element14 becomes the first one-stop-shop for design engineers to access comprehensive information

element14, Premier Farnell’s innovative online technology resource and community for electronic design engineers, has launched the industry’s most comprehensive electronics industry legislation information portal. The new element14 legislation portal provides electronic design engineers with the latest updates, reference guides to complex and lengthy legislation, discussion groups, and a blog discussing the latest trends within the industry.

Premier Farnell, the global distributor of electronic and industrial components, is an established authority on environmental legislation in the electronics industry. It created its Global Legislation website five years ago to provide an easily accessible source of data. With the advent of social media and Web 2.0, design engineers were kept informed of compliance updates via Twitter and LinkedIn (LegislationEye). Now with the launch of the element14 community, design engineers will be able to directly interact and converse with Gary Nevison, Premier Farnell’s Head of Legislation, and other peers to ask specific questions regarding their legislation compliance concerns.

“element14 has already attracted tens of thousands of engineers, drawn by features such as “Ask an Expert”, deep dive technology collaboration spaces, over 257 community groups, free CAD software and the opportunity to RoadTest new technologies,” said Gary Nevison. “We recognised that design engineers face challenges in accessing information about legislation as it is scattered over many different sources. element14 is the first one-stop online community built specifically for electronic engineers that supports every stage of their design process from ideation through product creation—by offering a combination of community, content and now a fully developed industry legislation portal, where engineers can find the latest updates and guides on industry relevant legislation such as RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances), WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment), REACH, ErP/Eco-Design and many more, all free of charge.”

Senior officials at the UK Department of Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) have this week updated industry on the current position in regard to the RoHS and WEEE recasts and all up-to-date information is now available on element14. Gary Nevison representing Premier Farnell and Electronics Yorkshire was the only representative from electronics distribution to attend the meeting.

element14 was a concept devised by Premier Farnell back in June 2009 for electronic design engineers looking for a stock of unbiased technical information and tool-focused services in one source to enhance their design and development capabilities . Unlike many other engineering resource websites, the eCommunity uses web 2.0 functionality to facilitate interaction, collaboration and information sharing among users.

A wealth of information and wide variety of technology materials have been made available to users, with collaboration from a variety of electronics suppliers, academics and other experts from around the globe. Once on the legislation community, users will be able to customise their profiles and display information according to their individual requirements. There is even a translation module that allows users of different languages to converse in real time. Users can also secure quotes, discover industry trends, post blogs, articles and comments in this forum – a perfect example of how social media and web 2.0 is making a real difference in the electronic distribution industry and increasing resources to further educate and allow engineers to develop technology with information that was otherwise not previously available.

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Farnell, the leading multi-channel distributor of electronic and industrial components, has been named Distributor of the Year by Panasonic. 2010 is the first time Farnell has received the much coveted award from one of the world leaders in electronics technology and innovation.

The award is recognition of the strong partnership developed between the two companies over the past 18 months that has significantly benefited Farnell customers by giving them fast, easy access to a comprehensive range of products and information to support their new product designs. Over 2000 new Panasonic passive components have been added to the Farnell range in the last 12 months, these have included entirely new passive technologies as well as range extensions and battery products.

The award was presented to Farnell President Neil Harrison by Panasonic’s President of Panasonic Industrial Europe Mr Otomo in a ceremony held in Munich on Thursday 5th August. “Panasonic is a household name and synonymous with innovation and quality in almost all sectors of the electronic component and product market,” said Neil. “To receive this award is a significant achievement for Farnell and one that underlines the success of our objective to offer designers in the electronics sector fast and easy access to the latest the electronics components sector has to offer and to help them develop their new products in the shortest possible time and with the maximum competitive edge.”

Commenting on the award Katsuhiko Otomo, President of Panasonic Industrial Europe said: “Panasonic and Farnell have for long shared a strong business relationship. This award is a testament to Farnell’s solid focus on our New Product Introductions and inventory, which has helped us grow our business together, especially in last year’s declining market. In FY2010 we are looking forward to an even stronger growth, building on our current success by working with Farnell to continually introduce our new and exciting technologies to the market.”

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Electronic components distributor Digi-Key Corporation, recognized by design engineers as having the industry’s broadest selection of electronic components available for immediate shipment, today announced it is now stocking the APEM Q-Series LED Indicator Kit.

This kit is now available for purchase on Digi-Key’s global websites and will be featured in future print and online catalogs.

APEM’s LED Indicator Kit includes 17 Q-Series panel mounting LED indicators – one each of 17 different values – in red, green, yellow, and white. Fixing nuts and spring washers are included.

Unique features of the Q-Series LED indicators include solder lug/quick-connect terminals, wire terminations, and 200mm elongated wires. An ideal complement to APEM’s broad range of panel-mounted switches, the Q-Series is intended for industrial panels, panel indicators, automation equipment, and instrumentation applications in a variety of industries.

Digi-Key Corporation focuses on providing customers with superior service, which includes product selection and availability, on-time delivery, and responsiveness. Using leading-edge processes and state-of-the-art technologies, Digi-Key serves a global customer base from its 600,000 square foot facility in Thief River Falls, Minnesota, USA.

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Electronic components distributor Digi-Key Corporation, today announced it has signed an expanded distribution agreement with Panasonic Electric Works Corporation of America, a market leader in electromechanical and solid-state relays. The expanded agreement will allow Digi-Key to distribute Panasonic Electric Works products in the Asia-Pacific territories, in addition to the existing franchises for the Americas, Japan, Hong Kong, China and Taiwan.

Among the more than 1,400 Panasonic Electric Works products stocked by Digi-Key are connectors, relays, sensors, and switches. These products are available on Digi-Key’s global websites and are featured in its print and online catalogs.

“We are very pleased to extend our relationship with Panasonic Electric Works to the Asia-Pacific territories,” said Jeff Shafer, Digi-Key’s vice president of interconnect, electromechanical, and passive product. “We are confident customers will benefit as we add quality products from Panasonic Electric Works to our offering for these territories.”

“Digi-Key is an important partner in our sales network, giving design engineers easy access to Panasonic components,” according to Steve Cummins, PEWA General Manager, Marketing. “We are excited to extend this availability to a broader design community throughout Asia.”

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Projects to be built around ST’s iNEMO™ multi-sensor inertial measurement unit

Electronic components distributor Digi-Key Corporation, and STMicroelectronics, a leading supplier of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) for consumer and portable applications, today announced an exciting design contest for engineering students based on ST’s iNEMO™ multi-sensor inertial measurement unit (IMU).

The aim of the contest is to show engineering students how easy sensors are to work with and help them learn how sensors can enhance their projects, improving both usefulness and usability. Designs can address applications such as man/machine interfaces, robotics, navigation, gaming and sports, remote monitoring (of industrial equipment or medical patients), and more.

ST’s iNEMO is a unique evaluation and development tool that offers 3-axis sensing of linear, angular, and magnetic motion, as well as temperature and barometer/altimeter readings along with a 32-bit microcontroller and dedicated software – all on a single, small development board. iNEMO is in stock and available for purchase on Digi-Key’s US and Canadian websites.

Each project must contain an iNEMO IMU and will be judged on the number of degrees of freedom (DoF) used, the quality of its hardware and firmware/software, the design’s novelty, its use of daughter boards, and the project’s ease of use and appeal of its user interface.

The grand-prize winner will receive a $5,000 cash prize along with an all-expense-paid trip, including airfare and accommodations for three nights, to Europe to visit the ST Development Labs in Catania, Sicily, Italy. Cash prizes of $2,500 and $1,000 will also be awarded to entrants selected as the second- and third-place winners.

Contest entrants must be currently-enrolled students, at least 18 years of age, who are residents of North American locations that do not prohibit, tax, or restrict such contests. Qualified entrants must register to participate by October 30, 2010 and will need to purchase an iNEMO development kit, containing an iNEMO eval board, a complete, professional software development toolset and appropriate cables and software for $369 (value $4500). Completed submissions will be accepted until April 30, 2011 with winners notified by early July, 2011. Full contest rules along with instructions on how to acquire the necessary hardware are available at http://www.digikey.com/iNEMO.

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iPhone app now available in English/Digi-Key supported local currencies for countries in the Asia-Pacific Region

Design engineers and purchasers in China, India, Japan and other countries in the Asia-Pacific region can now conduct business with Digi-Key Corporation wirelessly with the availability of Digi-Key’s application for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch users. Digi-Key’s iPhone application is currently available in English and allows customers to make Digi-Key purchases in local, Digi-Key supported currencies.

Digi-Key sales in the Asia-Pacific region increased by more than 168% for the first half of 2010 over the first half of 2009. Part of that increase can be attributed to an increase in sales of more than 342% in China year over year for January through June 2010.

“Studies show that China and India are leading the growth of the mobile subscription market and that there are more mobile Internet users in China than in any other country in the world.* With the growth potential in the mobile market, this is the perfect opportunity for Digi-Key to make its mobile application available to our customers in the Asia-Pacific territories,” said Mark Larson, Digi-Key’s president and COO. “Our customers in China, India, Japan and other Asia-Pacific countries want easy access to information about electronic components. Our mobile app provides that and much more. Created for global business utility, this application will be a useful and essential tool for our customers’ designing, sourcing, and purchasing needs.”

This free application, available in the App Store on iTunes, is the passkey to the world’s largest inventory of electronic components in stock. Providing instant access to Digi-Key, this new application is designed to help design engineers and purchasers source the electronic components they need any time, anywhere.

One of the most innovative features of Digi-Key’s iPhone application enables the customer to view, download, and save high-resolution part datasheets directly to his or her iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch. Datasheets are available for viewing and may be e-mailed or saved for future reference. Datasheets are essential tools to aid Digi-Key customers in choosing the “right” part. Once saved, the datasheet will appear in a new menu item on the main menu. The customer can come back at any time, open the datasheet, proceed to the part detail related to that datasheet and simply add the part to his or her shopping cart.

“The introduction of our flagship iPhone application to our customers in the Asia-Pacific region embodies Digi-Key’s continuous commitment to provide our customers worldwide with convenient intuitive applications that enable them to be more productive and efficient in their work,” said John Collins, Digi-Key’s chief information officer (CIO). “This application has propelled Digi-Key far ahead of its competitors in the wireless application market. We believe Digi-Key’s iPhone application is the most comprehensive and user-friendly application available in the electronic components industry to date.”

Features of Digi-Key’s iPhone application enable users to search for parts, create shopping carts, place orders, access their My Digi-Key accounts, get product specifications, view product photos, learn about new products and new technologies at Digi-Key, and more.

Additionally, Digi-Key’s iPhone application supports all Digi-Key sanctioned international currencies and the ability to view orders created from web, phone, fax, and mobile devices.

To download the Digi-Key application to your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, go to www.apple.com/itunes and browse the Business section in the iTunes App Store. Look for the “Digi-Key” application.

Digi-Key Corporation focuses on providing customers with superior service, which includes product selection and availability, on-time delivery, and responsiveness. Using leading-edge processes and state-of-the-art technologies, Digi-Key serves a global customer base from its 600,000 square foot facility in Thief River Falls, Minnesota, USA.

*Statistics come from MobiThinking’s Global Mobile Stats report for 2009. (http://mobithinking.com/mobile-marketing-tools/latest-mobile-stats#subscribers)

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