Here’s a fun project: Pop open an old microwave oven and scavenge the high-voltage transformer powering the cavity magnetron vacuum tube. Then use it to make yourself a Lichtenberg generator. But be sure there’s someone nearby to call an ambulance. Lichtenberg generators are used to create art and abstract objects by burning fractal patterns into […]
Now or later? No time for time-of-use energy savings
Leland Teschler, Executive Editor One of the big justifications for smart home electronics and internet-of-things pipe dreams is a concept called time-of-use electricity billing. Long used for industrial concerns, the plan is to bring TOU billing to households, so they’ll be charged more for electricity they use during periods of peak use, less for juice […]
All-electric Formula-E racing ramps up
The Formula-E championship is comprised of 13 races that take place in 12 cities across five continents. Season five kicked off in Ad Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday, December 16, 2018, and will take its final lap in New York City on Sunday, July 14, 2019. The next race takes place this Saturday, February 16, […]
Halt and catch fire: The perils of cheap PoE
Dave Jeskey tells an interesting story about what happened when an LED lighting company operated a few of its products in a test chamber. The RJ45 plugs, used for making a connection to a Power over Ethernet cable, melted. The RJ45 plugs came from Sentinel Connector Systems where Jeskey is director of sales and marketing. […]
The down side of free samples
If you’ve had hassles trying to get component samples for a project, you can thank the efforts of a few enterprising students for making your life more complicated. Here’s a microcosm of what has happened with sample parts: The folks at Texas Instruments once had a liberal policy about giving out free samples of the […]
Gallery: Technical highlights of the Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo
Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo & Conference kicked off this week in Novi, Mich. near Detroit. Billed as a forum for electric, hybrid and plugin hybrid vehicle technology, it showcased technological developments along the supply chain including electrical powertrains and components, battery management systems, materials and equipment. Here are a few of the more […]
Cheapest source of power? NREL says it might be solar
The levelized cost of energy (LCOE) for some kinds of solar and wind power can be cheaper than that for conventional gas-fired power plants. That is one conclusion to be had from the 2017 edition of the National Renewable Energy Lab’s Annual Technology Baseline (ATB) which summarizes the current and projected technology cost and performance […]
The next EV to drool over: An 1,800-hp hybrid will hit 150 mph in under eight seconds
The Tesla Roadster covers the quarter-mile in 12.757 seconds while hitting 104.74 mph. Big deal. There’s a hybrid in the works at Ariel Motor Co. in the UK that will leave a Tesla eating its dust, even with the Tesla running in “ludicrous” mode. The range extended, electric sports car project is called the Hipercar […]
Gallery: Connected car electronics on display at NXP FTF Connects in Detroit
Chip supplier NXP recently put on its two-day FTF Connects event in the Motor City. Focusing on connected vehicle and autonomous technology, featured several interesting demos and a ride in cars outfitted in V2V and V2I technology. Here are a few of the more interesting sites we found in the exhibit area and the technical […]
Battery humor of the day: The Mercedes AA Class
Battery humor of the day: The Mercedes AA Class
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