The results of a recent survey carried out by element14 show that 86% of respondents trust AI to play at least some role in their component selection for their designs, and more than a quarter of those (23%) said they would “completely” trust AI to select components.

Overall, the results of the survey indicated that while engineers believe AI will have an increasing role in assisting with component selection in the future, there is lingering concern about intentional or unintentional bias in AI systems, with some designers saying that they would trust AI to play a “limited” role in selection that remained subject to reviews and checks by themselves. Although most respondents welcomed complementary AI, they also felt that human beings will always be required as part of the selection process, especially for safety-critical systems and innovative designs.

Among the interesting opinions were the following:

• One retired systems engineer said, "AI is no substitute for good engineering calculations. I have been following AI for more than 40 years and it is more overhyped now than ever." When others pointed out that humans make errors, this engineer said, "I am more willing to tolerate human error than rely on an AI solution where I cannot control the data used to train the AI model." This reflects a concern that engineers will not be able to fully understand why an AI module selects particular products.
   
• Another respondent highlighted a common view that AI could be more useful as an assistant rather than a replacement. He said, “That comes with the caveat that I'd reserve the right to vet everything the AI selected. In this capacity, AI would be used as an enhanced search engine of sorts.”
   
• A respondent that was keen to use AI said, "I don't see why AI couldn’t be fully integrated into the component selection process. Hardware design is fundamentally composed of patterns. It's just a matter of time until people discover ways to get online netlists and schematic PDFs and use them as good AI training data. In fact, AI will even be able to improve on them once there are better digital representations of devices and what's inside them, coupled with telemetry from all of the subsystems. AI has a deep and rich well of sources to draw from that will enable it to learn even more. There are already completely generic AI systems that can do impressive, if limited selection, even building up simple VHDL for example. It's specifying what logic to use and how to assemble it. AI is already writing code for me. All I need to do is vet it."
   
• Another regular user of AI for selecting components nevertheless voiced misgivings about AI’s ability, stating that AI modules still have a lot to learn about reliably and how to consistently make the best and most appropriate choices.

Cliff Ortmeyer, Global Head of Technical Marketing and Solutions Development at element14, says, “Our survey results clearly show that engineers are beginning to see a path for AI’s place in terms of component selection in their designs, especially where safety or innovation are considerations. As AI models get more sophisticated, it seems clear that they will become more useful for modelling designs, selecting components, shortening design cycles and reducing time to market of new products.”

Results of the survey are available from Farnell in EMEA, Newark in North America and element14 in APAC.

Edition 5 of e-TechJournal is now available for download, offering readers around the world the latest news and views from element14.

The first e-TechJournal of 2023 provides a wealth of knowledge and expert insights that can benefit engineers, designers, and power management professionals on the subject of ‘The Future of Power’. The free digital magazine includes topics such as:

• Optimising Backup Power with Supercapacitor Voltage Balancing
• Boosting Energy Storage with Silicon Carbide MOSFETs
• Powerful Possibilities with Microchip SiC
• Protecting BESSs with Comprehensive Circuit Strategy
• Get to The Root of Battery Failures
• Maximising Battery Life with Modern Op-Amps

Cliff Ortmeyer, Global Head of Technical Marketing at element14, and Editor of the e-TechJournal, said: “Power management has become a crucial aspect of every electronic device, driven by the demands for energy efficiency and low-power operation in almost every design. That's why we're excited to present this latest edition of e-TechJournal, which delves deeply into the most recent developments and emerging technologies shaping the power management landscape.

“Whether you're looking to unlock new efficiencies, optimize your system designs, or stay ahead of emerging trends, this publication is the perfect resource for you.”

Interested readers can download edition 5 free from element14

Engineers around the world can now download the latest instalment of element14's popular online magazine e-TechJournal.

Interested readers can obtain a free copy of the digital magazine with a single click to learn how sensor technology advancements are facilitating smart industrial automation to enable rapid Industrial IoT.

To learn more about this, edition 4 of e-TechJournal offers detailed insight into:

• The Advantages of Rapid Industrial IoT
• Pressure Sensors: Design Considerations and Technology options
• The Advantages of Digital Pressure Sensors in Industrial Applications
• How To Simplify Your Next Thermocouple Design
• Indoor Air Quality: Changing The Future With Smart Sensor Systems

Cliff Ortmeyer, Global Head of Technical Marketing at element14, and Editor of the e-TechJournal, said: “Today, sensors are vital to any modern-day Internet of Things application. They serve as the eyes and ears in an ecosystem of connected devices, gathering critical information about their surroundings that then allows them to make decisions.

We understand that efficient manufacturing technologies, state-of-the-art automotive, innovative medical products, smart power supply systems, or user-friendly building services would not be conceivable without sensors and in this latest edition of e-TechJournal, our experts take an in-depth look at the essential role that they play.”

Interested readers can download edition 4 for free here and subscribe at all future editions of the e-tech journal.

The latest edition of the popular online magazine e-TechJournal is now available to download from element14, offering readers an insight into the latest industrial technologies.

Understanding, developing, and implementing integrated strategies that leverage Industry 4.0 technologies has become a priority for many organisations and in this latest edition the free-to-download magazine deep-dives into:

• Leveraging the Internet of Things to set up a smart factory
• Fast and high precision motor control for high performance
• IO-Link®, a pivotal technology for smart industrial automation
• Automate away complexity & repetitiveness with robotic process automation
• Automation power modules: typical failure modes and how to solve them

Cliff Ortmeyer, Global Head of Technical Marketing at element14, and Editor of the e-TechJournal, said: “The traditional manufacturing industry is undergoing a digital transformation that is being accelerated by exponentially growing technologies all over the world. As a result, understanding, developing and implementing integrated strategies that leverage Industry 4.0 technologies is already a priority for many organisations in this rapidly changing world.

“The electronics industry is already responding with smaller and smarter sensors, more reliable connectors, more adaptable enclosure systems and faster and more convenient wired and wireless communications technologies, and we are sure that our readers will enjoy learning more about.”

Edition 3 is now available as a free download from element14. Readers can look forward to the fourth issue due in December focussing on Smart Sensors, covering the most recent sensor technologies as well as how sensors are shaping the future of IoT and industrial automation.

Farnell, an Avnet Company, today announced it has expanded its predictive maintenance offerings to help customers in the manufacturing sector find the best solutions.

Farnell now stocks a wide range of industrial components that can monitor facilities’ power, drives and motors to provide alerts when automated systems are at risk. Farnell also provides numerous technical resources to help customers stay informed in the ever-changing maintenance landscape.

“Today’s skilled labour shortages have made it even harder for many of our customers to address any problems that arise in their operations,” said Cliff Ortmeyer, Global Head of Technical Marketing from Farnell. “Our latest products offer state-of-the-art advancements in the Industrial Internet-of-Things (IIoT) to help reduce the cost, time and effort required to implement predictive maintenance solutions.”

Some of the newest products now available to Farnell manufacturing customers include:

• SIMATIC Series HMI Touch Screens from Siemens: Designed for implementation of high-performance visualization applications on the machine-level. High performance, functionality and numerous integrated interfaces offer the greatest convenience in high-end applications.
• OsiSense XS Series – Inductive Proximity Sensor from Schneider Electric: Contributes to machine performance and machine compactness with a wider adjustment range. Helps increase the profitability of your solution.
• Fluid Level Controllers from Omron: Built to detect liquid levels. A variety of conductive liquids can be controlled using this method. Used in a wide range of industrial applications including iron and steel, food, chemical, pharmaceutical, and semiconductor industries.

Farnell continues to make investments in their industrial product range, which has grown by 50% in the past 12 months. Customers can choose from over 80,000 available industrial products from over 42 industrial manufacturers including Schneider Electric, Honeywell, Siemens, ABB, Omron and Omega.

Farnell also provides technical resources to help keep manufacturers informed of the latest best practices around predictive maintenance. Some of the instructional offerings from Farnell include a whitepaper on predictive maintenance with Industrial IoT and the new e-Techjournal Industrial automation - all the power & control, along with a webinar recording on predictive maintenance and IIoT.

Farnell customers can explore the expanded predictive maintenance product and technical offerings at this link: https://uk.farnell.com/industrial-automation-control#smart-maintenance-repairs

Newark announced it has expanded its inventory of Multicomp Pro products to offer customers everything they need for their industrial control panels.

“Control panels are the hearts and brains of industrial designs and are essential to keeping operations running safely and reliably,” said Cliff Ortmeyer, Global Head of Technical Marketing at Newark. “We’re thrilled to be able to offer this extensive linecard of Multicomp Pro products to help engineers find everything they need to build and maintain high-quality control panels at an affordable price.”

Newark’s line of Multicomp Pro products provides everything from the exterior enclosures and cabinets to the cables, stop switches and wires, circuit protection, DIN rails, terminals, relays, and converters that go into industrial control panels. Newark’s line of Multicomp Pro also offers the cable management, cable ties, and heat shrink needed for safe industrial design. In addition to the wide range of products, Newark’s line of Multicomp Pro has added new software, which is now available to help engineers label their control panel cables, and all the test equipment and hand tools engineers need for maintenance and repair.

Some of the new Multicomp Pro products available for control panel building and design include:

• DIN Rail Power Supplies
• Industrial Switches
• Indicator Lights
• Wire and Connectors

Multicomp Pro has also extended its range in Industrial Connectors offering ruggedized interconnect products including environmentally sealed products for outdoor applications, miniature connectors for space-limited projects, and snap-in connectivity for ease of use. These new ranges are suited to Automation, Process & Control, Medical, Test & Measurement plus many more applications.

Multicomp Pro is developed by engineers for engineers and features products and components that meet the quality standards engineers require and the value they need to build and maintain industrial control panels at a lower cost without sacrificing quality.

Newark customers can explore the expanded Multicomp Pro product offerings and learn more about how Newark can help them build quality industrial control panels for less at: https://www.newark.com/mpro-production-supplies.

Newark, an Avnet Company and global distributor of electronic components, has further expanded its operations in Canada with the launch of a new website. To accommodate all French Canadian customers and respect that French is the official language in Quebec, the website will offer customers support in their native language so they can save time and better understand the products they are purchasing to complete projects.

Now, in their local language, customers in Canada can access Newark’s global online catalog of more than 650,000 products available for same-day shipping. French Canadian customers can also benefit from the local sales and technical support teams to simplify product selection and ordering processes. Over 900 new products will be added to the site every week.

Cliff Ortmeyer, Global Head of Technical Marketing at Newark, said: “We are delighted to support Canadian customers with the launch of our new website so they can access our market-leading product offerings in their native language, reducing shopping time and increasing understanding of products needed to complete their projects.”

French Canadian customers can shop on the new website and access resources in their native language by visiting: https://canada.newark.com/fr-CA?ICID=I-HP-LB-CA-FR-PROMO-WF2814960

Farnell, an Avnet company and global distributor of electronic components, products and solutions, has today announced the results of its fourth annual Global IoT Survey which reveals the strong growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) across a wide range of industries. The Global IoT Survey generates new insights on their critical market, including opportunities and challenges for engineers and system integrators working in IoT.

This year, there was a dramatic change in the attitude to deploying artificial intelligence (AI) in IoT systems. Engineers are better informed and more willing to deploy AI as they find ways to use it to improve products and increase the return-on-investment of their systems. The research also showed a growing trend for establishing partnerships to accelerate the delivery of new IoT solutions as well as the continued advancement of Industry 4.0 and importance of selecting the most appropriate connectivity platform early in the design process.  

The survey results confirmed that while IoT deployment continues to grow strongly, there is no single “defining” IoT application. Multiple industries are adopting IoT in their own way at statistically similar rates.

Cliff Ortmeyer, Global Head of Technical Marketing for Farnell said: “Many businesses are finding new and inventive ways to incorporate IoT hardware, software, and cloud-based applications across a diverse range of industry sectors. However, it’s challenging to identify a core driver outside of what is already working for them within their immediate scope of work. Nevertheless, the migration to a world benefiting from the IoT is only set to grow and warrants our investment in future annual surveys. Farnell is committed to supporting customers in their IoT journey and can offer a growing portfolio of IoT products and solutions, as well as access to new market insights that enables innovation.”

The Global IoT Survey provides an opportunity for IoT product designers and system integrators to share their experiences on IoT deployment and identify markets yet to engage with the technology. The survey is designed to capture state-of-the-industry perceptions as businesses and consumers migrate to an IoT-driven world. The key emerging trends highlighted in this year’s survey include:

• Communications/connectivity was identified as a significant concern for IoT development as there are numerous options available which must be compatible with the host system environment. Selecting the optimum solution, whether wired, wireless, Bluetooth, LoRaWAN or others is challenging. Farnell’s wide portfolio of communications products helps engineers make the right decision and equip their IoT nodes with the most appropriate communication standard for each application.
•  IoT for manufacturing is seen by 30% of the sector respondents as the bedrock of productivity improvements and is already a leading adopter of IoT technologies. Of all the industry sectors, manufacturing appears to be the most comfortable with IoT and remains the one to watch for signs of how the adoption will progress.
• AI has seen exponential growth in the past year. Respondents using AI in some fashion jumped from 39% in the previous survey to 56%, with another 26% stating that they expect to at least consider using AI in the future. This suggests disparate sectors are becoming increasingly comfortable with its deployment.
• Private cloud services are falling out of favour as there are too many advantages to joining one of the big three providers including AWS, Google or Azure.

Compared to the 2021 Global IoT Survey, the new research indicates that:

• Innovative and flexible suppliers are now essential partners for the exponential growth in the broad and highly diverse range of applications being developed and installed to deliver IoT benefits.
• Industry 4.0 remained the primary application, representing the primary market for 18% of the respondents. Strong growth in the use of the IoT for energy management was also evidenced, increasing from 10% in 2021 to 16% this year. The increase in energy prices around the globe after the survey closed suggests that energy management could be even more important in 2023.
• Companies are engaging in IoT development because they see opportunities to grow their business and establish leadership in their industries. However, the research showed a growing trend towards working with partners to develop IoT solutions, and a demand for standardisation and interoperability, rather than companies having to develop their own closed systems.
• Attitudes to IoT development and deployment have changed dramatically with engineers better informed and more enthusiastic about the return-on-investment advantages of the IoT, particularly in energy management.

The Global IoT Survey was carried out by Farnell from January to March 2022 and a total of 2263 qualified responses analysed to provide greater understanding of the technologies, challenges, and opportunities designers and system integrators of IoT solutions face.

Farnell offers an extensive range of development tools for IoT and works with innovative providers to deliver the latest for AI and security. Customers can access technical support and design resources including the IoT Hub, AI pages and an AI Configurator on the Farnell website. Fast delivery is available on all major development boards for IoT including the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B Computer, Raspberry Pi RP2040 silicon, Raspberry Pi Pico, BeagleBone AI-64 and Ultra96 V2 as well as Kunbus and Industrial Shields’ industrial PLC control solutions.

Customers can read the full results of Farnell’s fourth Global IoT Survey at Farnell in EMEA, Newark in North America and element14 in APAC.

Farnell, an Avnet Company and global distributor of electronic components, products and solutions, has published the latest edition of its popular online magazine, e-Tech Journal.  In edition 2 of the recently relaunched journal, Farnell helps users understand the challenges that many engineers face when delivering power safely, reliably, accurately, and efficiently. 

By downloading the latest edition of the free magazine, readers can learn how to select the best battery for their next wireless application and how to overcome battery-life challenges. In addition, users will be given an insight into the benefits of 4th generation SiC MOSFETS, circuit protection solutions, design considerations for auxiliary gate drive transformers, and how to overcome space constraints in power management applications.

Users can also discover how the latest low-power, energy-efficient devices and system designs have transformed power management, allowing for the use of fewer devices, resulting in more reliable and cost-effective solutions plus read technical content from leading suppliers like Renesas, Analog Devices, Wurth Elektronik, Keysight and many more.

Cliff Ortmeyer, Global Head of Technical Marketing at Farnell, and Editor of the e-Tech Journal, said: “We are delighted with the new look e-Tech Journal as we continue to provide in-depth technical insight into new technologies, along with analysis and explanations from suppliers, industry experts, and Farnell engineers on key trends shaping today's electronics industry.

“I am sure this latest edition will prove to be extremely popular with readers as we help them to better understand power management and the inherent trade-offs required to unlock innovation.” 

Edition 2 is now available as a free download here, and readers can already look forward to the third issue due in August, with a focus on Smart Industrial Automation.

Newark, an Avnet Company and global distributor of electronic components, products and solutions, today announced it has expanded its inventory of nVent HOFFMAN’s hygienic electrical enclosures. These products are designed for customers in the food and beverage space and those operating in other sanitary environments.

“Our customers in the foodservice space know how vital it is to clean and sanitize their equipment for products to be free of microbiological, chemical, foreign particles, and cross-contamination,” said Cliff Ortmeyer at Newark. “The hygienic design of nVent HOFFMAN enclosures and accessories makes it faster and easier for them to sterilize their environments and protect critical electrical equipment during wash-down cleaning procedures to prevent product contamination.”

Newark now stocks more nVent HOFFMAN products than ever before, offering customers access to a vast portfolio of hygienic enclosures that provide support in multiple areas, from simplifying sanitary wash-down cleaning procedures, to preventing water ingress and the harboring of bacteria, and even climate controls that protect against condensation while maintaining internal electrical components.

Some of the new products now available to Newark customers include:

• Concept sloped top: For indoor or outdoor applications that require a sloped top and corrosion protection from chemicals and water. Concept enclosures feature streamlined styling with an attractive stroked finish and flush, stainless steel quarter-turn latches for secure closure. Ideally suited to protect equipment in minimal washdown applications, and available in sloped top, single door, window door and disconnect enclosure models.
• WaterShed disconnect enclosure: Specifically designed for use in sanitary washdown production environments, particularly food and beverage manufacturing. HOFFMAN WaterShed enclosures feature a sloped top, sloped door edges, bullet-style hinges and additional unique features that facilitate washdown runoff. Ideally suited to protect equipment in sanitary washdown applications, and available in wall-mount, free-stand and disconnect enclosure models.
• HyShed hinge cover enclosure: Engineered specially to withstand high pressure, high temperature sanitary washdown cleaning procedures, particularly in food and beverage applications that have direct and indirect food contact. The HyShed Hinge Cover enclosures feature a 15-degree sloped top to prevent fluids or particulates from pooling and maximize back panel space, an easily replaceable FDA-grade silicone gasket that helps resist bacteria growth and chemical absorption while simplifying maintenance, and a streamlined hygienic design that helps wipe out bacteria harboring catchpoints. Ideally suited to protect equipment in in harsh sanitary washdown applications, and available in screw cover and hinge cover models.

Newark customers can explore the expanded product offerings from nVent HOFFMAN and learn more about the importance of hygienic enclosures at this link: https://www.newark.com/hygienic-electrical-enclosures

Farnell, an Avnet Company and global distributor of electronic components, products and solutions has published a brand new, exclusive and free-to-download whitepaper to support electronic design engineers in their Internet of Things (IoT) journey. The paper, titled ‘Smart Sensors – Enabling the Intelligent IoT’, takes a deep dive into the world of sensor technology and how cutting-edge trends are taking the IoT to the next level.

Sensors are bringing the IoT to life; with novel chemical and spectroscopic technologies, senses enable IoT systems to see, hear and even smell the world around them. Sensors already provide the real-time raw data to a growing range of applications that use it to produce insights. A significant recent change is the introduction of smarter sensors – devices that incorporate value-added functions to ease integration into IoT networks and provide valuable information more readily.

Cliff Ortmeyer, Global Head of Technical Marketing at Farnell, said: “Engineers working on systems built using IoT technologies now have access to a huge range of sensor options. The available modalities have moved well beyond temperature and pressure to encompass sensors that can act as the eyes, ears and noses of the IoT. Understanding the world of sensor technology is becoming mission-critical for many electronic design engineers working on IoT-driven systems and applications.

“Farnell strives to support engineers at every stage in their journey and this includes free content such as this whitepaper, enabling them to overcome their obstacles and understand the latest trends and technologies in the market.”

The whitepaper describes the choices available to engineers and the various considerations to take into account when selecting and integrating sensors into IoT designs. Key trends highlighted in the whitepaper for engineers to consider include:

·       Focus on low power consumption. 
·       Ability to connect sensors using wireless networks. 
·       Inclusion of security protections. 
·       Data-fusion techniques to provide better analysis.

Ortmeyer added: “Electronics engineers are faced with many decisions, not just as sensing technology evolves but as the connectivity choices expand. The ability to detect changes around a system is greatly enhanced by the ability to hook into data from multiple sources on a network that covers the surrounding environment. Understanding how the sensors can interact with each other and their data processing and security capabilities will lead to smarter choices in designing with these products and integrating them with other devices.”

In addition to this free-to-download whitepaper, Farnell also gives customers access to a global portfolio of nearly one million products from over 2,000 world-leading suppliers available for fast delivery, as well as support from local customer service teams and in-house technical experts to help at every stage of the design process.

The whitepaper, ‘Smart Sensors – Enabling the Intelligent IoT’, is available as a free download here.

Farnell, an Avnet Company and global distributor of electronic components, products and solutions, has re-launched its popular e-Tech Journal with a brand new look. The online journal, which has been enjoyed by engineers across the globe for over 10 years, returns with the first issue focusing on ‘Tomorrow’s Wireless Technology Today’.

The Tech Journal provides in-depth technical insight into new technologies, along with analysis and explanations from suppliers, industry experts, and Farnell engineers on key trends shaping today's electronics industry.

Issue 1 of the newly revamped journal takes readers into the world of Wireless Connectivity Solutions. Over the past few years, the wireless market has been booming as the number of wireless devices transferring data has grown exponentially. As a key enabler of the Internet of Things (IoT), the rise in interconnected devices is driving demand for low power, low cost wireless solutions that enable applications never previously possible.

Cliff Ortmeyer, Global Head of Technical Marketing at Farnell, and Editor of the e-Tech Journal, said: “Our e-Tech Journal has been a popular feature within the engineering community for several years now and, after a short hiatus, we’re delighted to be bringing it back with new and improved features and layout.

“Farnell endeavours to support its customers not just through first-class distribution services but also by ensuring engineers have cutting-edge industry trends and insights at their fingertips. The e-Tech Journal is just one of a vast range of free content available from Farnell to help support engineers on their journey, we hope they’re as excited as we are about the Journal being back in publication.”

The e-Tech Journal is free to download and the first edition covers several hot topics including:

·       Bluetooth: the smart choice for Industrial IoT. 
·       What is 5G? Everything you need to know. 
·       Facilitating wireless charging in thin and compact devices. 
·       IoT wireless network protocols. 
·       Wireless technology for every application.

Farnell’s Tech Journal, is now available as a free download here, and readers can already look forward to the second issue which will focus on Power Management and Protection, due in May.

Farnell, an Avnet Company and global distributor of electronic components, products and solutions, has expanded the Technical Resources Hub to include new exclusive resources offering a deep dive into Industry 4.0, Internet of Things (IoT) design and wide-ranging hot topics for electronic development engineers. The Technical Resources Hub is designed to provide engineers with comprehensive advice and training to support every stage of new product design.

Innovation in IoT and Industrial IoT technologies is accelerating rapidly as the push toward greater automation and interconnectivity becomes a focal point for many critical industries. Engineers can now drill deeper into the different areas of IoT design and Industry 4.0 on the Technical Resources Hub with the addition of a ‘How To’ content series covering all stages of designing and implementing systems through to enabling integration via the cloud.

The ‘How To’ series features several short, instructional articles, teaching engineers how to design-in specific technologies and develop skills associated with implementing Industry 4.0 as well as more general IoT based designs. Instructional articles recently added to the Technical Resources Hub cover topics from ‘How to Implement different types of edge computing for Smart Factory applications’ to ‘How to establish control access to shop floor systems via gateways’ and much more.

Cliff Ortmeyer, Global Head of Technical Marketing, Farnell said: “Our new Technical Resources Hub is designed to share inspiration and knowledge, support component selection and enable upskilling with essential learning modules and resources. We are committed to providing maximum support to our customers through our online tools that accelerate the design process to bring products to market much faster.”

The Farnell Technical Resources Hub features a comprehensive range of technical articles and application notes, whitepapers, webinars and podcasts, projects and training modules, videos and eBooks. Visitors can access innovative information on a number of technologies and applications along with valuable calculators, conversion charts and online component selection tools.

For easy navigation, the hub also includes pages focused on specific technologies, such as wireless, sensing, power management, motor control, lighting and display; alongside complementary application pages covering the IoT, transportation, medical, maintenance, safety and more.

Farnell stocks more than 950,000 products in its global online catalogue. Technical support is offered 24/5 to ensure customers can take advantage of the latest technology innovations for experiments and design. Farnell can also support customers as they take ideas from specification through to production with end-to-end product development solutions offered via the Avnet group and element14 Community.

Brand new IoT and IIoT content, as well as a suite of additional resources, is available on the Technical Resources Hub now from Farnell in EMEA, element14 in APAC and Newark in North America.

Farnell, an Avnet Company and global distributor of electronic components, products and solutions, has today launched its fourth global IoT Survey. The survey provides an opportunity for Internet of Things (IoT) and Industrial IoT product designers and system engineers to share insights about the market. These insights will also help shape the product range and technical resources offered by Farnell to support this diverse and evolving technology.

The survey is open from 10 January to 18 March 2022 with results to be announced in the Spring. Participants in the survey (from eligible countries) can also enter a competition with the opportunity to win:

·                An Apple iPAD 10.2 inch

·                A £250 Amazon gift card (or local currency equivalent)

·                A £50 Amazon gift card (or local currency equivalent)

The Farnell 2022 annual IoT survey is open to engineers working on IoT solutions. This year’s questions have been designed to provide a deep dive into the IoT industry and responses will provide greater understanding of the technologies, challenges, and opportunities designers of IoT solutions face. The results will show how the IoT industry is changing year-on-year, revealing the full range of potential applications and market trends. Understanding the continued impact COVID-19 has on IoT developments is also a key focus. During 2020-21, the pandemic had a significant impact on the IoT industry, leading to rapid growth in the development of new medical diagnosis and automated test systems as well as medical equipment with improved connectivity. Industrial systems have also been adversely impacted by the global shortages of key manufacturing components and supply chain issues.

Key results from the 2021 survey revealed the growing role of IoT for industrial automation and control applications essential to the delivery of Industry 4.0. The top three industry segments leading the way in IoT applications included industrial automation and control (25%), home automation (18%) and artificial intelligence (12%). Despite industrial automation and control being deemed a key market for IoT, there was recognition that Industry 4.0 adoption remained slow, primarily due to concerns over security (32%) and lack of business strategy (30%) hindering the adoption and integration of smart manufacturing solutions. Security continued to be the most important aspect for developers to consider (29%) when developing their design, and it is also their primary concern (36%), followed by connectivity and interoperability. Interoperability and certification to standards were identified as key to accelerating the benefits of IoT in both the 2019 and 2020 surveys.

Farnell’s research also suggests that opportunities within the IoT will continue to grow in key application areas such as smart home, industry and government.

Cliff Ortmeyer, Global Head of Technical Marketing for Farnell says:  “The impact of the IoT is now present in all walks of life from home automation and entertainment to healthcare and transport. Intelligent connectivity and AI will drive worldwide technology development and will be key to the growth of Industry 4.0. The results from our next annual survey will provide innovators and designers with a global perspective on emerging technologies that will shape future new product developments. The survey responses will ensure Farnell can meet the product needs of our customers now and in the future while giving the design community a forum to share trends, challenges and best practice in the IoT space.”

 Farnell provides access to an extensive range of development tools for IoT and works with innovative providers to bring the latest for AI and security. Customers can find support and design resources including the IoT Hub, AI pages and an AI configurator on the Farnell website. Fast delivery is available on all major development boards for IoT including Raspberry Pi, Intel (NUC range), Industrial Shields, KUNBUS and more.

To get involved in the Farnell global IoT survey and enter the competition click here.

 Share your thoughts online using #IoTSurveyFarnell. Terms and conditions for the IoT Survey and competition are available here.

Farnell, an Avnet Company and global distributor of electronic components, products and solutions, has today launched a new global podcast series, The Innovation Experts. Exploring the latest innovations in the world of electronics, the first series investigates how test and measurement equipment is key to enabling technological innovation.

The podcast series features interviews with experts from the world’s leading test and measurement equipment suppliers including Tektronix, Keysight, Rohde & Schwarz, Pico Technology, Hioki and Fluke, to understand how they are helping customers drive innovation across a wide variety of real-world applications. The podcasts provide valuable insights for buyers and design, development and systems engineers as well as amateur test enthusiasts wanting to stay up to date with the latest trends, challenges, products, tools and applications.

“Changes in technology and rapid modernisation are placing greater demands on test and measurement equipment manufacturers – and they have responded by utilising new technological advances in industrial automation and control technology combined with the integration of connected devices through IoT and IIoT to bring to market the most cutting-edge and innovative products,” said James McGregor, Global Head of Test & Tools at Farnell. “Engineers are now measuring, testing, analysing, recording and displaying data on almost every application in the world around us, from factory automation, medical applications and transportation through to checking defects in high-performance and power-efficient consumer products. Test equipment – and test engineers – have never been more important in driving technological innovation around the world.”

With new episodes released every two weeks, The Innovation Experts podcast will cover topics including how test and measurement equipment enables innovation at tiny start-ups right through to large blue-chip organisations, how cutting-edge test tools support innovative battery design for electric vehicles and much more.

The debut episode of the series focuses on how Pico Technology’s PC-based oscilloscopes and RF testing products have enabled hybrid working and new ways of remote learning throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Mike Purday, Business Development Manager from Pico Technology, joins Farnell’s Global Head of Technical Marketing and electrical engineer Cliff Ortmeyer, to discuss the capabilities and impact of using low-cost PC-based scopes through to high-performance products for a range of innovative – and unexpected – applications, from tattoo removal to monitoring the temperature of penguin eggs.

Cliff Ortmeyer, Global Head of Technical Marketing at Farnell and host of The Innovation Experts, said: “With this podcast, we wanted to hear from the experts right on the cutting edge of technological innovation in the test space. Over the course of the series, I speak with leaders from some of the largest test and measurement equipment manufacturers around the globe to find out how they deliver innovative solutions and empower their customers to build an exciting future. I’m delighted to have spoken to influential experts in this industry and we hope the test and measurement community will find their insights helpful and interesting.”

Responding to the growth of test and measurement globally, Farnell has invested significantly over the last 12 months to build a comprehensive portfolio which includes the latest solutions from world leading suppliers. Farnell’s in-stock range of test and tool products includes oscilloscopes, power suppliers, signal generators and digital multimeters, as well as soldering products, hand tools and 3D printers. Free technical support is available to customers 24/5 from Farnell’s in-house test and measurement specialists as well as access to online resources, data sheets, application notes, videos and webinars.

The Innovation Experts is freely available from major podcast providers including Spotify, Apple Music, Alexa and more.

The first episode, featuring Pico Technology, is available now on Farnell’s new Technical Resources Hub.

Farnell, an Avnet Company and global distributor of electronic components, products and solutions, has published new research on the Internet of Things (IoT) which reveals the growing role of IoT for industrial automation and control applications essential to the delivery of Industry 4.0. The IoT Survey, which is run annually by Farnell, generates new insights on this key market, including opportunities and challenges for engineers working in IoT.

The top three industry segments leading the way in IoT applications are industrial automation and control (25%), home automation (18%) and artificial intelligence (12%). Despite industrial automation and control being deemed a key market for IoT, there is recognition that Industry 4.0 adoption remains slow, primarily due to concerns over security (32%) and lack of business strategy (30%) hindering the adoption and integration of smart manufacturing solutions. Security continues to be the most important aspect for developers to consider (29%) when developing their design, and it is also their primary concern (36%), followed by connectivity and interoperability.

The perceived value of data collected by IoT connected devices is a considerable factor in the adoption of IoT. The increasingly connected world of smart cities, factories, homes and vehicles now has devices and systems autonomously exchanging and storing data. This data offers organisations the ability to make improvements, increase profits or reduce costs across many business functions while delivering improved quality, increased efficiency, compliance and predictive maintenance benefits. In the survey, 48% of respondents cited productivity and manufacturing enhancements as their main reasons for designing-in IoT connectivity.

Not unexpectedly, respondents continue to adopt AI as part of their solutions. 39% said they are using AI in their designs already and a further 47% say they would be willing to implement AI within future projects. Environmental sensors are reported as the most common sensors used within IoT devices, used to measure temperature, humidity, pressure, gas and more. This has been a consistent trend in each of the three years that Farnell has run the survey. The survey also found that a large number of respondents are using SBCs as the core of IoT designs (48%).

Innovative solutions for smart home, industry, marketplace and government are paving the way to build the future of IoT. Research showed that the IoT continues to be important for future designs. Nevertheless, when asked whether their company is taking a leadership position in the future of IoT, half of respondents (49%) stated they have 0-25% confidence that their company will take a lead role in shaping IoT. Only 11% of respondents expected to be ahead of the IoT curve and have a clear vision about its future.

During 2020, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the IoT industry led to rapid growth in the development of new medical devices and systems, with the potential to fuel demand for improved connected medical equipment in the future. IoT is changing the way patients are diagnosed, treated and monitored and supporting vaccine tracking, inventory managements and more. A quarter of survey participants expect healthcare to be the next big industry likely to take advantage of innovation in IoT connectivity. The use of SBCs as the core of IoT design is also in line with anecdotal feedback that Farnell has received from customers that during the COVID-19 pandemic, design engineers have embraced development kits and single board computers as they design at home.

Cliff Ortmeyer, Global Head of Technical Marketing for Farnell says: “Industrial automation and the continued implementation of Industry 4.0 will provide the largest and fastest growing IoT market for at least the medium term. This is a key focus of the Farnell business and an area we are investing in significantly. Farnell is committed to supporting customers in their IoT journey and can offer a growing portfolio of IoT products and solutions, as well as access to market insights that better enable innovation and improve customer know-how. The IoT Survey, now in its third year, is becoming a yardstick for the IoT industry; what engineers value in IoT solutions, how they build their IoT design, and what challenges they face day-to-day. It enables us to improve our offering to customers based directly on their wants and needs and hopefully provides informative and educational insights into the IoT market as a whole.”

Farnell’s 2020 IoT survey also provide insights on decision regarding 'wireless vs. wired' connectivity in IoT design, preferred vendors, the most popular SBCs for new IoT designs, most commonly used programming languages and communications preferences. Farnell provides a broad range of products and support materials to assist developers designing IoT solutions and integrating AI.

Products are available from leading manufacturers such as Raspberry Pi and Arduino, as well as Schneider Electric, Molex and Omega for IAC applications and many more. Farnell’s IoT hub also provides access to the latest products for development as well as insights and white papers to support the design journey. Customers can read the full results of Farnell's Third Global IoT Survey at Farnell in EMEA, Newark in North America and element14 in APAC.

Farnell, an Avnet Company and global distributor of electronic components, products and solutions, has today announced the launch of its new Technical Resources hub. A dedicated online resource, the Technical Resources hub provides engineers with up-to-date news and information about the latest technologies and applications alongside expert training courses to support every stage of the product design journey and career development.

The Technical Resources hub features a comprehensive range of technical articles and application notes, whitepapers, webinars and podcasts, projects and training modules, videos and eBooks. Visitors can also access Farnell’s innovative range of online calculators, conversion charts and component selection tools.

For easy navigation, the hub includes pages focused on specific technologies, such as wireless, sensing, power management, motor control, lighting and display; alongside complementary application pages which enable engineers to drill deeper into specific areas from industrial automation and control, and the Internet of Things (IoT); to transportation, medical, maintenance, safety and more.

Cliff Ortmeyer, Global Head of Technical Marketing, Farnell said: “This new technical learning and development hub on uk.farnell.com will help our customers keep pace with new technological advancements. It’s a simple and easy to use platform which brings together all our technical resources in one place so engineers can more easily overcome design challenges and focus on driving innovation. This new resource complements the continued investments made in our in-stock range and technical support services, which together ensure customers have access to market-leading hardware and software solutions as well as the support to develop their skills using our resources and online tools. Our new Technical Resources hub is designed to share inspiration and knowledge, support faster component selection and enable upskilling with essential learning modules.”

Farnell stocks more than 950,000 products in its global online catalogue with more than half a million products stocked in the UK and mainland Europe. Technical support is offered 24/5 to ensure customers can take advantage of the latest technology innovations for experiments and design. Farnell can also support customers as they take ideas from specification through to production with end-to-end product development solutions offered via the Avnet ecosystem.

The Technical Resources hub is available from Farnell in EMEA, element14 in APAC and Newark in North America.

Farnell, an Avnet Company and global distributor of electronic components, products and solutions, announces the launch of its third, annual IoT Survey. The survey provides an opportunity for Internet of Things (IoT) and Industrial IoT product designers and system engineers to share insights about the market while helping shape the product range and technical resources offered by Farnell to support this diverse and evolving technology.

The survey is open from 15^th September to 1^st December 2020 with results of the survey to be announced in spring 2021. All participants in the survey can also enter a competition with the opportunity to win:

• An iPad Pro 11-inch
• A £250 Amazon gift card (or local currency equivalent)
• A £50 Amazon gift card (or local currency equivalent)

The Farnell 2020 annual IoT survey is open to engineers working on IoT solutions. This year’s questions have been enhanced for a truly deep dive into the IoT industry and responses will provide greater insight into the technologies, challenges, and opportunities designers of IoT solutions face. The results will show how the IoT industry is changing year-on-year, revealing the full range of potential applications and market trends and how the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the design process is growing. Understanding the impact COVID-19 has on IoT developments is also a key focus. While industrial systems may be adversely affected by the pandemic it is likely that medical diagnosis and automated test systems could very well experience rapid growth.

Key results from the 2019 survey showed the growing role of hardware in the design process for IoT solutions. Design engineers indicated that they use a wide range of off the shelf hardware platforms to accelerate the speed of development and shorten time to the market. Fifty-four percent of developers confirmed they are now using single board computers, from brands such as Raspberry Pi or Arduino, as they provide ready-to-use embedded development platforms for building end-products. Almost half of respondents said they used AI in their design in 2019. Interoperability and certification to standards continued to be identified as key to accelerating the benefits of IoT in both the 2018 and 2019 surveys.

Farnell’s research also suggests that opportunities within the IoT will continue to grow over the next five years with key application areas expected to include home automation, industrial automation and control, smart factories and smart buildings.

Cliff Ortmeyer, Global Head of Technical Marketing for Farnell says: “The IoT continues to be one of the most prominent global technology trends, and opportunities are growing exponentially in our rapidly changing market. The results from our annual global survey will provide engineers working in IoT with greater insight into the technology solutions currently available in the market and support efficient decision-making when identifying new systems and overcoming common issues. The responses will also help shape the product range and technical resources offered by Farnell to enable us to provide increased support to our customers. Our annual IoT survey gives engineers from around the world a chance to highlight the trends they see in the IoT space as well as the challenges they face and the solutions they seek.”

Farnell provides access to an extensive range of development tools for IoT and works with innovative providers to bring the latest for AI and security. Customers can find support and design resources including the IoT Hub, AI pages and an AI configurator on the Farnell website. Fast delivery is available on all major development boards for IoT including Raspberry Pi 4 Model B Computer, Avnet SmartEdge IIoT Gateway, Microsoft Azure Sphere Starter Kit, BeagleBone AI and Ultra96 V2.

To get involved in the Farnell global IoT survey and enter the competition click here.

Share your thoughts online using #IoTSurveyFarnell. Terms and conditions for the IoT Survey and competition are available here.

Newark, the Development Distributor, today announced the launch of a new eBook to guide engineers through the proper implementation of industrial-grade cables essential to a factory automation setting. Newark’s latest eBook offers engineers cable solutions to avoid damages from commercial cable and ensure proper transfer of power, data, and control signals within a machine as well as from one machine to another.

Elements of this educational eBook include information on components of cables, a cable selection checklist, descriptions of cables for factory automation available from Newark, and the necessary cable accessories to ensure optimal performance.

Newark complements this information with a variety of industry-ready cables available to designers and engineers including:

• Coaxial Cables for ControlNet factory floor applications
• Fiber Optics cables impervious to EMI and RFI with the ability to extend greater distances than copper cables
• BUS and Network Cables offering higher speed, increased connection distance and the ability to connect more nodes
• Robotics Applications Flex Cable specially designed to tolerate constant or repetitive motion during operation
• Variable Frequency Drive Cable to control power frequency and voltage delivered to a 3-phase AC electric motor

“Efficient communication systems are essential in the industrial landscape, but the use of a commercial cable in this setting often results in data loss and downtime that hinders factory performance,” said Cliff Ortmeyer, Head of marketing for Newark. “The details outlined in this eBook aim to guide engineers and designers in making the best choices to achieve top performance in an industrial setting with no second guessing.”

To access the full eBook, visit this link. The product assemble page can be accessed here

Farnell, the Development Distributor, has added the Portenta H7, the latest offering from Arduino, to its extensive range of single board computers. The device targets growing demand from enterprise, small medium business (SMB) and professional makers for low-code modular hardware systems to support IoT development. The Arduino Portenta family provides low-power boards designed specifically for industrial applications, artificial intelligence (AI) edge processing and robotics, whilst introducing a new standard for open high-density interconnect to support advanced peripherals.

The first member of the family, the Arduino Portenta H7 module, includes everything needed to get started with IoT hardware development including crypto-authentication chip and communications modules for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Low Energy and LTE, as well as Narrowband IoT. Its low-code application development platform with modular hardware, allows companies or makers to build, measure and iterate without lengthy integration projects and users also benefit from the value and usability of the new Arduino IoT application development platform (Arduino IoT cloud, Pro IDE with cloud integration, IoT UI editor) to help simplify the creation and deployment of custom connected products to the market.

Its combination of performance and flexibility makes the board suitable for applications where performance is key, such as High-end industrial machinery, Laboratory equipment, Computer vision, PLCs, Industry-ready user interfaces, Robotics, Mission-critical devices, Dedicated stationary computer and High-speed booting computation.

Portenta H7 features a dual-core ARM Cortex-M7 and Cortex-M4 running at 480 MHz and 240 MHz, respectively, capable of running high level code such as protocol stacks, machine learning or even interpreted languages such as MicroPython or JavaScript along with low-level real time tasks. It follows the Arduino MKR form factor, meaning that any existing MKR industrial shield can be used; can run Arduino code, Python and Javascript, and operates at an industrial temperature-range (-40 to 85°C).

Features include:

• Processor: STM32H747XI dual Cortex®-M7+M4 32bit low power Arm® MCU.

• Connectivity:
  • The onboard wireless module enables simultaneous WiFi and Bluetooth® connectivity. The WiFi interface can be operated as an Access Point, a Station or as a dual mode simultaneous AP/STA and can handle up to 65 Mbps transfer rate. Bluetooth® interface supports Bluetooth Classic and BLE.
  • 10/100 Ethernet phy.
  • High Speed USB phy.
• Memory: includes options up to 64 MByte of SDRAM, and 128 MByte of QSPI Flash.

• Video: Display port over USB-C port.
• Encryption: NXP SE050C2 Crypto.
• GPIO: The Portenta family creates a new standard for pinouts adding two 80 pin high density connectors at the bottom of the board to ensure scalability for a wide range of applications.
• SD card support: Interface for SD Card connector (through expansion port only).
• Operating temperature: -40 °C to +85 °C (excl. Wireless module) / -10 °C to +55 °C (incl. Wireless module).

Cliff Ortmeyer, Global Head of Technical Marketing for Farnell said: “Farnell stocks a broad range of modular solutions that enable customers to reduce time to market and maximise the potential of their IoT developments. The Arduino Portenta H7 combines outstanding performance and flexibility and can be used like any other embedded microcontroller board, or as the main processor of an embedded system. It’s also capable of running processes created with TensorFlow™ Lite, so you could have one of the cores computing a computer vision algorithm, whilst the other delivers low level operations such as controlling a motor, or acting as a user interface. This is a great addition to our range and gives small and medium businesses and professional makers the tools to develop IoT solutions without having to invest in specialized engineering resources.”

Farnell carries a wide range of Arduino products in the MKR and Nano family which, along with the Portenta H7, are available to order from Farnell in EMEA, Newark in North America and element14 in APAC.

Farnell, the Development Distributor, has launched its exclusive Raspberry Pi 4 Starter Kit. Featuring the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B computer and a range of Farnell’s own brand Multicomp Pro products, the new Starter Kit provides an out of the box experience for first-time users and customers looking to reduce new product development times.

Available for same day shipping, the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B Starter Kit includes all the hardware required to get started in one box, along with a quick start guide, and offers savings and convenience compared to purchasing individual items. The kit includes:

• 4GB Raspberry Pi 4 Model B computer, the most powerful Raspberry Pi model ever made
• Power supply
• 16GB Class 10 microSD card, preloaded with NOOBs
• 2 x micro HDMI cables for dual display
• Choice of black or white case

The Raspberry Pi 4 Model B Computer offers significant enhancements in processor speed, multimedia performance, memory and connectivity that will make it attractive to general desktop computer users, hobbyists and makers, and professional developers working with compute-intensive embedded applications, such as computer vision and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Key features of the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B Computer include:

• Broadcom BCM2711 Quad-core A72 64-bit SoC
• 4GB LPDDR4 SDRAM memory
• Bluetooth 5.0, WLAN 2.4GHz/5.0GHz and Gigabit Ethernet connectivity.
• 2 x USB 3.0 ports and 2 x USB 2.0 ports
• 40-pin GPIO Header connection
• Dual micro HDMI ports (up to 4Kp60 UHD supported)
• H.265 decode (4kp60)H.264 decode (1080p60)
• MIPI DSI display port, CSI camera port and 4 pole stereo output and composite video port
• microSD card slot for loading operating system and data storage
• PoE enabled (PoE HAT required, sold separately)
• 5V3A USB-C power supply required

Cliff Ortmeyer, Global Head of Technical Marketing for Farnell says: “The new exclusive Raspberry Pi 4 Starter Kit offers an easier than ever way to get started with Raspberry Pi 4 and eliminates the need to purchase everything separately. The Raspberry Pi 4 Model B computer is a faster, more powerful and more feature-rich single board computer than previous models and addresses the needs of the growing market for Raspberry Pi. The new starter kit includes accessories from our Multicomp Pro brand providing both value and quality. From makers and consumers looking for a desktop computer to professional design engineers, this kit ensures all customers are able to get started with the most advanced Raspberry Pi to date.”

Customers can visit the element14 community to find how to get started with the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B through a user-friendly getting started guide, along with other useful resources.

Raspberry Pi computers and accessories are available from Farnell in EMEA, Newark in North America and element14 in APAC.

Farnell, the Development Distributor, has published new research on the Internet of Things (IoT) which confirms strong adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within IoT devices, alongside new insights on key markets, enablers and concerns for design engineers working in IoT.

AIoT is the major emerging trend from the survey, demonstrating the beginning of the process to build a true IoT ecosystem. Research showed that almost half (49%) of respondents already use AI in their IoT applications, with Machine Learning (ML) the most used technology (28%) followed by cloud-based AI (19%). This adoption of AI within IoT design is coupled with a growing confidence to take the lead on IoT development and an increasing number of respondents seeing themselves as innovators. However, it is still evident that some engineers (51%) are hesitant to adopt AI due to being new to the technology or because they require specialized expertise in how to implement AI in IoT applications.

Other results from Farnell’s second Global IoT Survey show that security continues to be the biggest concern designers consider in IoT implementation. Although 40% cited security as their biggest concern in 2018 and this has reduced to 35% in 2019, it is still ranked significantly higher than connectivity and interoperability due to the type of data collected from “things” (machines) and humans, which can be very sensitive and personal. Businesses initiating new IoT projects treat IoT security as a top priority by implementing hardware and software security to protect for any kind of potential threat. Ownership of collected data is another important aspect of security, with 70% of respondents preferring to own the data collected by an edge device as opposed to it being owned by the IoT solution provider.

The survey also shows that although many engineers (46%) still prefer to design a complete edge-to-cloud and security solution themselves, openness to integrate production ready solutions, such as SmartEdge Agile, SmartEdge IIoT Gateway, which offer a complete end-to-end IoT Solution, has increased. 12% more respondents confirmed that they would consider third party devices in 2019 than 2018, particularly if in-house expertise is limited or time to market is critical.

A key trend from last year’s survey results has continued in 2019 and survey results suggest that the growing range of hardware available to support IoT development continues to present new opportunities. More respondents than ever are seeing innovation coming from start-ups (33%, up from 26%), who benefit from the wide availability of modular solutions and single board computers available on the market. The number of respondents adopting off-the-shelf hardware has also increased to 54% from 50% in 2018.

Cliff Ortmeyer, Global Head of Technical Marketing for Farnell says: “Opportunities within the Internet of Things and AI continue to grow, fueled by access to an increasing number of hardware and software solutions which enable developers to bring products to market more quickly than ever before, and without the need for specialized expertise. This is opening up IoT to new entrants, and giving more developers the opportunity to innovate to improve lives. Farnell provides access to an extensive range of development tools for IoT and AI which provide off-the-shelf solutions to common challenges.”

Despite the swift integration of smart devices such as Amazon’s Alexa and Google Home into daily life, evidencing a widespread adoption of IoT in the consumer space, in 2019 we saw a slight shift in focus away from home automation with the number of respondents who considered it to be the most impactful application in IoT in the next 5 years reducing from 27% to 22%. Industrial automation and smart cities both gained, at 22% and 16% respectively, underpinned by a growing understanding of the value that IoT data can bring to operations (rising from 44% in 2018 to 50% in 2019). This trend is witnessed in industry where more manufacturing facilities are converting to full or semi-automation in robotic manufacturing and increasing investment in predictive maintenance to reduce production down times.

The survey was conducted between September and December 2019 with 2,015 respondents participating from 67 countries in Europe, North America and APAC. Responses were predominantly from engineers working on IoT solutions (59%), as well as buyers of components related to IoT solutions, Hobbyists and Makers.

Farnell provides a broad range of products and support materials to assist developers designing IoT solutions and integrating Artificial Intelligence. Products are available from leading manufacturers such as Raspberry Pi, Arduino and Beagleboard. Farnell’s IoT hub and AI pages also provide access to the latest products for development and insights and white papers to support the design journey. Readers can view an infographic covering the full results of the Farnell Global IoT Survey at Farnell in EMEA, Newark in North America and element14 in APAC.

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) reshapes our world, Farnell, the Development Distributor, along with element14, an Avnet community, are expanding the AI products and resources available to help engineers develop new solutions leveraging the technology. Opportunities for engineers include availability of the BeagleBone AI single board computer and online resources to help overcome the complexity, cost and power challenges of developing for AI.

The BeagleBone AI, one of the newest AI products available from Farnell, provides a fast track solution for embedded machine learning. The single board computer facilitates everyday automation for industrial, commercial and home applications and allows developers to have their designs up and running within five minutes. You can read more about the BeagleBone AI board here.

Enabling element14 Community members to learn the fundamentals of AI in a free online course, the new AI Essentials Course begins with an overview and history of AI, and goes on to cover algorithms, the Bayes Theorem, machine and deep learning, and typical AI applications. The DIY course gives makers and engineers the tools they need to further incorporate AI into their designs.

“Artificial Intelligence, from autonomous cars to ‘lights out’ autonomous factories used to be reserved for science fiction, but the technology is becoming increasingly popular and more readily available every day,” said Cliff Ortmeyer, Global Head of Technical Marketing for Farnell.

Dianne Kibbey, Global Head of the element14 Community added: “We are committed to giving our customers and community members access to the latest AI products and resources, including free training, projects and tools to support them throughout their AI design journey and grow their careers.”

Additional AI offerings from Farnell and element14 include:

• AI Configurator and AI Resource Page: An interactive tool, the AI Configurator enables engineers to quickly determine the most appropriate products and solutions for their AI projects. New products such as the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B Computer, Ultra96 V2 development board, and BeagleBone AI are incorporated into the tool, ensuring engineers are at the cutting edge of AI technology. The AI Configurator is part of Farnell’s AI Resource Page, a dependable resource for makers looking to expand their knowledge.

• New element14 Artificial Intelligence Page: Features all of the latest element14 content around AI including a range of member projects, Tech Spotlights, blogs and products. This area will also feature the element14 Presents weekly video series, with videos focussing on the new BeagleBone AI. Interested community members can sign up to receive updates when new AI related content is added.

Farnell is the only high service distributor with a dedicated AI space and a community of 650,000 members with an ongoing focus on AI applications. To learn more, visit Farnell’s AI Resource Page and the element14 Community.

Farnell, the Development Distributor, announces the launch of its second, annual IoT Survey. The survey is an opportunity for engineers designing IoT and IIoT projects to give latest insights on the market and help shape the product range and technical resources offered by Farnell to support this continually expanding and diversifying technology.

The survey is open from 18^th September to 4^th December 2019 and the results will be made available in February 2020. All participants in the survey can enter a prize draw with the opportunity to win:

• An iPad pro (one winner)
• A choice between an Amazon gift card of £250 (or local currency equivalent) OR a drone of similar value (three winners)
• £50 Farnell voucher (or local currency equivalent) to spend on the Farnell website for EMEA and APAC winners, or a £50 Amazon gift card for NA winner (six winners in total)

The survey results will indicate the growth of existing and emerging IoT applications and reveal the technologies being deployed in IoT solutions. By enhancing its understanding of the market areas, design requirements and new trends, Farnell stays ahead of customer needs and ensures they can support product designs now and in the future.

Lee Morgan, Senior Technical Marketing Manager EMEA, Tektronix, expects security, energy consumption, predictive maintenance and smart cities to feature prominently in this years’ results: “I think one of the most exciting IoT industries is the Smart City, with the advent of 5G (and future wireless technologies) allowing for reliable high-speed data between devices, this opens up a new era in areas such as real-time traffic guidance, how busy restaurants/exhibitions/attractions are at certain times allowing for dynamic queue management, street lighting changing brightness when detecting people walking past.” He adds: “Energy Consumption is a real hot topic at the moment, we already have mature products in the marketplace that enable energy management in the household (think Hive and Nest), these do not just allow us to control heating, light or appliances at the touch (or say!) of a button, they also allow us to be mindful of wasting energy. Imagine the savings that could be had on a wider industrial or even country wide scale? for example, streetlights that only come on when a car is within a certain distance.”

Jacky Perdrigeat, VP EMEA Marketing & Application, Microcontrollers and Digital ICs and Gerard Cronin, Head of Marketing Communications at ST Microelectronics added:  “We expect the survey to confirm that Security, Reliability, and Ecosystem are all critically important in IoT development. The relative importance of each of these depends on the end application – and this is why ST offers a full range of products and technologies to enable developers the flexibility to emphasize the features that best meet their markets’ needs. We’d also expect that due to the enormous value that industries and cities can realize from smart applications – for safety, efficiency, and convenience – that Smart City and Smart Industry applications may become the largest (value) markets in the long term. Because the IoT enables developers to add intelligence wherever it can make people’s lives better, there is an incredible value proposition for end markets that will ultimately ensure its success.”

This is the second year Farnell has run the survey and this time the inclusion of AI-related questions will show how the IoT industry is changing and embracing new technologies. The new questions will reveal where AI is being included in the IoT design process and if it is now being integrated in IoT products or solutions.

Results from the 2018 survey showed the key requirement to maximise the benefits of IoT was the need for common standards and policies. It also revealed the growing role of hardware in the design process, with engineers using a range of hardware platforms to accelerate development pace and shorten time-to-market including the Raspberry Pi and BeagleBone Black. Results also highlighted key application areas expected to grow in the next five years including home automation, industrial automation and control, and Artificial Intelligence.

Cliff Ortmeyer, Global Head of Technical Marketing for Farnell says: “Opportunities and applications for the Internet of Things are growing at an increasing pace and we ensure that our customers have immediate access to the hardware and software they require to minimise their product development times. Our increasing range of modular solutions means designers no longer need to have a deep understanding of AI to build this into their systems.”

Farnell customers can find support and design resources including the IoT hub, AI pages and an AI configurator on its website. Next day delivery is available on all major development boards for IoT including Raspberry Pi 4 Model B Computer, Avnet SmartEdge IIoT Gateway, Microsoft Azure Sphere Starter kit, BeagleBone AI and Ultra96 V2.

To get involved in the Farnell global survey of IoT developments and enter the prize draw click here. Share your thoughts online using #FarnellGlobalIoTIndex. Terms and conditions for the IoT Survey and prize draw are available on the element14 community.

Cliff has an electrical engineering degree and has worked in the electronics industry for 26 years in a variety of engineering and marketing management positions. He has been with Farnell for 6 years, most recently as the Global Head of Technology Product Marketing and Solutions Development. Previously, Cliff worked for STMicroelectronics and Coilcraft in positions ranging from Applications Engineering to Market and Business Development.

Cliff holds multiple patents and is an electronics enthusiast who has a passion for understanding and leveraging new technologies. His current focus is on the role of new technologies and trends and how they impact the future of developing new markets like IoT through makers and engineers alike.

Languages: English

Location: Chicago

To arrange an interview please contact our PR agency.

Premier Farnell is now shipping an easy to mount and compact Human Vision Component (HVC) from Omron Electronic Components. The HVC incorporates ten different image sensing functions and a choice of wide angle and long-distance options to match users range needs for applications from digital signage and vending machines to home appliances and security doors.

The HVC is an image-sensing unit that can recognize human face expression, gender, age, gaze and blink into a camera module. The HVC-P2 boasts a maximum recognition speed 10 times of HVC model. Ten types of image-sensing functions are incorporated to recognizing human conditions in various perspectives such as face detection, human body detection, hand detection, face direction estimation, gaze estimation, blink estimation, age estimation, gender estimation, expression estimation, (five facial expressions: neutral, happiness, surprise, anger & sadness) and face recognition. The HVC-P2 consists of a camera and a separate main board connected via a flexible flat cable allowing it to be installed on the edge of a flat display unit. Output image can be chosen from three types no image output, 160x120 pixels and 320x240 pixels.

Cliff Ortmeyer, Global Head of Technical Marketing for Premier Farnell said: “Design engineers are constantly having to incorporate the latest technologies into their designs which often require specialized knowledge to implement from the ground up. One solution to this challenge is to use modular components, enabling the addition of new functionality without a deep experience in complex topic areas such as facial recognition. The Omron HVC is one such device that allows design engineers to simply and effectively equip their IoT device with the latest technologies, while keeping time to market and costs down.”

Key features include:

• 1600 × 1200 pixels detection resolution
• Long range and wide angle options: Long range - Horizontal detection range (angle of view) is 54°, vertical detection range (angle of view) is 41°. Wide angle - Horizontal detection range (angle of view) is 94°, vertical detection range (angle of view) is 76°
• Supply voltage is 5VDC ±10%, consumption current below 0.4A
• Operating temperature range from 0°C to +50°C (no condensation or freezing)
• Easy to mount and compact format to provide image sensing capability to various devices
• RAW (8bit, Y data) image format
• Camera board size is 25mm x 25mm, main board size is 45mm x 45mm

The Omron Human Vision Component is available from Farnell in EMEA, Newark in North America and element14 in Asia Pacific.

Premier Farnell, the Development Distributor, has launched the industry’s first Connector e-Guide: a comprehensive online reference tool showcasing connectors from more than 30 of the industry’s most trusted brands. The new Connector e-Guide allows engineers to easily review and select relevant interconnect products from Premier Farnell’s extensive connector catalogue by sight or by part number.

The e-Guide uses large visuals to clearly display and categorise connectors in a single online hub, making it an invaluable tool for engineers who may need to find and replace an application’s damaged connector without knowing the part number to identify it. In addition, the e-Guide’s intuitive interface displays associated products and accessories, such as cable and wire, crimp tools and other installation aids. This key feature saves time by reducing the need to research supporting products so engineers can easily select the most suitable connectivity solution for their designs.

Product categories covered by Premier Farnell’s Connector e-Guide include:

• PCB connectors
• High-speed I/O devices
• Circular connectors
• Terminal blocks and terminals
• Plug and socket connectors
• RF and coaxial types
• Power connectors
• Audio and video products
• USB connectors
• Automotive
• Heavy-duty and industrial connectors
• D-subminiature ranges
• Sensor, fibre-optic and modular (Ethernet) connectors

All products featured on the Connector e-Guide are backed by Premier Farnell’s unique product support features, including full reel packaging availability, local 24/5 technical support, easy and secure online ordering and same-day shipping.

“We are aiming to deliver a truly customer-centric approach in our Connector e-Guide, recognising the challenges engineers face and helping them make important buying decisions, faster,” says Cliff Ortmeyer, Global Head of Technical Marketing for Premier Farnell. “The e-Guide’s intuitive and user-friendly interface showcases the breadth of our product portfolio and groups related products together. Customers can benefit from the unparalleled level of support that Premier Farnell provides from initial design concept through to large scale production.”

Premier Farnell’s connector e-Guide can be found at: https://uk.farnell.com/connector-eguide

Premier Farnell, the Development Distributor, announces the launch of a dedicated Artificial Intelligence (AI) online resource on its website. The new pages cover a variety of topics ranging from basic explanations of AI, and different types of AI applications, to descriptions of specific AI products including several ranges that are exclusive to Premier Farnell.

Today, AI-driven analytics and real-time insights are helping industries transform their businesses in diverse sectors from logistics and healthcare to automotive and manufacturing. Premier Farnell’s new AI technology pages will help customers to learn more about AI, explore unique AI-specific product ranges, and access support to choose the best solutions to meet their project requirements.

A key element of the Premier Farnell AI offering is the AI Configurator: an interactive tool that allows engineers to quickly determine the most appropriate products and solutions for their AI projects. It identifies the various development boards, sensors and software that best meet the needs of the inputted application from a wide range of vendors. This enables users to select the most suitable products with confidence and obtain optimum results faster, speeding up development without the need for unnecessary and often time-consuming research.

In addition, new AI products that are exclusively from Premier Farnell include:

• Smartedge Agile: Exclusive to Premier Farnell, an end-to-end IoT solution to deliver AI and security at the edge. The Smartedge Agile device is a certified hardware solution embedded with a full software stack featuring edge intelligence.

• Ultra 96: Exclusive to Premier Farnell, a platform to simplify machine learning, Ultra96 is an Arm-based Xilinx Zynq UltraScale MPSoc development board based on the Linaro 96 board specification.

“As AI technology is still at a relatively early stage in terms of its potential applications and market penetration, the scope is wide open for customers to explore various possibilities and develop new products and ideas”, says Cliff Ortmeyer, Global Head of Technology Product Marketing and Solutions Development at Premier Farnell. “Our new AI technology pages will provide a valuable resource that users and developers can use as a starting point for their designs.”

AI technology pages and can be found on the Farnell website in EMEA, Newark website in the Americas and element14 website in Asia Pacific.

Premier Farnell, the Development Distributor, has published new research on the Internet of Things which confirms that hardware platforms have become an essential part of the early stage design process, enabling engineers to test their designs quickly and cost-effectively; and rapidly deliver proof of concept.

Survey result clearly shows design engineers using a range of hardware platforms to accelerate development pace and shorten time to the market. Results show 50% of developers use single board computers such as the Raspberry Pi or BeagleBone Black as they provide ready-to-use embedded development platforms for building end-products. Other developers advised that they used their own design platforms (27%) or development platforms provided by the silicon vendors (19%).

Respondents to the survey, undertaken by Premier Farnell in late 2018, also advised that they prefer to design a complete solution for edge-to-cloud-security themselves (58%), rather than relying on third-party providers. Security continues to be top on the list of developer considerations (52%). Developers understand the critical importance of choosing an IoT platform that efficiently, securely, and economically supports their IoT applications, rather than relying on external parties which can sometimes cost more to run and maintain.

Cliff Ortmeyer, Global Head of Solutions Development for Premier Farnell said: “Opportunities within the Internet of Things have grown as developers gain greater access to hardware and software solutions that allow them to bring products to market quickly. Premier Farnell provides access to an extensive range of development tools for IoT, and works with innovative providers to bring the latest for AI and security, including the SmartEdge Agile, adding intelligence at the edge with zero-code, to the Zymbit ZYMKEY 4i security module for plug-in security in connected devices.”

The need for common standards and policies was also highlighted as key to accelerating the benefits of IoT. Interoperability (certified standards), connectivity standards, open standards and common privacy policies were all high on the list of developer wishes.

Research also suggested that opportunities within the Internet of Things will continue to grow. Key application areas expected to grow in the next five years include home automation, industrial automation & control and Artificial intelligence. The greatest perceived opportunity for benefits is seen in professional and industrial applications, with operational applications, including opportunities to collate data across entire operations to optimising workplace resources, reducing costs and driving business profitability.

The research was conducted between September and November 2018 with 1042 respondents across Europe, Americas and APAC. Full results of the survey, with additional insights on programming language use, communication method type, hardware components, cloud service providers and sensor technology are available to view at https://uk.farnell.com/global-iot-survey-2018.

Premier Farnell, the Development Distributor, is launching an ebook entitled “The Embedded Interviews 2018” featuring the views of several leading experts in the embedded systems sector. The book will be launch at the electronica 2018 Exhibition in Munich (13-16 November) and available to download from http://www.element14.com/ebooks.

“Recent advances in embedded systems design are allowing engineers and makers to use off-the-shelf hardware and software to create complex products faster and more easily than ever before”, says Ralf Buehler, Senior Vice-President, Sales & Marketing, at Premier Farnell and Farnell element14: “Today’s microcontrollers are generally differentiated by on-chip peripherals and software from the vendors, who are no longer just suppliers of silicon, and these interviews with some of the leading engineers in the largest and most innovative embedded processor companies reveal how they build knowledge of the needs of their customers to deliver optimal solutions to the challenges of developing modern embedded products.”

The interviews cover a range of topics, including views about tools, predictions on the future of the embedded market and an overview of embedded products This breadth of coverage supports Premier Farnell’s positioning as the Development Distributor and complements their philosophy of providing their customers with access to the thoughts of some of the most influential people in the industry.

The ebook includes interviews with:

• Cliff Ortmeyer, Global Head of Solutions Development for Premier Farnell
• Jack Ogawa, Senior Marketing Director, IoT Compute & Wireless Business Unit, Cypress Semiconductor
• Geoff Lees, Senior Vice President & General Manager of Microcontrollers at NXP
• Andy Harding, Director, Broad-based Solutions, Renesas
• Øivind Loe, Senior Marketing Manager, IoT Products, at Silicon Labs
• Laurent Vera, Director, EMEA Microcontroller Marketing, STMicroelectronics
• Adrian Fernandez, Microcontroller Development Experience Manager, and Henry Wiechman, Embedded Processor Software Marketing & Strategy, Texas Instruments

“We are delighted that such influential leaders in the embedded world have given their time to this book, and we hope that the embedded community will find their interviews helpful and interesting”, adds Ralf Buehler.

The Embedded Interviews 2018 ebook can be downloaded from http://www.element14.com/ebooks

Premier Farnell and element14.com, the community for engineers, have published the latest edition of the online magazine, Tech Journal. In this edition, element14 aims to help users understand Artificial Intelligence (AI), how AI relates to the Internet of Things and what benefits they bring together at all levels to the Industry 4.0.

By downloading the magazine, readers can:

• learn how Industry 4.0 can help to handle complexity with simplicity with smart machines and the key components of a smart factory

• explore the role of Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) and Robotics in industrial automation

• learn to identify the appropriate sensor solutions for greater productivity and improved return on investment

• learn about available wireless connectivity solutions and the best-suited network topologies for different kinds of Industrial Internet of Things applications

The magazine also takes a peek at the challenges ‘bricks & mortar’ retailers are facing from the online world and how they are evolving with smart retailing, fuelled by a wide variety of powerful technologies and ecosystems.

Cliff Ortmeyer, Global Head of Solutions Development for Premier Farnell, and Editor of Tech Journal said: “We are witnessing one of the greatest revolutions in all of human history – a revolution driven by Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things - thanks to increasingly miniaturized computers, affordable sensors, ubiquitous networking, and the increasing availability of “smart” devices around the world. Increasing amounts of data from smart devices leads to better-informed decision making with algorithms being continuously improved either by analysts or automatically through machine learning. With all the possibilities for innovation, it’s important businesses have the confidence to engage and incorporate these new technologies into their R&D strategy – to not do so may give their competition an advantage in terms of not only product differentiation but in productivity as well.”

The Tech Journal is available for download by members of the element14 community. To register as a member of the community or download the magazine, visit http://element14.com/TechJournal