Acal BFi is pleased to announce that it has been selected to join the TeliaSonera Global M2M Services Partnership Program. Under the partnership program, Acal BFi will provide hardware and product solutions for applications in the fast growing Nordic and Baltic wireless machine to machine (M2M) market place, throughout Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark.

M2M enables the connection, monitoring and control of remote devices across a wide range of industrial and commercial applications. This technology is growing at double digit rates throughout Europe.

The TeliaSonera Global M2M Partnership Program provides solutions, expertise, products and services in the M2M industry. Each member of the partnership program has a unique role and expertise that together enables the execution of M2M solutions.

Acal BFI supplies specialist electronic and photonic products and is a leading supplier of wireless technology for industrial applications in the Nordic region. It will provide access to wireless products that will enable customers to adopt M2M technology into products for their end markets.

Stefan Lof, Managing Director of Acal BFi in the Nordic region stated: ”The continuing growth of the M2M market is driven by the increasing range of industrial and commercial applications that benefit from wireless control and monitoring. TeliaSonera are the leading mobile network provider in the Nordic and Baltic region and we are delighted to be partnering with them to provide customers access to these key technologies.”

Hans Dahlberg, Head of TeliaSonera Global M2M Services, added: ” We are delighted that Acal BFi has joined the M2M Partnership Program. Their experience and range of products used in wireless technology applications will be a great addition to the M2M ecosystem and of benefit to companies looking to adopt M2M technology.”

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Acal BFi has been awarded a Performance Excellence Award for Best Product Line Performer 2011 for RF and Fibre Optic products by Avago Technologies.

“Performance Excellence Awards are given only in recognition of exceptional achievement and Acal BFi has earned this award by maintaining three consecutive years of high growth against a back-drop of a difficult and highly competitive market place,” explains Stephanie Kircher, Avago Technologies’ director of distribution, Europe. “The foundations of this growth are based on the strong relationship which exists between Acal BFi and Avago Technologies through which we have been able to nurture and support our end-customers through challenging times.”

“The specialist support provided by Acal BFi has been crucial in enabling leading customers to implement designs using Avago’s disruptive FBAR technology as well as the emerging and innovative WaferCap technologies,” explains Lee Austin, business development director for Acal BFi’s communications division. “By engaging deeply with lead customers, Acal BFi provides a conduit through which customers can feed back their design wish-lists and effectively influence the future direction of Avago’s new products and technologies.”

Acal BFi has provided specialist design support on Avago Technologies’ products to customers in applications which include automotive, test and measurement and communication infrastructure.

Paul Webster, UK managing director, Acal BFi, adds; “Acal BFi’s specialist distribution model allows us to engage with customers from concept to production, touching every aspect of design, procurement, operations, production and contract manufacturing to provide end-to-end service and support.”

The Performance Excellence Award was presented by Avago’s Stephanie Kircher to Lee Austin of Acal BFi’s communications division, at a recent Gala Dinner held by Avago Technologies in Munich.

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Acal BFi – a division of Acal plc – is the first distributor to sample the new PremierWave®-XN dual-band 802.11n multi-port device server from Lantronix. As part of the award-winning PremierWave family, this 802.11n server combines high-performance WiFi and Ethernet connectivity, with Lantronix’ SmartRoam™ technology for seamless mobile connectivity, and enhanced security within a compact 11cm x 8.9cm x 2.6cm module.

With development kits and a limited number of samples available from May 2012, Acal BFi will enable lead customers to develop next-generation machine-to-machine (M2M) applications featuring increased wireless speed, improved reliability and an extended transmission range over 2.4GHz or 5GHz.

“These new servers allow designers to respond to market demands for enhanced remote monitoring and control of larger and more complex network infrastructures by delivering optimal wireless performance, signal reliability and security,” explains Martin Kemp, European Sales & Marketing Manager, Acal BFi. “The PremierWave-XN device server allows applications with an existing Ethernet interface to easily add WiFi connectivity, with no modifications to the existing code, by using Lantronix’ proprietary Secure ComPort Redirector virtualisation software.”

“The launch of four new products in the past four months highlights the new, more customer-driven, aggressive global growth strategy for Lantronix,” said Martin Poppelaars, Vice President of EMEA Sales for Lantronix. “A key driver in this strategy is aligning ourselves with partners who have the technical expertise, along with established sales and distribution channels throughout Europe. Acal BFi has proven to be exactly this type of partner, and we look forward to working more closely with them to speed our time-to-market and accelerate our growth in the region.”

Acal BFi’s wireless communications team will provide specialist design support to customers implementing advanced M2M applications using the Lantronix PremierWave-XN device server.

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Acal BFi has extended its franchise agreement with German laser manufacturer, KLASTECH, allowing Acal BFi to support customers in Italy, in addition to Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

In addition to providing specialist technical support and manufacturing services for KLASTECH’s existing range of single-frequency (SLM) DPSS lasers, which includes Visible to NIR lasers spanning 442 nm, 488 nm, 532 nm and 1064 nm, Acal BFi will also help to introduce new KLASTECH products to the market: A new UV 266nm laser which is currently in development, and a high-power version of the popular Senza 1064 nm infrared laser which is capable of delivering 3 Watts single-frequency performance.

“A compact size, high stability and competitive pricing make KLASTECH lasers ideal replacements for HeCd, air-cooled Argon, or other DPSS lasers. KLASTECH’s unique technology inherently delivers ultra-quiet, actively stabilised single-frequency laser light with a diffraction limited beam which is an ideal tool for analytical instrument designers and researchers. Customers will also benefit from the state-of-the-art communication electronics with which KLASTECH lasers are equipped,” explains Angela Greco, Italy Photonics Sales Manager, Acal BFi.

KLASTECH’s CEO, Christopher J Madin, adds, “The combination of Acal BFi and KLASTECH’s capabilities will offer European customers a whole new range of products, delivering state-of-the-art performance and a very competitive price, with local support from Acal BFi’s specialist sales and service team.”

For more information please visit: http://www.acaltechnology.com/uk/klastech1

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Acal BFi announces the first samples of the world’s smallest complete GPS receiver. The OriginGPS ORG1410 is a complete GPS System‐in‐Package (SiP), which allows high-volume, cost-sensitive applications to achieve high levels of integration and sensitivity, combined with low power consumption and an ultra-compact footprint.

“As the only pan-European partner for OriginGPS, Acal BFi is able to offer the first samples and development kits for this benchmark product. Our unique position also allows us to support customers, throughout Europe, with an unrivalled level of product knowledge, in addition to design support and manufacturing services which will allow customers to push their products’ GPS capabilities to new levels of performance and functionality,” explains Philippe Gruson, Electronics Division President Acal BFi.

The integration of a SiRFstarIV™ GPS processor enables the ORG1410 to operate in challenging GPS environments, such as indoor tracking or when the end-user is on the move. This high level of GPS performance is achieved by using innovative GPS firmware which can detect changes in context, temperature, and satellite signals, and opportunistically update its internal parameters which enables the ORG1410 to deliver near-continuous navigation.

Within its 10mm x 10mm package, the ORG1410 integrates an active antenna; RF shield; TCXO and RTC crystal; LNA and SAW filters; and UART, SPI or I2C host interfaces; whilst achieving ultra-low power consumption of less than 15mW; a fast position fix of under 1 second and sensitivity of ‐163dBm.

A limited number of ORG1410 samples, in addition to development kits for lead customers, are available immediately from Acal BFi.

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Acal BFi announces the first samples of a new quad-band, GSM/GPRS/GPS mobile platform, from Novatel Wireless, which enhances vehicle intelligence for fleet management and insurance telematics applications. The new MT 4000 device features low current consumption of less than 1.5mA in sleep mode; a 12V and 24V supply for fleet monitoring of cars, vans and trucks; as well as an optional Garmin Fleet Management Interface (FMI) for routing and optimisation. The module also has a 1-wire, Driver ID input for driver identification and analogue inputs which can be used for applications such as temperature monitoring.

“The number of global insurance telematics users is expected to rise by 90%, bringing the total number of users to 89 million by 2017. These users will demand platforms that deliver enhanced vehicle intelligence, ease-of-use and low up-front costs. The MT 4000 device meets these needs, in addition to offering wireless interface options which equip products with a global reach,” explains Philippe Gruson, President Electronics Division, at Acal BFi.

Designed for permanent in-vehicle installation, the MT 4000 integrates an innovative internal antenna design in addition to a flexible on-board Smart Agent event engine which supports configurable reporting of driver behaviour, polygon geo-fencing, messaging and other vehicle intelligence functions. The optional Garmin® Fleet Management Interface (FMI) provides fleet managers with the ability to reduce cost and increase safety and productivity with enhanced routing and optimisation.

Applications for the MT 4000 include fleets of passenger cars, vans, and trucks, as well as usage-based insurance schemes such as Pay-As-You-Drive and Pay-How-You-Drive, where the platform can be used to report distance travelled, duration and time of day, as well as driver behaviour and speed violations.

Specialist technical support from Acal BFi will help customers to implement the MT 4000 module quickly and with minimum engineering effort, including integration with Novatel Wireless’s N4A Communications and Management Software platform, which will allow for easy monitoring, management and remote reconfiguration of devices from almost anywhere in the world. In addition, Acal BFi will offer an assembly service, and ex-stock availability of cables and accessories for Novatel Wireless’ MT 4000 module.

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Acal BFi and Lattice Semiconductor Corporation announces they have signed a distribution agreement. Under the terms of the agreement, Acal BFi is authorized to sell Lattice’s complete portfolio of innovative low power, low cost FPGA, PLD and programmable power management design solutions across France.

“This agreement represents a unique opportunity for Acal BFi France to provide additional design and logistic services to our French customers with Lattice’s innovative FPGA and CPLD design solutions,” said Vincent Courty, Acal BFI France’s Managing Director. “We are proud that our semiconductor team’s expertise has been recognized by Lattice Semiconductor as an effective way to drive the long term success of Lattice’s products in France.”

“Lattice makes every effort to offer our customers a distribution network of technically focused companies who understand and support our products as well as our customers’ needs,” said Stacy Fender, Lattice Corporate Vice President of Worldwide Sales. “With the addition of Acal BFi in France, we are providing another business and technical support option for our customers in the region. We are pleased to have Acal BFi as part of our distribution network, and look forward to a very successful partnership for many years to come.”

Acal BFi announces the launch of a new Hectronic embedded computer based on AMD Fusion G-series APUs. The H6059 Qseven module integrates the new AMD T40E and T40R ultra low-power dual-core and single-core accelerated processing units (APU), which combine a low-power CPU and an advanced graphics processing unit (GPU) into a single embedded device. The H6059 also integrates the A55E embedded chipset in the Qseven standard revision 1.2 compliant module measuring just 70 mm x 70 mm.

As a sister company to Hectronic, Acal BFi will provide specialist technical support on the H6059 in addition to supporting Hectronic’s full range of embedded computing modules. The combination of Acal BFi’s expertise in design for harsh environments, with Hectronic’s leading-edge embedded computing platforms, will enable OEMs to enrich their products with new levels of processing and graphics performance, combined with low power consumption and an extremely compact size.

The integration of the Radeon 6250 GPU into the CPU, allows the H6059 to offer increased 2D/3D and motion-video acceleration performance for general purpose GPU (GPGPU) computing applications using AMD’s Open CL support. The on-die GPU also helps to avoid the memory bus bottlenecks which can occur when using a discrete GPU.

Applications which could benefit from the H6059’s increased processing and graphics performance include digital signage, high-end HMIs, and portable test and measurement as well as in imaging and vision systems based on high-end cameras.

The H6059 also offers a rich set of I/O interfaces which include four PCI Express ports; eight USB 2.0 ports; two SATA ports; LVDS and the new DVl, HDMI and DisplayPort digital display interfaces, as well as an on-board Intel 82583 Gigabit Ethernet controller. Legacy I/O is supported through the LPC bus and the module has BIOS support for Super I/O devices on the carrier board. Full legacy ISA bus features, such as I/O mapping in memory, are also supported to enable industrial customers to easily migrate their installed product base to the new performance levels enabled by the H6059. SDIO is provided through an onboard USB-to-SDIO controller.

The H6059 supports up to 4GB of on-board soldered DDRIII DRAM, as well as an on-board soldered BGA SATA Flash SSD of up to 32GB. The BIOS is based on the new Phoenix SecureCore Tiano UEFI BIOS, with BSPs for XP Embedded, Windows Embedded Standard 7 and Linux.

Acal BFi will sample the H6059 Qseven embedded computing module to lead OEM customers towards the end of the first quarter of 2012, with an industrial-grade version of the H6059 planned for introduction later this year. A starter kit is available to support development with this module.

For more information, please visit: http://www.acaltechnology.com/uk/hectronic2

Acal BFi – a division of Acal plc announces that it has received the 2011 Distributor Gold Performance Award for EMEA from Honeywell Sensing and Control (S&C).

“Acal BFi developed many new business opportunities with top OEMs and generated significant growth for Honeywell during 2011, demonstrating the strong alignment of S&C’s products with Acal BFi’s sales strategies,” said Tony Sugalski, president, Honeywell Sensing and Control. “Their success earned them our top recognition award for their major contribution last year.”

Acal BFi’s Philippe Gruson, Electronics Division President added, “Honeywell sensors and switches are typically used in harsh applications such as military, aerospace, medical, industrial or offshore equipment. The combination of our expertise in designing for these extreme environments, with Honeywell’s innovative and robust sensing and control products, enables customers to reduce the development cycle for end-products which offer the most stringent levels of reliability and integrity.”

The 2011 Distributor Gold Performance Award was received on behalf of Acal BFi by Paul Webster, Managing Director for Supplier Relationships & Product Management and Walther van Puijvelde, Business Development Director for Sensors. The award was presented at a Gala Dinner during the European 2012 Sales ‘Kick Off’ meeting held in Budapest and attended by around 120 delegates, including senior U.S. and European Honeywell managers and product personnel, in addition to representatives from Honeywell distributors and agents.

Acal BFi supports customers, throughout Europe, with specialist design and manufacturing services for Honeywell Sensing and Control’s full product range, which includes sensors for pressure, airflow, force, temperature, humidity, hall, position, proximity and current, in addition to basic, limit, safety, wireless and explosion-proof switches.

Acal BFi is sampling a new range of Amphenol RF connectors for applications in high-definition broadcasting, broadband and networking. The new high-density HD-BNC™ connectors are based on Amphenol’s patented BNC technology, and allow four times higher density than conventional BNC connectors.

The HD-BNC series features a bayonet coupling with tactile feedback and a positive lock for fast and easy connection using Amphenol’s patented mating and demating technology. True 75 Ohm impedance allows the connectors to achieve improved performance over longer distances; whilst a direct fit to conventional Belden®, Times Fiber® DRAKA® Image® and Canford SDV® broadcast cables using existing standard tooling allows customers to simplify the transition to higher-density connectivity. HD-BNC connectors can also be used as a replacement for DS3 and DS4 connectors.

Acal BFi will hold inventory of the complete HD-BNC product line of plugs, adapters, jacks and PCB mounts.

“These new connectors are 51% smaller than the original BNC, 39% smaller than mini-BNC and 40% smaller than DIN 1.0/2.3 connectors,” explains Emma Hatton, Interconnect Product Manager Acal BFi. “The combination of easy adoption, enhanced performance and significantly higher density will enable customers to deliver higher definition in broadcast applications, and greater bandwidth in networking and broadband applications.”

Acal BFi is sampling HD-BNC connectors for digital video, high-definition TV (HDTV) and cable TV as well as for network routing & switching, satellite head-ends and telco broadband applications.

For more information please visit: http://www.acaltechnology.com/uk/amphenol-hdbnc