Piccolo – The ‘Sketching’ Robot

Piccolo can be said as the perfect companion for a graphic designer or an engineer as it helps him to sketch his creativity. Piccolo is a small pocket sized robot which uses servo mechanism for developing and deploying the accurate 2D or 3D output. Like all other robots, this one also works according to CNC technology. CNC is the acronym of Computer Numerical Control. Here the computer converts the design produced by the computer aided design software (CAD) into numbers. These numbers denote different coordinates – that is X, Y and Z in a graph. This technology is employed in a number of places such as the automatic machine cutting, or the drawing tool.  We can sketch a simple drawing or cut a sheet using a laser tip by attaching the corresponding tip to this bot. Piccolo will work according to the type of tip attached to it. Another important advantage of Piccolo is its portability. We can carry this cool machine anywhere with us. When compared to other CNC based robots, this one does not cost thousands of dollars but just $70.This device was introduced by the Diatom studio from London with the collaboration of Cheng  Xu and Huaishu Peng  From CoDe Lab.

Piccolo is open source – anyone can modify its design. The prototype is

simple; it can be assembled quickly and is easy to use. The Piccolo includes Arduino and processing libraries so that we can use Piccolo as we wish like moving automatically or by responding to a sensor. We can engage multiple piccolos to work together so that it could create a larger canvas. In the Piccolo kit we are provided with the facility to create 3D or 2D sketches according to our desire.

The elegant design and ease of use has made Piccolo the favorite of designers. It can be used as a learning tool for beginners who want to explore the vast capabilities of the CNC field.  Now piccolo is only in the prototype stage but we expect the Arduino -compatible platform to turn our visions into neat sketches in the near future.

read more : http://www.circuitstoday.com/piccolo-the-%E2%80%98sketching%E2%80%99-robot

THX Audio Engine – The Best Speaker Concept!!

While sitting in a theater or in front of a home theater system we all have wished to get the best seat to get the best view and the surround sound effect. In the case of a speaker or any audio system there exists a spot called the sweet spot, where the effect of surround sound is at its best. We can feel a slight change in its features even if we are sitting a little away from the spot.  Most f the technologies available today have been able to produce only one sweet spot to get the best sound. What if a speaker system can produce more than one sweet spot? Here we are talking about such a technology; THX have designed a speaker, “the steerable line array” which can produce up to 8 hotspots.  More number of hotspots means more clarity in audio; thereby helping more people to enjoy the super clear audio with ease. This new speaker can be used in home theaters and other audio systems. Now let us take a look of the various parts of this technology in detail.

• Housing – The array is fit inside a 6 foot long cabinet and 1.4 inch tall.  This array will force sound waves to travel through a narrow slot channel and hence produces a highly directional strong sound wave.
• Amplifiers – A new kind of amplifier manufactured by THX is used in technology. Each driver is accompanied with a 100 watt driver which is powered up only when the driver needs it and when it is inactive, it consumes less than a watt. For this reason bulky heat sinks are not necessary in this speaker.
• Speakers – 92 speaker drivers are used to deliver the high quality sound. For firing sound 30 low and mid drivers are used and 32 drivers are used in the case of high frequencies.
• Processor- A duel core processor is employed to process the sound waves. The process is responsible for producing more number of hotspots.  According to pre-defined hot spots the processor will decide when the drivers will fire.
• User Interface – The user can use the pre-installed apps in a smart-phone or a computer to mark the sweet spots. Once the seats are targeted as sweet spots there is not much to do other than to sit and enjoy the crystal clear sound.

In near future THX is getting ready to deploy infrared sensors so that the array could recognize people automatically. There is no doubt that it is one of the main turning points in the field of sound engineering.

read more : http://www.circuitstoday.com/thx-audio-engine-the-best-speaker-concept

IPCA Electronics Expo 2015 – Revolutionizing the Make in India campaign

A new year has began and people all over the world are looking forward with good hope. What’s in cards for people in the Electronics industry ? Well, the 8th IPCA Electronics Expo India scheduled to happen on August 20-22, 2015 is definitely an event to look forward. This event attended by industry leaders in different sectors of electronics is all set to take place in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, India.

IPCA Electronics Expo’s aims to provide the electronics industry with a stable platform to grow, it brings together the key segments of electronics on a single platform. The exhibition plans to revolutionize the ‘Make in India’ concept and create an eco-system for the existing and

new players of electronics industry.The exhibition will highlight both the key components, equipments and other allied industries, thus covering the entire value add chain of the electronics industry.

A briefing on Exhibitors

Exhibitors from different segments of the electronics industry are expected to setup exhibition booths in the 8th IPCA Expo. This 8th IPCA expo is riding on top of its previous successful expos and this sets the expectations high. Leaders from different segments, say component manufacturers, equipment manufacturers, display manufacturers, pcb makers, academic training kit makers, training institutions and others are supposed to setup stalls. Exhibitors will be demonstrating their best in class products and catalogs. Any interested visitor can try products from exhibitors and collect sample pieces.

Who all should Visit ?

Any one interested and serious about electronics industry should visit IPCA Expos. To be specific, people and professionals from electronics industry, representatives of academic institutions, business leaders and entrepreneurs in electronics industry, and finally startups and people who wish to startup in the wonderful electronics industry.

What all you can expect ?

There are basically two kinds of people in a trade show! The visitors and the exhibitors! Visitors get a wonderful opportunity to explore new business ideas, make new contacts, new trade deals, networking opportunity etc. Visitors from academia cane make industry level connections, get updated about latest happenings in the industry, additional skill training and a lot more. Exhibitors can meet new business peoples, make new business deals, new distributors in new states etc. After all its an opportunity to display your products to thousands of relevant people in just 3 days.

read more : http://www.circuitstoday.com/ipca-electronics-expo-2015