled out from September by UCL’s Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering in a week-long IoT module for full-time MSc and Continuing Professional Development students. The course is designed to get students interested in starting
their own IoT business or join companies such as ARM that are delivering technologies enabling the IoT to grow. It will also help to address concerns that many students taking engineering or technology at university are not pursuing related careers. “Students with strong science and mathematical skills are in
demand and we need to make sure they stay in engineering,” said Mike Muller, Chief Technology Officer, ARM. “The growth of the IoT gives us a great opportunity to prove to students why our profession is more exciting and sustainable than others. New technologies make it far easier to start a business and there’s a huge appetite for highly motivated young people to help companies such as ARM deliver innovation that will shape the world’s future.” The kit includes ARM mbed-enabled hardware boards from
Nordic Semiconductor, software licenses from ARM and a complete set of teaching materials. UCL is also developing a second module for engineering undergraduates that would start in 2016. “Many students are not following through to an engineering career and that is a real risk to our long term success as a nation of innovators,” said Professor Izzat Darwazeh, Head of Communications and Information Systems at UCL Engineering Sciences. “Most students take engineering because they are driven to understand how the world works, from taking radios apart when they were children, to creating apps in high school. Engineering is about creative problem-solving and it’s exactly what we hope to instil in them again with the IoT Kit, which provides the tools and the knowledge to create devices and systems that could one day become best-sellers or even change our world.” EngineeringUK has called for more action to train and retain engineers, predicting a potential economic boost to the UK of £27bn per year from 2022 if demand for new engineering jobs was filled.
ARM
www.arm.com
COMMSCOPE BUYS OUT TE - CONNECTIVITY
CommScope has announced plans to acquire TE Connectivity’s Telecom, Enterprise and Wireless businesses in a company buy-out. The companies advise this is a move to assist CommScope’s entry into vertical markets and broaden its position in the communications sector, along with improving its global market coverage. “We look forward to welcoming the
TE Connectivity businesses to CommScope, which will bring top talent, strong customer relationships in growing markets and a robust pipeline of innovations. CommScope has a strong track record of disciplined strategic acquisitions and successful integrations, and we look forward to working with the TE Connectivity team to bring these assets together as cohesively and expeditiously as possible.” “CommScope is a proven industry
leader, and we believe it is the right company to lead our Telecom, Enterprise and Wireless businesses forward,” said Tom Lynch, TE Connectivity Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Our dedicated employees have been
instrumental in the success of these businesses, and we are confident in their ability to continue to deliver. We look forward to working closely with the CommScope management team to close the transaction.”
CommScope
www.CommScope.com
NEW POWER MOSFET DRIVERS FOR HIGH- SPEED OPERATION
The first power MOSFET drivers in a new product family have been announced by Microchip. The company advises its new MCP14A005X and MCP14A015X drivers feature an entirely new driver architecture for high-speed operation, the first in its MCP14A product line. The devices are available in SOT-23 and 2 by 2mm DFN packages, the new devices are claimed to be among the smallest packaged MOSFET drivers on the market today. The small packaging has been
specifically created to enable higher power densities and smaller solutions, while the design targets fast transitions and short delay times that allow for responsive circuit operation. Additionally, these MOSFET drivers include low input threshold voltages that are compatible with low voltage MCUs and controllers, while still maintaining strong noise immunity and hysteresis. The MCP14A005X and MCP14A015X
MOSFET drivers’ low input threshold is compatible with various Microchip PIC microcontrollers (MCUs) and dsPIC Digital Signal Controllers (DSCs), even when operating at lower voltages. This means it is possible to design
FUTURE OF 3D PRINTING LIES IN EDUCATION
Resources designed to help teachers get to grips with 3D printing technology have been launched by I Can Make, an independent educational publisher based in the UK. The materials, which include downloadable lesson plans, teaching guides, CPD courses and 3D printable model kits, are designed to provide KS 1&2 teachers with the ability to introduce their pupils to 3D printing. The I Can Make CPD courses
6 FEBRUARY 2015 | ELECTRONICS
are designed to be workshop- style sessions for teachers, allowing them to spend time with 3D printers and physical computing devices under the guidance of 3D printing experts. Courses include an
‘Introduction to 3D Printing and Physical Computing’ for KS 1&2 teachers and DT coordinators, providing hands-on sessions with printers, an introduction to the basics, and some simple 3D printing projects to try in the classroom. In other sessions
focused on physical computing, teachers can learn how to integrate code and simple electronics into their lessons. The kits are designed for
children and adults to make on 3D printers. Students can learn how to 3D print each component part of the snap-together kits, and then upgrade them with motors, micro computers and LEDs.
I Can Make
www.icanmakehq.com
applications with MCUs operating as low as 2.0V, using the MOSFET driver to boost the output signals to 18V, reducing power loss in the controller and minimising conduction loss in the power MOSFET. The threshold levels balance the need for noise immunity with the ability to function with a wider variety of controller products, including Microchip’s devices. These drivers are designed for use in power supply, lighting, automotive and consumer electronics markets, including embedded power conversion, brushed DC motor, unipolar stepper motor and solenoid/relay/valve control applications, among others.
Microchip
www.microchip.com
/ ELECTRONICS
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