EE&T News: July 12, 2010

A waste of energy

Among the features most recently added to the EE&T Web site is our blog area. (blog.eetweb.com/a-waste-of-energy/) In there you will find a couple of noteworthy statistics: Manufacturing employment in the U.S. computer industry is about 166,000, lower than it was before the first PC, the MITS Altair 2800, was assembled in 1975. And for every Apple worker in the U.S. there are 10 people in China working on iMacs, iPods, and iPhones.
Meanwhile, send your energy efficiency news to us: [email protected]
Leland Teschler, Editor Read More

A magnetic fridge? Maybe someday

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A better stove for Ethiopians

Berkeley Lab researchers have redesigned an efficient cookstove initially devised for displaced people in Darfur so that it works equally well for Ethiopians. Each Berkeley-Darfur Stove uses two to three times less wood than traditional stoves. One twist: Instead of financing the scale-up of stove dissemination through charities, project sponsor World Vision intends for the pilot project to take advantage of the world carbon market. A stove that costs less than $25 to produce can generate $140 in income this way. READ MORE Read More

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More efficient heat pumps?

Navigating international efficiency mandates

Whether you are talking about power supplies, white goods, motorized equipment, or TV sets, there is a whole host of mandates that, one way or another, specify minimum power efficiencies. But there is no such thing as a global efficiency standard. Each region of the world tends to tailor its efficiency mandates in ways reflecting its ecopolitical environment and the lifestyle of its population. So designers who build systems for worldwide markets must navigate a variety of region-specific dictates. READ MORE Read More

Energy Shorts

An offline LED driver integrates power factor correction (PFC) and isolated step-down ac-dc power conversion in a single stage

Opportunity knocks - on a keyboard

Diffusers get better at handling LEDs

A better way to harvest minuscule amounts of power

Hybrid powertrains get isolated for safety
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Industrial designers like LEDs

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High-brightness LEDs come to light tubes

LED tubes are often used to light instrumentation or diagnostic equipment and to add highlighting. Now light tubes come with HB LEDs and a special aluminum body for thermo-management. The tubes are available in four standard lengths and in various colors. HB Light Tube modules can be combined with rigid or flexible light guides in various lengths. READ MORE Read More

Brushless 8-mm motor

The new brushless 8-mm dc motor offers continuous current up to 0.95 mNm, speeds to 80,000 rpm, and a 70% efficiency rating. Available with or without Hall sensors and with 6, 12, and 24-V windings, the motor can be combined with a GP 8A planetary gearhead. Two 1-quadrant amplifiers are available to serve as controllers: the DEC 24/1– directly connected via flexprint, and the DEC Module 24/2, a miniature plug-in module.
maxon precision motors Read More

High-efficiency power adapters

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