Electronic components distributor Digi-Key Corporation, today announced it has stock on the SPF series of solar fuses from Littelfuse.

These solar-rated 10mm x 38mm midget fuses are now available for purchase on Digi-Key’s global websites and will be featured in future print and online catalogs.

The SPF Solar Protection Fuse series is specifically designed for photovoltaic (PV) systems at 1000 VDC. This family of midget-style fuses up to 30 amps can safely protect PV modules and connectors from reverse overcurrent situations despite the associated challenges of DC power.

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Optimized for Gigabit Ethernet configurations

Electronic components distributor Digi-Key Corporation, today announced it has stock on Fox Electronics line of application specific XpressO® oscillators.

Pre-configured to precise application-specific requirements in an industry standard 7mm by 5mm package, these oscillators are now available for purchase on Digi-Key’s global websites and will be featured in future print and online catalogs.

Designed to meet the needs of Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) and 10GbE applications, the series is the first to combine Fox’s patented XpressO technology with specific characteristics to meet the demanding needs of 3.3-volt (+/-5% standard) Ethernet-specific applications to ensure the best performance without the wait associated with custom products.

XpressO technology offers fast delivery of low jitter, small package size, and multiple frequency and output options at a low cost. XpressO oscillators utilize a family of proprietary application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) with a key focus on noise reduction.

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Electronic components distributor Digi-Key Corporation today announced its fifth Technology Zone for Power Solutions is now available online.

This new Technology Zone is dedicated to providing comprehensive power design resources for engineers. It comes on the heels of a number of other Digi-Key initiatives to provide valuable, cost-saving and timesaving resources for design engineers. The Power Solutions Technology Zone is featured on Digi-Key’s website www.digikey.com/technologyzones.

Additionally, the Power Solutions Technology Zone is designed to offer alternatives for the engineer to assist in fulfilling all of their power requirements.

“We are excited to announce the addition of Power Solutions to Digi-Key’s exclusive Technology Zones,” said Dave Doherty, Digi-Key’s vice president of semiconductor product. “Our goal is to provide valuable, relevant content for our customers in each of the areas represented by our Technology Zones. Power Solutions is another means for Digi-Key to reach our customers and provide them with the information and product they need, when they need it.”

This new Technology Zone includes featured products, access to Power Design Support, product training modules, application notes, a product guide, videos, and a “Buy Versus Build” feature to aid in designing power solutions.

“Not only will engineers have access to a wide range of product information and tutorials through the new Power Solutions Technology Zone, they will also be able to view real-time pricing and availability of power products distributed by Digi-Key,” said Tony Harris, Digi-Key’s chief marketing officer. “Engineers can also access power design support directly from the Power Solutions Technology Zone on Digi-Key’s website. With these resources available at their fingertips, engineers will save time and money when completing their power designs.”

In addition to the new Power Solutions Technology Zone, Digi-Key currently offers technology zones for Lighting Solutions, Microcontroller Solutions, Sensor Solutions and Wireless Solutions. Digi-Key’s exclusive technology zones are engineering-focused web-environments that provide information about technology including suppliers, products, resources, product training modules and more.

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element14, the first online global collaborative community created for electronic design engineers, has been named an Innovation Partner for the EmTech@MIT 2010 conference, held Sept. 21-23 at the MIT campus in Cambridge, MA. element14 will sponsor and host a lunch at 12:15pm on Sept. 23 at the Stratton Student Center, open to all conference attendees. This unique three-day event brings together world-renowned innovators and leaders to discuss the technological innovations destined to transform lives in the future, create new opportunities and fuel economic growth.

The keynote speaker at the element14 sponsored lunch will be cyclist Sam Kavanagh, an engineer and contender to represent the USA in the 2012 Paralympics. Sam will discuss his inspiring journey since the near tragedy that led him to pursue elite athletics, and the transformational role technology has played in his success.

In 2005 at age 25, Sam, a lifelong avid skier and competitive cyclist, was caught in an avalanche that resulted in the amputation of his left leg below his knee. Sam has embraced this unexpected change in his life and is now driven to compete at an elite level in cycling. Sam is ranked 5th in the world, following the 2009 World Championships, and is focused on accomplishing goals he once considered too difficult before his accident.

element14, part of the Premier Farnell family, is sponsoring Sam’s training for the 2012 Paralympics. “In today’s technological world, we are capable of things that were once beyond our imagination,” Sam comments. “My partnership with element14 demonstrates the power of technology and personal perseverance that encourages us all to live a life without limitations.”

Tens of thousands of engineers around the world visit the element14 community each week to consult with experts and peers, test and review new technologies and discuss topics such as embedded design and lighting. Sam’s blog about his journey to win gold can be viewed at the Sports Technology group.

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Aerco has made a major commitment to the range of Telegärtner coaxial and RF connectors by increasing stock levels at the same time as absorbing a UK price increase.

Alec Sluce, business manager of connector products at Aerco said: “Aerco has been an authorised stocking distributor for Telegärtner since 2002 and despite the fact that there has been a price increase from Telegärtner of around 9% on many products there will be no price increase from Aerco for the foreseeable future. We have a strong demand for these high quality connectors and we are making this initiative to ensure that we maintain the short delivery times and competitive prices that we have always offered.”

Telegärtner is a German company and is long established as a major manufacturer of RF connectors and components for the data and tele-communications industries and Aerco stocks an extensive range of many different types.

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The MB87S2090-F is a powerline communication SoC (System-on-Chip) with a fivefold-accelerated 8051 core and was developed in collaboration with ADD Semiconductor. It is pin-to-pin compatible with ADD Semiconductor’s design and is produced by Fujitsu. The product combines an improved 8051 microcontroller, a hardwired medium access controller (MAC) and a C band CENELEC FSK modem in one chip. It is available at distributor Rutronik now.

Five serial communication interfaces secure communication to the outside. The integrated PWM timers can be used to switch and dim lights or for other functions. The MB87S2090-F SoC only requires a simple coupling circuit and drastically reduces the number of components of PLC applications. This simplifies home and building automation and intelligent lighting and control and makes the use of PLC as a control network affordable for a broad range of applications.

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3D CAD library now includes models of AMPMODU, MATE-N-LOK, CPC and HTS connectors — all available to download free

RS Components today announced that it has added certified 3D and 2D CAD models of over 4,800 Tyco Electronics connectors to its comprehensive online library of models of electromechanical components, downloadable free of charge. The latest models introduced can be found at rswww.com/3D.

The new additions include popular Tyco Electronics’ product families such as AMPMODU, MicroMaTch and MATE-N-LOK connectors, Z-PACK 2mm FB (Futurebus+) and MULTIGIG RT backplane connectors, RF connectors, MTA board-to-wire connectors, HTS heavy duty connectors, CPC circular connectors and an extensive range of PIDG ring and spade tongue terminals. Visitors to the relevant product pages on the RS website will see a rotating 3D model of the part, with links to “classic” images to show details of colour or surface finish. Registered users can request the model from the database, which is converted into the file format chosen by the user depending on their CAD package. Registration is free of charge.

Mark Cundle, Technical Marketing Manager, RS Components said, “We have made significant progress with the RS program to offer free downloadable models of every one of the 45,000 electromechanical components that we stock, creating the most comprehensive online library of electromechanical CAD models available today. In the three months since its launch, the 3D models have become a valued part of RS components service to the design community, and we have seen thousands of downloads from our site.”

“The comprehensive nature of the RS library brings the true benefits of 3D CAD modelling to its customers at no extra charge and without the need to download or install additional software,” commented Mark Levy, Global Distribution General Manager for Tyco Electronics. “We are excited that RS has added so many Tyco Electronics products to this program.”

RS partnered with TraceParts, a leading digital engineering 3D content supplier to offer the service, which will eventually cover all 45,000 electromechanical products stocked by RS. Models are offered in over 20 neutral and native formats. The TraceParts database also serves a number of other important CAD Vendor websites, giving users a number of different ways of accessing the models.

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Mouser Electronics, Inc., known for its rapid introduction of the newest electronic components and technologies, today announced it is the first distributor to stock HARTING’s Han-Yellock® Connector System.

Mouser is stocking the entire HARTING Han-Yellock® Connector System, a new product series which retains the core functionality of the respected Han® connector line and offers significant differences in size and shape to improve functionality. HARTING ‘s Han-Yellock® Connector System interface consists of a housing, bulkhead mounting on the housing side and a carrier hood with cover on the cable side. The system can be used with a variety of insulators and contact inserts in order to establish an interface. Han-Yellock modules require only male crimp contacts.

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Increases presence in fast-growing Asia Pacific market Accretive to earnings in first year

Arrow Electronics today announced that it has agreed to acquire Nu Horizons Electronics (“Nu Horizons”) in an all cash transaction for $7.00 per share. Nu Horizons is a leading global distributor of advanced technology semiconductor, display, illumination, and power solutions to a wide variety of commercial original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and electronic manufacturing services providers (EMS).

Nu Horizons has sales facilities in more than 50 locations across North America, Asia, and Europe and regional logistics centers throughout the globe, serving a wide variety of end markets including industrial, military, networking, telecommunications, and data communications. Nu Horizons partners with best-in-class suppliers to provide in-depth product development, custom logistics, and life-cycle support to its customers. Active components distributed by the company, principally to OEMs, include mainly commercial semiconductor products, such as memory chips, microprocessors, digital and linear circuits, microwave, radio frequency (RF) and fiber-optic components, transistors and diodes.

“This acquisition builds on our strategy to expand our global capabilities, especially in the fast-growing Asia-Pacific region,” said Michael J. Long, chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Arrow Electronics, Inc. “Nu Horizons’ strong customer and supplier relationships and talented employees will allow us to continue to enhance shareholder value.”

Nu Horizons is headquartered in Melville, N.Y., and has over 700 employees. Total sales were $671 million for the fiscal year ended February 28, 2010. The transaction is expected to be $.05-$.10 per share accretive to earnings in the first full year of operations. The acquisition has been approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies and is subject to the approval of Nu Horizons’ shareholders as well as customary regulatory approvals. The transaction is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2010

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Avnet Memec has introduced a new line of products for growing energy-related markets from Cirrus Logic Inc. (Nasdaq: CRUS). The CS1500 and CS1600 are the industry’s first digital power factor correction (PFC) controller ICs, offering power supply and lighting ballast system designers improved performance and simplified designs compared to legacy analog PFC products. Both ICs are highly integrated and therefore contribute significantly to the reduction of the overall bill of materials.

“PFC is required in many electronic applications around the world, as global regulations push to improve the overall efficiency of the utility grid,” explains Mike Sandyck, Technical Marketing Manager Avnet Memec. “As global regulatory requirements and efficiency standards become increasingly strict, analog PFC chips are nearing the end of their capabilities. New digital solutions enable continued performance and feature improvements designed to meet future market demands.”

Featuring the new EXL Core™ architecture, with over 50 patented and patent-pending digital algorithm technologies, the CS1500 and CS1600 are able to intelligently solve increasingly complex power management challenges unlike previous analog products. Through its patent-pending digital noise shaping technology, both devices enable reduced-size EMI filters, cutting the need for additional high-priced components and circuitry. Additionally, these digital ICs improve energy efficiency across all load conditions, with a distinct performance advantage in light load conditions and simplify system designs by reducing external component count by more than 30 percent.

Product Information and Availability The CS1500 and CS1600 are digitally controlled, discontinuous conduction mode (DCM), active power factor correction ICs intended for use in power supplies rated up to 300 watts. The CS1500 is designed to address compact power supplies, while the CS1600 targets electronic lighting ballasts. The CS1500 and CS1600 are available in an 8-pin SOIC package.

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