Now available from Aerco is a new LED buffer stop light that has a robust housing supporting a multi-cluster of high intensity, sunlight readable red LED elements.

Operating from either 110 VDC or AC, the polycarbonate lens provides excellent wide-angle viewing for signals and indicator illumination. Benefits include high optical performance, lower heat generation and outstanding reliability. Railtrack approved, the unit features two parallel branches of LEDs and independent circuitry providing a 50% redundancy factor.

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Free tools, resources and reviews helping DesignSpark to become the trusted online gateway for design engineers

RS Components has today announced that DesignSpark, the new gateway to online design resources and support has now gained over 12,000 members, making it one of the fastest growing start-up sites supporting the electronics design community. This benchmark has been achieved after just six weeks from DesignSpark launching on July 5th, giving engineers trusted and reliable information, user-generated reviews and resources. The site can be accessed at www.designspark.com

Through DesignSpark, engineers are able to download free design tools such as DesignSpark PCB, the world’s most powerful free schematic and pcb design tool, track the latest developments in embedded computing from ARM and Arduino, see project developments on the RS EDP, and review new Development Kits. The Spark Store also offers new design tools from a range of manufacturers and programming tools from across the web. Members have publicised useful links, training events and materials, using DesignSpark as the gateway to resources both within the site and in the wider electronics design community.

Commenting, Glenn Jarrett, Head of Electronics Marketing for RS Components said, “We are very pleased to see how quickly DesignSpark has become a favourite site for engineers. Our customers told us the value they place on free design tools and resources, and this has been demonstrated by the positive reaction to the features within DesignSpark.” David Tarrant, Global Technical Community Manager for RS Components added, “We are seeing strong engagement from DesignSpark members on the site, using the resources, reviews and tools, and actively contributing. Our members are adding knowledge that other users now benefit from in creating their new designs.”

DesignSpark and DesignSpark PCB are available to engineers worldwide at www.designspark.com. Users are invited to register to join DesignSpark and have access to development kit reviews, design centre information and free applications in the Spark Store, as well as connecting with other engineers and online resources.

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Mouser Electronics, Inc., today announced it was recognized by TDK for outstanding sales achievement in fiscal year 2010 for sales growth exceeding 57%. TDK is world renowned for its expertise in multi-layer ceramic capacitors, inductors, and a wide range of passive electronic components focused on miniaturization.

The TDK Sales Achievement Award was presented to Mouser for outstanding sales growth. Mouser attributes it success to its ever-increasing, loyal customer base that relies on Mouser to rapidly provide the newest products and latest technologies. Mouser also points to TDK’s ability to produce popular, updated product lines in a timely fashion to meet market demands.

The Mouser / TDK distribution agreement was recently expanded to a global distributorship because of Mouser’s increasing presence throughout the world, which includes numerous sales branches in Europe and Asia, 42 global websites supporting 14 languages, and transactions in 18 currencies.

Andy Kerr, Mouser Vice President of Passives, states, “The TDK Award for outstanding sales achievement confirms our goal of putting the customer first. Sales growth of over 57% in a single year is achievable only by providing exactly what products are needed, when it’s needed, and at a competitive price.” Kerr added, “Ease of ordering through mouser.com or toll-free is an added bonus that design engineers seek.”

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Electronic components distributor Digi-Key Corporation, and Opto Diode Corporation, a global supplier of advanced performance photodiodes and highly reliable visible and IR LEDs, today announced the companies have entered into an agreement in which Digi-Key will distribute Opto Diode products to customers worldwide.

Opto Diode products are now in stock and available for purchase on Digi-Key’s global websites. Products from Opto Diode Corporation will also be featured in future print and online catalogs.

“Digi-Key is very pleased to announce this new distribution agreement with Opto Diode Corporation,” said Dave Doherty, Digi-Key’s vice president of semiconductor product. “We believe this new partnership with Opto Diode affirms Digi-Key’s commitment to work with the world’s leading suppliers and provide the distribution industry’s widest selection of electronic components to our global customers.”

“Opto Diode is looking forward to the many customer benefits of teaming with an international distributor that strives to keep all parts in stock,” said Russ Dahl, general manager of Opto Diode.

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Electronic components distributor Digi-Key Corporation, today announced it is a platinum sponsor for 2010 WaveForum, a wireless developers conference slated for August 24-26, 2010 at the Minneapolis Marriott Southwest in Minnetonka, Minnesota.

Designed to provide greater insight into the latest innovations in wireless technology, this fifth annual Digi International event will feature more than 30 sessions devoted to such topics as embedded wireless technologies, including Wi-Fi and ZigBee, remote device communication using cellular and satellite networks, and how to integrate applications through various device management utilities.

Digi-Key Applications Engineer Brandon Tougas will be among the conference presenters. The topic of his presentation will be “WF905 – A Wireless Weather Station.” During his 10 years at Digi-Key, Tougas has worked as a technical support specialist, product manager, and for the past three years, as an applications engineer with Digi-Key’s Design Support Services group. Tougas has an Associate degree in Electronics Technology from Northland Community & Technical College, Thief River Falls and will graduate from the University of North Dakota with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering in May 2011.

To learn more or to register for the conference, visit www.digikey.com/waveforum.

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Electronic components distributor Digi-Key Corporation, and Telegesis today announced the companies have entered into an agreement in which Digi-Key will distribute Telegesis products to customers in North America.

Telegesis manufactures a full range of OEM ZigBee® modules complete with full AT command, allowing fast and simple ZigBee implementations. Digi-Key’s range of Telegesis modules will include the latest ETRX357 family, the third generation of advanced ZigBee modules from Telegesis and currently, the only ZigBee module on the market to feature the Ember EM357 ARM® Cortex M-3 SoC.

Telegesis ZigBee modules are designed to be easily integrated into designs without the need for RF or embedded expertise. ETRX modules allow designers to add the latest ZigBee meshing radio technology without complex software engineering.

Products from Telegesis are now available for purchase on Digi-Key’s US and Canadian websites and will be featured in future print and online catalogs.

“We are very pleased to announce this distribution agreement with Telegesis,” said Dave Doherty, Digi-Key’s vice president of semiconductor product. “Designers consistently ask us for solutions to help them get to market faster. Customers can choose to procure discrete Zigbee devices from Digi-Key and build their system from the ground up or now with Telegesis, obtain an integrated module that contains the Zigbee device, antenna and complete AT command layer.”

“North America is the world’s number one market for ZigBee, so we’re delighted to be associated with such a prestigious partner as Digi-Key,” commented Dave Blissett, Telegesis Marketing Manager. “This agreement means that our North American customers have increased choice and can easily obtain the latest Telegesis products from a local source.”

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Electronic components distributor Digi-Key Corporation and Molex are celebrating the songs of summer with the Sounds of Summer Twitter campaign.

Follow @digikey and name your favorite songs about summer or songs that remind you of summer and register to win a pair of Evaldi™ earphones by Molex. Twenty pairs of Evaldi earphones will be given away each week during the Sounds of Summer campaign from August 2 through September 3, 2010.

These new, noise-isolating Evaldi earphones mark Molex’s entrance into the audio products market and are now available for purchase on Digi-Key’s global websites. Additionally, they will be featured in future print and online catalogs. Digi-Key has signed a limited, one-year distribution agreement with Molex to be the only distributor for the Evaldi earphones.

For more information about Evaldi earphones and the Sounds of Summer Twitter campaign, visit www.digikey.com/evaldi.

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Mouser Electronics, Inc., today announced it is stocking new product from Molex. The Molex 0.5mm pitch FPC Connector with Dual Contact provides optimal space savings and the ability to source one connector to accommodate various FPC applications. This new FPC Connector is one of the first 0.5mm (.020″) pitch micro versions with a dual contact design.

The Molex 0.5mm pitch FPC Connector with Dual Contact eliminates the need to source a top and bottom type connector when routing FPC to parallel boards. It also features a BackFlip™ actuator that provides easy cable insertion and high upward pull force, an actuator lever that offers optimum length for easy use and space savings; nickel barrier plating for protection against flux wicking; and halogen-free material to meet industry standards. Specifications for the 0.5mm FPC connector include a 0.5A current, 50V voltage, and withstanding voltage of 200V AC.

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Mouser Electronics, Inc., known for its rapid introduction of the newest products, today announced it is stocking new product from STMicroelectronics. STMicroelectronics STM6600 Smart Push-Button On / Off Controllers with Smart Reset™ and power-on lockout protect against the hazards faced by battery-operated devices, such as smart phones, digital cameras, and media players. STM6600 On / Off Controllers enable and disable power for the application depending on push-button states, signals from the processor, and battery voltage. If the battery is excessively discharged or a fault is detected in the power supply, the IC blocks power-up.

These STMicroelectronics ICs also implement smart-reset capabilities to enable users safely recover gadgets that have frozen or crashed during normal operation. STM6600 Smart Push-Button On / Off Controllers connect directly to the power and reset buttons and have circuitry to prevent external interference such as electrostatic discharges. These STMicroelectronics devices feature a very low current consumption of 6 μA in normal operation and only 1 μA during standby, resulting in virtually no battery drain when the application is turned off.

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Microstick for dsPIC33F & PIC24H Provides Small Size and Integrated Programmer/Debugger

Farnell, the leading multi-channel distributor, is the first European distributor to stock the new Microstick for dsPIC33F and PIC24H development board, which provides a complete, low-cost solution for designing with Microchip’s 16-bit PIC24H microcontrollers and dsPIC33F Digital Signal Controllers (DSCs), in a compact 20×76 mm footprint. The low-cost Microstick offers an integrated USB programmer/debugger, which shortens learning curves. For maximum flexibility, the Microstick can be used stand-alone or plugged into a prototyping board.

Many engineers, educators, students and hobbyists need a low-cost solution for working with and debugging code on 16-bit microcontrollers and DSCs. In addition to its other benefits, the Microstick is populated with a socketed microcontroller that can be easily swapped out. The Microstick works with the PIC24HJ64GP502, which is the highest performance 16-bit MCU in the industry, and the dsPIC33FJ64MC802 DSC, which seamlessly blends DSP and MCU resources into a single architecture. Software support includes the same free MPLAB® Integrated Development Environment (IDE) and software libraries that work with all of Microchip’s 8/16/32-bit PIC® microcontrollers and DSCs. Additionally, the dsPIC33F DSCs are supported by the free demo version of Microchip’s Device Blocksets for the MATLAB® language and Simulink® environment, which work seamlessly within the MPLAB IDE.

This combination of low-cost tools and free software provides an industry-leading platform for experimentation and development of smart-sensor and a host of other embedded-control applications.

Through its industry-leading websites featuring tools such as Live Chat, and easily accessible data sheets, Farnell is able to support its electronics design engineering customers with information and ideas to help them select the most appropriate components and devices for their new designs. The element14 online engineering community provides a unique additional resource. Further information about the Microstick for dsPIC33F and PIC24H development board can be found at http://www.element-14.com/community/docs/DOC-23484.

Farnell’s Director of Supplier & Product Management, Mike Buffham said: “Being the first distributor to stock Microchip’s Development Board underlines how Farnell and element14 are leading technology in the electronics sector. By working with us, design engineers across the globe can be confident that they are getting access to the very latest technology from industry-leading suppliers for their new designs.”

“Microstick is great for anyone who needs a complete, low-cost development solution for working with the highest performing 16-bit microcontrollers available,” said Derek Carlson, vice president of Microchip’s Development Tools Group. “Our team worked with university professors to ensure that this board fits nicely into their curricula, but the benefits of this platform extend to a broad range of designers who want get started with embedded development.”

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