The Kynix Blog

Today, more and more people prefer lead crystal batteries over lead acid batteries. This is because of the unparalleled advantage that they offer in comparison. Some of them are – Longer Battery Life Acid batteries come in varied designs suitable for different applications. Some come as Cyclic Batteries which are designed to cycle, but others are so designed that that can give out high currents for short duration of time. The applications make the designs differ. A typical acid battery can charge and discharge for an average of about 300-350 cycles. In contrast, if they are replaced by lead-crystal batteries and keep the other conditions same, the output would be about 700-800 cycles. Thus lead- to crystal batteries show almost double performance and have a longer life of about 7 to 10 years which is highly cost effective and better alternative. Shelf Life Compared to acid ones, lead-crystal batteries discharge much slower when fully charged and are either stored or transported. These batteries can be immediately put to use even after as long in storage conditions as two years. They need not be charged like the acid ones require. The 2V series retains 99.9% of the capacity even though they have not been used for over 2 months. This makes the logistics much simpler as one is freed from the responsibility of cycling the batteries in stock to be charged every couple of months. The High Rate Discharge Lead crystal batteries have special technology which facilitates high-rate discharge characteristics. Compared to the acid varieties which work optimally at discharge rates of only 3C, the lead crystal battery discharge can work optimally even at discharge rates of 10C. Excellent Performance in Terms of Charge The time taken by a lead crystal battery is only 20% of the time required by the old normal lad batteries. This improves the battery efficiency and maintenance dramatically. Depth of Discharge The lead crystal battery can be easily restored to a full rated capacity with ease even after it has been discharged to 0 Volt which may not be possible with the acid ones. There is a high probability that the acid ones may die and not recover under the circumstances. Thus the usable battery capacity of a lead crystal battery is much higher. Low Temperature Resistance The crystal ones lead batteries can function to satisfaction in a temperature range of -40 to +50 degrees Celsius. They exhibit more 85 % of its rated capacity even at minus 40 degrees Celsius where the acid ones have shown a sharp decline in ability to discharge. Green Manufactured from new materials, new processes and new formulations, lead crystal batteries are more environmentally friendly and pollution free. They do not ooze mist or emit harmful gases, unlike the acid batteries.  

Researchers at the University of York have developed a sensor that is capable of detecting multiple proteins and enzymes in a small volume of blood, which could significantly speed up diagnostic healthcare processes. Currently tests to detect the presence of infection or disease require a sample of blood from a patient, which is later analysed in a laboratory to detect markers of disease.The presence of particular proteins can give an indication of a health condition and the best course of treatment, but only one type of protein can be identified per sample.If multiple tests are required, as is the case in the suspected presence of cancer cells or resistant infection, the delivery of results can take longer and the costs of testing increases.The team at York, however, have developed a biosensor that combines light and electricity, to detect multiple disease biomarkers in one smaller sample of blood. The technology could make blood tests more comfortable for patients and enable results to be processed quicker.Professor Thomas Krauss, at the University of York's Department of Physics, said: "These sensors can give fast, real time results and at low cost. The length of time and money that it takes laboratory technicians to identify just one protein in a patient sample is a real challenge for the NHS and can result in emotional distress for patients."Not only can this new technology speed the process up, but it can test for a number of proteins and enzymes together in just one sample, increasing the chances of a successful and timely diagnosis."Researchers are now looking to test the new technology in urine samples for urinary tract infections (UTIs), which has a high resistance to antibiotic treatment. If the biosensor can identify biomarkers of the infection and of resistance, it is more likely that the correct course of antibiotic treatment will be prescribed the first time around, rather than on repeat visits, which is often the case with UTIs.Dr Steve Johnson, from the University of York's Department of Electronics, said: "Combining light and electricity in silicon sensors has never been done before. This exciting new technology provides in-depth analysis of biological interactions and new ways of sensing on the micro-scale."The emergence of stratified and personalised medicines – the tailoring of treatments to the biology of the individual – has increased the demands on diagnostic technologies, particularly with healthcare challenges related to anti-microbial resistance.PhD student, Jose Juan Colas, who conducted the research at the University's Department of Physics, added: "This new diagnostic technique could have many applications and really pushes us forward in how we think about developing technologies for the future."By working together across multiple disciplines we have demonstrated a unique technology with the potential to make a real difference to health science, clinical practice, and basic science." The research, supported by the UK Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC), is published in the journal Nature Communications.Reference:KY0-LM50BIM3/NOPBKY45-LM61CIM3XKY45-TMP03FT9Z

The latest RECOM wide input-voltage range DC/DC converters are now available from Dengrove Electronic Components. The 1” x 1” 20-Watt RPA20-AW and 30-Watt RPA30-AW, and 2” x 1” 60-Watt RPA60-AW, deliver high power density and rugged performance with 1.6kV safety isolation and built-in short-circuit, over-voltage, over-current and over-temperature protection.The units satisfy industrial safety specifications including UL and IEC/EN60950-1, and also comply with EN50155, the harmonised European standard for railway electronic equipment. With their nominal 24V input voltage, and maximum range of 9V to 36V, they can fulfil a wide range of applications on-board railway rolling stock or in industrial controls and general distributed power architectures.Output-voltage options are 3.3V, 5V, 12V, 15V, ±12V or ±15V for the RPA20-AW and RPA30-AW, and 12V, 15V or 24V for the RPA60-AW. The single-output versions can be trimmed by ±10%, by connecting an external resistor to the trim pin.All models operate with no minimum load, and maintain a tightly regulated output with low ripple and noise.The converters operate at high efficiency, up to 93.3% for the RPA60-AW, and provide options including an on/off control pin and a glued aluminium heatsink to extend the ambient operating-temperature range to 60°C at full power and over 80°C with derating.All units assure high reliability backed up by RECOM’s 3-year warranty.Reference:KY68-DS1200DKY68-SL1287KY68-SC486

The new generation linear and angular position sensors from ZF pursue new ways in terms of efficiency. Based on a modular system, the sensor is available as an ANG version for angular position measurements or as a LIN-version for linear position measurements. Whereas the ANG-series adds to the existing range of angular position sensors, the linear position sensor opens a new scope for ZF customers. Possible for these sensors are applications such as hydraulic valves, hydraulic controls, electric drives, pneumatic controls, gear selection / shifting position, ride height and level position detection, throttle valve and pedal position, steering wheel position or as a zero-contact encoder alternative. IP68 classification makes these sensors universal also for use in rough environmental conditions. They comply with industrial / automotive EMC/EMI directives and come with a 12 Bit resolution. Due to the compact size the ANG- and LIN-series require less space than other sensors with a similar performance. The mounting Height is only 6.5 mm which is an extremely flat design for linear and angular position sensing. The LIN-series can measure a range of up to 45 mm, while the ANG series provide a programmable measuring range from 0° to 360° degrees. Due to the quality of the components used, both sensors come with an overall accuracy of ±2% full scale and a linearity of the output signal with ±1% full scale. Custom programming is available for: range, slope and PWM output thus allowing an excellent modification to individual requirements. No mechanical interface means no parts to wear out or jam. The LIN- and ANG-series sensors are non-contact linear position sensors with one or two independent outputs. The sensors operate through the use of Hall Effect technology with magnetic fields generated by permanent magnets. They provide a linear change in voltage output (ratiometric to the input voltage) corresponding to a linear displacement of the actuator magnet. The LIN-sensor includes an actuator magnet which specifically paired to the sensor and is required to assure proper operation. Both sensors are RoHS Compliant and suitable for wide air gap applications. Reference: KY45-34THEB1ATA2S22 KY45-AMS22S5A1BHAFL334 KY45-F56101114 KY45-6015-1002-030  

At the 2015 International Solid State Circuits Conference (ISSCC), nanoelectronics research center imec, in collaboration with Tyndall National Institute, the University of Leuven (KULeuven) and the Ghent University, demonstrated a 4x20Gb/s wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) hybrid CMOS silicon photonics transceiver, paving the way to cost-effective, high-density single-mode optical fiber links.Hybrid CMOS silicon photonics transceivers, transmitting and receiving data over single-mode optical fiber, are expected to play a key role in next-generation datacenter connectivity. By leveraging existing CMOS manufacturing and 3-D assembly infrastructure, the hybrid CMOS silicon photonics platform enables high integration density and reduced power consumption, as well as high yield and low manufacturing cost. Combined with wavelength division multiplexing capability, highly scalable single-mode optical transceivers can be constructed, satisfying the growing need for interconnect bandwidth in next-generation cloud infrastructure.Imec's CMOS silicon photonics transceiver comprises a silicon photonics (SiPh) chip, flip-chip integrated with a low-power 40nm CMOS chip. The SiPh chip, fabricated on imec's 25Gb/s Silicon Photonics Platform (iSiPP25G), comprises an array of four compact 25Gb/s ring modulators, coupled to a common bus waveguide to allow WDM transmission. On the receive side, a ring-based, low-loss (2dB) demultiplexing filter with 300GHz channel spacing is implemented and further connected to an array of four 25Gb/s Ge waveguide photodetectors. Both the ring modulators and the ring WDM filters include highly efficient integrated heating elements to tune their resonant wavelengths to the desired WDM channels. The CMOS chip includes four differential 20Gb/s ring modulator drivers and four 20Gb/s trans-impedance amplifiers. A 12 channel single-mode fiber array is packaged onto the grating coupler array on the chip, using a planar approach developed at Tyndall National Institute.Error-free operation was demonstrated in a 20Gb/s loop-back experiment for all four WDM channels as well as with two channels running together. The dynamic power consumption of the transceiver, including the CMOS driver and receiver, was less than 2pJ/bit. Thermal tuning of the WDM channel wavelengths consumed only 7mW/nm per channel. The transceiver can be further scaled to higher bandwidth capacity by adopting more advanced CMOS technology and by adding more WDM channels, enabling optical modules for 100GbE, 400GbE and beyond for future datacenter interconnects.Reference:KY59-AFBR-5805ZKY59-HFBR-7924EWZKY59-HFBR5320

Harvard University researchers have made the first entirely 3D-printed organ-on-a-chip with integrated sensing. Built by a fully automated, digital manufacturing procedure, the 3D-printed heart-on-a-chip can be quickly fabricated in customized form factors allowing researchers to easily collect reliable data for short-term and long-term studies.This new approach to manufacturing may one day allow researchers to rapidly design organs-on-chips, also known as microphysiological systems, that match the properties of a specific disease or even an individual patient's cells.The research is published in Nature Materials."This new programmable approach to building organs-on-chips not only allows us to easily change and customize the design of the system by integrating sensing but also drastically simplifies data acquisition," said Johan Ulrik Lind, first author of the paper and postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS). Lind is also a researcher at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University."Our microfabrication approach opens new avenues for in vitro tissue engineering, toxicology and drug screening research," said Kit Parker, Tarr Family Professor of Bioengineering and Applied Physics at SEAS, who coauthored the study. Parker is also a Core Faculty Member of the Wyss Institute.Organs-on-chips mimic the structure and function of native tissue and have emerged as a promising alternative to traditional animal testing. Harvard researchers have developed microphysiological systems that mimic the microarchitecture and functions of lungs, hearts, tongues and intestines.However, the fabrication and data collection process for organs-on-chips is expensive and laborious. Currently, these devices are built in clean rooms using a complex, multi-step lithographic process and collecting data requires microscopy or high-speed cameras."Our approach was to address these two challenges simultaneously via digital manufacturing," said Travis Busbee, coauthor of the paper and graduate student in the Lewis Lab. "By developing new printable inks for multi-material 3D printing, we were able to automate the fabrication process while increasing the complexity of the devices."The researchers developed six different inks that integrated soft strain sensors within the micro-architecture of the tissue. In a single, continuous procedure, the team 3D printed those materials into a cardiac microphysiological device—a heart on a chip—with integrated sensors."We are pushing the boundaries of three-dimensional printing by developing and integrating multiple functional materials within printed devices," said Jennifer Lewis, Hansjorg Wyss Professor of Biologically Inspired Engineering, and coauthor of the study. "This study is a powerful demonstration of how our platform can be used to create fully functional, instrumented chips for drug screening and disease modeling."The chip contains multiple wells, each with separate tissues and integrated sensors, allowing researchers to study many engineered cardiac tissues at once. To demonstrate the efficacy of the device, the team performed drug studies and longer-term studies of gradual changes in the contractile stress of engineered cardiac tissues, which can occur over the course of several weeks."Researchers are often left working in the dark when it comes to gradual changes that occur during cardiac tissue development and maturation because there has been a lack of easy, non-invasive ways to measure the tissue functional performance," said Lind. "These integrated sensors allow researchers to continuously collect data while tissues mature and improve their contractility. Similarly, they will enable studies of gradual effects of chronic exposure to toxins.""Translating microphysiological devices into truly valuable platforms for studying human health and disease requires that we address both data acquisition and manufacturing of our devices," said Parker. "This work offers new potential solutions to both of these central challenges."Reference:KY45-59020-010KY45-59135-020KY45-MK21P-1B90C-500W