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ELECTRONICSTALK
The Independent Weekly Product Information Guide
for Electronics Design, Development and Manufacturing Engineers
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ISSN 1475-2913 - Free subscription
Last week's delivered circulation: over 21,000
Published every Tuesday from the UK.
Issue 147: 13 January 2004
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14296 product announcements and technical articles
on our web site, all fully searchable at
http://www.electronicstalk.com/ - take a look!
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In this issue:
* Editor's Message
* Our Top Ten new Products Selection
[1] Speedy IR transceiver shrinks to slim line
[2] Multimedia board puts eight DSPs in parallel
[3] Sealed connector meets industrial needs
[4] Audio processor cuts home theatre system costs
[5] Smaller suppressor provides big protection
[6] Competitive pricing for PC/104 CPU
[7] Research kit evaluates solder alternatives
[8] Controllers simplify Serial ATA upgrade
[9] Scaler speeds entry to LCD TV market
[10] Ultra-high-vacuum microwave feedthroughs
* New Technical Articles and Case Studies
* ...And take a look at these stories too...
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Laurence Marchini, Editor, writes:
I'll apologise in advance to those of you who read a similar editorial from my colleague Chris Rand in last week's Electronicstalk Newsletter, but like him, it's never ceased to amaze me how many people seem to think that publishing doesn't work on conventional business principles.
However, we are not immune from economics, and like anyone else we have to make a living too.
In the case of Electronicstalk, we obtain our income from adverts on our website and from those manufacturers who highlight their products in our monthly "Electronicstalk Extra" newsletter.
In return, we're able to bring you this newsletter advertisement-free each week, which also means that the content of Electronicstalk is completely unaffected by which manufacturers are supporting us financially and which are not - or at least that's the theory.
As Chris puts it: "We decided last year that we'd try to change the traditional publishing model where just a handful of major advertisers have to pay for the whole thing. Instead, we wanted to get a far higher number of manufacturers to contribute a far smaller amount. That seems fair to us. And we came up with what's turned out to be a really successful idea".
"Beneath every news item below there is, of course, a link to the story on our website, and from there you can get to the manufacturer's website. But many of you (tens of thousands, it turned out), just wanted to indicate your interest to the suppliers, and to let them send you information".
"The manufacturers like this too, because they get to know who's interested in their products. So we set up the system where you can submit your name-and-address to them quickly and simply by clicking on an alternative link ("Request free details from the supplier"). Our idea was that if manufacturers want to offer you the chance to make enquiries about any of their products in this way, we ask them to pay a small annual subscription".
Normally, as readers, this shouldn't concern you at all, but there are still many manufacturers who haven't yet subscribed to this service. And that is why you won't see the "Request free details" link beneath every news item below. We're working hard on explaining all this to the companies who haven't subscribed, because we know you'd like to see the service with every item.
Hopefully the missing ones will "see the light" shortly.
Meanwhile, if you're a manufacturer who would like reader enquiries from us, and who doesn't have a "Request free details" link after your news below, details on how to subscribe can be found at http://www.pro-talk.com/advertising2004/subscribenow.html.
I hope you find this issue of our weekly newsletter useful. In addition to the new products, news and ideas featured here, there are hundreds more on our website and dozens more being added daily, so do take a look if you can.
Alternatively, the full stories behind all the summaries and headlines in this newsletter can be retrieved by email alone: see details below.
In the meantime, if you have any suggestions as to how we might make the site or the newsletter better, email me directly.
Best wishes
Laurence Marchini, Editor
mailto:ne[-email removed-]nicstalk.com
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THIS WEEK'S INDUSTRY NEWS
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To read more, use the web links. Or get the full stories emailed back to you: just send a blank email to the address shown. It's a free service. Try it! It works!
STRONG SHOWING FOR CUSTOMERS AT CES
This year's Consumer Electronics Show has again seen significant announcements by MIPS Technologies' customers.
MIPS Technologies, 13 January 2004
mailto:mip2[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/mip/mip203.html
KIT LICENCE TO SPEED FABLESS DEVELOPMENT
Shanghai Jade Technologies is the first company to license the ARM926EJ Prime starter kit.
ARM, 13 January 2004
mailto:ank1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ank/ank124.html
SPACE QUALIFICATION EXTENDED TO 2009
Labtech is celebrating after hearing that its European Space Agency qualification has been extended to 2009.
Labtech, 7 January 2004
mailto:lab1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/lab/lab102.html
EFFECTIVE PROJECT MANAGEMENT FOR ENGINEERS
Lack of management skills is a criticism often levelled at engineers.
University of Oxford Electronics and Telecoms, 8 January 2004
mailto:uty1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/uty/uty102.html
EMBEDDED DESIGNS CAN WIN TRIP TO SAN FRANCISCO
Engineers designing innovative products based on PC/104 or PC/104-Plus technology will be recognised by the PC/104 Embedded Consortium in its second annual PC/104 design contest.
PC/104 Embedded Consortium, 13 January 2004
mailto:pce1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/pce/pce101.html
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OUR TOP TEN NEW PRODUCTS SELECTION
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1. Speedy IR transceiver shrinks to slim line
The Agilent HSDL-3220 is billed as the industry's smallest fast infra-red (FIR) transceiver for mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and digital cameras. With a height of only 2.5mm, the Agilent HSDL-3220 features the lowest profile of any medium infra-red (MIR) or FIR transceiver on the market, providing mobile phone manufacturers greater flexibility when designing clamshell and ultraslim handsets. The HSDL-3220 transceiver supports the IrDA low power specification and operates at transmission speeds ranging from 9.6Kbit/s to 4.0Mbit/s.
Request a free brochure by post:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/agi/205/0
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/agi/agi205.html
or send a blank email to mailto:agi2[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
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2. Multimedia board puts eight DSPs in parallel
Kane Computing has an all-new high-performance video/audio multi-DSP board following the signing of a UK distribution agreement with manufacturer Vitec Multimedia. The new VP3T video parallel programmable processing platform is an extremely powerful PCI or stand-alone board dedicated to professional and industrial video applications, such as H.264/MPEG4 real time, top quality encoders and decoders, high definition MPEG2 encoders/decoders, MPEG2 to H.264 transcoders and real-time industrial image processing.
Request a free brochure by post:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/kan/155/0
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/kan/kan155.html
or send a blank email to mailto:kan1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
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3. Sealed connector meets industrial needs
Phoenix Contact's Variosub RJ45 plug connector to protection category IP67 has been selected by Iaona for use in heavy-duty environments. The standard-compliant Variosub RJ45/67 provides tool-free, push-pull locking and compatibility with the standard RJ45 plug. In addition to providing protection against dirt and moisture, to protection category IP67, it is built to withstand the chemical conditions and mechanical strains present in harsh industrial environments.
Request a free brochure by post:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/pni/121/0
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/pni/pni121.html
or send a blank email to mailto:pni1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
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4. Audio processor cuts home theatre system costs
The TAS5508 is billed as the industry's highest-performance digital audio PWM processor with an integrated 48bit digital audio processor for consumer electronics devices. The new 48bit TAS5508 processor will enable consumer electronics manufacturers to develop high-power, cost-effective 5.1, 6.1 and 7.1 systems at 500, 600 or 700W, reducing size and cost for home theatre systems and DVD receivers. The high-performance TAS5508 provides up to eight speaker channels and 48bit processing for sound field enhancement, enriching the home theatre experience.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tex/tex554.html
or send a blank email to mailto:tex5[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
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5. Smaller suppressor provides big protection
Transtector Systems has expanded its I2R Series of suppressors with the addition of the new silicon "Storm" model, designed for confined space and DIN mount applications. The I2R Series family of products now includes the original compact, flexible, plug-in module approach with over 200 configurations in silicon or MOV, the compact MOV lines (LA, SA, LSA), and the ICP DIN mount for individual equipment protection.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/sit/sit107.html
or send a blank email to mailto:sit1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
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6. Competitive pricing for PC/104 CPU
The ICOP-6071 PC/104 CPU card from Datasound Laboratories is one of the most competitively priced boards available in today's market. At the same time, it is packed with features including a 200MHz CPU, four serial ports, a parallel port, floppy disk interface, 10/100Mbit/s Ethernet, VGA/LCD (1920 x 1440 resolution), two USB ports, audio and a standard 44-pin IDE connector. A CompactFlash socket is also available as an option. The board can be supplied with a WinCE.NET board support package free of charge and options for DOS and Linux pre-installation are also available.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/dab/dab122.html
or send a blank email to mailto:dab1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
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7. Research kit evaluates solder alternatives
Indium Corp has developed a comprehensive solder research kit. Customers are able to select a collection of solders and fluxes from a list of popular and effective materials. Numerous solder alloys, including several Pb-free choices are offered, in either wire, ribbon, or paste form.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/idi/idi100.html
or send a blank email to mailto:idi1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
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8. Controllers simplify Serial ATA upgrade
The industry's first 3.0Gbit/s Serial ATA II PCI-X host controllers will enable the next generation of enterprise Serial ATA storage applications. Using the new 88SX6081 (eight-port) and 88SX6041 (four-port) Serial ATA II controllers, OEMs are developing the industry's highest performance, most cost-effective solutions for server RAID on motherboard (ROMB), RAID adapters, network attached storage (NAS), storage area network (SANs) and near-line storage arrays.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/mrv/mrv110.html
or send a blank email to mailto:mrv1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
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9. Scaler speeds entry to LCD TV market
The Nexperia Home PNX5000 semiconductor system solution gives manufacturers a quick and easy entry into the mid and high-end LCD TV market. Optimised for LCD TV applications, the PNX5000 enables world-class picture quality by being the first scaler on the market to integrate motion compensated de-interlacing. The addition of the PNX5000 scaler to the Nexperia Home semiconductor portfolio enhances Philips' prime position in technological advancements within the LCD TV market and highlights its ongoing dedication to offering solutions for the connected consumer.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/phi/phi248.html
or send a blank email to mailto:phi2[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
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10. Ultra-high-vacuum microwave feedthroughs
Times Microwave Systems has developed a new capability in ultra-high-vacuum, high-reliability microwave feedthroughs. The proprietary custom designs use an innovative and improved glass-to-metal seal technology, setting a new standard for quality and high performance in the most demanding feedthroughs and beam position monitor applications.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tim/tim114.html
or send a blank email to mailto:tim1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com
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New Technical Articles and Case Studies
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BLUETOOTH CHIP PUTS PDA INTO NAVIGATION SYSTEM
(Cambridge Silicon Radio, 9 January 2004)
CSR BlueCore Bluetooth silicon has been selected by Navman, a world leader in mobile GPS navigation, for its Navman GPS 4400 in-vehicle system.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/cam/cam157.html
(or email mailto:cam1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
FLEXIBLE SOLUTION FOR DSP PROGRAM DISTRIBUTION
(Adept Scientific, 8 January 2004)
A DSP hardware manufacturer is using the Mathcad Application Server to provide its customers with flexible support solutions.
Free brochure on Mathcad Application Server:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/ade/153/0
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ade/ade153.html
(or email mailto:ade1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
FLASH-BASED FPGAs GO LIVE IN DIGITAL AUDIO
(Actel Europe, 13 January 2004)
Crest Audio, a manufacturer of professional audio systems, has used APA075 ProASIC Plus FPGA devices for its new line of advanced multichannel digital amplifier products.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/act/act165.html
(or email mailto:act1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
MULTIRATE CODEC ENABLES ADVANCED MULTIMEDIA
(TTPCom, 8 January 2004)
The GX20 camera phone from Sharp Corp is the first to implement TTPCom's adaptive multirate speech codec.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ttp/ttp169.html
(or email mailto:ttp1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
RTOS AIDS PREVENTIVE POWER MAINTENANCE
(LynuxWorks, 12 January 2004)
The LynxOS RTOS is a key component of a novel system that allows power companies to efficiently control their generators and perform preventive maintenance to identify potential system problems.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/lyn/lyn152.html
(or email mailto:lyn1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
TWO WINS FOR AUTOMATIC PLACEMENT SYSTEM
(Contax, 13 January 2004)
Both Data Track Technology and ECM have selected the automatic Essemtec CLM9000 style of placement system with vision capabilities.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/cnt/cnt105.html
(or email mailto:cnt1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
CONCEPT CAR FEATURES WIRELESS CHARGING SYSTEM
(Splashpower, 9 January 2004)
Splashpower's novel wireless power technology has been used in a concept car developed by Visteon Corp.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/spl/spl101.html
(or email mailto:spl1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
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...And take a look at these stories too...
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SOC TAKES CONTROL OF FAX FUNCTIONS
(Agere Systems, 7 January 2004)
The industry's first single-chip controller for inkjet and thermal fax applications combines as many as eight separate components, offering exceptional image quality, print features and cost savings.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/age/age119.html
(or email mailto:age1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
CODEC BOOSTS RESOLUTION OF CONSUMER VIDEO DEVICES
(Hitachi High-Technolgies (Electronic Components), 8 January 2004)
The SuperENCIII is a novel single-chip audio/video SDTV and HDTV MPEG-2 codec.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/hac/hac106.html
(or email mailto:hac1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
EVALUATION KIT SHOWS OFF FRUGAL TRANSCEIVER
(AMI Semiconductor, 8 January 2004)
A new comprehensive evaluation kit is available for the AMIS-52000 (formerly ASTRX2) single-chip, low-power 433.92MHz narrowband CMOS transceiver.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/amb/amb138.html
(or email mailto:amb1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
SPEEDY SERIAL EEPROMs CUT SIZE AND POWER
(Arizona Microchip Technology, 12 January 2004)
A new family of SPI bus-compatible serial EEPROM devices features maximum clock speeds of 10MHz, write times of 5ms and a write currents of 3mA.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ari/ari157.html
(or email mailto:ari1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
COMPACT WLAN SWITCHES OFFER LOW INSERTION LOSS
(Toshiba Electronics Europe, 12 January 2004)
Two new antenna switches combine low insertion loss and low-voltage operation with small UF6 or TU6 packages.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tos/tos206.html
(or email mailto:tos2[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
MPU TAKES ON INDUSTRIAL AND CONSUMER CONTROL
(Renesas Technology Europe, 13 January 2004)
The SH7641 is a 32bit SuperH RISC microprocessor that features 144Kbyte SRAM, 16Kbyte cache memory and comprehensive peripheral functions including a multifunction timer unit for motor control.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ren/ren122.html
(or email mailto:ren1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
TERMINATOR SUPPRESSES TRANSIENTS FROM EARTH
(9 Corporation, 7 January 2004)
The Ground Transient Terminator is the world's first UL approved filtering device to safely install in series with the ground line of electronic equipment to completely eliminate ground transients.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/cor/cor100.html
(or email mailto:cor1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
MORE SPEED AND FEATURES FOR HDL DESIGNERS
(Aldec, 7 January 2004)
In addition to a twofold performance increase over the previous version, Active-HDL 6.2 includes an improved advanced dataflow, library encryption, branch coverage and X-Trace.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/axw/axw104.html
(or email mailto:axw1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
FIRST SUPPORT PACKAGE FOR 64BIT CORE
(CoWare, 13 January 2004)
The first SystemC-based processor support package for the MIPS64 25Kf core has been added to CoWare's extensive ConvergenSC Model Library.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/cow/cow120.html
(or email mailto:cow1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
ALL-DIGITAL DISPLAY PROMISES BUDGET HDTV
(Intel Corporation, 12 January 2004)
A novel silicon technology is claimed to enable high-definition, large-screen TVs with clearer pictures than current systems for less than $2000.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/iel/iel123.html
(or email mailto:iel1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
ELEGANT TOUCH TO HANDHELD ENCLOSURES
(OKW Enclosures, 12 January 2004)
Datec-Control enclosures offer advanced design and versatility for housing mobile electronics.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/okw/okw129.html
(or email mailto:okw1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
EASY MATING FOR FIELD-INSTALLABLE CONNECTOR
(NORDX/CDT, 13 January 2004)
A new LC version of the successful Optimax optical-fibre connector is the first no-epoxy/no-polish field-installable connector to feature a spring-loaded ferrule.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/nrd/nrd107.html
(or email mailto:nrd1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
FINE-PITCH BONDER SETS NEW SPEEDY STANDARD
(Kulicke and Soffa Industries, 12 January 2004)
The Maxumplus is an ultra-high-speed ball bonder for all types of ultra-fine-pitch applications including 35 micron inline pitch.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/kul/kul103.html
(or email mailto:kul1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
MORE CAPACITY FOR RECHARGEABLE RANGE
(The Gillette Company, 13 January 2004)
Duracell has developed a new range of increased capacity AA NiMH rechargeable batteries and a high-speed charger designed to better satisfy the rechargeable power needs of high-drain digital devices.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/gil/gil102.html
(or email mailto:gil1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
COMPACTPCI CPU AIMS FOR MISSION-CRITICAL CONTROL
(Crellon Microsystems, 7 January 2004)
The Adlink cPCI-3700A is a Pentium III-based host CPU module in a 3U form factor that provides a high performance computer platform or embedded controller.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/cre/cre124.html
(or email mailto:cre1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
TINY HARD DISC DRIVE BREAKS THE INCH BARRIER
(Toshiba Europe Storage Device Division, 9 January 2004)
A new hard disc drive is claimed as the world's smallest, with a media diameter of just 0.85in.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tsh/tsh108.html
(or email mailto:tsh1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
FLEXIBLE I/O OPTIONS FOR PENTIUM-BASED VME BOARD
(Concurrent Technologies, 9 January 2004)
The VP 305/01x is a high-performance, Pentium M based, VME single board computer with extensive front/rear I/O functionality.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/cct/cct134.html
(or email mailto:cct1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
EMBEDDED CPU RUNS FROM SINGLE 12V SUPPLY
(BVM, 12 January 2004)
The LV-671 Mini-ITX format board pushes performance to a new level, using the latest Centrino CPUs from Intel.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/bvm/bvm118.html
(or email mailto:bvm1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
A HELPING HAND TO EMC CONFORMITY
(EMC Solutions, 13 January 2004)
An EMC precompliance service has been developed to help designers, manufacturers and distributors, comply with the relevant international EMC performance standards.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ecs/ecs101.html
(or email mailto:ecs1[-email removed-]ctronicstalk.com )
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Have you seen our other newsletters?
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We also publish other professional technical newsletters like this once a week. All are free, so take a look:
Engineeringtalk - for mechanical/automation engineers
Email mailto:join-eng-ta[-email removed-]o-talk.com for your copy
Laboratorytalk - for all lab and research personnel
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Processingtalk - for process engineers
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QA-talk - for quality assurance professionals
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Subcontractingtalk - for the subcontract manufacturing industry
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Buildingtalk - for the building and construction industry
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CIMtalk - for automation engineers and the industrial IT sector
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*** Coming soon - join now ***
Printingtalk - for printers and print buyers
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