For International Women’s Day, element14.com, an Avnet community, in partnership with Farnell, an Avnet Company and global distributor of electronic components, products and solutions, has launched a survey to help shed light on women’s experiences, career paths, and wider challenges and opportunities in the engineering/electronics industry. Insights from the survey will be published around Women in Engineering Day, June 23, 2021.

The survey seeks to gain insight directly from members of the industry around barriers to equality, discrimination, and what they’d like to see change in the future.

“I’ve faced my share of challenges over my career working in technology and am looking forward to hearing from my peers on what their experiences have been like,” said Dianne Kibbey, Global Head of Community and Social Media for element14. “We’re hoping to hear from people working in this industry – whatever their age, race, or gender, so that we can gain insights around what is working well for women and what could be improved.”

Some sample survey questions include:

• What challenges have you faced, or seen women face, in the electronics industry?
• What company benefits would enable women to achieve a desirable amount of work/life balance?
• What should young women aspiring to work in the electronics industry focus on?
• What challenges remain in the electronics industry to achieve gender equality? 
• What actions can a company take to provide mentorship/developmental support to women?

The survey is open until April 31, 2021 to every working professional, even those who are not engineers.

 To learn more about the element14 Community, and to complete the survey, visit here

Farnell, the Development Distributor, has added Hioki, the long-established Japanese manufacturer of electrical measuring instruments, to its test and measurement portfolio. This agreement makes Farnell the only high service distributor of Hioki Products in Europe and further expands Farnell’s already extensive range of test, measurement and inspection products, providing excellent quality at an affordable price.

Hioki products are widely used by electronic design engineers as well as in research, education and manufacturing. Hioki has accumulated expertise in the field of test and measurement over more than eight decades, has registered hundreds of patents, and houses all facilities from R&D to production in a single location to implement “Kaizen”, the Japanese philosophy of continuous improvement in performance and quality.

Farnell is initially stocking digital multimeters, clamp meters and electrical installation tools with further products from the Hioki range to be added in the next quarter.

James McGregor, Global Head of Test and Tools for Farnell says: “This is a great addition to our test and measurement range which enables our European customers to purchase Hioki products from a high-service distributor for the first time. Hioki products provide exceptional levels of functional design, anticipating the challenges that design engineers face every day and delivering innovative solutions. Farnell continues to be first-to-market with the latest technologies from leading manufacturers and offers a full range of test and measurement products to support electronic design, test and maintenance.”

Farnell customers will be able to buy Hioki products with same day despatch. Customers also benefit from 24/5 technical support from in-house test and measurement specialists and free access to online resources, data sheets, application notes, videos and webinars.

Hioki test and measurement products are available for same day despatch from Farnell in EMEA.

Farnell, the Development Distributor, celebrates the countless women engineers who drive innovation ahead of International Women in Engineering Day this Saturday, 23 June, by hosting a ‘Women in Engineering’ event at its offices in Leeds, on Thursday 20 June. The event is free to attend, from 11.15am – 2pm, including a networking lunch – attendees must register in advance. Students and professionals from the engineering industry are invited to hear guest speakers, network and take part in interactive workshops.

Speakers include:

• Louise Perry, Global HR Director, Farnell
• Claire Duffield, Head of Digital Engagement at Leeds Library
• Andreea Teodorescu, Senior Global Commercial Marketing Manager, Farnell
• Courtney Kennedy, Technology Solutions Marketing Manager, Farnell

“We’re proud to work with talented female engineers across our organisation and partners supporting this event, each bringing her own unique skills, interests and backgrounds,” said Louise Perry, Global HR Director, Farnell. “These women show strong leadership; they help keep their respective companies at the forefront of engineering, innovation and technology and inspire others to grow in their careers.”

Two of Farnell’s inspiring women in engineering speaking at the event are:

Andreea Teodorescu, Global Senior Commercial Marketing Manager – Andreea has engineering in her DNA. Both parents and grandparents were engineers, including a pioneering grandmother who was one of the first women in Romania to graduate from her University. Inspired by her family, Andreea pursued a degree in Material Sciences, including a postgraduate scholarship in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Patras, Greece. After relocating to the UK, Andreea took a job as a Marketing Assistant at Premier Farnell. Ten years later, she is now a Global Senior Commercial Marketing Manager. When recently asked about her career, Andreea described it succinctly:  "I love it. I get to meet people from all over the industry, many of whom I've been working with for many, many years. I meet people in semiconductors, in passives, in measurement; every day it's someone different and I get to learn something new and stay ahead of trends."

Courtney Kennedy, Technology Solutions Marketing Manager – Courtney manages marketing programs for new product launches including development kits, single board computers and software, as well as carrying out company-wide technical training. She enjoys sharing her technical knowledge and inspiring passion in others, while helping to introduce them to the world of electronics and technical environments. Courtney holds an electronics and computer engineering degree and has significant experience in working in product design and development. Courtney has worked with firmware and software development as well as cutting edge technology in motor design and control, linking robotics and mechatronics with human anatomy. “Engineering has opened doors in regards to my career. Being technically minded and having a background in electronics has allowed me to venture into a number of different fields and continually add to a skill set that is becoming increasingly well-rounded.”

To learn more about Farnell’s Women in Engineering day on June 20, please click here.

Farnell, the Development Distributor, announces a partnership agreement with ST to offer even greater support for startups in France. This includes special offers on specific ST products available to startups exclusively from the Farnell site. Together, Farnell and ST will be working hand-in-hand for specific events and exhibitions in order to better serve the young businesses attending and seeking bespoke support. The first of these events is the IoT Meetup in Annecy on 27^th June.

Farnell’s partnership with ST includes supporting the launch of the Open Innovation Challenge – a competition for startups to pitch their innovative and sustainable project or business plan, with the winners receiving a prize worth more than €50,000. The competition challenges startups to use the STM32 platform innovatively, technically and originally, with the challenge’s jury evaluating designs based on their features, embedded products, sustainability and potential market. Applications are open until 31^st May 2019, with the winning project being announced in June. The chosen project will win a free working space at selected ST sites in France for 2 years, preferential commercial arrangements on components for first orders, certification for the ST Partner Programme and much more.

Farnell understands the challenges facing startups, particularly accessing the right technical expertise. Start SomeWhere is Farnell’s own startup support scheme, which helps young businesses by offering preferential terms and conditions. In France, Farnell is currently working with more than 80 startups, supporting their everyday activities and trying to enable them to bring their products to market. Morgane Roche, Marketing Manager for South Europe and Benelux at Farnell, said “I heard young businesses who say ‘How could you help me more as a distributor?’ The Farnell support scheme enables them to achieve their goals and get the most out of our network, services and internal skills. As well as our Start SomeWhere scheme, we also offer an exclusive customisation programme, Design & Manufacturing services, and marketing support to help them grow their business.”

Some of the startups currently working with Farnell include:

• Senssight – Senssight is an industrial expert of thermal infrared vision systems. Their technology is being used to solve industrial problems in the transportation, security and industrial maintenance sectors as well as playing a key role in the development of smart city technology.

• Animalinks – Animalinks created CoHo (Connected Horses). CoHo is a smart solution for monitoring the environment of horses in stables. This technology connects the stables and monitors, manages and improves the horses’ environment in real-time and provides feedback to the owners.

• Uniswarm – Uniswarm designs generic robotics boards, ideal for robotics prototypes. There is an entire range of boards to suit all robotics needs including motion control, sensors, power management and general usage. The boards all come with open source firmware and are designed for use in industry due to their reliability and robustness.

For more information, please visit the Open Innovation Challenge website.

Farnell, the Development Distributor, will be presenting a range of its latest technologies at Electronics of Tomorrow (EOT) 2019 in Herning, Denmark at the MCH Messecenter, Stand M9746.

Visitors to the stand can view a range of new and popular products for design engineers and a wide range of technologies from leading suppliers. The Farnell stand will also feature an interactive competition where visitors can play logic and creative games, with two Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum Cleaners to be won as prizes.

Recently launched products displayed on stand include:

• Avnet SmartEdge Agile: Learn how AI at the edge can help you to deploy predictive maintenance in an industrial environment, with real-time monitoring and analysis to predict useful run-time and prevent failures and downtime.
• HanHaa Symbisa: Learn how the Symbisa sensing kit combined with a GSM modem and secure global communication network allows development of a truly plug-and-play global mobile sensing solution that displays data directly into an Excel worksheet.

Technical experts will be on stand to advise customers how they can accelerate their time to market by utilising the latest technologies, insights and support from Farnell. Visitors will also be able to discuss the benefits of accessing the unique ecosystem of support provided by Farnell as part of the Avnet organisation – from its maker to market service and full design and manufacturing support, to scaling for volume production.

Visitors can also find Farnell at EOT’s MakerChain area. Farnell has been a key collaborator on the MakerChain area at EOT, which shows the fun, creative and innovative concepts that the maker environment can offer. Visitors can experience the technology of the future hands-on at MakerChain by meeting those at the forefront of the maker community and trying these new technologies with their own hands. Farnell will be offering a demonstration on SBC, showing how the Raspberry Pi can be used to turn an innovative idea into a fully operational product.

Ghita Hoyer, Regional Sales Manager for Nordics at Farnell said: “At EOT 2019, Farnell will be displaying new, exclusive and market leading technologies that will help design engineers, start-ups and established businesses bring their products to market faster than ever before. We have invested significantly in inventory over the last eighteen months and Farnell customers can now access our largest range of technologies, all ready to ship same day from our warehouses in the UK and mainland Europe. We look forward to meeting with customers on stand to discuss how working with Farnell could help them achieve their goals.”

EOT runs from 7-9 May, you can register online now to access your free ticket and read more about EOT 2019 at http://www.eot-expo.com/.

Third Quarter Key Financial Highlights

• Delivered sales of $4.70 billion, in line with guidance
  • In constant currency, sales rose 1.2% compared to the year ago period
• GAAP diluted EPS from continuing operations totaled $0.87
  • Adjusted diluted EPS was $1.09, up 4.8% sequentially and 6.9% from a year ago
• GAAP operating income margin of 3.3%, was up 136 basis points sequentially
  • Adjusted operating income margin was 3.8%, up from 3.6% a year ago
• Cash flow from operations totaled $269 million
• Premier Farnell (Farnell) adjusted operating margin rose to 12.4% from 10.8% in the prior year
• IoT pipeline now exceeds $600 million, and has expanded to new markets including industrial equipment and manufacturing
• Returned $139 million to shareholders with $117 million of share repurchases and dividends totaling $22 million

CEO Commentary

“I am pleased with the strong execution we demonstrated this quarter,” said Avnet CEO Bill Amelio. “We saw continued strength in our Americas and EMEA regions and solid performance in the higher margin interconnect and passives segment. Overall, we improved operating income and earnings per share and expanded our operating margins compared to a year ago. These results demonstrate the progress of our transformation and the value our unique ecosystem is delivering to our customers. With continued increases in our solutions pipeline and strong execution momentum, we are well positioned to achieve our long-term growth targets and deliver sustained shareholder returns.”

____________________

CFO Commentary

“We executed well this quarter reducing costs, expanding operating margin and growing EPS, all while facing macro-economic headwinds in Asia as well as the Brexit uncertainties which impacted Farnell growth,” stated Tom Liguori, Avnet Chief Financial Officer. “Farnell still delivered a strong improvement in operating margin, which rose to 12.4% from 10.8% a year ago, supporting the transformational potential of this business longer term. We generated significant operating cash flow this quarter and returned $139 million to shareholders through stock buybacks and dividend.”

Additional Third Quarter Fiscal 2019 Highlights and Key Developments

• Aligned with BitPay, the largest global blockchain payment provider, to accept cryptocurrency for products and services further breaking down the barriers facing customers who are striving to bring their ideas to market.
• Announced Avnet Direct Connect, a new service that delivers powerful financial efficiencies where Avnet handles all the hardware integration, configuration, QA testing and system delivery allowing customers to focus on their software-based innovation.
• Teamed up with Octonion and Orange to launch a customized, modular ‘plug and play’ Avnet SmartEdge Agile IoT device using Octonion’s Brainium meta-sensing (AI) software designed for the LTE-M network.
• Released a new development board based upon Xilinx technology, which offers engineers and makers a price-competitive development platform for rapidly prototyping breakthrough ideas in AI, IoT and robotics for smart home, automotive and industrial control applications.
• Completed the sale of real estate in Europe, which generated $41 million of cash flow and a gain on sale of $15 million.

Awards and Notable Recognition Received During the Quarter

• Named among the “World’s Most Admired Companies” for 2019, marking the 14^th time that the company has been recognized by FORTUNE for its strongly positive reputation
• Named one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2019 by the Ethisphere^® Institute, a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices
• Won Preferred Partner Award from Kitron (EBV Elektronik, which operates in Europe, Israel and South Africa)
• Awarded Global Supplier of the Year and Supplier of the Year in EMEA (Avnet Silica) by ON Semiconductor
• Garnered the UK and Ireland Distributor of the Year award (Avnet Silica) from STMicroelectronics
• Won the 2018 TDK Senten Manten award (Farnell Europe); which translates as “Perfect Result”
• Received 2018 Business Award (Avnet Taiwan) from Askey Computer Corporation
• Won Fulfillment Excellence 2018 Supplier Award (Avnet China) from ABB

Outlook for the Fourth Quarter of Fiscal 2019 Ending on June 29, 2019

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Avnet’s fourth quarter fiscal 2019 guidance reflects sales similar to the third quarter with a change in mix that includes a slight sequential uptick in Asia sales offset by macro headwinds in the Western regions. This change in sales mix is expected to result in a sequential decline to gross profit with a corresponding reduction in EPS. At the midpoint of guidance, this would represent a 6.6% decline in sales YoY and 5.1% adjusted diluted EPS growth YoY.

The above guidance is also based upon market conditions existing at the end of the third quarter of fiscal 2019 and excludes any acquisitions, results of discontinued operations, amortization of intangibles, accelerated depreciation, any potential restructuring, integration, and other expenses and certain income tax adjustments including certain impacts of the recent tax law changes in the U.S. The above guidance assumes 107 million average diluted shares outstanding and average U.S. Dollar to Euro and GBP currency exchange rates are as shown below:

Forward-Looking Statements

This document contains certain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements are based on management’s current expectations and are subject to uncertainty and changes in facts and circumstances. The forward-looking statements herein include statements addressing future financial and operating results of Avnet and may include words such as “will,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “estimate,” “forecast,” “expect,” “feel,” “believe,” “should,” and other words and terms of similar meaning in connection with any discussions of future operating or financial performance, business prospects or market conditions. Actual results may differ materially from the expectations contained in the forward-looking statements.

The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements: Avnet’s ability to retain and grow market share and to generate additional cash flow, risks associated with any acquisition activities and the successful integration of acquired companies, implementing and maintaining IT systems, supplier losses and changes to supplier programs, an industry down-cycle in semiconductors, declines in sales, changes in business conditions and the economy in general, changes in market demand and pricing pressures, any material changes in the allocation of product or price discounts by suppliers, and other competitive and/or regulatory factors affecting the businesses of Avnet generally.

More detailed information about these and other factors is set forth in Avnet’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Avnet’s reports on Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and Form 8-K. Except as required by law, Avnet is under no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Non-GAAP Financial Information

In addition to disclosing financial results that are determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”), the Company also discloses certain non-GAAP financial information including (i) adjusted operating income, (ii) adjusted operating expenses, (iii) adjusted other income (expense), (iv) adjusted income tax expense, (v) adjusted income from continuing operations, (vi) adjusted diluted earnings per share, and (vii) sales adjusted for the impact of acquisitions and other items (as defined in the Organic Sales section of this document).

There are also references to the impact of foreign currency in the discussion of the Company’s results of operations. When the U.S. Dollar strengthens and the stronger exchange rates of the current year are used to translate the results of operations of Avnet’s subsidiaries denominated in foreign currencies, the resulting impact is a decrease in U.S. Dollars of reported results. Conversely, when the U.S. Dollar weakens and the weaker exchange rates of the current year are used to translate the results of operations of Avnet’s subsidiaries denominated in foreign currencies, the resulting impact is an increase in U.S. Dollars of reported results. In the discussion of the Company’s results of operations, results excluding this impact are referred to as “constant currency.” Management believes organic sales and sales in constant currency are useful measures for evaluating current period performance as compared with prior periods and for understanding underlying trends. In order to determine the translation impact of changes in foreign currency exchange rates on sales, income or expense items for subsidiaries reporting in currencies other than the U.S. Dollar, the Company adjusts the average exchange rates used in current periods to be consistent with the average exchange rates in effect during the comparative period.

Management believes that operating income and operating expenses adjusted for restructuring, integration and other expenses, goodwill impairment expense and amortization of acquired intangible assets and other, are useful measures to help investors better assess and understand the Company’s operating performance. This is especially the case when comparing results with previous periods or forecasting performance for future periods, primarily because management views the excluded items to be outside of Avnet’s normal operating results or non-cash in nature. Management analyzes operating income and operating expenses without the impact of these items as well as other income (expense) excluding certain amounts as an indicator of ongoing margin performance and underlying trends in the business. Management also uses these non-GAAP measures to establish operational goals and, in many cases, for measuring performance for compensation purposes. Management measures operating income for our reportable segments excluding restructuring, integration and other expenses, goodwill impairment expense and amortization of acquired intangible assets and other.

Additional non-GAAP metrics management uses is adjusted operating income margin, which is defined as adjusted operating income (as defined above) divided by sales.

Management also believes income tax expense, income from continuing operations and diluted earnings per share from continuing operations adjusted for the impact of the items described above and certain items impacting other expense and income tax expense are useful to investors because they provide a measure of the Company’s net profitability on a more comparable basis to historical periods and provide a more meaningful basis for forecasting future performance. Adjustments to income tax expense and the effective income tax rate include the effect of changes in tax laws including recent tax law changes in the U.S., changes in valuation allowances and unrecognized tax benefits, income tax audit settlements and adjustments to the adjusted interim effective tax rate based upon the expected annual adjusted effective tax rate. Additionally, because of management’s focus on generating shareholder value, of which net profitability is a primary driver, management believes income from continuing operations and diluted earnings per share from continuing operations excluding the impact of these items provides an important measure of the Company’s net profitability for the investing public.

Any analysis of results and outlook on a non-GAAP basis should be used as a complement to, and in conjunction with, results presented in accordance with GAAP. All amounts below relate to Avnet’s continuing operations.

____________________________^* May not foot/crossfoot due to rounding

Farnell element14, the Development Distributor and an Avnet company, will be presenting its range of Smart IoT technology at Embedded World 2019 in Nuremberg, Germany from 26-28 February. Farnell element14 will be co-located with sister company Avnet Silica at Booth 370, Hall 1.

Visitors to the stand can identify building blocks for their IoT device, and view the latest technologies in four easy to navigate zones that enable them to collect, connect and control with intelligence built-in. Farnell element14 will display its extensive range of new and popular solutions from industry-leading manufacturers and the most innovative businesses in IoT and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Demonstrations of exclusive products include:

• Avnet SmartEdge Agile: Learn how AI at the edge can help you to deploy predictive maintenance in an industrial environment, with real-time monitoring and analysis to predict useful run-time and prevent failures and downtime
• Avnet Ultra 96: Learn how this machine learning platform, based on Xilinx Zynq UltaScale+ programmable logic device and accelerated engine, significantly accelerates Road Sign Recognition through Accelerated Image Classification via a Binary Neural Network for autonomous transport applications.
• HanHaa Symbisa: Learn how the Symbisa sensing kit combined with a GSM modem and secure global communication network allows development of a truly plug-and-play global mobile sensing solution that displays data directly into an Excel worksheet.
• The Things Network Gateway: Learn how you can start prototyping your ideas in less than 60 minutes, without any kind of hardware development. Suitable for applications such as smart parking, agriculture, building automation and smart supply chain.

Visitors can also get a first look at two new products:

• the new Arduino LoRa Gateway Pro and Arduino MKR range for Industrial IoT applications such as smart cities, transportation, environmental andagriculture
• the Avnet SmartEdge Industrial IoT Gateway powered by Raspberry Pi and designed for Industrial IoT and automation applications that require strong end-to-end security.

Technical experts will be on stand to advise customers how they can accelerate their time to market by utilising the latest technologies, insights and support from Farnell element14. Visitors will also be able to discuss the benefits of accessing the unique ecosystem of support provided by Farnell element14 as part of the Avnet organisation – from its maker to market service and full design and manufacturing support, to scaling for volume production.

Ralf Buehler, SVP Sales and Marketing for Premier Farnell and Farnell element14 said: “At Embedded World 2019, Farnell element14 will be displaying new, exclusive and market leading technologies that will make it easier than ever for customers to bring their IoT projects to market. We have invested significantly in inventory and Farnell element14 customers can now access our largest range of technologies for IoT, all ready to ship same day from our warehouses in the UK and mainland Europe. We look forward to meeting with customers on stand to discuss how working with Farnell element14 could help them achieve their goals.”

Customers can register for free exhibitions passes for Embedded World through Farnell element14, helping them start their journey. Learn more about Farnell element14 at Embedded World 2019 here.

Farnell element14, the Development Distributor, celebrated 15 years of trading in Italy this month with a Gala Dinner attended by employees, key partners and customers at the Alfa Romeo Historical Museum in Arese, Milano.

Since opening its office in Milan in 2003, with four employees, Farnell element14 has invested in the region, launched an Italian language website which has been constantly improving its features with new functionalities, serving now over 1,000,000 visitors a year.

At the same time Farnell has increased the direct reach to the Italian market with Field Sales Engineers to support customers directly on site and increased its support for CEM customer with a full dedicated field sales and internal support team. Farnell element14 offers UPS supported 24 hour delivery, high quality products, education support for the Raspberry Pi and access to global expertise in product design, prototyping and development, helping customers get their products to market.

Farnell element14 has since its early beginning played an important role in the Italian electronics industry in Italy, specifically in delivering up to date technical information on new technologies and legislation compliance. When RoHS legislation was launched back in 2004, the website has promptly attached all the RoHS information on their product details page, giving the ability to electronics design engineers to easily comply to the new regulations.

In 2016, Farnell element14 moved to new officers in Lainate and now employs 30 people, supporting customers across Italy. Farnell continues to support customers in Italy by constantly investing in new product introductions and growing stock.

Maria José Massaro, Regional Sales Manager for Farnell element14 says: “What makes us different from other distributors in the market is our passion for what we do, excellent relationships with suppliers and customers and local knowledge. Our team of 30 provide on the ground customer support and coupled with access to a global network we are able to make a real difference to our customers. Now we are part of Avnet, we see even more opportunities for our customers and are working hard to deliver this.”

To celebrate its 15 years in Italy, Farnell element14 has launched Caccia all’innovazione, an online competition where customers and electronics enthusiast until 22^nd January 2019 can play and win instant prizes or a Multicomp 3D printer as final prize. To play and win, visit Caccia all’innovazione.

Farnell element14, the Development Distributor, has been named High Service Distributor of the Year for EMEA by Bel Europe. The award was presented to Farnell element14 at electronica 2018 based on sales growth achieved by the business underpinned by a strong and growing partnership and investment in inventory.

Chris Breslin, President of Premier Farnell and Farnell element14 said: “This award is testament to the progress our business has made over the last eighteen months; driven by significant investment in inventory and logistics and our ongoing focus on delivering a multichannel route to market for our supplier partners. We have worked closely with our partners at Bel, to develop our partnership further and maximize the opportunities created by broader and deeper stocking in our Belgium and UK-based warehouses.”

Paul Ochmann, Director of Sales for Bel Europe, added: “Bel is thrilled with Farnell element14’s growth over this past year, in EMEA. Through a mutual collaboration on new product introductions, marketing and sales growth, Bel has been able to enhance our products/brands, available inventory and brought our teams closer together.”

Bel products are available for same day shipping from Farnell element14.

Pictured left to right: Peter Walmsley, Director – EMEA Distribution, Cinch Connectivity Solutions; Pete Bittner, President Bel Connectivity Solutions; Dan Bernstein, President and CEO, Chris Breslin, President, Premier Farnell and Farnell element14; Jade Gallagher, Supplier Account Manager, IP&E, Farnell element14; Andy Jones, European Distribution Manager-Bel, Jeff Uden, Global Director IP&E, Farnell element14

Farnell element14, the Development Distributor, is hosting a day for Raspberry Pi experts in Italy on the 25th October 2018. The event will take place at Istituto Tecnico Tecnologico Montani in Fermo and will focus on professional and industrial applications of the Raspberry Pi single-board computer and the Compute Module board, specifically designed for industrial applications.

Hosted in the historic Museo dell'Innovazione e della Tecnica Industriale (MITI) from ITT Montani, the event is organised with the support of the Raspberry PI Foundation and Tektronix, leader in the Test Measurement business.

Expert engineers from Farnell element14 customers will give presentations and demos of real design solutions based on Raspberry Pi in different sectors: 3P engineering, will showcase their Raspberry PI based solutions for health and industry, Aeridani, will introduce a demo board for general purpose and EST Engineering, will give an overview on their smart home solution for the kitchen.

The event will also include a presentation by the Raspberry Pi Foundation. There will be Raspberry Pi demos and accessories on display, and the opportunity to talk to experts about bespoke services from Farnell element14.

The day will end with a specific focus on solutions for education. ITT Montani will show their low-cost and easy to implement solution for the electronic registry. The school is dedicated to developing highly skilled students in electronics through innovative programme and scholarships. This year Farnell element14 partnered with ITT Montani supplying 30 Raspberry PI Kits to equip a laboratory as part of their electronics class. Thanks to the good connection with the local business, students are then employed by electronics companies in the area.

“As the Development Distributor we seek to support customers as they develop their products for market, whether that is providing the right products, expertise or opportunities for customers to learn from their collective experiences. This event will provide a forum for customers to share their experiences developing and designing professional solutions based on the Raspberry Pi.” says Daniel Dahan, Regional Sales Director for Southern Europe at Farnell element14: “Customers will be able to talk with experts about the opportunities, challenges and benefits of using Raspberry Pi, and complementary products, for professional solutions.”

To register to attend the event click here.

To find out more about ITT Montani visit their website http://www.istitutomontani.gov.it/nuovo/it/ http://www.museomiti.it/

Avnet Silica, an Avnet company (Nasdaq: AVT), today announced its participation at the Engineering Design Show (EDS) in Coventry, UK on October 17and 18. Avnet Silica, together with Farnell element14, will have an exhibition booth at EDS to showcase Avnet’s end-to-end ecosystem which provides customers with support at every stage of the product lifecycle.

For design engineers looking to ease the technical complexity of their solutions, speed time to market and lower their costs, visit Avnet at booth G42 at EDS, which is the only UK-based event dedicated entirely to engineering, electronics and embedded design. The show provides the ideal environment for design engineers to benefit from direct access to the latest products, services and innovations available to the sector.

Visitors to booth G42 will see an Avnet Silica demo station dedicated to hardware development kits tailored by its applications team. These working solutions solve for many current design challenges faced by engineers with particular focus on getting data to the cloud using cellular connectivity -- in particular LPWA technologies including NBIoT or LTE CATM1. Farnell element14 will be presenting the latest development kits and tools from Raspberry Pi, Arduino and Beaglebone as well as 3D printers from MakerGear. Attendees can also see solutions for selected applications and market segments developed by a number of electronic semiconductor component manufacturers.

Avnet Silica and Farnell element14 have partnered with the following key suppliers at EDS: Infineon, Maxim Integrated, Microchip, NXP, ON Semiconductor and Xilinx. Each of these suppliers will have a demo station to display solutions for various technologies and applications. Show-and-tell hardware available will cover market segments such as: lighting, automotive, mil/aero/space, smart industries, artificial intelligence, machine learning, vision, and smart cities. Technology solutions being showcased within these market segments include connectivity, sensing, security and power.

Additionally, Avnet Silica and Farnell element14 are hosting free workshops for attendees:

• ‘Yocto Project – The Embedded Linux Build Framework’: the workshop will be hosted by an Avnet Silica software application specialist presenting ‘Yocto in a nutshell’ during the embedded workshop session. Participants will learn about the Yocto Project which is an open source collaboration project that helps developers create custom Linux-based systems for embedded products, regardless of the hardware architecture.They will be walked through each of the steps in the development flow.

Date and venue: Wednesday 17 October at 14:15-14:55 in Workshop Theatre 2

Agenda: What is Yocto? Bitbake and recipes; Yocto layers and Yocto build process

Register for the workshop: https://www.avnet.com/wps/portal/silica/resources/training-and-events/registration/yocto-workshop-registration/

• ‘Learn to 3D print in 30 minutes’ is hosted by Farnell element14. The workshop is for everyone wanting to get started on their very first print and will cover key components of a 3D printer, how 3D printing is different to other manufacturing methods, types and brands of printers, types of materials, file source and ‘your first print’.

Date and venue: Thursday 18 October at 13:15-13:55 in Workshop 1

More information: http://www.engineering-design-show.co.uk/workshops/1315-1355-50

Farnell element14, the Development Distributor, will be presenting its range of intelligent technology for intelligent solutions at the 28^th  Electronica Trade Fair in Munich, Germany, 13-16 November, Hall C5 Stand 101. The stand will showcase popular and exclusive products, tools and solutions to help customers, from start-ups to large organisations, shape the future through intelligent design.

Visitors to the stand, which is part of the Avnet booth, can follow the design journey from research and design through to production and maintenance, with the support of demonstrations of the latest technologies available for embedded applications, Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, machine learning and 3D printing. Technical experts will be on stand to talk about new ways that customers can accelerate their time to market by deploying intelligent technology at every stage of design. Farnell element14 will also present the benefits of accessing the unique ecosystem of support provided by Farnell element14 as part of the Avnet organisation – from its maker to market service and full design and manufacturing support, to scaling for volume production.

The stand will also feature Farnell element’s extensive education and maker offering. The Education to Maker zone will display Farnell element14’s continuing support to develop the next generation of engineers, and champion makers, through a range of products developed to inspire and challenge different age groups and abilities. The zone will include demonstrations using the BBC Micro:bit , robotics, Raspberry Pi and Lego.

Ralf Buehler, SVP Sales and Marketing for Premier Farnell and Farnell element14 said: “Farnell element14 is working with some of the world’s most innovative companies to provide access to new technologies that make it easier for our customers to focus on what’s important. Our customers want to create intelligent designs that add real value, letting the technology take care of the rest. Customers can rely on Farnell element14 to provide simple to deploy, cost effective, yet innovative products, supported by the full range of components, tools and services so that they, in turn, can deliver more to their customers than ever before. At electronica 2018, we will be showcasing a range of products that have the potential to disrupt the market and change the way products are designed and delivered and we encourage visitors to come and talk to us to find out how working with Farnell element14 could help them achieve their goals.”

Learn more about Farnell element14 at Electronica at our microsite.

Notes to editors

Journalists can pre-arrange a media meeting with some of our executives who will be on stand. If you would like to arrange a media meeting please contact our PR agencies.

At the IoT Solutions World Congress, Farnell element14, the Development Distributor, will showcase a number of major new advances in its range of hardware and software solutions targeted at developers of IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) products.

Farnell element14 will showcase new product launches to drive intelligence into design. These include the Ultra96 board, an ARM-based platform that simplifies machine learning for developers; the Omron 2JCIE-BL01 environment sensor specifically designed for the growing number of autonomous IoT systems and the Omron B5T-007001 Series for image-recognition and human vision systems.

Demonstrations on the stand will feature the latest single-board computers and add-on boards for IoT applications, including:

• Raspberry Pi for applications including smart home automation with GraspIO Cloudio; a wireless security camera using a Raspberry Pi and a Pi Camera; and an Alexa voice system using a MATRIX Creator.
• BeagleBone Black and BeagleBone Blue for robotics applications
• LoRaWAN IoT Solution featuring The Things Network Gateway and Node
• Sensor-to-cloud applications based on the TI Sensor-to-cloud kit and the Telemecanique sensor-to-cloud system.

The display will also include a number of joint demonstrations of artificial intelligence and machine learning projects in conjunction with Farnell element14’s partners Omron and Maxim Integrated:

• The Omron B5T-007001 Series which enables designers to integrate ten key image-sensing functions into their systems including detection of a human face, hand or body; face recognition; gender detection; age estimation; mood estimation; facial pose estimation; gaze estimation; and blink estimation.
• The Maxim Integrated MAXQ1061, a DeepCover Cryptographic Controller for embedded devices offering a turnkey solution for secure storage, digital signatures, encryption, secure boot, and TLS/SSL communications protocols.

Visitors to the stand will also be able to enjoy the Farnell element14 Retro Gaming Station based on a Raspberry Pi and a game controller.

For more information about Farnell element14 at IoT Solutions World Congress please visit https://es.farnell.com/iot-swc-2018.

Farnell element14, the Development Distributor, is hosting a day for Raspberry Pi experts in France on the 27^th September 2018. The event will take place at Bel Air Camp in Lyon (Villeurbanne) and will focus on professional and industrial applications of the Raspberry Pi single-board computer.

The event, which is organised with the support of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, will feature presentations from customers who have developed Raspberry Pi based solutions in different sectors including AirNodes, the design house who designed and manufactured the Anna Smart Mirror; Pi lighting, Engineering consulting company for Led designs; and Fieldcloud who designed a Raspberry Pi gateway for industrial applications; Invethys, a design office including a KNX home automation control for luxury hotels and Brainboxes; one of the leaders in the development and manufacture of communication tools.

“As the Development Distributor we seek to support customers as they develop their products for market, whether that is providing the right products, expertise or opportunities for customers to learn from their collective experiences. This event will provide a forum for customers to share their experiences developing and designing professional solutions based on the Raspberry Pi.” says Daniel Dahan, Regional Sales Director for Southern Europe at Farnell element14: “Customers will be able to talk with experts about the opportunities, challenges and benefits of using Raspberry Pi, and complementary products, for professional solutions.”

The event will also include a presentation by the Raspberry Pi Foundation. There will be Raspberry Pi demos and accessories on display, and the opportunity to talk to experts about bespoke services from Farnell elemnt14 including customisation. The day will end with networking drinks allowing attendees to create partnerships, network, and discuss their projects and ideas.

To register to attend the event visit https://fr.farnell.com/rpi-day?&ICID=I-HP-LB-pi-day-WF1545507

Farnell element14, the Development Distributor, has awarded the top prize in its University IoT Challenge to University of West London (UWL) academic. Dr Ying Zhang, senior lecturer in Computer Science at the University’s School of Computing and Engineering, devised ear defenders which can dampen background noise, while amplifying important sounds such as speech and alarms or sirens. Powered by the Internet of Things (IoT), the technology promises to protect workers’ hearing without compromising on safety.

Members of the element14 community, which has half a million engineer and maker members, voted on three finalists selected by Farnell element14 from all entries. Dr Zhang’s invention, with its twin benefits: amplifying significant sounds while simultaneously dampening noise which causes hearing loss, was chosen as winner through the online poll. The prize of £5,000 worth of parts and components to build the design, and a test and measurement bundle from Rhode and Schwarz for UWL to use in Internet of Things projects was awarded to Dr Zhang by Alison Knapp, CEM Account Manager for Farnell element14 and Phillip McCluskey, Sales Engineer, University Business Development for Rohde & Schwarz on Wednesday 22^nd August 2018.

On winning the contest, Dr Zhang said: “I was very happy to be shortlisted for the final, so to win the competition is fantastic. I hope this IoT enabled headset will be prototyped and ultimately help millions of workers who are work in noisy, industrial environments. Thankyou to the University of West London for empowering me to do this research.”

Professor Amir Alani, Head of the School of Computing and Engineering at the University of West London, added: ‘We believe this is a good achievement which is going to lead to more development and we believe Dr Zhang’s product can make a positive impact in the field. Receiving so many votes from the element14 community, which is made up of engineering professionals, demonstrates the strength of Dr Zhang’s project. At UWL, we value innovative research with practical applications and this design is a great example.’

Mathew Thorpe, Regional Sales Director for the UK and Ireland said: “We are committed to helping develop the next generation of engineers, and competitions like this enable us to work closely to support educators and academic staff involved in research as they develop their innovative ideas. Our element14 community provides considerable resources for students, educators and engineers - from educational support in our STEM academy, to training, courses and webinars to help members stay up the date with the latest technology and skills. This competition has already highlighted a great idea and we are excited to see the design come to life!”

As Dr Zhang develops the project he will update on his progress on the element14 community. To follow his journey please visit https://www.element14.com/iot-enabled-hearing-protection-device

Image caption, left to right:

Dr Yu-Chun Pan – Lecturer in Applied Project Management, UWL, Professor Amir Alani – Professor of Engineering, Executive Dean of School, UWL, Dr Ying Zhang – Senior Lecturer in Computer Science, UWL, Ms Alison Knapp – CEM Account Manager, Farnell element14, Mr Philip McCluskey – Sales Engineer, University Business Development, Rohde & Schwarz, Dr Nasser Matoorian – Head of Computing and Senior Lecturer in Computer Science, UWL

Premier Farnell, the Development Distributor, has appointed Rob Rospedzihowski (pictured right) as Vice President for Sales, EMEA, reporting to Chris Breslin, President, Premier Farnell. Rospedzihowski is responsible for Farnell element14’s sales across EMEA and takes on the role with immediate effect.

Rospedzihowski has held the position of Regional Sales Director since 2015 to where he has led the company’s sales, marketing and ecommerce operations in Eastern Europe, Nordics and key International Market territories in Russia, Turkey and Israel.

Rospedzihowski has more than 30 years’ experience in sales and distribution and an impressive track record in leading sales strategies in the Americas, China and Europe. He re-joined Premier Farnell in 2015 from Thomas Cook where he was head of Merchandising, and previously held numerous senior management and leadership roles in the electronics industry with organisations including Premier Farnell, Arrow electronics, Future electronics and originally ITT/STC Electronic Services.

Chris Breslin, President, Premier Farnell said: “The strength of our senior team in Europe is evidenced by the performance that the business has delivered during the last 12 months. Rob has been instrumental in delivering that growth, delivering strong double-digit sales growth in Eastern Europe in the last year. He brings experience and a strong knowledge of the business to this new role, which I am confident will help Farnell element14 grow further in the year ahead. I am delighted to be able to promote Rob to this new role and welcome him to our Senior Leadership Team.”

Rospedzihowski is also Chairman of the Polish Worldwide Scouting Organisation with over 8,000 members in countries including Australia, Argentina, USA, Canada, UK, Ireland, France, Belgium and Nordics. His is married with four children.

Premier Farnell operates as Farnell element14 in EMEA, Newark element14 in North America and element14 in Asia Pacific.

Farnell element14, the Development Distributor, is redirecting over 10 tonnes of waste from landfill each year through its recycling scheme. The scheme has recycled almost two million reels and over 200,000 waffle trays, amounting to 83 tonnes of avoided waste since launch in 2011.

Over 250 customers use Farnell element14’s recycling programme which allows them to send back empty reels and JEDEC waffle trays, free of charge, from anywhere in Europe. The recycling scheme is unique in the electronic component industry, saving customers money as well as reducing the amount of waste going into landfill and reducing their carbon footprint.

Once reels and waffle trays are collected, Farnell element14 works with UK-based not for profit Social Enterprise Co-operative, Enabled Works and Her Majesty’s Prison (HMP) Humber to remove labels and prepare them for reuse, providing job opportunities for the disabled and prisoners.

The current business premises in Morley Leeds comprises of a suite of offices above a 12,600 square foot factory workspace area which ideally lends itself to three very different income streams.

Mathew Thorpe, Regional Sales Director – UK and Ireland, Farnell element14, says: “As a leading distributor in the electronics industry, Farnell element14 is committed to reducing the amount of waste that goes to landfill from its operations. Our free-of-charge recycling scheme, available to customers across Europe, is part of delivering against this commitment, saving money for customers and helping them achieve their own targets for reduced waste.”

Farnell element14’s recycling scheme won a Green Apple Award in 2013.

To find out more about the scheme and register please visit: http://uk.farnell.com/free-recycling-service

Farnell element14, the Development Distributor, is inviting registrations for its IoT Wireless Technology Workshop in Bologna, Italy, on the 12th September 2018.

The event is being organised in partnership with ST Microelectronics, Tektronix and Assodel, the Italian Association for Electronics Distributors and will be moderated by Fabio Gatti Technical Coordinator from Assodel.

The day will be split into two separate sessions with a focus on IoT theory in the morning and a practical hands-on workshop in the afternoon. Attendees can register for either or both sessions and places for the afternoon workshop are limited. Details of the sessions are as follows:

IoT Theory – 09:30 to 13:00 – free of charge

• IoT communication systems and protocols presented by Fabio Gatti, Technical Coordinator at Assodel
• Product overview for IoT applications presented by Luigi Malpighi, EMEA IoT Business Development Manager, ST Microelectronics
• Tektronix-Keithley solutions for electronic measurements in the design and testing of IoT devices presented by Enrico Citti, Application Engineer, Tektronix.

IoT in practice – 14:00 to 16:30 - €60 fee

Attendees will use the ST Microelectronics SKU 2708778 development tool to support the following exercises:

• IoT System Architecture: includes an overview of the ST Raspberry Pi based card B-L475E-IOT01A2 Discovery Kit, and the NODE IoT, 868 MHZ RED-NODE MBED project for ARM card programming.
• Laboratory demonstration of an IoT gateway:  using Raspberry Pi and RED-NODE Devices realised with ST card Programming of the ST card using the MBED project to read sensors along with data transmission via WiFi.
• Measurement for IoT: covering RFI measurements, bandwidth measurement and power measurement. Specific topics will include measuring power consumption at circuit nodes and EMI emission measurements on boards.
• Data analytics for IoT: users will will send data through the Cloud using the MQTT protocol and read data with APP and WebBrowser Trigger.

To participate in this hands-on session attendees will need bring a laptop.

Commenting on the significance of the forthcoming event, Daniel Dahan, Regional Sales Director, EU South for Farnell element14 said: “After the great success of our first IoT Day in October 2017, we have decided to take a closer look at wireless technology, one of the key elements of the IoT ecosystem. As the Development Distributor, we seek to partner with customers and other professionals working with IoT technology as they develop and bring their products to market. We are delighted that we can bring together leading manufacturers to provide hands-on training and support for our customers.”

Fabio Gatti, Technical Coordinator at Assodel adds “I am delighted to have been asked to co-ordinate and moderate this fantastic event, which will combine IoT theory and practical hands on training, with updates on the latest protocols and solutions from two key manufacturers, ST and Tektronix.”

To register for the IoT Wireless Technology Workshop visit http://it.farnell.com/iot-workshop

Construction work commenced on the high-quality 361,000 sq ft distribution unit at Muse Developments’ flagship Logic Leeds site on 29 March. The distribution centre project, which will be the largest ever warehouse development in Leeds, is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year. The main contractor is Derbyshire-based Bowmer and Kirkland and the site is expected to be fully operational by late 2019/early 2020.

At the heart of the fully integrated solution to be provided by SSI Schaefer is the highly efficient Navette Matrix System, which operates alongside vertical lift storage machines and conveyors backed up by conventional shelving and pallet storage. All elements of the solution will be controlled by SSI Schaefer’s WAMAS warehouse management system and processes have been designed to consider the nature of the product and the current regulations governing its handling and storage.

Nick Wilkins, Chief Supply Chain Officer, Premier Farnell said, “This contract with SSI Schaefer is a key milestone in the delivery of a modern warehouse for the Premier Farnell group, positioning the business for future growth. Our success is based on fulfilling market leading delivery promises. In partnering with SSI Schaefer we will continue to provide that service, supply our network of eight other warehouses across the globe, and develop core value-adding services for our customers right from our warehouse operations. We are very pleased to be working with SSI Schaefer.”

SSI Schaefer’s Managing Director, Jaap Vos stated, “We are delighted to be working in partnership with Premier Farnell. Delivering an advanced system to enhance and support their operation creates the opportunity to continue to develop solutions ahead of anticipated future requirements.”

To find out more click here. 

The half-day event, which was organised with the support of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, was held in Stuttgart-Böblingen on the 13th June 2018, and featured presentations from customers who have developed Raspberry Pi based solutions in different sectors.

“As the Development Distributor we seek to support customers as they develop their products for market, whether that is providing the right products, expertise or opportunities for customers to learn from their collective experiences. This event provided a forum for customers to share their experiences developing and designing professional solutions based on the Raspberry Pi.” says Dr. Marc Schacherer, Regional Sales Director for DACH at Farnell element14: “Customers were able to talk with experts about the opportunities, challenges and benefits of using Raspberry Pi, and complementary products, for professional solutions.”

Over 65 customers attended the event to see three Farnell element14 customers present their experiences developing professional solutions:

• Exceet: a blood pressure measurement device
• The University of Dusseldorf: German Government fundedhome security solution
• Digital Concepts: a Polyrack-designed gateway system for EnOcean devices.

The event also included a presentation by the Raspberry Pi Foundation and practical workstation-based sessions where delegates could discuss projects with the presenting companies including technical details and build-in components. The event closed with a Q&A session.

“We see this event as a major step forward in identifying new project areas for the development of our Raspberry Pi business in industrial markets”, adds Daniel Kilian, Business Development Manager for Farnell element14 in DACH “As a result, we aim to show the marketplace that we are the number one customer-centric Development Distributor for Raspberry Pi based systems.”

Due to the high level of interest in the event and feedback from customers who attended, Farnell element14 is now considering a further event for customers who did not obtain a place due to over-subscription.

Premier Farnell, the Development Distributor, has expanded its Test & Measurement product range with additional investment in its linecard including new products from Weller, Tektronix and Rohde & Schwarz. The new products include the Weller WE 1010 soldering station, the Keithley DAQ6510 data-acquisition and logging multimeter system, the Rohde & Schwarz R&S® FPC spectrum analyser, and the R&S® HMP power-supply family.

Premier Farnell has invested significantly in expanding its linecard and inventory over the past 12 months, and now has the broadest range of in-stock test & measurement products in the high service distribution market. “The investment in inventory that we have made over the last year has significantly strengthened the breadth and depth of our linecard”, says James McGregor, Head of Test and Tools at Premier Farnell: “Our range of test & measurement equipment now embraces everything from high-value products for cost-conscious engineers and educators to top-of-the-line professional equipment.”

New products recently added to Premier Farnell's range include:

• Weller WE 1010 soldering station: The digital 70W soldering stations is 40% more powerful than competitive stations in the market. This allows the iron to heat up faster and to provide a faster recovery time to get the job done quicker with more efficiency and precision. This station is developed especially for educational, and consumer applications as well as entry level professional. It has many of the software features of professional workstations, and is easy and economical to use. Full details are available here

• Keithley DAQ6510 data acquisition and logging multimeter system*: A precision data acquisition and logging system that creates a new level of simplicity compared with the often-complicated configuration and control found in many stand-alone solutions. With 12 plug-in switching and control modules and two module slots, users can build test systems that can measure or control up to 80 devices under test in a multiplexing configuration. Two 6 × 8 matrix modules provide a total of 96 crosspoints allowing the test of one or multiple ICs. For high-volume production testing, a solid-state multiplexer module is available to maximise throughput with 800 channels/s scanning speed and minimise downtime. The large 5-inch (12.7 cm) multitouch display guides users through set-up, data visualisation and analysis, removing the necessity of a PC and custom software for many applications. For users who prefer or require a PC, a complement of IVI and Labview drivers and the Keithley KickStart instrument control software are available. Full details are available here.

• Rohde & Schwarz ® FPC spectrum analyser: The R&S® FPC1500 combines a spectrum analyser, network analyzer and signal generator in one instrument, providing great value and performance in this entry class model, suitable university laboratories, research institutions as well as production and service facilities. The device has the lowest noise floor in its class at 165 dBm and a resolution bandwidth of 1 Hz on a 10.1” WXGA display and inbuilt investment protection with all upgrades available via keycode and no additional calibration required. Full details are available here.

• Rohde & Schwarz® HMP power supply family*: The R&S® HMP power supply family is primarily designed for industrial use and available in four models. With two, three or four output channels and up to 10 A output current per channel, these rugged instruments are ideal for a wide variety of applications, offering high efficiency with low residual ripple and many protection functions and provide up to 80W or 160 W of channel power depending on the model. Full details are available here

Premier Farnell’s broad product range is backed up by high standards of service and support. “We are the only global high service distributor with a truly local presence to provide customers with the expertise and advice they need when buying high-value products”, adds McGregor: “Premier Farnell can support customers throughout their journey, from product development and test through to supporting their maintenance needs. And all this is supported locally, saving the customer time and money.”

Premier Farnell operates as Farnell element14 in Europe, Newark element14 in North America and element14 in Asia Pacific.

Farnell element14, The Development Distributor, has launched a five-week competition for customers in Europe to celebrate the summer of football 2018.

Customers in Europe can visit football.farnell.com to guess the score in key games, test their football predictions against friends and colleagues on a live leader board and tell Farnell element14 about their top-scoring products to get the chance to win prizes - football puns are allowed!

There are eight chances to win, following eight key matches played in Russia throughout June and July. The dates and times of the eight rounds are as follows:

• First round runs from 14.06 at 8:00 a.m. CEST to 19.06
• Second round runs from 20.06 at 8:00 a.m. CEST to 24.06
• Third round runs from 25.06 at 8:00 a.m. CEST to 28.06
• Fourth round runs from 30.06 at 8:00 a.m. CEST to 03.07
• Fifth round runs from 06.07 at 8:00 a.m. CEST to 07.07
• Sixth round runs from 10.07 at 8:00 a.m. CEST to 11.07
• Seventh round runs from 14.07 at 8:00 a.m. CEST to 14.07
• Eighth round runs from 15.07 at 8:00 a.m. CEST to 15.07

Three winners will be announced at the end of each round, each receiving a £30 (or local equivalent value) sport e-shop gift card.

At the end of the competition, the most creative entry in the Farnell element14 competition will receive the Grand Prize of a DJI Spark Drone, Alpine White. The Grand Prize winner will be announced within 48 hours of the close of the competition, as the tournament in Russia comes to an end.

Jo Molineux, Head of Marketing for Farnell element14 explains: “This is an opportunity for all our customers to get involved in that football competition everyone is talking about! We are looking for your best football predictions and the most creative entries to our competition. The competition is open to engineers, students and makers – so join us in celebrating this great summer of football.”

Find out more about Farnell element14 2018 football competition by visiting football.farnell.com.

Premier Farnell, the Development Distributor, has added Aim TTi TGF3000 series Dual Channel Arbitrary Function Generators to its instrumentation range. The TGF3000 series is the latest arbitrary generator series from Aim-TTi offering class-leading performance and unrivalled value for money in 160 MHz and 80 MHz models.

The new TGF3000 series initially consists of two models, the TG3082 (dual channel, 80MHz, 14 bits / 400MS/s) and TG3162 (dual channel 160MHz, 16 bits / 800MS/s), two identical full performance channels that can operate as independent generators or in coupled or tracking modes. Precise channel to channel phase control with a resolution of 0.001o is provided. A wide range of built-in waveforms is included and custom arbitrary waveforms can be used at sample speeds up to 800MSa/s and replay rates up to 80MHz. PC based arbitrary waveform generation and editing software is provided. High resolution, low jitter pulses can be generated and the noise function provides wideband Gaussian noise at bandwidths up to 100MHz and crest factor of more than five. An extensive array of modulations is provided using internal and external sources. Gated, burst and sweep modes can use internal or external trigger sources. Remote control via USB and LXI compliant LAN (standard) can be supplemented by optional GPIB if required.

Key features include:

• Frequency up to 160MHz, 15 digits or 1μHz resolution
• Wideband noise generator | high resolution pulse generator
• Arbitrary waveforms up to 16bits at 800MSa/s
• Comprehensive internal/external digital and analog modulations
• Two identical channels with phase control, coupling and tracking
• USB and LXI compliant LAN interfaces, plus optional GPIB interface

The TGF3000 series is available to buy from Farnell element14 in Europe and element14 in Asia Pacific.

Farnell element14, the Development Distributor, is sponsoring Renishaw’s Greenpower team for the 2018 race season run by the Greenpower Education Trust.

The Greenpower Education Trust is a UK based charity which aims to get young people enthusiastic about science and engineering by challenging them to design, build and race electric cars. More than 10,000 students take part in Greenpower races each year, from primary school age through to university.

Renishaw supports Greenpower as an event partner, as it encourages young people to experience engineering and get involved in innovative design as part of their school career, through the excitement of competitive racing.

Farnell element14, like Renishaw, is committed to helping grow the next generation of engineers. By sponsoring the Renishaw Greenpower team for the 2018 season, Farnell element14 is supporting the aim of inspiring young people to investigate the opportunities that a career in engineering can bring. The Renishaw cars, designed and manufactured by young apprentices and graduates, will display Farnell element14 branding.

Mathew Thorpe, Regional Sales Director for UK and Ireland, Farnell element14, says: “We are excited to be sponsoring the Renishaw Greenpower team for the 2018 race season. Farnell element14, as the Development Distributor, is committed to helping build the next generation of engineers and seeks to provide opportunities for young people to get involved in engineering and encourage them to consider STEM subjects as they further their education. The Greenpower Education Trust, supported by Renishaw, is a fine example of how the industry is working to inspire a future generation of engineers.”

This latest sponsorship builds upon work Farnell element14 and its’ parent company, Premier Farnell, undertakes to raise awareness of engineering and technology as a career choice, including the Farnell element14 University IoT Challenge and Premier Farnell UK Technology Challenge, run in schools in the Leeds area for the last 3 years

You can find out more about the Greenpower Education Trust at https://www.greenpower.co.uk/about

Farnell element14 is offering customers in Europe the opportunity to pre-order the new 6½ digit Keithley DMM6500 for immediate shipment on 16 April 2018. The DMM6500 is a modern Bench/System digital multimeter (DMM) ideally suited for design engineers and production test engineers, delivering more measurement functionality, best-in-class measurement insight and a price that will not break the budget.

The DMM6500 is equipped with all the measurement functions you would expect in a bench multimeter, eliminating the need to buy additional measurement capabilities. It has 15 measurement functions including capacitance, temperature (RTD, thermistor and thermocouple), diode test with variable current sources, and up to 1 MS/sec digitizing. The digitizing function can be used for voltage or current and is especially useful in capturing transient anomalies or to help profile power events such as the operating states of today’s battery operated devices. Current and voltage can be digitized with a programmable 1 MS/sec 16-bit digitizer, making it possible to acquire waveforms without the need for a separate instrument.

The most recognizable feature of the DMM6500 is the large 5-inch capacitive touch display that makes it easy to observe, interact with and explore measurements with “pinch and zoom” simplicity. Beyond its display technology, the DMM6500 superior analogue measurement performance delivers 25 PPM basic DCV accuracy for one year and 30 PPM for two years, allowing users to extend calibration cycles.

Key benefits include:

• More measurement functions and wider measurement ranges (including 10 µA to 10 A and 1 mΩ to 100 MΩ) with more sensitivity to maximize the utility of the DMM and to enable measurements on new, low power components and products
• 1Msample/s digitizing to capture complex waveforms and transients
• A 5 inch (12.7cm) multi-touch capacitive touchscreen display with readily accessible swipe screens and minimized menu depth and to enable fast, in-depth data analysis. Graphing, pinch and zoom, cursors, and statistics enable design engineers to get greater insight into measurement trends and waveform characteristics
• Fastest integrating measurements to reduce test time in automated systems
• Test script processing (TSP) to reduce time-consuming communications with a PC and to customize measurements for specific applications
• Optional scan cards to expand the number of measurements that can be taken with a single DMM
• Emulation of the Keithley 2000 DMM and to permit upgrading hardware while avoiding the need to write new test code
• Large internal memory - store up to 7 million readings, additional USB host port for storing readings, instrument configurations and screen images
• 2-year specifications to reduce the cost of ownership
• 3-year warranty

The Keithley DMM6500 is available for pre-order from Farnell element14 in Europe.

Work has now started on site for Premier Farnell’s high-quality 361,000 sq ft distribution unit at Muse Developments’ flagship Logic Leeds site.

A special turf-cutting ceremony was held on March 29 at Logic Leeds to celebrate the start of construction work on the state-of-the-art distribution hub. The warehouse build, which will be the largest ever warehouse development in Leeds, is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year. The main contractor is Derbyshire-based Bowmer and Kirkland.

The ceremony was attended by directors of Premier Farnell and Muse. Councillor Richard Lewis of Leeds City Council and Roger Marsh, Chairman of the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) were also present along with senior officers from the city council.

Nick Wilkins, Chief Supply Chain Officer for Premier Farnell stated: “The start of the warehouse build is a key milestone in this project and an important occasion for Premier Farnell. This warehouse will become the largest distribution centre in the Premier Farnell group and a hub for future growth, allowing us to target new opportunities from right here in Leeds. As our business grows and we take our place within the Avnet ecosystem, increased distribution capacity coupled with the latest technology means our customers can continue to rely on us to deliver products when they need them. This is a significant investment for Premier Farnell and we are delighted to be continuing our long-established presence in Yorkshire as we look forward to the future.”

James Scott, Development Director with national developer and regeneration specialist Muse, commented: “This is another significant milestone in the successful Logic Leeds story and it is exciting to be able to celebrate the start of work on site for such a prestigious tenant. Premier Farnell is a worldwide player in the electronics distribution industry and its decision to come to Logic Leeds is a testament to the qualities of our development. Premier Farnell’s building is going to be an important addition to a site which already boasts a number of other high-profile occupiers, including Amazon and John Lewis Partnership.

Cllr Richard Lewis, Leeds City Council Executive Member for Regeneration, Transport and Planning commented: “It is great news that Premier Farnell is remaining in Leeds, protecting hundreds of jobs that could otherwise have been lost from the city. The Council has worked hard with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority to retain the company in the city, and are pleased that they have decided to make such a substantial investment giving a strong platform from which to grow their business moving forward.”

Roger Marsh OBE, Chair of the Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Partnership commented: “We are delighted that Premier Farnell will enhance their high service distribution of technology products and solutions from what will be the largest ever warehouse development in Leeds. Our key industrial sectors are changing rapidly and the ability to embrace and adopt fast emerging digital technology and the Internet of Things, whereby computing devices are embedded in everyday objects to send and receive data, will improve our productivity and define our future economic identity.

“This decision means Premier Farnell – a global tech leader - can sit at the heart of this opportunity and pioneer this strategy from Leeds City Region Enterprise Zone,” he added.

The marketing agents for Logic Leeds are the Leeds offices of Carter Towler and Knight Frank. Cushman and Wakefield acted for Premier Farnell.

Photo 16 caption: Nick Wilkins, Chief Supply Chain Officer, Premier Farnell, Councillor Lewis and Roger Marsh from the LEP, Peter Birks, Business President, Farnell element14.

At SIdO 2018, Farnell element14, the Development Distributor, will showcase a number of major new advances in its range of hardware and software solutions targeted at developers of IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) products. Visitors will also have the opportunity to meet with Honeywell, TDK & Panasonic who will be demoing products on the Farnell element14 stand.

Farnell element14 works with start-ups, engineering design houses and semiconductor manufacturers to support the design and production of new products, development kits and single-board computers. At the SIdO exhibition, Farnell element14 will show the services it can provide to customers of all sizes to help bring their products to market, including an exclusive customisation programme, Design & Manufacturing services and dedicated support for start-ups including preferential terms and conditions through its Start SomeWhere scheme.

IoT resources for customers include the IoT hub: a major section of the Farnell element14 website, in French language, containing a variety of IoT feature stories, case studies, products, and interviews, as well as technical articles exploring the possibilities of IoT applications.

Products featured on the stand include:

• The BBC micro:bit: adopted in countries across the globe as a tool to teach coding

• Raspberry Pi IoT Learner Kit: developed in collaboration with IBM, the Raspberry Pi IoT Learner kit provides an end-to-end learning solution for makers, hardware and software developers and students looking to get started with IoT development. Built around the Raspberry Pi 3 and Raspberry Pi sense hat, the kit can be used in conjunction with IBM’s Coursera course: “A Developer’s Guide to Internet of Things (IoT)” to learn the skills required for IoT development, create projects and bring innovative projects into commercial application.

• Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ and Matrix Creator: The Raspberry Pi Model B+ was launched 14 March 2018, perfecting the previous board for use in the professional market including dual band wireless with modular compliance, PoE enabled (through a separate PoE hat), improved thermal management and faster Ethernet. On stand, visitors will be able to see an “Amazon Alexa” demo, utilizing the MATRIX Creator IoT development board and Raspberry Pi. The Matrix Creator is a fully-featured development board, including sensors, wireless communications, and an FPGA givin users a complete, affordable, and user-friendly tool for simple to complex Internet of Things (IoT) app creation.

• Preview of the element14 SimpleLink™ sub-1 GHz sensor-to-Cloud Linux Industrial Gateway development kit, exclusive to Farnell element14. The kit provides an end-to-end tool to enable a sub-1 GHz sensor network with an IoT gateway and cloud connectivity, allowing developers to get to market faster with an out-of-the-box, end-to-end solution enabling an easy cloud connection for sending and receiving long-range sensor data while maintaining a robust link.

Visitors can see how the Raspberry Pi is used as an embedded product in professional design with French start-up Airnodes, which has developed a smart mirror based on a Raspberry Pi and targeted at the luxury hotel market.

For more information about Farnell element14 at SiDO please visit www.fr.farnell.com/sido2018

Farnell element14, the Development Distributor, is proud to launch its “University IoT Challenge” in partnership with Rohde & Schwarz, the supplier of innovative information and communications technology products for professional users. The aim of the competition is to introduce university students to the world of electronics. The competition challenges students to come up with creative ideas using £5,000 of products from Farnell element14 to create an IoT (Internet of Things) based product that would positively impact individuals who need assistance in their everyday lives.

Entrants will be asked to submit their ideas online at http://uk.farnell.com/university-iot-challenge, along with the bill of materials required to build a prototype. Potential ideas would include an IoT device to test water quality in a third world country or sensor system to monitor activity of elderly loved ones living alone.

Entrants taking part in this exciting challenge are encouraged to be as creative and informative as possible in their entry, whilst ensuring that their concept is realistic and could be developed into a prototype.

Farnell element14 will choose four finalists based on the merit and originality, which will then be put to a public vote on the element14 community.

Winners will receive:

• The bill of materials for the project/idea

• The balance of £5,000 to spend at uk.farnell.com

• A bundle of test and measurement products from Rhode & Schwarz® which includes 1 x RTC1000 Oscilloscope, 50 MHz, 2ch 8ch MSO and 1 x NGE102 Power supply

• Support from Farnell element14’s team to help you build and test your design

Mathew Thorpe, Regional Sales Director for UK and Ireland, Farnell element14, says: “At Farnell element14 we are committed helping students on their journey of learning from education to maker to a professional engineer. In education, we provide guidance and support through online resources available from the STEM Academy and our widely used element14 Community which has over 500,000 members. This competition recognises the strong engineering heritage we have in the UK, and the importance of investing in education to ensure that this continues. We have a long history of supporting our customers’ development, design and pre-production requirements and this competition will help make a great idea, that might not otherwise be developed, to become a real project”.

Entry to this competition closes on Friday 4th May. Students and educators looking to enter the competition can find more information and read full Terms and Conditions at http://uk.farnell.com/university-iot-challenge.

Farnell element14, the Development Distributer, was recognized at the prestigious ‘Product of the Year’ awards hosted by elektroniknet.de on 15^th March 2018 in Munich, Germany. For the 20^th year, readers of the trade magazine Elektronik and the online platform elektronik.de chose their products of the year from a broad field of 111 products, in 11 categories.

Farnell element14 received 1^st place award for “Product of the Year 2018” in the category “Embedded Design with a Custom Raspberry Pi”.

This award was received by Dr. Marc Schacherer, Regional Sales Director Central Europe the day after the launch of the new Raspberry Pi3 Model B+, a perfection of the previous board, addressing the needs of the growing professional design market using the board as an embedded device.

Dr. Marc Schacherer, Regional Sales Director Central Europe, said: “elektroniknet.de is a highly respected publication in the key German market and we are delighted with this award, which reinforces our position as the leading manufacturer and distributor of the Raspberry Pi. We continue to see real opportunity for application of the Raspberry Pi in the professional market. As we talk to our customers we are seeing the Raspberry Pi increasingly adopted as an embedded device. The new Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ perfects the board for professional use and we expect to see it increasingly adopted by professional design engineers, enabling our customers to bring their products to market faster, and with fewer resources, than ever before. I would like to thank everyone who voted for Farnell element14.”

The winners of the ‘Product of the Year’ awards were voted for by readers of elektroniknet.de.

Premier Farnell, The Development Distributor, now stocks KC-LINK Surface Mount Capacitors from KEMET, manufacturers of advanced capacitors and components.

KEMET’s KC-LINK surface mount capacitors are designed to meet the growing demand for fast switching semiconductors that operate at a higher voltage, temperature and frequency. With an operating temperature of up to 150°C, these capacitors can be mounted close to fast switching semiconductors at very high power density applications, which require minimal cooling.

KEMET utilizes a proprietary C0G/NPO base metal electrode dielectric system, making the capacitors well suited for power converters, inverters, snubbers and resonators, where high efficiency is a primary concern. With extremely low effective series resistance (ESR) and very low thermal resistance, KC-LINK capacitors can operate at very high ripple currents with no change in capacitance versus DC voltage and negligible change in capacitance versus temperature.

The KC-Link C0G dielectric technology also provides high mechanical robustness compared to other dielectric technologies, allowing the capacitor to be mounted without the use of lead frames. This provides extremely low effective series inductance (ESL) that increases the operating frequency range, allowing further miniaturization.

Other benefits include an operating temperature range of −55°C to +150°C, high frequency operation (>10 MHz), no piezoelectric noise and the capacitors are also RoHS Pb-free. Automotive grade devices are also available to meet the demanding Automotive Electronics Council’s AEC–Q200 qualification requirements.

Typical applications include:

• Wide bandgap (WBG), silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) systems

• Hybrid electrical vehicles (drive systems, charging)

• Photovoltaic systems

• Power conversion

• Inverters

• DC link

• LLC resonators

KEMET KC-LINK surface mount capacitors are now available to buy from Farnell element14 in Europe and Newark element14 in North America.

Farnell element14, The Development Distributor, is inviting customers and start-ups to attend its Tech-day at la Maison Minatec, Grenoble on 15^th March 2018. At the event, Farnell element14 will be presenting the support it gives to customers, from start-ups to corporate accounts, as they design, develop and bring their products to market.

Farnell element14 has over 80 years’ experience in the distribution market, and as the Development Distributor, works with customers across Europe to help them bring their products to market. Farnell element14 has experience working with the largest semiconductor suppliers to the smallest start-ups, drawing on deep experience in product design and prototyping, right through to manufacturing and bringing products to market.

Farnell element14 can support start-ups with questions such as:

• How to choose the best connectivity solution?

• How to save time with proof of concept (PoC)

• What are the product solutions best suited to your project?

• How to facilitate the different phases of product development?

Daniel Dahan, Regional Sales Director for Europe South at Farnell element14, said: “As the Development Distributor, we work with customers across Europe to help them bring their products to market. This event provides an opportunity for customers and start-ups based in France to see the latest products from key suppliers, network with industry colleagues and find out more about the support that Farnell element14 can give as they design, prototype and manufacture their products.”

Working with start-ups, Farnell element14 understand the challenges they face accessing the right technical expertise as well as managing finances in their early stages. To support these young businesses, Farnell element14 offers preferential terms and conditions for start-ups’ through its Start SomeWhere scheme.

In France, Farnell element14 works closely with more than 20 start-ups, supporting them with the everyday challenges that they face: “I have heard them say ‘We can’t!’, ‘eccentricity has its limits’ or ‘it’s a bit too unusual’ but from experience working with the start-ups and seeing true entrepreneurship in action, I can see that if they really want to do something, they can, and being unusual can be a real strength.” Says Morgane Roche, Marketing Manager for South Europe and Benelux at Farnell element14. “It is because of this that we have created our start-up support programme and this event is a fantastic opportunity for startups to find out how it can help them.”

An example of how Farnell element14 can provide support to start-ups is French start-up, AirNodes who exhibited at CES earlier this year. Founded in 2016 and located at Annecy in the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region, the company developed a smart mirror, unique to the French market. The team had since worked with Farnell element14 to redesign and prototype a new version of the mirror, based on a Raspberry Pi 3. The redesigned mirror has been purchased by a French 5-star hotel and Airnodes are in discussions with a famous UK hotel to furnish about 200 mirrors!

For more information on the event and to confirm attendance please visit: http://fr.farnell.com/grenoble-techday-exhibition?CMP=PR

Premier Farnell, The Development Distributor, is now stocking the LDH400P Electronic Load from Aim TTi, manufacturers of advanced electronic test and measurement equipment and laboratory power supplies, specifically for electronic design engineers.

The LD series features electronic loads which are suitable for testing and characterising a wide variety of DC power sources. They can be used to investigate the behaviour of many different types of power source, such as: PFCs, batteries, solar cells and electronic power supply units. Wide voltage/current range, multiple operating modes and built-in transient generators also give users versatility to offer test solutions from the design laboratory through to the component test area.

As LDH400P load inputs are rated to CAT II (300V), direct testing of PFCs and main connected power supplies can be done without the need for an isolation transformer, saving bench space and cost.

Key features include:

• Versatile solutions for direct testing of DC power sources and PFCs

• Constant current, resistance, conductance and power modes

• Wide voltage and current range, 10 to 500V and 0 to 16A

• 400 watts continuous dissipation at 28°C (360W at 40°C)

• High resolution and accuracy for level setting

• Built-in transient generator with variable slew

• Current monitor output for waveform viewing

• Variable drop-out voltage for battery testing

• High resolution backlit graphic LCD with soft key control

• Analogue remote control of levels and TTL control of on/off and transient switching

• Front and rear input terminals

• Load inputs rated to CAT II (300V)

• Full bus control via USB, RS232, GPIB and LXI compliant LAN interfaces

The Aim TTi LDH400P Electronic Load is now available to buy from Farnell element14 in Europe, Newark element14 in North America, and element14 in Asia Pacific.

Premier Farnell, the technology distributor, today announces investment in a 360,000 sq foot warehouse at Muse Development’s Logic Leeds, within a Leeds City Council Enterprise Zone, retaining £650m in revenue and jobs in the Yorkshire region.

The site, based off junction 45 of the M1, will stock over 420,000 products within the 360,000 sq foot facility and has the potential for up to one million square feet of distribution capacity as the business continues to respond to market growth opportunities.

Graham McBeth, President of Premier Farnell said; “This is a significant investment in a modern, automated warehouse, made possible by the opportunities for growth in the market and the support of our American parent company, Avnet. I am delighted that we are retaining our presence in Leeds.

Nick Wilkins, Chief Supply Chain Officer, Premier Farnell added; “Premier Farnell has a strong history in the Leeds area and we have great confidence in the Yorkshire workforce. This new warehouse, with great transport links, retains jobs in the region and will allow us to grow to support market demand.”

Logic Leeds sits within one of the Leeds City region Enterprise Zones which is supported by Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP), Leeds City Council, the Department of Communities and Local Government. Muse Developments has partnered up with Sheffield based Bowmer and Kirkland to build the state-of-the-art distribution warehouse. Works commenced in early February 2018, with completion scheduled for the end of the year. The site is expected to be operational by late 2019 / early 2020.

Roger Marsh OBE, Chair of Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) said: “We are delighted that Premier Farnell will enhance their high service distribution of technology products and solutions from what will be the largest ever warehouse development in Leeds. Our key industrial sectors are changing rapidly and the ability to embrace and adopt fast emerging digital technology and the Internet of Things, whereby computing devices are embedded in everyday objects to send and receive data, will improve our productivity and define our future economic identity. This decision means Premier Farnell – a global tech leader - can sit at the heart of this opportunity and pioneer this strategy from Leeds City Region Enterprise Zone.”

Cllr Richard Lewis, Leeds City Council Executive Member for Regeneration, Transport and Planning commented: “It is great news that Premier Farnell is remaining in Leeds, protecting hundreds of jobs that could otherwise have been lost from the city. The Council has worked hard with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority to retain the company in the city, and are pleased that they have decided to make such a substantial investment giving a strong platform from which to grow their business moving forward.”

James Scott, Development Director at Muse, commented: “This is fantastic news and another significant milestone in the Logic Leeds story. The decision by Premier Farnell, a worldwide player in the electronics distribution industry, to come to Logic Leeds is testament to the qualities of our development.”

Premier Farnell’s existing warehouse is in Armley, Leeds, with an additional overflow stocking facility located nearby. In the last 12 months Premier Farnell has invested more than £60m in additional inventory across the globe, instigating a Europe-wide search for a new warehouse facility to support demand. Premier Farnell is now working with Leeds City Council and the Local Planning Authority to agree the future of the existing warehouse building and to develop transport solutions for employees moving to the new site.

Premier Farnell operates as Farnell element14 in the UK and Europe.

Premier Farnell, The Development Distributor, is now stocking the EA Elektro Automatik EL 3000 B Series for automated testing in workshops, laboratories, education, R&D and industry.

This series is an ideal benchtop tool for low-power component- and device testing, providing accurate and reproducible test data. The versatile control software EA Power Control (available as free- and pay-ware) allows to run semi-automated test routines.

The unit, which has a significantly improved reaction time of analog and digital controls over the previous model, also benefits from:

• 400W, 0-80V, 0-200V, 0-500V DC, 0-10A up to 0-60A

• Coloured TFT Display, with integrated comfortable function generator as well a battery test and (PV) MPP-tracking simulation

• High-performance, micro-processor based control unit

• 16 Bit ADC/DACs for a high resolution

• Voltage accuracy of 0.1% and current accuracy of 0.2%

• Highly isolated structure resulting in lower sensitivity todisturbances during operation

• Active damping in the DC-input circuit significantly reducing oscillations

• Optimized thermal management eliminating a sudden stop upon an over-temperature condition

• Input-filter protection circuit, preventing damage from DC voltage may contain a high-frequency AC part

• Plug’n play slot to retrofit interface options eg USB

   

Typical applications include dynamic load testing and aging simulation of small DC sources, load testing/discharging of all types of energy storage devices and testing of semiconductors, passive and active electronic components.

The EA Elektro Automatik EL 3000 B Series is now available to buy from Farnell element14 in Europe, and element14 in Asia Pacific.

Farnell element 14, The Development Distirbutor, will be joining Avnet Silica at Embedded World 2018 in Nuremberg, Germany from 27^th February to 1^st March, located in Hall 1 at stand 1-370.  Farnell element14 will focus on embedded technologies, connectivity and the IoT, with advanced solutions from market leaders including ST, TI, BeagleBoard.org, Raspberry Pi and BBC Micro:bit. A demo highlight is an end-to-end data-to-cloud solution based on the BeagleBone Black platform and a Linux-based cloud gateway for long-range sensor data.

Avnet Silica will demonstrate its extensive range of products, technologies and knowhow across key application sectors. It will use its 250sqm booth to host demo and application solution areas, including more than 60 demonstrations of boards and tools across six demo-stations. These stations will include advanced technologies and products in the areas of: data acquisition; control; Microsoft^® solutions; connectivity, safety and security; embedded software and services; and storage.

As well as the demo-stations, the Avnet Silica solutions area will showcase demos that address a range of challenges encountered by system design engineers and developers, including edge-to-enterprise IoT solutions, connectivity, security, embedded vision, and datacoms.

Special focus will also be provided on key technologies for the development of IoT products and systems. For example, the new Avnet Silica NB-IoT sensor shield will be on display: the board is Arduino compatible and enables connectivity via NB-IoT and LTE-Cat.M1, the latest LTE cellular based narrowband standards that have been developed for IoT applications. In addition, there will be demo solutions on the company’s highly scalable cloud-based IoTConnect^™ software platform, which uses Microsoft’s enterprise-grade Azure hybrid cloud computing service. Applications that will be showcased on the booth include ‘smart factory’, ‘smart asset monitoring’ and ‘smart connected worker’ solutions.

Another major highlight is a demonstration of the Microsoft HoloLens, the first self-contained holographic computer that comes in the form of a pair of augmented/mixed-reality smartglasses. Enabling users to engage with digital content and to interact with holograms, the system is being used to show its capabilities in an industrial fill-level control system application that includes sensors and actuators.

The company will also be co-exhibiting with conjunction with Avnet Abacus, who will be using the show to present its advanced sensor, power and connectivity solutions for the IoT including products and technologies from Omron, Panasonic, TE Connectivity and Varta.

In addition, Avnet Silica has three speaking slots at the Embedded World Conference 2018:

To support Farnell element14’s commitment to the electronics education and maker market, the company has become the exclusive Gold Hardware Sponsor of Astonhack, a 24-hour Hackathon organised by Aston Computer Science Society and held at Aston University in Birmingham as part of Major League Hacking’s 18th season.

The organisers define a Hackathon as “where teams of up to four people work together to build something over 24 hours. Challengers have 24 hours to build, code, hack, solder and program their way to victory in a frenzied, sleep-deprived festival, featuring workshops, games, pizza and lots of creating.”

Sponsors present themes for which prizes will be awarded and at the end of the 24 hours teams present their work to the judges. Under the terms of their sponsorship, Farnell element14 provided a hardware kit, one-to-one support and a hardware workshop free of charge for every attendee. The hardware kit included an Orangepip Kona 328p s, a Raspberry Pi3, and a number of other components. The hardware was provided as a kit so that soldering workshops could be included in the event.

The 2017 Astonhack, held on the 11th and 12th November, was attended by 250 hackers, programmers, electronics students and hardware experts. Phil Hutchinson from the element14 Community also attended the event and gave presentations to the attendees.

Farnell element14 also ran their own mini challenges during the Hackathon. Prizes were presented for the best overall use of Hardware where winners received two Raspberry Pi Hats and two Raspberry Pi 3 Model B products. The first team to show their project working on a Raspberry Pi and post it to Raspberry Pi Projects section on the element14 Community also won a set of Raspberry Pi Hats.

A spokesman from Aston University said: “I just want to thank all at Farnell element14 for all their help and sponsorship of Astonhack. It would not have been possible to integrate hardware into the event without their backing. In particular, the hardware and soldering workshop went better than we could have imagined.”

You can find out more about the projects created at Astonhack by visiting the element14 Community. If you are planning a Hackathon in your region and would like to get in touch with Farnell element14 about sponsorship opportunities please contact Phil Hutchinson – element14 Community. Phutchinson@premierfarnell.com.

Each winning team will take to the stage to present to a panel of judges as they showcase the working prototype of a piece of technology that they have developed to meet the brief of helping someone with a physical or sensory impairment.

Completing a series of 11 competitions, which involved around 300 students, each team had to compete within their own schools and colleges to be named as one of the winners to take part in the regional showcase event.

Judges from Premier Farnell, Leeds Beckett University, Jet2.com, Tunstall, Arris, Foundation for Digital Creativity, LightStart, Egton Digital, Disability Services Team at Leeds City Council, InHealthcare, Aspire CBS, O2, Ayup, PSI Volition, RNIB, Team17 and RabbIT chose the following prototypes to be submitted to the regional finals:

• Bradford College with a portable buddy that talks to dementia sufferers

• Titus Salt School with Raspberry Blinds that are light and sound automated to assist people with arthritis

• Shipley College with a Dementiaid that uses visual recognition to inform a person with dementia if a visitor is known or safe

• Hanson Academy that will showcase a temperature sensor to provide advice on clothing suggestions for those with dementia.

• Wakefield College with a water level indicator for the visually impaired to be used in the bath or sink

• Prince Henry’s Grammar School with an automated pill dispenser for the visually impaired

• Horsforth School with Arthr’ an arthritis friendly pet food dispenser

• Benton Park School with an automated pet water bowl with smart water level sensor

• Ryburn Valley High School with an arthritis friendly touch sensitive lamp with possible motion sensing capability

• Calderdale College with a light sensor for non-verbal users to communicate if it is too bright

• Lightcliffe Academy with a seat for people with complex needs that will detect if users have moved into an uncomfortable position and will alert a carer

The Premier Farnell Technology Challenge aims to raise aspirations and help young people aged 16 - 18 years explore careers in digital and tech, an industry which is set to grow by 15% in this region over the next decade.

Steve Carr, Global Head of Marketing for Premier Farnell said: “This is the third year we have run this challenge and once again we are overwhelmed with the creativity the students have shown in responding to the challenge. As a global technology business based in Leeds, we are committed to introducing the next generation to technology and the opportunities that it presents. The quality of the entries we have received clearly shows that Yorkshire is growing some real talent in this area.”

The challenge is organised with local social enterprise Ahead Partnership which has supported over 100,000 young people to date with real-life, hands-on experiences designed by local employers.

The competitions are part of the FutureJobs programme, a fully-funded service from aspire-igen, Leeds City Region LEP and the European Social Fund.

Stephanie Burras CBE, Ahead Partnership’s Chief Executive, said: “Over two million people work in digital in the UK and in this region, where demand is ever-increasing, it’s imperative that we help young people see the diverse opportunities available. We’re delighted to be helping Premier Farnell directly tackle this demand by challenging young people’s perceptions of the tech industry, helping them develop their creativity and focus on innovation. We’re really looking forward to seeing all the winning designs.”

Sarah Thomas, Access and Widening Participation Manager at Leeds Beckett University, said: “Leeds Beckett University is delighted to be involved in the Premier Farnell Technology Challenge. The project will equip participants with the creative and technical skills needed to pursue successful careers within the industry and enables our undergraduate students to share their expertise and gain valuable experience of working with young people in our region.”

For further details about the Premier Farnell Technology Challenge please visit: https://www.element14.com/community/community/stem-academy/technology-challenge

Farnell element14, the Development Distributor, is celebrating 10 years of trading in Poland this month. Since launching a web presence in Poland in 2007, Farnell element14 has invested in the region, becoming known for its dedicated local language support and local presence combined with trust and honesty. Farnell element14 offers UPS supported 24-48 hour delivery, high quality products, educations support for the Raspberry Pi and access to global expertise in product design , prototyping and development, helping customers get their products to market.

In 2012, Farnell element14 opened an office in Krakow and now employs 57 people in the city, supporting customers across Eastern Europe. The initial Poland team of 10 in 2012 has grown to 30 today.

Poland was an obvious location from which Farnell element14 should enter the Eastern European market. Alongside opportunities presented by the size of the population and large levels of investment from multinational companies, Farnell element14’s launch team had experience of the market following periods at electronics businesses in the country and were keen build a high-service distribution business in the region that truly met the needs for our customers, learning from experience in other businesses.

Rob Rospedzihowski, Regional Sales Director – Eastern Europe, Nordics and International Markets at Farnell element14 says: “This has been an incredible first 10 years. In 2007, we launched a Polish website that received 30,000 visits in its first year and we have not stopped there. After further developing our online proposition including adding web functionalities such as e-quotes , an online catalogue and the introduction of transactions in Polish Zloty in 2010 our website now receives over 1 million customer visits a year. The business has gone from strength to strength, but it’s not only online. In 2008 we started working locally with leading suppliers and now regularly exhibit at key industry events in Poland, all supported from our customer Centre of Excellence in Krakow.”

Farnell continues to support customers in Poland by constantly investing in new product introductions and growing stock. Most recently Farnell element14 has introduced free delivery above 199pln and improved the online experience of the polish website pl.farnell.com

Rob adds: “When we launched the business in 2007, our aim was to become largest global high-service distributor in the region. Local knowledge and on the ground customer support, coupled with access to a global network has helped us to deliver against this goal and the business has grown eightfold over the 10 years. Now we are part of Avnet, we see even more opportunities for our customers and are working hard to deliver this.”

“I want us to be the largest distribution company in Poland. Having been born in England of Polish parents, I have a strong affinity to the country and confidence in the future. Our Polish base in Krakow has served us very well and we have developed a strong and experienced team. I am delighted the first employee hired back in 2007 is still with us now, helping us to deliver excellent customer service and provide young Polish people with great employment opportunities.”

To celebrate its 10 years in Poland, Farnell element14 are launching an online birthday campaign. Customers can visit pl.farnell.com to receive discount codes, and each day there will be a prize to win.

At IoT Solutions World Congress, Hall 5 Stand 615, Farnell element14, the Development Distributor, will be showcasing its offering of IoT products and development platforms to illustrate how it is supporting innovation and start-ups. The display will also feature a local Spanish start-up and an innovative product they have designed with the support of Farnell element14.

Products being highlighted at the show include, Raspberry Pi 3 and a set of kits and accessories including the Pi desktop computing module and the MATRIX Creator IoT development platform.

The MATRIX Creator is a Raspberry Pi™ add-on that provides multiple functionality to support the development of IoT devices by new users and experienced developers alike and is ideally suited for the development of applications in automation control: particularly for home automation systems involving optical and sound elements. The board incorporates a Xilinx Spartan®-6 FPGA, an ARM Cortex®-M3 microcontroller, a range of sensors for motion, temperature, humidity, light, ultraviolet and infrared, an 8-microphone array and a 35-LED array. The board also incorporates integrated Z-wave and ZigBee communications plus connectivity via a wide range of analogue and digital input/output interfaces. It can also be used in stand-alone mode using its onboard processing capability.

The new Pi Desktop is an innovative set of accessories that converts a Raspberry Pi into a fully featured Linux-based desktop computer, housed in an elegant enclosure. When combined with the Raspberry Pi, the Pi Desktop provides users with all the functionality they would expect from a standard PC, including WiFi, Bluetooth, a real-time clock, a mSATA solid-state drive interface, an optional camera and a power switch.

The result is a simple and elegant solution for Raspberry Pi enthusiasts looking to turn their Raspberry Pi into a stylish desktop computer within minutes. It eliminates the need to use a complex bundle of wires, or to compromise on the choice of peripherals. The Pi Desktop can be connected to a display via the HDMI interface.

Other products being featured include the WaRP7 IoT and wearable development platform, whose open source design and complete software package allow developers to innovate without licensing restrictions; the NXP Hexiwear wearable development kit; the BeagleBone® Blue robotics controller; the BBC micro:bit pocket-sized educational computer; and the CodeBug embedded single-board computer.

Farnell element14 will also be sharing their stand with a Spanish start-up, Tumaker, founded in 2014 and located at Oiartzun in the Basque Country region. The company has developed Voladd, a 3D printer that combines an online content platform and 3D printing for the consumer market, unique to the Spanish market. Voladd is the first 3D printer (that doesn’t look like a 3D printer) connected to an online platform with thousands of objects classified in more than 25 categories. All objects are available free of cost and immediately from a Smartphone, Tablet or PC, and the user can have them as easily as click play and watch a Youtube video.

The Premier Farnell Technology Challenge aims to raise aspirations and help young people aged 16 - 18 years explore careers in digital and tech, an industry which is set to grow by 15% in this region over the next decade.

A series of 16 separate challenges will ask teams of students to design and build a prototype of a piece of technology that will help someone with a physical or sensory impairment.

Over 400 students will take part in this year’s challenges, which will launch at each participating school and college this month. Students will take part in a range of workshops and activities designed by Premier Farnell and Leeds Beckett University on topics such as user-centred design and coding skills to help them design their concept.

Competitions, judged by industry experts from Premier Farnell, will be held at each school and college to choose winners to go forward to a regional final in Leeds on 5 December 2017.

Steve Carr, Global Head of Marketing for Premier Farnell said: “We are delighted to be running this challenge for a third year, this time focussing on students aged 16-18. As a global technology business based in Leeds, we are committed to introducing the next generation to technology and the opportunities that it presents – and where best to start and in the Yorkshire region. I’m excited to see the ideas that the students come up with.”

The challenge is organised with local social enterprise Ahead Partnership which has supported over 95,000 young people to date with real-life, hands-on experiences designed by local employers.

The competitions are part of the FutureJobs programme, a fully-funded service from aspire-igen, Leeds City Region LEP and the European Social Fund.

Stephanie Burras CBE, Ahead Partnership’s Chief Executive, said: “Over two million people work in digital in the UK and in this region, where demand is ever-increasing, it’s imperative that we help young people see the diverse opportunities available. We’re delighted to be helping Premier Farnell directly tackle this demand by challenging young people’s perceptions of the tech industry, helping them develop their creativity and focus on innovation. We’re really looking forward to seeing all the entries.”

Sarah Thomas, Access and Widening Participation Manager at Leeds Beckett University, said: “Leeds Beckett University is delighted to be involved in the Premier Farnell Technology Challenge. The project will equip participants with the creative and technical skills needed to pursue successful careers within the industry and enables our undergraduate students to share their expertise and gain valuable experience of working with young people in our region.”

For more information visit https://www.element14.com/community/community/stem-academy

Products being highlighted at the show include the Raspberry Pi 3 and a set of kits and accessories including the Pi Desktop and the MATRIX Creator IoT development platform.

The MATRIX Creator is a Raspberry Pi™ add-on that provides multiple functionality to support the development of IoT devices by new users and experienced developers alike and is ideally suited for the development of applications in automation control: particularly for home automation systems involving optical and sound elements. The board incorporates a Xilinx Spartan®-6 FPGA, an ARM Cortex®-M3 microcontroller, a range of sensors for motion, temperature, humidity, light, ultraviolet and infrared, an 8-microphone array and a 35-LED array. The board also incorporates integrated Z-wave and ZigBee communications plus connectivity via a wide range of analogue and digital input/output interfaces. It can also be used in stand-alone mode using its onboard processing capability.

The new Pi Desktop is an innovative set of accessories that converts a Raspberry Pi^™ into a fully featured Linux-based desktop computer, housed in an elegant enclosure. When combined with the Raspberry Pi, the Pi Desktop provides users with all the functionality they would expect from a standard PC, including WiFi, Bluetooth, a real-time clock, a mSATA solid-state drive interface, an optional camera and a power switch.

The result is a simple and elegant solution for Raspberry Pi^™ enthusiasts looking to turn their Raspberry Pi^™ into a stylish desktop computer within minutes. It eliminates the need to use a complex bundle of wires, or to compromise on the choice of peripherals. The Pi Desktop can be connected to a display via the HDMI interface.

Other products being featured include the WaRP7 IoT and wearable development platform, whose open source design and complete software package allow developers to innovate without licensing restrictions; the NXP Hexiwear wearable development kit; the BeagleBone® Blue robotics controller; the BBC micro:bit pocket-sized educational computer; and the CodeBug embedded single-board computer.

Farnell element14 will also be sharing its stand with a French start-up, AirNodes, founded in 2016 and located at Chavanod in the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region. The company developed a smart mirror, unique to the French market, and have since worked with Farnell element14 to redesign and prototype a new version of the mirror, based on a Raspberry Pi 3. The redesigned mirror has already been purchased by a French 5-star hotel. This collaboration is an example of the support Farnell element14 can provide to startups, fostering innovation as they take their products to market.

At DSEI 2017, S2-298, Farnell element14, The Development Distributor, will be showcasing products selected from its range of over 650,000 products from leading suppliers.

Peter Birks, Business President of Farnell element14 says: “We understand that integrity and security within the supply chain is vital for this sector and it is because of this that we have been developing our proposition as a BSI EN 9120:2010 certified and franchised distributor for the aerospace industry.”

Farnell element14 provides full traceability on any order quantity through the provision of date and lot codes on both product labels and despatch notes on over 170,000 components across all major franchises. By offering one of the industry’s broadest range of Test & Measurement equipment and a leading line card for all Tool & Production supplies, combined with tailored solutions for contract and manufacturing customers, Farnell element14 can help to both save customers cost and streamline their processes.

Birks, continues: “This is all part of Farnell element14’s high service proposition, which is complemented by fast delivery and high reliability. DSEI is an important show for Farnell element14 as it brings together the entire defence and security industry, it is the only show that allows us to continue to build vital relationships with the widest range of aerospace industry and international partners.”

Farnell element14 will be sharing a stand 2-298 with a number of suppliers, including On Semiconductors, TE and Tektronix who will be showcasing a variety of products from Connectors, Cables, Relays and Potentiometers to Osilliscopes, Spectrum Analyzers and Network Analyzers.

Farnell element14, The Development Distributor, has named Bristol Robotics Laboratory as winner of its ‘Win a Lab Makeover’ competition. The competition was open to educational organisations in the UK to win the opportunity to have their teaching space refurbished.

The Bristol Robotics Laboratory (BRL) is an academic centre for multi-disciplinary robotics research in the UK and builds on a collaborative partnership between the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) and the University of Bristol, and is home to a vibrant community of over 200 academics, researchers and industry practitioners.

The laboratory will be using the prize fund to install and stock new storage for basic electrical and mechanical components including resistors, capacitor, diodes, potentiometers, connectors, screws and nuts. The Lab will also receive 5 InfiniVision 1000 X-Series Oscilloscopes worth over £600 each from Keysight that will be used to teach the engineers of the future, and to help staff with prototypes.

Angelika Peer at Bristol Robotics Laboratory said: “With the help of Win-a-Lab-Makeover we hope to introduce a major change in how our researchers and students work on a daily basis, eliminating the need for every single person in need of basic electrical and mechanical components to file and track individual orders. Having basic components in-house will save everyone in the lab, from students and researchers, to people participating in our incubators, lots of time and effort. It will also save the laboratory money that can then be invested in other things.”

Peter Birks, European Business President, Farnell element14, said:  “Farnell element14 launched the ‘Win a Lab Makeover’ competition as we believe it is vital to create the right environment with the right equipment and tools to give students the best start in their engineering careers. The British Robotics Laboratory is using the prize fund to change the way they are working for the better, making a difference to the lives of all the students and teachers and allowing them to focus on the engineering rather than paperwork.”

Farnell element14, the Development Distributor, has appointed Mathew Thorpe as Regional Sales Director for the UK and Ireland. Mathew joins the business from RS Components where he was Head of Field Sales and Trade Counters, with responsibility for sales growth and a team of regional sales managers and key account managers.

Thorpe will be based within the Leeds office where he will further develop Farnell element14’s multichannel service and sales offering, putting the customer at the heart of the business and targeting complex customers within the defence, aerospace and medical markets. He will be responsible for growing Farnell element14’s UK sales leveraging the businesses flexible multi-channel model to support the ever-changing demand of the UK market.

Peter Birks, Regional Business President, Sales and Marketing Europe (pictured right) said: “We are delighted that Mathew is joining the Farnell element14 team. We have a strong customer offering in the UK encompassing a broad inventory and high-service support, delivered through the web and our dedicated local sales and service teams. I am looking to Mathew to build on our current strong performance by delivering industry leading customer service levels and acquiring new business at a faster rate than our competitors. I am enthusiastic and confident that under Mathew’s leadership the execution of our prototype through to production strategy will continue to delight our target customers.”

Notes to editors

Peter Birks, Business President, Europe, pictured above.

Mathew Thorpe, Regional Sales Director, UK & Ireland, pictured below.

Farnell element14, The Development Distributor, is today launching a competition for tech start-ups based in Norway in partnership with CamdenBoss, Altium and Intel. Two winning organisations will be able to select a product worth up to 20,000kr. to help them take their design to the next level.

Farnell element14 has launched the initiative as it recognises that access to the right products and design support is what helps tech start-ups make their idea a reality. Two winners will be given the opportunity to select a product worth up to 20,000kr. to support their start-up design.

In 2016, Farnell element14 worked with Norwegian tech start-up Futurehome to help it bring its home automation product to market. Based on a Single Board Computer, Futurehome utilises smart technology to allow users to control, automate and monitor hundreds of smart devices remotely through a single Smart Hub gateway. Farnell element14 supplied the Single Board Computer as well as supporting Futurehome in the early stages of their development with compliance, manufacturing and engineering services. Working with one vendor to provide both products and services tailored to their individual needs freed Futurehome up to focus purely on developing the product.

Peter Birks, European Business President, Farnell element14, said: “This competition is designed to give two start-ups in Norway the boost they need to get their idea off the ground. From idea and proof of concept to prototyping and production, we are here to support the small start-ups like Futurehome to the large semiconductor manufacturers. Farnell element14 is the Development Distributor and by providing a joined up service we are able to dramatically reduce time to market, which is fundamental for so many start-ups. I am excited to see the innovative ideas that will come from the businesses that apply for this competition.”

Organisations can submit their entries at http://startup.farnell.com/no.  One winner will be announced at EIF Stavanger exhibition on 10^th May with a further winner announced in June.

Farnell element14, The Development Distributor, is inviting customers and potential customers to join them at its Northern Supplier Day at Jesmond Dene House, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne on Wednesday 26th April.

The event will bring together 21 suppliers from across the Farnell element14 technology segments to showcase products, tools and solutions that empower people and businesses to shape the future. Visitors will be able to view the latest products from key suppliers including Phoenix Contact, Rohm, Tektronix, TE, Fluke and Omron.

Representatives from Farnell element14 will also be on hand to discuss the support the business can provide to customers, from logistics to manufacturing and design services.

Peter Birks, Business President, Farnell element14, who is attending the event, said:

“In a market that is increasingly serviced over the web, we understand how important it can be to get time to talk face to face with customers and suppliers about new technologies and services. This event provides an opportunity for customers based in the North of England to see the latest products from key suppliers and network with industry colleagues. Hosting events such as this builds on the support we provide as the Development Distributor, either through our traditional distribution business or as a provider of design and manufacturing services, all to help our customers get their products to market faster.”

The Northern supplier event is aimed at design and maintenance engineers and buyers. Attendees at the event will receive a complimentary goody bag of components from supplier sponsors. For more information on the event and to confirm attendance please visit http://uk.farnell.com/northern-supplier-day

At SIdO 2017, Farnell element14, The Development Distributor, will showcase a number of major new advancements in its range of hardware and software solutions targeted at developers of IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) products.

Silicon Labs Thunderboard-React kit sensor to cloud connectivity

ThunderBoard-React is a cloud-connected, Bluetooth® Smart-enabled, sensor-driven platform that enables customers to demonstrate, evaluate and develop their own unique applications. It uses Silicon Labs’ BGM111 Bluetooth Smart module as a wireless system-on-a-chip (SoC) to collect various sensor data and deliver it to the cloud through Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)-enabled iOS/Android mobile apps, which in turn connect to a cloud-based multi-client, real-time synchronisation database.

The mobile app seamlessly communicates between the ThunderBoard and the cloud database to visualise the collected sensor data or to control the LED states on the ThunderBoard-React hardware. Individual components of the ThunderBoard-React can be easily integrated and modified in order to add BLE-to-cloud connectivity for a user’s particular application.

TinyTILE board for IoT designs

The tinyTILE, created in partnership with Intel, is based on the Intel Curie Module and is an ideal board for applications in wearable designs and IoT. Ideal for consumer and industrial designs, this low-power board is ideal for ‘always on’ applications.

Farnell element14 will showcase many other products at SIdO 2017, such as Tektronix RSA306B, NXP hexiwear, CodeBug, WaRP7 and the Raspberry Pi 3.

Farnell element14 works with start-ups, engineering design houses and semiconductor manufacturers to support the design and production of new products, development kits and single-board computers. At the SIdO exhibition, Farnell element14 will show the services it can provide to customers of all sizes to help bring their products to market. These include an exclusive customisation programme that is helping start-ups and engineering design houses to benefit from the increasingly high performance, affordable price point and speed to market associated with using standard boards, whilst providing flexibility of form factor and key elements to suit customers’ individual requirements.

For more information about Farnell element14 at SIdO please visit stand 315.

Premier Farnell, The Development Distributor, is now shipping the Infineon 24V Protected Switch Shield and the Low-Side Switch Shield both for Arduino.

The 24V Protected Switch Shield is a power switch evaluation board compatible with Arduino microcontroller boards and Infineon’s XMC™ microcontroller kits using the Arduino form factor. It provides fast and inexpensive prototyping of 24V load driving, making it ideal for use in applications such as truck bulbs, car bulbs, valves, motors, relays, capacitors, and LEDs.

The shield is equipped with three PROtected high-side power MOSFETs out of the PROFET™+ 24V family, offering five 24 V channels in total. The power switches are controlled via the INx (input) pins. The PROFET™+ 24V devices also provide a sense current at the IS pin, which can be enabled via the DEN (Diagnosis ENable) pin. For the two channel devices the sensed channel is selected via the DSEL (Diagnosis SELect) pin. For each device the sense signal (IS) is connected to an own ADC channel of the microcontroller.

Infineon’s PROFET™+ 24V protected high-side switches drive resistive, capacitive and inductive loads with either a PWM of up to 400Hz or DC. It includes a driver circuit with logic level inputs, as well as load diagnosis with current sense capability and over temperature shut down with latch behaviour providing protection against over temperature, over current and ESD. This shield can handle 8 ~ 36V nominal input voltage (max. 5 ~ 48V) and a nominal current up to 5A per channel restricted due to PCB (nominal current: 7 A).

The Low-Side Switch Shield from Infineon consists of three BTF3050TE low-side switches of the HITFET™+ family providing three independent power channels that can be controlled via the input pins. The shield is compatible with microcontroller boards using the Arduino form factor and supports fast and easy prototyping of applications with BTF3050TE. With a nominal load current of 3A the BTF3050TE is able to drive resistive, inductive and capacitive loads. Furthermore the smart low-side switch provides diagnosis and protection features against items such as over temperature shut down with auto restart behaviour and double current limitation for inrush current. It also includes a latched and stable fault signal which is independent of the input pin. The Low-Side Switch Shield has a driver circuit with logic level inputs and can be driven with PWM up to 14 kHz (10% duty cycle) and with a 50 mΩ single channel switch, nominal battery voltage range from 8 ~ 18V and a nominal load current of 3A (typ.) DC this switch provides a fast and inexpensive way of prototyping for a wide range of applications.

The shields are available from Farnell element14 in Europe, Newark element14 in North America and element14 in APAC. Please visit the element14 Community for more information on the Infineon 24V Protected Switch Shield and the Infineon Low-Side Switch Shield.

Visitors will be taken on a journey through the ‘World of Electronics’ where they will experience why Farnell element14 is the go-to partner for engineering customers in France.

Farnell element14 will display the latest single board computers and products for education and makers, recognising the importance of training and nurturing an interest in coding and engineering to support the engineers of the future. The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B, which features a new, faster processor to increase its speed, will be demonstrated for visitors.

Within the ‘World of Electronics’ Farnell element14 will also feature products from its market leading development kit range demonstrating its strength in the research and design phase. Visitors will be able to view a demonstration of the RIoTboard MCIMX6 SOLO development platform, an open source platform based on an ARM Cortex-A9 processor.

Highlighting its strength right through the design cycle, Farnell element14 will feature the Keysight Oscilloscope MDO4024C on the stand. The 6-in-1 integrated oscilloscope is one of the products making up the industry’s broadest range of test and measurement equipment, available from Farnell element14 as it supplies customers from bench to board.

As the Development Distributor, Farnell element14 is more than a traditional distributor. Working with the largest semi-conductor manufacturers to the newest start-ups, Farnell element14 provides a range of technical expertise and solutions to bring new products to market. Crucially, by working with Farnell element14 and therefore reducing the number of vendors they work with, customers can reduce their time to market significantly.

Find out more about Farnell element14 at RTS Embedded at www.fr.farnell.com/rts-embedded-systems.

Farnell element14, The Development Distributor, is today launching its ‘Win a Lab Makeover’ competition for education organisations in the UK to win the opportunity to have their teaching space refurbished.

Schools, universities and other education charities are being invited to submit their establishment to be considered for a lab makeover worth up to £3,500. Farnell element14 has also partnered with Keysight to support the competition by giving away five InfiniVision 1000 X-Series Oscilloscopes worth over £600 each to the winning organisation to be used in their newly refurbished lab space.

Farnell element14 has launched the initiative as it recognises that the right environment and equipment is vital to give students the tools and support they need make the right start in their engineering careers.

As the Development Distributor, Farnell element14 works with leading brands and start-ups to develop new products for market, sponsors ‘startupbootcamp IoT’, an innovation accelerator, and provides a forum for engineers to share ideas and projects through its leading element14 Community.

Peter Birks, European Business President, Farnell element14, said: 

“At Farnell element14 we are committed to introducing young people into the world of coding and helping them on their learning journey from education to maker to professional engineer. We do this in so many ways – right from manufacturing coding devices that spark an interest in coding from a young age, to supporting next steps as an official manufacturer of two of the most popular maker boards in the world, Raspberry Pi and BeagleBone Black.

“In education, we provide guidance and support through online resources available from the STEM Academy and our widely used element14 Community which has over 440,000 members. Right here in the UK, we work with Leeds Beckett University, providing access to our lab facilities for project work as well as an accredited module for their Electronics degree course. This competition recognises the strong engineering heritage we have the in UK, and the importance of investing in education to ensure that this continues.”

Organisations can submit their entries at onecall.farnell.com/lp-win-a-lab-makeover. The closing date for entries is 18^th April and four finalists will be selected to go head to head in a public vote.