The Manufacturer

RF Chip (Radio-frequency identification)

Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is the wireless non-contact use of radio-frequency electromagnetic fields to transfer data, for the purposes of automatically identifying and tracking tags attached to objects. The tags contain electronically stored information. Some tags are powered and read at short ranges (a few meters) via magnetic fields (electromagnetic induction). Others use a local power source such as a battery, or else have no battery but collect energy from the interrogating EM field, and then act as a passive transponder to emit microwaves or UHF radio waves (i.e., electromagnetic radiation at high frequencies). Battery powered tags may operate at hundreds of meters. Unlike a bar code, the tag does not necessarily need to be within line of sight of the reader, and may be embedded in the tracked object.

RFID tags are used in many industries. An RFID tag attached to an automobile during production can be used to track its progress through the assembly line. Pharmaceuticals can be tracked through warehouses. Livestock and pets may have tags injected, allowing positive identification of the animal.

Since RFID tags can be attached to clothing, possessions, or even implanted within people, the possibility of reading personally-linked information without consent has raised privacy concerns.

Encoder / Decoder

An encoder is a device, circuit, transducer, software program, algorithm or person that converts information from one format or code to another, for the purposes of standardization, speed, secrecy, security, or saving space by shrinking size.

A decoder is a device which does the reverse operation of an encoder, undoing the encoding so that the original information can be retrieved. The same method used to encode is usually just reversed in order to decode. It is a combinational circuit that converts binary information from n input lines to a maximum of 2ⁿ unique output lines.

In digital electronics, a decoder can take the form of a multiple-input, multiple-output logic circuit that converts coded inputs into coded outputs, where the input and output codes are different. e.g. n-to-2ⁿ, binary-coded decimal decoders. Enable inputs must be on for the decoder to function, otherwise its outputs assume a single "disabled" output code word. Decoding is necessary in applications such as data multiplexing, 7 segment display and memory address decoding.

Indispensability of Charge Controllers

A charge controller is basically a voltage or current regulator that keeps batteries from overcharging. It regulates the voltage and current coming from the solar panels going to the battery. Most “12volt” panels put out about 16 to 20 volts, so if there is no regulation, the batteries will be damaged from overcharging. Most batteries need around 14 to 14.5 volts to get fully charged.

 

A charge controller limits the rate at which electric current is added to or drawn from electric batteries. It prevents overcharging and may prevent against over voltage, which can reduce battery performance or lifespan, and may pose a safety risk. It may also prevent completely draining a battery, or perform controlled discharges, depending on the battery technology, to protect battery life. The term “charge controller” may refer to either a stand-alone device, or to control circuitry integrated within a battery pack or battery recharger.

Solar Battery Could Alter Dramatically Home Energy Use

Solar batteries are designed to offer reliable, consistent, and low maintenance power for renewable energy requirements. These batteries can be subject to deep cycle applications and minimum maintenance in rural and power deficit areas. The batteries have a capacity to withstand partial state of charge operation. The Life of solar battery is dependent on the ambient temperatures and the number of times it is cycled and the depth of discharge. It is applied widely in household lighting, street lighting and in rural and urban cellular telecom installations. In the next couple years, the use will be increased by governmental agencies in the new and renewable energy.

 

Renewable energy is constantly evolving and challenging traditional utilities but solar battery could make power much easier to use and cut customers’ dependence on energy companies dramatically. Solar batteries allow homes and businesses to store solar power to use in the hours of darkness and can also help create “smart grids” that react to sudden power swings and free stored energy when needed.

Receptacle Connector

Receptacle connector is the interface generally used by most routers and DSUs that connect to T-1 carriers used for synchronous communication interfaces. In general, receptacle connector is a high-speed serial interface designed to support both higher data rates and connectivity between data-terminal equipment or data-communication equipment over digital lines. The type of connector has been used in many industrial and commercial telecommunication applications including private lines, frame relay, ATM, and Internet access etc.

The receptacle connector is a flat, rectangular interface with 34 pin connectors. It is a cost-effective solution to mass data transmission. The connector has become a de facto standard for a serial interface in the 48 to 64 Kbps range and is capable of operating as high as 2 Mbps fairly easily. It is typically used between a modem and a multiplexor. All the items of receptacle connectors have required UL approval to ensure the product safety and quality.

Ribbon Connector

With a piece of ribbon structure and a row of pin headers, a ribbon connector is a type of connector, allowing a ribbon cable to be forced onto sharp tines on the back of the contacts. The connectors at the end of a ribbon cable are known as the insulation displacement connectors. It was designed to transfer digital audio signals from compact disc players to outboard digital-to-analog converters. Ribbon connector is used today with a wide range of audio and video devices that output digital audio signals such as LCD’s, Plasma TV, LED’s, Air Conditioners etc. 

The modular design of pin headers and sockets provides a reliable mass termination and highly effective approach to interconnecting PCBs, or wire-to-board, separable header/socket applications. In addition, the most striking features of this ribbon connector are high contact reliability, long lifespan, high density insulated, color coded and low contact resistance.

Laser Cutter

Laser cutting is a technology that uses a laser to cut materials, and is typically used for industrial manufacturing applications, but is also starting to be used by schools, small business, and hobbyists. Laser cutting works by directing the output of a high-power laser, by computer, at the material to be cut. The material then either melts, burns, vaporizes away, or is blown away by a jet of gas, leaving an edge with high-quality surface finish. Industrial laser cutters are used to cut flat-sheet materials as well as structural and piping materials.

 

There are three main types of lasers used in laser cutting. The CO2 laser is suited for cutting, boring, and engraving. The neodymium (Nd) and neodymium yttrium-aluminium-gamet (Nd-YAG) lasers are identical in style and differ only in application. Nd is used for boring and where high energy but low repetition are required. The Nd-YAG laser is used where very high power is needed and for boring and engraving. Both CO2 and Nd/Nd-YAG lasers can be used for welding.

 

Common variants of CO2 lasers include fast axial flow, slow axial flow, transverse flow, and slab.

How Does Laser Engraving Help You Accomplish the Work?

To remember someone you admire or respect, you can buy or do some memorial productions to accomplish the goal.  For example, a friend of mine is a big fan of DIY, and the other day she showed me an amazing work made by laser engraving system.  It is an album in rememberance of Michael Jackson, and the cover of the CD is engraved by the laser machine.  

I have to say, thanks to the invention and improving technology, the artwork with various looks is getting easier than before.  Besides, you can apply the equipment to engrave your wedding photo or even the picture of your lovely pets on the surface as memorial item.  Maybe I will try to make one in the future.  By the way, here's the video of the process of the laser engracing.  Let's be amazed by the technology together!  

 

 

PV Roof Mounting For Your Home

Photovoltaics is emerging as a major power resource, steadily becoming more affordable and proving to be more reliable than utilities. Solar rack systems work by converting light into electrical power. This is achieved using a thin layer of semi-conducting material, most commonly silicon, enclosed in a glass or plastic casing. These can range in size with small versions used on watches and calculators to a system of hundreds of square metres of solar PV panels linked up to make an array to power large buildings.

Often the most convenient and appropriate place to put the PV array is on the roof of the building. The PV array may be mounted above and parallel to the roof surface with a standoff of several inches for cooling purposes. Sometimes, such as with flat roofs, a separate structure with a more optimal tilt angle is mounted on the roof.

Demand for PV Roof Panels has sky rocketed as prices continue to decrease and tax incentives and environmental concerns are increasing. Today’s PV Panels are very easy to install and generally do not require any additional support or changes to your existing roof. Panels as thin as 1 are easy to hide and work great in low slope areas.  A complete system can be installed by an experience team of contractors in one afternoon. You can do it yourself with some basic tools and electrical knowledge. Solar racking systems have traditionally used substantial quantities of expensive and high-embedded-energy materials—mostly anodized aluminum and stainless steel for strength and longevity.

A Cheap Solution to Electricity Supply- Human Hair

Can you imagine we can use our hair as a conductor in solar panels or solar batteries to produce cheap, green electricity? It sounds impossible in the past, however, the young inventor make it! Human hair can conduct static electricity .When dry human hair comes in contact with a charged body then they become straightened.

The young inventor is called Milan Karki, 18, who comes from a village in rural Nepal, he has found the solution to revolutionize renewable energy for energy needs. The teen inventor discovered the melanin in hair, which is responsible for producing hair color, is a good conductor of electrical energy. He used human hair to replace silicon in solar panels. He has built several prototypes. Once manufactured, he thinks these panels could be half the cost of the cheapest solar panels now available. It cost around $38 to produce. The panel made by Milan Karki is 15 inches square and can produce 18 Watts (9 volts at 2 amps), It can charge a cell phone or a pack of batteries capable of providing light all night.

This low cost device could be a revolutionary development in solar power bringing down the cost of the technology, bringing power to the masses and using materials which are common to everyone in the world. Karki says that solar panels can be produced for around £23, a price tag that could be halved if they were mass-produced. At first, he just wanted to provide electricity for his home. Now, his biggest goal is to provide electricity for the whole world.