: Solid State Supplies has announced availability of a Hall-effect linear current sensor IC from Allegro MicroSystems, a leader in developing, manufacturing and marketing high-performance semiconductors. The ACS711 is a cost-efficient device that provides accurate AC or DC current sensing in low-voltage audio, communications systems, white goods, industrial power supplies, lighting, and automotive applications. Typical uses include circuit protection, current monitoring, and motor and inverter control.

The ACS711 consists of a linear Hall sensor circuit with a copper conduction path located near the surface of the die. Applied current flowing through this copper conduction path generates a magnetic field, which is sensed by the integrated Hall IC and converted into a proportional voltage. Device accuracy is optimized through the close proximity of the magnetic signal to the Hall transducer. Full-scale sensing options within the ACS711 family include ±12.5 and ±25A.

The output of the device has a positive slope proportional to the current flow from IP+ to IP– (pins 1 and 2, to pins 3 and 4). The internal resistance of this conductive path is 1.2mΩ typical, providing a non-intrusive measurement interface that saves power in applications that require energy efficiency.

The ACS711 is optimized for low-side current sensing applications, although the terminals of the conductive path are electrically isolated from the sensor leads (pins 5 through 8), providing sufficient internal creepage and clearance dimensions for low AC or DC working voltage applications. The thickness of the copper conductor allows survival of the device at up to five times over-current conditions. The ACS711 is provided in a single small-form-factor surface-mount SOIC8 package, and obviating the need for an external sense resistor.

Other key features include:
• Economical low- and high-side current sensing
• Output voltage proportional to AC or DC currents
• Overcurrent active low FAULT trips and latches at 100% of full-scale current
• Low-noise analog signal path
• 100kHz bandwidth
• 3.3 to 5.5V single-supply operation
• Integrated electrostatic shield for output stability
• Factory-trimmed for accuracy
• Extremely stable output offset voltage
• Zero magnetic hysteresis
• Ratiometric output from supply voltage

The low-voltage ACS711 family complements Allegro’s existing range of high-voltage products covering 0–200A. Samples of the ACS711 family, with pricing details, are now available from Solid State Supplies.

» Contact Details for Solid State Supplies

Mouser Electronics, Inc., regarded as a top design engineering resource and global distributor for semiconductors and electronic components, today announced the availability of Murata’s AMR (Anisotropic Magneto Resistance) Magnetic Switch Sensors. These robust switch sensors, which are being featured by Murata at this week’s CES event in Las Vegas, set a new standard for reliability, sensitivity, and detection area.

Murata’s AMR Magnetic Switch Sensors are non-contact magnetic sensors of high sensitivity for use in a relatively low magnetic field in either a vertical or horizontal direction. With no mechanical components, AMR sensors are more reliable and robust than Hall Effect IC’s or reed switches. Murata’s AMR Sensors are ideal for open/close applications such as mobile phones and notebook PC’s, as well as in consumer white goods, industrial and security equipment. A wide range of sensitivities are available.

With its broad product line and unsurpassed customer service, Mouser caters to design engineers and buyers by delivering What’s Next in advanced technologies. Mouser offers customers 19 global support locations and stocks the world’s widest selection of the latest semiconductors and electronic components for the newest design projects. Mouser Electronics’ website is updated daily and searches more than 8 million products to locate over 2 million orderable part numbers available for easy online purchase. Mouser.com also houses an industry-first interactive catalog, data sheets, supplier-specific reference designs, application notes, technical design information, and engineering tools.

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Mouser Electronics, Inc., regarded as a top design engineering resource and global distributor for semiconductors and electronic components, today announced it has signed a new global contract with Honeywell Sensing and Control. Honeywell Sensing and Control is an industry leader in electronic sensing and electromechanical switching products.
The new global agreement builds upon the two companies’ current distribution partnership, which has been in place since 2007. Across the globe, design engineers and buyers will continue to have a trusted source for the latest electronic sensing and control solutions. From airflow to torque, snap action to toggle, Honeywell stands steadfast in producing quality products engineered to tackle the toughest design challenges.
“Honeywell has brought numerous, innovative product lines to the electromechanical sector of the engineering design marketplace,” explains Keith Privett, Mouser Vice President of Electromechanical, Power & Test. “The company is very forward-thinking when it comes to innovation. We are pleased to further seal our distribution agreement well into the future, delivering Honeywell’s high quality products to today’s engineers worldwide.”
“Mouser is an important partner for us as they have years of experience in the distribution of electronic components in support of new design,” says Sean Conley, Honeywell Sensing and Control Director of Global Distribution Sales.

“They actively increased Honeywell’s presence throughout the Americas in their catalog and on their website. That, in conjunction with their marketing programs, has led to a significant sales increase in Honeywell’s catalog channel. Through its market presence and focus on supplying a vast line card of design solutions, Mouser is a proven partner for us in our global target markets. We look forward to continued success with the design-fulfillment distributor.”

» Contact details for Mouser Electronics, Inc.

Advanced sensing solutions to meet growing demand for high performance sensors across the different industries in Asia Pacific

element14 (formerly Farnell), the industry’s first fusion of commerce and community supporting design engineers and electronic component purchasing professionals worldwide today expanded its 130,000 products inventory with the introduction of cutting edge Xtrinsic Sensing Solutions from Freescale, one of the world’s leading innovators of sensor technology.

Sensory technology is currently one of the fastest growing semiconductor sectors. Research firm, Gartner has predicted that the sales of non-optical sensors will grow to $6.2 billion by 2014 globally. For engineers in the Asia Pacific region, this soaring demand also translates into a rising need for advanced sensing solutions that can provide leading performance across multiple applications.

“Sensors have become the key drivers for technological progression across many electronic categories, including smart phones and medical equipment. element14 understands that engineers are constantly being challenged to find smarter sensor components to support the cutting edge devices and applications designs that we have today,” said Marc Grange, Head of Product Management, element14, Asia Pacific. “In order to meet this challenge, we strengthened our partnership with Freescale, and introduced the Xtrinsic Sensing Solutions series. This series seamlessly integrates intelligent sensing capability and precision to enable engineers in the region to develop multifunctional, intuitive, and ultimately, more intelligent devices for the markets.”

Professionals in the electronics industry can purchase Freescale’s Xtrinsic Sensing Solutions with ease and flexibility for purchase via multiple channels with no minimum quantity or value, and next day delivery in most cities in Asia Pacific. 24/7 customer service telephone support and 24/5 online technical support are also available. In addition, customers can also visit and engage with the element14 online community to research, consult industry experts, and collaborate with design engineers and electronics enthusiasts around the globe.

Heralding a new age of sensing experience
Freescale’s Xtrinsic Sensing Solutions feature intelligent contextual sensing which enables sensors to have decision making capability. This innovative feature creates and manages a diverse portfolio of sensors that provide multiple inputs and extract maximum amount of information from the environment.

These multiple sensor types coordinate their data coherently through advanced, modular integration. This intelligent integration allows the right combination of leading sensor types, logic and other building blocks to produce smarter and more relevant data to solve case needs efficiently. These sensing solutions also make sophisticated calculations and decision based on the context of their environment through the use of algorithms, providing engineers with interpreted sensing information and control over sensing decisions to innovate and maximise the efficiency of their designs.

Versatile, intelligent and energy efficient
MMA8450QT, a member of the Freescale’s Xtrinsic Sensing Solutions family, is a smart low-power, accelerometer that provides 12-bit data with first in, first out (FIFO) to accomplish complex gesture recognition and position detection. It has two programmable interrupt pins that allow the independent monitoring of the two functions.

In addition, this component’s embedded FIFO buffer enables a more efficient analysis of gestures and user programmable algorithms. This function ensures that no data is lost on a shared I2C bus and enables system level power savings of up to 96% of the total power consumption savings by allowing the applications processor to sleep while data is logged.

More about the MMA8450QT:

Access to both low pass filtered data as well as high pass filtered data, which minimizes the data analysis required for jolt detection and faster transitions.

Configured to generate inertial wake-up interrupt signals from any combination of the configurable embedded functions, thus allowing the component to monitor events and remain in a low power mode during periods of inactivity.

Wide range of application, including static orientation detection, real-time orientation detection and activity analysis and motion detection for portable power saving.

» Contact Details for Premier Farnell

ACAL BFi has signed a pan-European distribution agreement with gyroscope and inertial systems manufacturer, Silicon Sensing. ACAL BFi will provide specialist technical support on Silicon Sensing’s full range of products including their new class of PinPoint® precision MEMS navigation and pointing gyroscopes.

“As an extension to ACAL BFi’s existing range of sensors, Silicon Sensing provides a particularly good fit with Colibrys accelerometers. The combination of these products, plus extensive specialist design support, can help customers to implement high-end sensor functions and Smart products which deliver benchmark performance with a minimum risk and time to market.” explains Walther Van Puijvelde, Business Development Director Sensors, ACAL BFi.

The Silicon Sensing product range covers silicon MEMS single-axis gyroscopes, off-the-shelf and custom multi-sensor systems including multi-axis inertial sensor assemblies, inertial measurement units and integrated navigation INS/GPS products. Their products are used extensively in navigation systems for mobile satellite TV, light aircraft and agricultural equipment, as well as in industrial and consumer applications.

ACAL BFi’s team of sensor design specialists has fifteen years of expertise in helping customers to develop designs using components from some of the world’s leading sensor manufacturers. Silicon Sensing’s products will expand ACAL BFi’s existing range of tri-axial accelerometers and magnetic, pressure, force, thermal, rotary and optical sensors, as well as complete compass and dead-reckoning modules. In-house testing and assembly services further help to get products to reduce time to market.

For further information, please visit http://www.acaltechnology.com/uk/ss1

Digi-Key Corporation, recognized by design engineers as having the industry’s broadest selection of electronic components available for immediate shipment, was awarded Honeywell Sensing and Control’s Bronze Growth Award at the annual Sales Kickoff event in Orlando, Florida on January 18th.

The award was presented by Sean Conley, Honeywell Sensing and Control Director of Global Distribution to Digi-Key staff members Jeff Shafer, vice president of interconnect, passive, and electromechanical products; Brenda Larson, manager of strategic marketing; Bruce Lawrence, director of passive product; Jon Dent, product manager; and Chris Beeson, vice president of global sales and business development.

“Digi-Key is proud to be recognized for growth from Honeywell Sensing and Control,” Shafer said. “It is a tribute to Digi-Key’s commitment to increasing customer designs through engineering support via marketing and the promotion of new products. We provide the best service possible, the broadest product offering, and we promote strong relationships with our suppliers. Our exceptional team members and commitment to service make it possible for Digi-Key to grow.”

Last year, Digi-Key received the 2009 Authorized Distributor Performance award at Honeywell’s Sales Kickoff event.

» Contact Details for Digi-Key Corporation

Farnell, the leading multi-channel distributor, has won the 2011 EMEA Best in Class Gold Distribution award from Honeywell Sensing and Control (S&C), the global technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with sensor, switch and test and measurement products. The award, presented at S&C’s 2011 Europe, Middle East and Africa Sales Kick Off meeting in Sorrento, Italy, recognises the outstanding European sales growth achieved by Farnell in 2010, which outperformed 2008 levels. This is the second year in a row that Farnell have won this award.

Honeywell also noted the successful collaboration between the two companies on element14 – Farnell’s technology portal and eCommunity for electronic design engineers – and its support on new product introductions.

Farnell offers over 3,100 product lines from S&C’s comprehensive range that includes sensors, including the latest TruStability® Silicon Pressure Sensors , and switches, including the new Wireless LimitlessTM series. Comprehensive technical data on all the products, coupled with the discussion forums provided by element14, helps potential users of Honeywell S&C products select the optimum device for their application quickly and easily.

Steve Herd, Farnell’s Head of EMCO Product and Supplier Management said: “Farnell continues to add a unique extra dimension to the way in which we are able to support our design engineering customers and at the same time showcasing the very best in new products and technologies from our suppliers. The award from Honeywell underlines the success of these relationships and the value our suppliers place in our customer reach and our truly multi-channel approach.”

“This award represents a major landmark in the relationship between Honeywell S&C and Farnell,” said Lionel Caillat, VP/GM Honeywell S&C EMEA. “Farnell has a great understanding of our product offering and has all the right tools and support to take them to market effectively.”

» Contact details for Farnell

Avnet Abacus relay and sensor portfolio expands with Panasonic Electric Works

Avnet Abacus has announced an extension of its distribution agreement with relay and sensor supplier Panasonic Electric Works. Avnet Abacus will now promote and support Panasonic Electric Works complete range of products including sensors, electro-mechanical relays, solid state relays, PhotoMOS relays, connectors and switches across all European countries.

Commenting, Andreas Deisenrieder, Panasonic Electric Works, General Manager Sales Germany and European Distribution said, “Panasonic Electric Works has had an established relationship with Avnet Abacus in selected European regions for a number of years. The extension of the existing distribution agreement is a result of consistent and exceptional sales growth. Avnet Abacus offers Panasonic Electric Works a dedicated and focused IP&E sales and marketing organisation backed up by an exemplary team of technical support specialists. We look forward to further sales success with Avnet Abacus.”

Hagen Goetze, Avnet Abacus, European Marketing Manager commented, “The main strengths of our well established partnership with Panasonic Electric Works are strong relationships and a fast, flexible approach to business. Panasonic Electric Works offers an extensive state of the art product line-up including innovative sensor technologies. The sensor product portfolio will become one of the key focus areas in developing new design in opportunities in the future.”

Panasonic Electric Works offers products worldwide to support product miniaturisation, process labour saving and reliability enhancements. In the automation control components business, connectors, relays, PhotoMOS relays and switches are manufactured by a unique fine-processing technology which contributes to the miniaturisation and performance enhancement of customers’ applications. Furthermore, in the automotive devices business, devices are created to promote comfort, safety and environmental performance of automobiles.

The Panasonic Electric Works product portfolio includes a strong sensor line-up with miniature, high-performance infrared human detection sensors with built-in amp, light sensors with sensitivity similar to that of a human eye and environmentally friendly (cadmium free) acceleration, detection and pressure sensors.

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Mouser Electronics, Inc., known for its rapid introduction of the newest products, today announced it is stocking the Honeywell Zephyr™ Digital Airflow Sensors, HAF Series (High Accuracy) that provide the industry’s most accurate measurement – within 2.5%.

The Honeywell Zephyr™ Digital Airflow Sensors: HAF Series provide very precise measurements of airflow (or absence of airflow) and other non-corrosive gases in medical and industrial applications. The HAF Series (High Accuracy) Sensors feature high stability to reduce errors due to thermal effects and null shift to provide accurate readings over time. The high stability often eliminates the need for system calibration after PCB mounting and periodically again over time. The Honeywell Zephyr Digital Airflow Sensors: HAF Series (High Accuracy) offer enhanced reliability, digital accuracy, and repeatable measurements. The combination of rugged housings with a stable substrate makes these sensors extremely robust and the sensors meet ISO 9001 standards.

Keith Privett, Mouser’s Vice President of IEP and Test, comments on the new Honeywell Zephyr, “The fully calibrated and temperature compensated Zephyr HAF Series allows design engineers to remove additional components associated with signal conditioning, thereby reducing PBC size and the costs associated. Mouser’s introduction of the Honeywell Zephyr HAF Series fits perfectly into Mouser’s goal to rapidly provide new, innovative products to assist in the prototype process.”

» Contact details for Mouser Electronics, Inc.

Rapid Electronics has agreed a deal with electromagnetic components supplier Manutech Europe to become the main distributor of its current transformers range and sensors.

The supplier’s SCT series (Split Core) AC current transformer has an excellent reputation for performance, ease of application and energy efficiency. It is available in 50 input ratings, from 1 to 3000 amps. Output is controlled by a precision resistor fixed at the industry standard of 0.333V AC. The transformer is ideal for distributed measurement systems and can be retrofitted into active installations without the need to remove existing cables. It sets an industry standard for interleaving joints and its self-locking mechanism.

The UCT series (Solid Core) current transformer offers excellent performance over a wide ratings range from 5A to 400A. 33 lines are available in five different diameters, offering accuracy to within +/-1% and a less than 1 degree phase angle. Output is controlled by a precision resistor fixed at the industry standard of 0.333V AC. The rugged epoxy encapsulated construction comes with eight feet of twisted insulated wire leads. These solid core CTs require power isolation before they can be slipped over the power cable application.

The range also includes a 24 inch Rogowski coil, a transducer measuring high frequency current pulses. The design and termination of the coil are such that it acts as a current transformer at high frequencies but has very low sensitivity to power frequency current. The Rogowski coil is available in current ratings from 500A to 5000A and comes with its own integrator for ease of installation.

» Contact Details for Rapid Electronics Ltd.