Premier Farnell plc today announced it has launched a new corporate website further enhancing its global strategy of becoming a leading web-based company.

The website, which has been produced by global3digital, went live this week and has a number of improved functions including an interactive map showing the company’s global locations, a new careers section, improved financial and governance information and the opportunity to interact via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and other social networks.

Additionally, Premier Farnell also launched its online annual report for the year to 31 January 2012. Viewers of the website are able to access or download the new report, or individual sections of it, on each page of the new website. The report can also be viewed by going to http://annualreport2012.premierfarnell.com.

Last year Premier Farnell was awarded Best Board Disclosure – FTSE 250 at the ICSA Hermes Transparency in Governance Awards 2011.

» Contact details for Farnell

RS Components has launched a simplified Chinese language version of its eTech magazine as an iPad application. The new Chinese app replicates the existing English and Japanese language versions of the interactive publication and has been developed to enhance accessibility to the company’s range of electronics products and online resources for customers and suppliers in the fast-growing Chinese market. The eTech iPad app is available to users free-of-charge and complements the online page-turner format in all three languages.

The new Chinese eTech iPad app is the first publication of its kind to be produced in the local language, and supplements the suite of online tools recently introduced by RS Components to support design engineers in China. Providing unequalled depth of content and functionality, the app allows readers to view the articles while downloading them and incorporates a push-messaging feature, which automatically sends a message when an update is available. Full instructions in Chinese are also included to enrich the user experience.

“The introduction of the eTech iPad app in Chinese marks another stride in our ambition to provide engineers across the globe with free access to information and design resources in easily downloadable formats,” said Glenn Jarrett, Head of Electronics Marketing at RS Components. “By providing data in the local language, our aim is to further ease the design process for engineers in a highly competitive market.”

» Contact details for RS Components

Foremost Electronics, the Essex based specialist distributor of electromechanical components, announces the availability of two new compact and lightweight families of waterproof snap-in connectors from Binder. The 720 series of miniature connectors and the 620 sub-miniature series offer the same key features to designers.

These two new connector families feature a unique snap-in lock offering fast and convenient mating even in areas of restricted access with reliability greater than 500 mating cycles. Two sizes accommodate 3 to 12 contacts with the flexibility of male or female options in both connectors and sockets. Internal elastomeric seals mean the range is dust and waterproof to IP67 with excellent electrical characteristics of up to 7A and 250V.

The simple low-cost all plastic modular design uses high quality materials throughout with polyamide housings, polyurethane moulded cables and gold plated contacts, brass pins and phosphor bronze sockets. Designers are offered many versatile options including adaptors for flush mounting, colour coded versions, sockets with solder and dip-solder contacts.
Alan Cook, Managing Director of Foremost Electronics comments, “These two new connector families from Binder offer the perfect balance of price performance. Their feature set leads the market and we really think they make the perfect connector. We are happy to provide a free sample to any customer who wishes to put them to the test.”

The Kontron PC/104-Plus™ single board computer (SBC) MICROSPACE® MSM-eO offers OEMs the most powerful embedded graphics currently available for PC/104-based SBCs. With long-term availability, this SBC is based on the accelerated processing units of the AMD Embedded G-Series, which, along with a 64-bit CPU, also integrates a programmable graphics unit and a DDR3 memory controller.

The Kontron PC/104-Plus™ SBC MICROSPACE® MSM-eO integrates the single-core AMD T44R processor with 1.2 GHz together with an AMD Radeon HD6250 graphics unit. It supports the latest 3D graphics libraries such as OpenGL 3.2 and DirectX11. It is also ideally suited as an upgrade for existing PC/104-Plus designs that need more graphics performance with low power consumption.

Additionally, the integrated unified video encoder takes the load off the processor when displaying high-resolution videos (1080i/p) making the MICROSPACE® MSM-eO ideal for extremely compact multimedia applications.

With the support of DirectCompute and OpenCL 1.1, OEMs can also implement GPGPU applications with the MICROSPACE® MSM-eO in the low-power segment, using the computing power of the graphics unit for parallel data processing. For more information contact Texim Europe

Features
• Most powerful graphics for long-term available PC/104-Plus™
• AMD™ T44R 1.2GHz single core CPU
• AMD™ FCH A55E chipset
• Up to 4GB DDR3 SO-DIMM RAM
• AMD Radeon™ HD6250 graphics
• 3D performance: 10x D510 (3DMark06)
• CRT: up to 1920×1200 30bpp LCD: up to 1920×1200 24bpp
• Operating temperature: 0°C to +60°C (standard), -40°C to +80°C (optional)

Applications
• Mobile infotainment systems
• Vending machines
• Mobile battery-operated systems

Contact Texim Europe

Digi-Key Corporation today announced it has entered into a global distribution agreement with Thomas Research Products (TRP).

As an industry-leading global supplier of advanced electronic lighting components, TRP designs, manufactures, and supplies advanced drivers and power solutions for solid state lighting. Offerings include a comprehensive line of LED drivers, transient immunity devices, and step-down transformers. TRP designs are optimized for quality, efficiency, longevity, and cost-competitiveness.

“Thomas Research Products is a company dedicated to producing electronic lighting components of superior quality for its customers, and now for Digi-Key’s global customers as well,” said Jeff Shafer, Digi-Key’s vice president of global interconnect, passive and electromechanical product. “We are pleased to add TRP to Digi-Key’s line card and to provide products from another high-quality supplier.”

TRP also manufactures energy-saving electronic controls, switches, and relays for commercial HID and fluorescent lighting, used in both indoor and outdoor applications.
“We’re pleased to partner with Digi-Key,” said Glenn Garbowicz, vice president and general manager of Thomas Research Products. “Their commitment to customer service and their global reach will assist TRP in providing quality products to our customers, both current and new.”

Electronic lighting components from Thomas Research Products are now available for purchase on Digi-Key’s international websites.

» Contact Details for Digi-Key Corporation

Lane Electronics has made available the Binder 423 Series of circular connectors designed for severe industrial and commercial applications. Lane Electronics is a franchised distributor for Binder in the United Kingdom.

These are rugged, high performance M16 connectors with excellent 360º EMI shielding and IP67 rating and, according to Lane Electronics, will suit designers looking to specify a circular connector for tough environments in any situation.

Incorporating rugged metal shells, the Binder 423 Series features straight or right angle cable connectors with internal strain relief. To improve applications flexibility, the right angle connectors are adjustable in four radial positions.

Users can specify Binder 423 Series connectors with 2 to 24 gold or silver plated contacts.

Lane is an ideal source for all key connector types including circular, filtered, RF, coaxial, sub – miniature, backshells and adaptors, D connectors, aerospace, test & measurement, IDC, PCB connectors, edge connectors and connectors for rack and panel applications.

Extending its portfolio of embedded Wi-Fi modules, Alpha Micro Components today announced the introduction of its Gainspan GS1011MIPS and GS1011MExS, two of the smallest modules on the market. At just 19.4 mm x 28.7 mm, the new modules provide a significant reduction in footprint and offer an easy to integrate, compact and cost-effective solution for any power critical cost sensitive wireless application in the emerging Internet of Things arena.

Despite the small form factor, the GS1011MIPS and GS1011MExS offer complete 802.11b ultra low power Wi-Fi client or AP solutions. The GS1011MIPS provides low power Wi-Fi connectivity with +8dBm of transmit output power, while the GS1011MExS is an extended range solution offering best in class transmit power of +18dBm.

The GS1011MIPS and GS1011MExS offer easy system integration and minimal use of host resources. The modules provide both UART and SPI interfaces, making it possible to connect to any 8/16/32 bit microcontroller using simple AT commands. The modules are pre-loaded with serial to Wi-Fi firmware with complete Wi-Fi functionality including security, WPS and provisioning features running on the module as well as the networking stack, an embedded HTTP server with network configuration pages, and limited AP capability for ease of provisioning.

The modules feature built-in trace or external antenna options through a U.FL connector, an industrial operating temperature range from -40 to 85 degrees Celsius, and are certified or pre-certified for all major regulatory requirements including FCC, IC and ETSI.

The size-optimized GS1011MIPS and GS1011MExS are the newest additions to Alpha Micro’s portfolio of Wi-Fi modules which include the soldered down GS1500M (802.11b/g/n) and ultra-low power GS1011M (802.11b), as well as the connectorized GS1011MIC.

“These ultra low power small form factor modules from Gainspan really do give developers the option of adding Wi-Fi connectivity, which is an incredibly ubiquitous standard, onto products traditionally targeted for ZigBee or Bluetooth. The interoperability of the 802.11 standard makes this a compelling alternative. We are seeing a host of HAN (Home Area Networks), telecare, and body worn tracking units now adopting this technology”, said Maxine Hewitt, Marketing Director, Alpha Micro Components. GainSpan’s expanding portfolio of modules, with the drivers to support various microcontrollers, and software solutions, is playing a critical role in helping device manufacturers get products to market quickly.”

» Contact details for Alpha Micro

Avnet Memec, an Avnet, Inc. has announced a new focussed technical marketing strategy for Europe, headed by the company’s regional vice president for Northern Europe, Bill Walker. As part of a broader restructure, Walker will absorb the role of vice president, technical marketing, in addition to his existing role.

“Bill is the right person to bring the technical marketing community to the next level and to help Avnet Memec to sharpen its profile and further strengthen its position as one of the leading technical distributors across Europe,” stated Steve Haynes, president of Avnet Memec.

From 2004 to July 2005 Walker was president of demand creation for the Memec Group in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Prior to that, he held the position of CEO Insight Memec EMEA. During 20 years with Memec, Walker held a range of senior sales, marketing and management positions. In addition, he served as the Memec representative for the Avnet Electronics Marketing EMEA executive team on the successful integration process of Memec into Avnet Electronics Marketing.

With his appointment as technical marketing vice president, the current management structure will remain largely unchanged regarding supplier ownership. However, Walker will initiate a new and more streamlined approach to technical marketing activities, which will primarily focus on major vertical markets and key technologies such as low power devices and power management, convertors, energy harvesting, wireless and wired technologies.

“This new structure will ensure that we can apply the necessary time and focus needed to continue aggressive growth for Avnet Memec sales in EMEA,” explained Walker.
Across Europe, seven virtual teams are being established to share information on the latest trends, innovative products and success stories pertaining to markets in building and home automation, fire / security, industrial automation, metering, military / aerospace, track & trace, and computing and data processing.

A further keystone of the new strategy is the establishment of a technology council in which technical and commercial experts from Avnet Memec will define the future supplier and technology strategy.

Concludes Haynes, “I am convinced that the new structure of my management team will be beneficial to the growth of Avnet Memec as well as to our relationship with our customers and our business partners.”

» Contact details for Avnet

RS Components and Renesas Electronics Europe, a wholly owned subsidiary of Renesas Electronics Corporation, the world’s number one supplier of microcontrollers (MCUs) and a leading provider of advanced semiconductor solutions, have signed a joint distribution agreement with the purpose to offer online sampling services to the engineering community.

Under the terms of the agreement which commenced on 5 April, RS will be offering online services to supply customers across Europe with newly introduced products in the Renesas microcontroller range as well as useful resources such as datasheets, demos and application notes. Samples will be delivered within 24 hours to meet the urgent requirements of design engineers and small batch production buyers.

In addition to enabling customers to purchase Renesas samples, RS will later offer all parts in the Renesas Electronics product portfolio, comprising microcontrollers, SoCs, as well as analogue and power devices, together with supporting development tools.

Fred Knowles, Head of Product Management – Electronics at RS Components said, “Renesas Electronics is ranked top of the league of microcontroller suppliers and this agreement with a first-class semiconductor vendor underlines our commitment to provide engineers with the utmost quality and selection of products for their designs.”

Achim Mescher, Director of Sales Distribution Europe at Renesas Electronics Europe added, “In order to optimise our sampling services, and to enhance our Ecommerce platform for the European customer base, we have decided to enter a partnership with RS Components. RS Components operates a highly efficient distribution service throughout Europe, and we are convinced that RS Components is the right partner to complement our current distribution network in Europe. RS Components’ outstanding Ecommerce expertise combined with their active support for designers and the company’s unrelenting dedication to new product introductions motivated us to appoint RS as a distribution partner for our European electronics business.”

» Contact details for RS Components

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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