Components & Connectors

White label NFC chip can be used on premium goods

Fri, Nov 01, 2019

Now available with a white label chip called Smartrac OTP, the Circus Pro NFC inlays or tags have been developed and manufactured by Smartrac as a cost-effective option for secure product authentication in premium consumer packaged goods (CPG), industrial components, retail, cosmetics and healthcare, as well as branded pharmaceutical products.

The Circus Pro NFC inlays or tags can be embedded into physical products or packaging to provide real-time tag and message authentication based on  cryptographic algorithms. The OTP IC generates one time password values based on hash-based message authentication codes as published by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF RFC 4226). To comply with an array of individual customer requirements, the chip supports a choice of digital verification services for secure product authentication and the delivery of exclusive digital content.

All Circus Pro inlays and tags enable customers to easily and securely verify product authenticity with their smartphones.

The Circus Pro range includes Circus Dura, Circus Flex, Circus On-Metal and Circus Tamper Loop NG inlays and tags. Smartrac’s Circus Pro NFC inlays and tags and Circus Pro Flex wet inlays with OTP ICs are available now.

Smartrac specialises in RFID products and IoT solutions, providing both ready-made and customised offerings. Its portfolio is used in animal identification, automation, automotive, brand protection, customer experience, industry, library and media management, logistics, retail and supply chain management.

Smartrac has global Research & Development Centers, production and sales network, and its IoT solutions platform Smart Cosmos. Smartrac received ARC Quality Certification from Auburn University’s RFID Lab for the design and manufacturing of its RFID inlays.

http://www.smartrac-group.com

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TRIAC thyristor series improve thermal management for smart homes

Wed, Oct 09, 2019

Designed for appliances, lighting and controls, an additional five high-temperature Alternistor TRIAC switching thyristors have been added to Littelfuse portfolio.

The thyristors are designed for use as semiconductor switches in appliances and equipment powered by line AC voltages up to 250V RMS.

The high-temperature Alternistor TRIACs provide easier thermal management, especially in application with limited or no heat sinking. They are also available in mechanically and thermally robust clip-attach packages. Their size allows designers to use smaller board sizes in low power applications, while they ensure higher surge capability to withstand short-duration overload conditions.

They are available in five compact, surface-mount and through-hole packages and extend the Littelfuse TRIAC product line by making high 150 degrees C maximum junction temperature devices available in 600 to 800V with ratings of 12, 16, 25, 30 and 40A.

According to Littelfuse, the combination of high temperature capabilities, space-saving packaging and current rating choices make them suitable for IoT smart home applications that require compact design but without continuous high currents. Typical examples are light dimmers, kitchen and home appliances, tankless water heaters and electric tools.

Littelfuse offers high-temperature TRIACs in TO-220AB, TO-220 isolated, TO-263 (D2-PAK), TO-218 isolated (TOP3 Ins) and TO-218X isolated packages with loop leads. Sample requests may be placed through authorised Littelfuse distributors.

Littelfuse manufactures circuit protection, power control and sensing products. Customers in over 150 countries operate in the automotive and commercial vehicles, industrial applications, data and telecommunications, medical devices, consumer electronics and appliances markets.

http://www.littelfuse.com

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Position sensor is robust for use in robotics and military projects

Tue, Oct 08, 2019

Claimed to offer more robust performance than existing absolute encoders and better resolution and accuracy than traditional Hall effect sensors for industrial robotics and other demanding applications, the RAMK060 is a rotational absolute magnetic kit encoder from Vishay Intertechnology.

The high precision position sensor uses contactless technology to achieve above 13-bit accuracy, 19-bit resolution, and above 16-bit repeatability, reports Vishay, while maintaining robustness against external magnetic fields, moisture, airborne pollution, vibration, mechanical shock, and changes in temperature. It also has a useful electrical angle of 360 degrees and operates over a temperature range of -40 to +85 degrees C. Higher maximum temperature models are available on request.

According to Vishay, it is suitable for space-constrained applications, due to the rotor and stator kit design, the off-axis design (for hollow shaft mounting), the slim profile of around 6.5mm and weighing less than 55g.

The RAMK060 has an outside diameter of 60mm and inner diameter of 25mm. Several multi-turn variants are available, including connection to a backup battery when system power is off. SPI, SSI, or Biss-C output signals are available.

The RAMK060 is self-calibrating, to compensate for mechanical misalignment

Vishay’s patented design is particularly suited for applications that demand precise and repetitive motion such as arm joints for industrial robots and collaborative robots, steering wheels for automated guided vehicles; and machine tools used in printing, textile manufacturing, and milling.

Samples and production quantities of the RAMK060 are available now, with a lead time of 16 weeks for larger orders.

http://www.vishay.com

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Green tags encourage green RFID products

Thu, Oct 03, 2019

Smartrac Technology Group introduces the Eagle Green tags, the latest in the company’s green tag program. The compact inlays and tags are targeted at retail-optimised applications.

Eagle Green uses plastic-free, fully recyclable paper as the substrate, foregoes adhesives as much as possible, and comes with a laser-cut aluminium antenna that allows the complete recycling of aluminium residues, resulting in a significant carbon footprint reduction. All products within the green tag programme aim to address businesses that recognise the importance of a greatly reduce environmental impact across all applications and markets.

The tags are among the smallest retail-orientated inlays with global performance available on the market. Both have passed Auburn University’s ARC categories A, B, C, D, F, G, I, K, M, Q, W2 and W5, and are available in dry and paper-tag delivery formats with a compact size of 44 x 28 mm / 1.7 x 1.1 in, which helps in the conversion for end-application usage.

Equipped with an NXP UCODE 8 IC, which shares memory size and typical IC features with NXP’s UCODE 7 IC, a self-adjust feature helps maximises product performance in challenging environments, offers improved read and write sensitivity and a fast encoding speed.

The chip has an integrated brand identifier function to prove product authenticity and a memory safeguard system to protect business data.

These tags benefit from Smartrac’s platform and data management capabilities to record and manage a complete set of unique transponder data, for example UID no, order no, batch no, or yield, at production level in a controlled and secure way. The company’s product digitisation solutions enable full traceability of delivered RFID products.

“Our new Eagle green tags not only demonstrate that Smartrac’s green tag programme is gaining momentum: it also reinforces our resolve to provide the market’s most versatile, most advanced, innovative and sustainable RFID products designed and certified for a broad range of applications,” said Hal Hikita, senior vice-president, product management at Smartrac.

https://www.smartrac-group.com

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