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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 22,000
Published every Tuesday from the UK.
Issue 186: 12 October 2004
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18969 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] DSOs boost productivity in the lab and field
[2] Platform embeds LabView-based acquisition
[3] PowerPC processor boasts boosted bandwidth
[4] Free trial for prototyping boards
[5] Novel tantalums handle repeated reflow
[6] Circulars and D-subs take filters onboard
[7] Glaring omission for new-generation touch screens
[8] Soft gel grommets cushion PCBs from shock
[9] FPGA core cuts costs for avionics designers
[10] Stencils ensure accurate rework
* New Technical Articles and Case Studies
* Other featured product news
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Laurence Marchini, Editor, writes:
The recent news that Dell has recalled no fewer than 4.4 million laptop power adapters is a very good example of a manufacturer taking a responsible approach to product safety that goes far beyond the moment of sale. And, as the power supplies in question were sold between September 1998 and February 2002, the action goes far beyond any warranty responsibility as well.
The adapters in question, it seems, are in danger of overheating, creating possible fire and shock hazards.
No doubt, a cynic might point out that the company is only “covering its backside” against the possibility of future litigation. And we wouldn’t want to get into the possible suits that the legal profession might cook up from the concept of an overheating laptop.
However, it would appear that Dell has learned the lessons of the automotive industry which – after the Nader scandals of the 1970s - has never been slow to recall any product that has shown a likelihood to fail in an unsafe manner.
(Indeed, over the past 10 or so years, no fewer than four cars in my own custody have been recalled to check and/or replace a defect that has been shown to be potentially dangerous in similar models.)
The truth of the matter is that such public admissions of failure actually serve to enhance public confidence in a product – and the company performing the recall.
After all, Dell could have taken the approach used by the building products industry on asbestos, or that of the tobacco industry on all its products, and simply ignore the matter hoping it would go away.
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 e-mail alone: see details below.
In the meantime, if you have any suggestions as to how we might make the site or the newsletter better, e-mail 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!
BOUNDARY SCAN EXPERTISE CENTRES ON MONTREAL
Gopel Electronic has established its tenth centre of expertise (COE) for the service and support of its JTAG/boundary scan technology in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Gopel Electronic, 6 October 2004
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/gpe/gpe104.html
or send a blank email to mailto:gpe1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
INVESTMENT TO EXPAND MOBILE DESIGN SUPPORT
Sasken Communication Technologies is to invest more than Eur 17 million to strengthen its position as a leading provider of applications, IP and integration services to mobile platform developers.
Sasken Communication Technologies, 6 October 2004
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/sas/sas112.html
or send a blank email to mailto:sas1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
ACQUISITION TO ADD TECHNOLOGY CAD EXPERTISE
Synopsys has executed an agreement to acquire Integrated Systems Engineering (ISE), a leader in technology CAD (TCAD) software products and services.
Synopsys, 12 October 2004
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/syn/syn260.html
or send a blank email to mailto:syn2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
PRESTWICK GAINS AUTOMOTIVE APPROVAL
Prestwick Circuits has gained the approval of the prestigious automotive standard TS16949:2002.
Prestwick Circuits, 7 October 2004
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tle/tle106.html
or send a blank email to mailto:tle1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
CHINA FACILITY OPENS
Indium Corp has opened a new facility in China, combining solder paste manufacturing and quality operations with fully integrated sales and technical support teams.
Indium Corporation of America, 8 October 2004
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/idi/idi131.html
or send a blank email to mailto:idi1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
FINISAR AND INFINEON MODIFY ACQUISITION DEAL
Finisar Corp and Infineon Technologies have modified the terms of a previously announced agreement under which Finisar is to acquire Infineon's Fibre Optics Business Unit.
Finisar Corp, 12 October 2004
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/fni/fni125.html
or send a blank email to mailto:fni1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
NEW HQ COMES ON-STREAM
Timbercon has completed the expansion and relocation of the corporate headquarters to Lake Oswego, Oregon.
Timbercon, 12 October 2004
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tbe/tbe101.html
or send a blank email to mailto:tbe1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
CHINESE CONVERTOR PLANT CELEBRATES FIRST DECADE
C and D Technologies' Power Electronics Division has marked a major milestone in China by celebrating the ten-year anniversary of its Guangzhou-based manufacturing operation.
C and D Technologies (NCL), 11 October 2004
http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/can/can161.html
or send a blank email to mailto:can1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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OUR TOP TEN NEW PRODUCTS SELECTION
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[1] DSOS BOOST PRODUCTIVITY IN THE LAB AND FIELD
(Tektronix, 11 October 2004)
The TPS2000 Series of digital storage oscilloscopes (DSOs) is designed to improve the productivity of designers and technicians requiring a powerful, general-purpose oscilloscope in a compact, portable package. The TPS2000 Series are the first full-featured, four-isolated-channel, battery-powered oscilloscopes providing an accomplished measurement tool equally adept in the lab or in the field.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tek/tek213.html
or send a blank email to mailto:tek2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[2] PLATFORM EMBEDS LABVIEW-BASED ACQUISITION
(National Instruments, 11 October 2004)
CompactRIO is an ultra-high-performance embedded control and acquisition platform powered by reconfigurable I/O (RIO) technology for advanced applications where small size and reliability are crucial. National Instruments RIO technology gives LabView developers the ability to define their own custom measurement hardware circuitry using reconfigurable FPGA chips and LabView graphical development tools.
Request a free brochure by post:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/naa/168/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/naa/naa168.html
or send a blank email to mailto:naa1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[3] POWERPC PROCESSOR BOASTS BOOSTED BANDWIDTH
(AMCC, 7 October 2004)
Applied Micro Circuits Corp has unveiled its high-performance PowerPC 440SPe processor. Based on the PowerPC 440 superscalar core, the PowerPC 440SPe offers higher bandwidth, PCI Express based connectivity and design flexibility for demanding embedded storage and networking applications. The first processor to offer three independent PCI Express interfaces and one PCI-X version 2.0 interface, AMCC's PowerPC 440SPe is ideally suited for RAID controllers and storage area networking (SAN) equipment.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ayg/ayg100.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ayg1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[4] FREE TRIAL FOR PROTOTYPING BOARDS
(Schmartboard, 7 October 2004)
Schmartboard has begun a programme to give out free samples of its novel prototyping aids. According to VP Sales and Marketing, Neal Greenberg: "Although we have been very successful in capturing business from engineers, students and hobbyists, our product is unique, and it is hard to convince people that a better 'mousetrap' exists until they actually use it".
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/sbo/sbo110.html
or send a blank email to mailto:sbo1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[5] NOVEL TANTALUMS HANDLE REPEATED REFLOW
(AVX, 11 October 2004)
TCJ conductive polymer tantalum capacitors from AVX are constructed using a conductive polymer cathode resulting in devices that have a very low ESR, yet are very robust and easily capable of withstanding the rigours of lead-free soldering processes that are demanded by emerging international directives such as the RoHS and WEEE legislation. The key advantage of conductive polymer cathode technology is that it enables users to take advantage of the volumetric efficiency of tantalum, but also offers significantly reduced ESR.
Request a free brochure by post:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/avx/103/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/avx/avx103.html
or send a blank email to mailto:avx1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[6] CIRCULARS AND D-SUBS TAKE FILTERS ONBOARD
(Smiths Interconnect - Sabritec, 8 October 2004)
Sabritec has a new line of ESD filter composite connectors for circular, rack and panel (ARINC) and D-subminiature receptacles. Offering the best protection against EMI and ESD environments, the new connectors are ideal for power management systems, video processing equipment and military fighter jet applications.
Request a free brochure by post:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/sbr/106/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/sbr/sbr106.html
or send a blank email to mailto:sbr1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[7] GLARING OMISSION FOR NEW-GENERATION TOUCH SCREENS
(3M Touch Systems UK, 11 October 2004)
3M Touch Systems has developed a new generation of capacitive touch screens offering advanced antiglare design for increased durability in harsh environments such as the gaming, point-of-sale and industrial markets. 3M's ClearTek II Profile and MicroTouch Software Suite are designed to enable easy integration and creative application designs. Based on the original ClearTek capacitive product line, ClearTek II is compatible with existing MicroTouch EX II controllers for customer upgrade flexibility.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/mto/mto105.html
or send a blank email to mailto:mto1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[8] SOFT GEL GROMMETS CUSHION PCBS FROM SHOCK
(Gel-Mec UK, 6 October 2004)
Mobile computers or handheld devices often endure a daily regimen of mechanical shock and vibration, increasing the chance that fragile components like PCBs will be damaged. A wide variety vibration and shock from the road, rail, door movement or engine itself can cause PCB flexure and cracking. Similarly, handheld test and measuring equipment is often routinely tossed in briefcases, sent clattering to the floor, or squeezed into a pocket. Gel-Mec's range of soft gel grommets are ideal for cushioning sensitive PCBs and other light components.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/gel/gel108.html
or send a blank email to mailto:gel1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[9] FPGA CORE CUTS COSTS FOR AVIONICS DESIGNERS
(Actel Europe, 7 October 2004)
Underscoring its longstanding position as a leading supplier of field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) to the aerospace industry, Actel has released a new intellectual property (IP) core designed to reduce development time and improve the performance of aircraft communications systems. The new Actel Core429 is a bus interface core that implements the ARINC429 communications standard and is optimised for use with Actel's nonvolatile FPGAs, including its ProASIC Plus and Axcelerator devices.
Request a free brochure by post:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/act/185/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/act/act185.html
or send a blank email to mailto:act1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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[10] STENCILS ENSURE ACCURATE REWORK
(Tecan Components, 6 October 2004)
PCB rework stencils that ensure accurate and repeatable printed results, for single component footprints such as QFPs, PLCCs, BGAs, uBGAs and surface-mount connectors, are now available from Tecan, along with a range of associated accessories. The precision stencils mimic the footprint and aperture sizes corresponding to both the device requirements and the original stencil used in production. In combination with a rework station, alignment is simple, resulting in a controlled "right first time" process.
Request a free brochure by post:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/tea/157/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tea/tea157.html
or send a blank email to mailto:tea1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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New Technical Articles and Case Studies
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CHORUS CHIP ENABLES NEW LOW COST DAB RADIO
(Frontier Silicon, 6 October 2004)
The Chorus chip is powering the latest major new innovation in DAB digital radio.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/fon/fon113.html
or send a blank email to mailto:fon1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
GPS ANTENNA SET FOR SPACE MISSION
(Sarantel, 12 October 2004)
Surrey Satellite Technology has chosen the GeoHelix M GPS antenna for a new miniature satellite.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/sab/sab125.html
or send a blank email to mailto:sab1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
OPTICAL INSPECTION SYSTEM AIDS PSU QUALITY DRIVE
(Contax, 11 October 2004)
Lambda UK has purchased a new inline optical inspection system from Contax, UK's leading independent supplier of automation production equipment.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/cnt/cnt120.html
or send a blank email to mailto:cnt1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
BATTERY CHARGERS EVOLVE WITH MORE INTELLIGENCE
(Lawtronics, 6 October 2004)
The rapidly expanding market for portable equipment is leading to continuing demands for batteries to deliver improved performance and longer operating life.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/lwo/lwo108.html
or send a blank email to mailto:lwo1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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Other featured product news
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PRECISION AMPLIFIERS LEAD THE LINE
(National Semiconductor, 6 October 2004)
A new family of high-precision, high-performance amplifiers heralds National Semiconductor's entry into the burgeoning precision market.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/nat/nat294.html
or send a blank email to mailto:nat2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
DSP-BASED SOC SPEEDS IMAGING APPLICATIONS
(Agilent Technologies, 11 October 2004)
Agilent Technologies has validated the ChipWrights CWv16 DSP core in an SoC manufactured using 90nm process technology.
Free brochure on ChipWrights CWv16 based SoC:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/agi/252/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/agi/agi252.html
or send a blank email to mailto:agi2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
LOWER PROFILE FOR IGBT HALF BRIDGE MODULE
(Semikron, 11 October 2004)
Semikron has demonstrated the versatility and scalability of its SEMiX family of IGBT half-bridge modules with the introduction of the SEMiX4.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/skr/skr100.html
or send a blank email to mailto:skr1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
FAST AND FRUGAL ADCS BOAST TOP AC PERFORMANCE
(Linear Technology Corp, 11 October 2004)
A new family of high-speed ADCs combines outstanding AC performance with extremely low power, making them ideal for a range of wireless and cable communications systems.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/lne/lne104.html
or send a blank email to mailto:lne1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
REGISTER AND PLL BOOST MEMORY MODULE BANDWIDTH
(Inphi Corp, 12 October 2004)
Inphi Corp is delivering the industry's first register and phase lock loop for registered DIMMs operating at 667 and 800Mbit/s using DDR2 technology.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/inp/inp101.html
or send a blank email to mailto:inp1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
ENHANCED PERFORMANCE FOR POWER MOSFETS
(STMicroelectronics, 12 October 2004)
STMicroelectronics has released a further range of low-voltage N-channel MOSFETs based on its STripFET technology.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/stm/stm120.html
or send a blank email to mailto:stm1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
CHARCROFT COVERS OBSOLETE SYFER DEVICES
(Charcroft Electronics, 6 October 2004)
Syfer Technology is to withdraw its 8123Z and 8133Z ranges of moulded radial multilayer ceramic capacitors.
Free brochure on Syfer Technology replacement capacitors:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/ccr/102/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ccr/ccr102.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ccr1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
CORES GAIN DEDICATED DSP EXTENSION
(MIPS Technologies, 6 October 2004)
The MIPS DSP ASE is a new digital signal processing extension to the industry-standard MIPS architecture.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/mip/mip247.html
or send a blank email to mailto:mip2[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
BUDGET C COMPILERS SPEED EMBEDDED MICRO DESIGN
(Computer Solutions, 8 October 2004)
Three new low-cost C compilers for embedded micros from Hi-Tech allow high-quality code to be generated in a fraction of the time required for handwritten assembler code.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/com/com131.html
or send a blank email to mailto:com1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
KITS SHOW OFF LIVE APPROACH TO ELECTRONICS DESIGN
(Altium, 8 October 2004)
New LiveDesign evaluation kits include a versatile, low-cost evaluation board with the choice of either an Altera Cyclone or Xilinx Spartan-3 FPGA device.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/tas/tas161.html
or send a blank email to mailto:tas1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
NEW LEDS SHOW UP AT ELECTRONICA
(Forge Europa, 11 October 2004)
Forge Europa will exhibit groundbreaking new products on Stand 167 in Hall A4 at Electronica in Munich.
Free brochure on Products at Electronica:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/frg/125/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/frg/frg125.html
or send a blank email to mailto:frg1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
NOVEL CLAIMS FOR OPTICALLY ENHANCED LCD
(Global Display Solutions, 12 October 2004)
Global Display Solutions has a new range of industrial LCDs for use in numerous industries worldwide including transport, banking, process, kiosk and marine.
Free brochure on Industrial LCDs:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/glo/132/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/glo/glo132.html
or send a blank email to mailto:glo1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
BACKPLANE CONNECTORS ARE READY FOR 10GBIT/S
(Molex UK, 11 October 2004)
The latest GbX connector system from Molex can now deliver speeds from 6.0 to 10Gbit/s while providing high density with up to 27 real differential pairs per 10mm.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/mol/mol172.html
or send a blank email to mailto:mol1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
CONNECTORS OFFER COMPACT SCREENED I/O
(FCI, 12 October 2004)
The Densi-Shield I/O connector system offers eight pair connectors providing a reduced side-by-side pitch of 12.5mm and PCB-level EMC protection assuring data transmission at 2.5Gbit/s and beyond.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/fci/fci125.html
or send a blank email to mailto:fci1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
CONFIGURABLE CONVERTOR AIDS PCB DESIGN AND TEST
(Artesyn Technologies, 7 October 2004)
A new remotely configurable point-of-load DC/DC convertor from Artesyn Technologies provides powerful control flexibility for PCB design qualification and production test.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/art/art186.html
or send a blank email to mailto:art1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
CONTROLLERS CUT COST OF AEROSPACE POWER MANAGEMENT
(DDC United Kingdom, 11 October 2004)
DDC's new RPC board technology offers substantially lower costs per channel than traditional solid state power controller modules in military and aerospace power management systems.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ddc/ddc116.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ddc1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
COMPACTPCI BOARD EQUIPPED FOR MISSION-CRITICAL USE
(Extreme Engineering Solutions, 6 October 2004)
The XPedite1032 is a 3U conduction-cooled CompactPCI board hosting AMCC's PowerPC 440GX processor with EmbVue's A-Stack network stack.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/ext/ext104.html
or send a blank email to mailto:ext1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
PLUG-IN BOARD MONITORS PC HEALTH REMOTELY
(Contec Microelectronics Europe, 8 October 2004)
A novel PCI-based plug-in board remotely monitors the reliability, availability and serviceability of a computer.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/cec/cec102.html
or send a blank email to mailto:cec1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
FLASH PMC PROVIDES RUGGED STORAGE
(Asine, 12 October 2004)
The ASPMC-660 is a rugged 8Gbyte Flash PMC claimed to set a new benchmark with sustained transfer speeds up to 40Mbyte/s, and burst transfers at 100Mbyte/s.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/adh/adh100.html
or send a blank email to mailto:adh1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
PXI DIGITISER CAPTURES SPEEDY SIGNALS
(Adlink Technology, 7 October 2004)
The PXI-9820 is the latest high-speed PXI digitiser from Adlink Technology.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/adl/adl142.html
or send a blank email to mailto:adl1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
PMR TESTER HAS THE PERSONALITY TO COPE WITH TETRA
(Aeroflex, 8 October 2004)
The IFR 3900 Series is a next-generation portable digital radio test set platform claimed to set a new benchmark for quality, performance and value.
Free brochure on IFR 3900 Series:
http://www.electronicstalk.com/rdx/da/aof/108/4
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/aof/aof108.html
or send a blank email to mailto:aof1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
USB LOGGER STRIPS DOWN FOR OEM USE
(Audon Electronics, 12 October 2004)
Now available form Audon Electronics is a board-only OEM version of the popular USB based LabJack U12 USB data acquisition and control device.
* Read more: http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/aud/aud105.html
or send a blank email to mailto:aud1[-email removed-]lectronicstalk.com
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