Spring is in the air again, and the sun is in the sky, at least here in Scotland and hopefully where you are too. I find the daylight lasting longer and the heat from the sun really lifts my mood and fills me full of optimism that things will improve this year. After the last two years, that shouldn’t be too difficult!
Our Special Report this month looks at industrial applications. In Europe, industrial electronics is the biggest sector of the electronics industry, and with the rise of Industry 4.0, it is only going to increase in importance. Industry 4.0 will help manufacturing make goods much more efficiently, with less wastage. It will also assist in making manufacturing more predictable. This will be achieved with the help of sensors measuring every aspect of the process.
Our first article this month is on just this subject. Environmental sensing is used extensively in industry. Ensuring the working environment is the correct temperature and humidity ensures machinery is working efficiently and reduces variation. Environmental sensing is also an important tool for keeping the workforce safe, by detecting dangerous gasses for example. It has also proven useful during the recent COVID pandemic, by detecting people with high temperatures. There are many different types of sensor that perform well and can be bought off-the-shelf currently, so is there a need for more? Sfera Labs thought so. In our first Special Report, the company’s Ulderico Arcidiaco talks us through the decision process that the company took when deciding if it could add to the environmental sensor market.
Sfera Labs specialises in solutions that use the popular Raspberry Pi single-board computer. The route the company took differs from other environmental sensors by providing an open platform for developers to implement unique solutions on the board, rather than using cloud-based processing like many other solutions do. The company’s journey to a functional product was not plain sailing, and one of the main problems was the amount of power drawn. Read about how the company overcame those problems and got to market in the article.
Our second Special Report article this month is also linked to sensing, this time imaging. Advancements in electronics mean that imaging is a viable option for the inspection of goods on the production line and many other new applications. However, when used in low-light conditions, the sensor is very dependent on having a good, reliable power source that does not introduce any noise into the circuit. In the article, Gary Bocock from XP Power describes the requirements of such a power source and talks about how it can be implemented.
In addition to the articles in the Special Report, we will also feature a selection of general power articles in our Technical Focus section, as well as news and comment from leading companies in the industry. I’m sure there will be something in the magazine of interest to everyone.
Best Regards,
Ally Winning
European Editor, PSD
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