element14, an Avnet Company and global distributor of electronic components, products and solutions, is partnering with Tektronix to host a webinar to support engineers identify the challenges of probing low power components and achieve more successful testing. The webinar will  take place on 5^th November at 8.30am IST in English language.

Tektronix is a global leader in the test and measurement market, designing and manufacturing solutions to accelerate global innovation. Tektronix solutions have supported many scientists, engineers and technicians around the world for the past 70 years in health, communication and countless other sectors. .

The schedule for the webinar is:

Thursday, 5^th November, 2020

8:30am to 9:30am IST

About the webinar: As designs for mobile devices and computers require lower power circuits, validation testing and debug become more challenging. In addition, loading from oscilloscope probes can become a critical issue impacting system operation. Carl Wong, Applications Engineer at Tektronix, will address these challenges and offer solutions to engineers for more successful testing.

Click here to register.

element14 stocks a broad range of Tektronix products including oscilloscopes, test leads & probes and power supplies.

Farnell, the Development Distributor, has added the new Tektronix TBS1000C Digital Storage Oscilloscope to its market-leading test and measurement portfolio. Designed to meet the needs of today's educational institutions, embedded design engineers and makers, this new oscilloscope offers an upgrade in performance over the popular TBS1000B. Farnell customers also benefit from a special new product promotion of up to 20% off selected models while stocks last.

The TBS1000C delivers the performance required from a leading entry-level oscilloscope, at an affordable price, alongside the design quality engineers have come to expect from Tektronix. This new scope is also ideal for use in the education environment. It comes with an innovative courseware system that integrates lab exercises with easy step-by-step instructions for use by educators and students. Ready-made educational content can be downloaded for free from Tektronix’s Courseware Resource Centre, enabling lab work without the need to design an entire course from scratch. Built-in support for learning also includes the innovative HelpEverywhere® system that provides useful on-screen tips and hints throughout the user interface, allowing new users and students to quickly learn how to use the oscilloscope. The TBS1000C comes with a standard 5-year warranty, providing added security for educators requiring a product that can be used year after year in the teaching lab.

Other key features include:

• A 7-inch multifunction WVGA colour display that shows 50% more signal with pan and zoom capability. The multi-language user interface supports 10 languages and front panel overlay.
• 2-channel models with 20k point record length and up to 1GS/s sample rate with bandwidths from 50 MHz to 200 MHz.
• 32 automated measurements and dual window FFT with simultaneous time and frequency domain views.
• Advanced triggers including pulse, runt and line triggers, and trigger frequency counter.
• Compatibility with TekSmartLab™ for remote control and access.
• A small footprint and lightweight fan-less design contributing to low noise operation and reliability.

James McGregor, Global Head of Test and Tools at Farnell said: “Always first-to-market with the latest technologies from leading manufacturers, Farnell is delighted to launch the new Tektronix TBS1000C. This new model is a significant upgrade on one of our best-selling digital storage oscilloscopes within the Tektronix range. The TBS1000C enhances the range for teachers and students as well as design engineers and makers working in IoT, automotive, defence, power and education. This is the latest in an ever-growing portfolio of Tektronix products available from Farnell that combine leading performance with an intuitive interface and compact design.”

Tektronix designs and manufactures test and measurement solutions to reduce complexity and accelerate global innovation, empowering engineers to create and realise technological advances with ever greater ease, speed and accuracy.

Farnell’s customers in Europe can benefit from an exclusive introductory offer of up to 20% off selected models for a limited time. Farnell provides access to an extensive test and measurement range from market leading global suppliers, such as Tektronix, with hundreds of products available for same day despatch. Farnell provides unrivalled 24/5 technical support with dedicated test and measurement specialists and valuable online resources including the exclusive online probe selector tool.

The Tektronix TBS1000C Digital Storage Oscilloscope is available for fast delivery from Farnell in EMEA, element14 in APAC and Newark in North America.

Farnell attended the 2020 ‘Accelerating Growth Conferences’ for EMEA and the Americas, hosted by Tektronix, in Portugal and Portland respectively across January and February. The conferences were attended by leading partners to learn, network and strategise for continued growth and partnership as well as to celebrate the success stories of 2019.

At the EMEA conference in Portugal, Farnell representatives met with their colleagues at Tektronix and other channel partners to reflect on the past year and look ahead to 2020 to ensure continued excellence.

At the Conference award ceremony, Farnell received the Business Excellence Award in the New Product category. The award recognises the great results Farnell achieved with its teaser campaign and product launch of the 3 Series MDO and 4 Series MSO oscilloscopes from Tektronix in 2019.

Philippe Pichot, Tektronix EMEA’s Distribution Sales Director, said: “Last year Farnell planned and executed a global pre- and post-launch campaign for the Tektronix 3 and 4 Series oscilloscopes. Their robust planning process, in addition to a comprehensive, multi-media promotion campaign and sales engagement activities, contributed significantly to the awareness and demand for these new products in the second half of last year. Our congratulations, and thanks, to the Farnell team for a well thought out and well executed campaign.”

In Portland, the ‘Americas Accelerating Growth Conference’ included educational, interactive and hands-on training sessions in which upcoming new products were discussed. Attendees also collaborated on product deep-dives and shared best practices and tips.

The conference concluded with an awards ceremony to celebrate 2019 performance, at which Farnell was recognised as Partner of the Year in the Revenue category and Farnell’s Tom Robinson won the Winner’s Circle award from Keithley for outstanding individual sales performance.

James McGregor, Global Head of Test and Tools at Farnell, said: “These award wins are testament to the hard work and dedication of Farnell staff across the globe to ensure we deliver the highest quality service for both our supplier partners and our customers. We are delighted to be recognised with these awards from Tektronix in both Europe and the Americas and have already begun work on ensuring 2020 is an even greater success. Congratulations to all involved!”

Farnell, the Development Distributor, has added the new entry level TBS2000B Digital Storage Oscilloscope from Tektronix to its test and measurement portfolio. Electronics designers, test engineers and educators will benefit from its easy-to-use controls, automated measurements and large 9” display. The TBS2000B offers exceptional performance and advanced debugging at an affordable price. Customers can also benefit from a special new product promotion of up to 15% off whilst stocks last.

The new Tektronix TBS2000B digital storage oscilloscope is built on the legendary performance and value of the earlier TBS2000 model, providing higher performance and greater ease of use at an affordable price. The TBS2000B series is a complete drop-in replacement for TBS2000 series oscilloscopes, with the same form factor and programmable interface. Notable features include:

• A 9-inch WVGA display with a 5-million-point record length and 2GS/s sample rate which enables users to capture and display significantly more signal, speeding up debug and design validation.
• 32 automated measurements and on-waveform cursor readouts with search and mark features that enable easy identification of events that occur in the acquired waveform.
• TekVPI™, Tektronix’s proprietary probe support interface, enabling wide application coverage using the latest active differential and current probes with automatic scaling and units. This is the industry’s only entry-level instrument featuring TekVPI™. The TBS2000B also supports traditional passive BNC probes.
• Range of connectivity options including Wi-Fi support (via USB Wi-Fi dongle), 2 USB host ports, and 100-BaseT Ethernet for easy sharing of measurements and collaboration.

James McGregor, Global Head of Test & Tools at Farnell said, “The Tektronix TBS2000B series offers a major upgrade on one of the most popular products in the Farnell test and measurement range and is suitable for a range of applications including IoT, automotive, defence, power and education. Users of the earlier TBS2000 will easily transition to this new product and benefit from using brand new, cutting edge technology. Intuitive control via the 9-inch display and automated measurements will increase productivity and speed up design and test processes.”

Farnell offers its customers unrivalled 24/5 technical support with dedicated test and measurement specialists on-hand and extensive online resources such as Farnell’s exclusive online probe selector tool. Customers can also access hundreds of the latest new products and popular best-sellers from market-leading supplier partners, such as Tektronix, available for same day despatch. In addition to the special launch promotion of up to 15% off whilst stocks last, Farnell is currently featuring a number of Spring Offers including up to 30% off a wide range of other test and measurement products.

The Tektronix TBS2000B Digital Storage Oscilloscope is available from Farnell in EMEA, element14 in APAC and Newark in North America.

As part of the launch of the new 3 Series MDO and 4 Series MSO oscilloscopes from Tektronix in June, Farnell teamed up with Tektronix to run an exclusive prize draw for customers. We are now delighted to announce that a brand new Tektronix 3 series MDO Oscilloscope has been awarded to Thomas Winkler from CASE Electronics GmbH in Germany.

CASE are involved in designing and developing high quality industrial electronics such as measurement technology, sensor technology and wireless systems components. Test and measurement is a fundamental part of the work CASE Electronics do and products such as the new 3 Series MDO Scope enables them to provide the highest quality of service to their customers.

On winning the prize, Thomas Winkler said: “My job in CASE Electronics involves design and development of high quality industrial electronics…We need the best test and measurement products on the market. I’m delighted to have won the new Tektronix oscilloscope, it will ensure that we will continue to provide the best quality and service to our customers. Thank you Tektronix and Farnell!”

James McGregor, Global Head of Test and Measurement for Farnell, added: “We are pleased to award this oscilloscope to Thomas and enable him and his colleagues at CASE to perform their work to the highest standard. The new 3 Series MDO and 4 Series MSO oscilloscopes from Tektronix are designed with engineers in mind and enable customers, like Thomas, to be innovative and efficient in their work.”

Farnell, the Development Distributor, has further enhanced its discount scheme for educational and research establishments, helping them maintain and improve their labs whilst managing their budgets. Up to 30% discounts are available from a growing supplier range which includes Tektronix, Keithley, Keysight Technologies, Fluke, Fluke Networks, Flir Systems, Aim TTi, Rohde & Schwarz, BK Precision, Sefram, Klein Tools, Pace and Weller.

Teaching facilities need to have the most up-to-date equipment to provide high-quality education and to enable students to progress seamlessly into the worlds of work and research. The discounts offered by Farnell can help provide this equipment to attract new students and support existing ones, even as educational and research establishments face budget pressures.

Free access to online resources, data sheets, applications notes, videos and webinars are available to all customers on Farnell’s website. Virtual and live demonstrations are available on many of the products, and orders under the educational scheme are available for same day despatch.

The Farnell educational discount scheme includes the following bestselling products which have been developed for education:

• Keithley 2450 Source Meter/Unit, 2400 Series: This 20W current and voltage source can simultaneously measure current, voltage and resistance with high speed and accuracy and offers a smart alternative to separate power supplies and DMMs. It can operate as a sensitive, electronic load to discharge a battery and execute test scripts to monitor battery drain and other test sequences.

• Keysight EDUX1002A - Digital Oscilloscope: The InfiniiVision 1000X-series 50MHz, 2+1 channel oscilloscope provides 50 MHz, one GSPS, 100 kpts, and seven ns data capture. This EDU model is especially good for students and beginners as it has been specifically engineered to provide quality, industry-proven technology and has educator resources included as standard.

• Tektronix TBS1072B-EDU Digital Oscilloscope: This 70Mhz 2 channel oscilloscope is specifically designed to meet the needs of today’s schools and universities, and includes an innovative new Courseware system, a 7-inch WVGA TFT colour display, up to 2GS/s sampling rate and dual channel frequency counters. With a 5 year standard warranty included, the TBS1072B-EDU is the industry’s best-value entry level oscilloscope for educational activities.

• Weller WE1010 Soldering Station Education Kit 230V: This kit includes everything required for successful soldering including power unit, WEP70 solder iron, PH70 safety rest, shear cutter and more. The WE1010 Soldering Station Kit 230V is designed with students in mind; the kit offers improved safety features as well as ergonomic handle and toolless tip change on the solder iron, and users benefit further from features such as standby mode and auto setback to save energy as well as password protection to preserve settings.

Many of the supplier discounts for education are available only from Farnell, which offers a wide range of suppliers and the most comprehensive range of discounts. In addition to the test equipment and tools covered by the programme, customers can buy test leads, test probes, test connectors and access local support from Farnell’s customer service centres which provide 24/5 technical support and calibration services.

James McGregor, Global Head of Test and Tools for Farnell says: “We hope that our education discount programme can support education establishments at a time when budgets are tighter than ever. This programme provides significant discounts on outstanding products all year round and will ensure labs are equipped with the most up to date equipment even on the tightest budgets.”

The Farnell educational discount scheme is available online from Farnell in EMEA.

Premier Farnell is now shipping two new products launched today by Tektronix, delivering the most versatile and easy-to-use oscilloscopes in their class into the market. In the development of the new 3 Series MDO and 4 Series MSO Tektronix have spoken to the users to identify the challenges they face, and built oscilloscopes that deliver features and performance to match the needs of everyday engineers. The new 3 series MDO and 4 Series MSO oscilloscopes are built upon the award-winning user experience introduced in the 5 and 6 series MSOs. They both feature a highly intuitive touchscreen user interface incorporating the touch interactions familiar from phones and tablets, the largest and highest resolution display in their class and modern industrial design.

Typical applications including embedded design and IoT, Power design, Education, Manufacturing Test and Troubleshooting and Service Installation and Maintenance.

3 Series MDO – a versatile instrument for every engineer

The 3 Series MDO offers new levels of versatility and is intended to be a compact, versatile test instrument that can sit on the desk of every engineer, taking up just 6 inches of depth on the bench whilst delivering Tektronix’s award winning intuitive user interface and similar set of knobs and buttons to other models. Featuring sleek industrial design this extremely versatile device offers:

• Largest display in its class - 11.6” (1920 x 1080 HD resolution) capacitive touch display
• Bandwidth ranging from 100MHz to 1GHz
• Option to add spectrum analyzer hardware at 1GHz or 3GHz; arbitrary function generator, digital channels and Serial Bus Decode, Triggering and Search
• A DVM/frequency counter added at no cost following product registration
• Future proofed with fully upgradable bandwidths and options

4 Series MSO – extreme visibility, versatility and usability for any bench

The 4 Series MSO has been built to meet a diverse range of application requirements alongside enhanced user experience with multiple best in class features:

• 13.3” (1920 x 1080 HD resolution) capacitive touch display: the largest and highest resolution in its class with a revolutionary new stacked display mode automatically adding and removing additional horizontal waveform 'slices' (additional graticules) as waveforms are created and removed, reducing tradeoffs between accuracy and visibility.
• Bandwidths ranging from 200 MHz to 1.5 GHz
• Industry leading vertical resolution through 12-bit ADCs providing 16 times the vertical resolution of traditional 8-bit ADCs, enabling users to capture the signals of interest while minimizing the effects of unwanted noise
• First scope in this class to offer six input channels avoiding the introduction of a second scope for complex applications such as embedded systems or power supply design
• Innovative FlexChannel™ technology enabling any input channel to be converted from an analog to eight digital channels simply by connecting a logic probe.
• 8-digit trigger frequency counter added at no cost following product registration
• Optional spectrum view; arbitrary function generator; power measurement and analysis; and Serial Bus Decode, Triggering and Search
• Bandwidth and options are all field upgradeable.

Chris Witt, vice president and general manager, Time Domain Business Unit at Tektronix said: “Tektronix is a company built for engineers, by engineers, and we continued that legacy when we developed our new scopes. Our teams spent 100s of hours meeting with engineers around the world, testing and prototyping new features and designs, and we’re excited to bring the very best oscilloscopes to market – built around insight from everyday engineers.”

James McGregor, Global Head of Test and Measurement for Premier Farnell added: “These new oscilloscopes from Tektronix deliver on usability and versatility, meaning that our customers can focus their time on innovating and solving difficult problems.”

The Tektronix 3 Series MDO and 4 Series MSO are available from Farnell in EMEA, Newark in North America and element14 in APAC.

Premier Farnell, the Development Distributor, is now stocking the Tektronix AFG31000 Arbitrary Function Generator: a best-in-class waveform generation platform designed for the most demanding expectations on performance and versatility throughout the whole process of product realization.

The new AFG31000 series incorporates four industry firsts that result in an unprecedented user experience for researchers and engineers:

• A 9-inch capacitive touch display and a shallow menu tree makes locating and changing settings quicker, whilst also making browsing easier.
• The ability to monitor the generated waveform on the device under test in real time using InstaView™. This simplifies the user’s job by verifying what the generated waveform looks like in real time when the signal is output from the AFG31000 to the test point in the circuit under test. InstaView™ eliminates the need to use an oscilloscope to probe at that test point and as such adds confidence for users.
• An advanced sequence mode for creating long or complex waveforms makes the AFG31000 an alternative for users who need long, non-repeating waveforms, or multiple waveforms with complex timing.
• The ability to “draw” a waveform on-screen with fingertips using the built-in waveform creation tool. The built-in ArbBuilder enables arbitrary waveform creation and editing software eliminates the need to connect to a PC or use a USB memory to load arbitrary waveforms.

James McGregor, Global Head Test, Tools and Production Supplies at Premier Farnell said: “As the Development Distributor, Premier Farnell has the broadest range of in-stock test & measurement products in the high service distribution market. The AFG31000 combines industry firsts that will make it easier for engineers and researches who need to generate increasingly complex test cases for debugging, troubleshooting, characterizing and validating devices under test to focus on the task at hand without having to learn how to use the tool.”

The generator is available in 1- and 2-channel models, each having an output amplitude range from 1 mVP-P to 10 VP-P into 50-ohm loads. A wide range of operating modes are available including:

• Sine waves from 25 to 250 MHz
• Sampling (at 14-bit vertical resolution) from 250 MS/s to 2 GS/s,
• Continuous, modulation, sweeping and burst run modes (with 128 kpoints arbitrary waveform memory on each channel).

A variety of more complex waveforms are also available in the advanced sequence mode, which adds value for design or failure analysis engineers, by verifying whether their circuit will operate as planned or how it will respond under extreme or stressed conditions.

The Tektronix AFG31000 Arbitrary Function Generator is available from Farnell element14 in EMEA, Newark element14 in North America and element14 in Asia Pacific and can be seen at electronica 2018 in Farnell element14’s ‘Build and Test’ zone located within the Avnet stand in Hall C5, Stand 101

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, is now shipping the new RSA500 and RSA600 series Real Time Spectrum Analyzers from Tektronix.

The RSA 500 series offers rugged, portable real time spectrum analysis for interference hunting, spectrum management and network maintenance tasks. When used in conjunction with a tablet running SignalVu-PC software, the RSA500 series is able to solve the toughest interference challenges, as well as supporting spectrum management and network maintenance tasks. As the RSA500 provides higher performance than the RSA306B, this new analyzer now competes with a wider range of conventional portables. The analyzer is ideal for field interference hunting, coverage mapping, surveillance and monitoring and radio network maintenance.

The RSA600 series offers mid-range laboratory spectrum analysis capabilities and is great for design, characterization and EMC work. The RSA600 series has 40 Mhz of standard analysis bandwidth supporting analysis of the latest communications standards up to 802.11n. Real time spectrum analysis also reduces troubleshooting time by finding transient problems that other spectrum analyzers may miss. With higher performance than the RSA306B this new analyzer matches the demands of a broader range of customers and provides an alternative to conventional laboratory instruments at around half the price. This new analyzer is ideal for WLAN/Bluetooth testing, component characterization, cable and antenna test and RF environment record and playback.

James McGregor, Global Head Test, Tools and Production Supplies at Premier Farnell said: “Farnell element14 has one of the broadest ranges of test and measurement equipment on the market – the RSA500 and RSA600 series of analyzers from Tektronix provide new alternatives to conventional equipment, whether you are looking for a portable or lab-based solution, providing all-round usability, high performance and value for money.”

The RSA500 and RSA600 series and other products from Tektronix are available in Europe from Farnell element14.

Farnell element14, The Development Distributor, has been named High Service Provider Partner of the Year by Tektronix for its outstanding performance in both sales and marketing in 2016. For the second year in a row, Farnell element14 was also the clear winner of the Tektronix Best Marketing Campaign Award.

In the “High Service Provider” category, Farnell element14 was praised for the technical support given to their customers and sales teams, also appointing a specialized Tektronix resource to cover the UK and Ireland. Marketing support included the development of custom-built digital campaigns to target specific product and application areas, creating awareness and building market share.

Farnell element14 was also awarded “Best Marketing Campaign” following its response to search data obtained through its website for competitor products, not currently stocked. Farnell element14 worked closely with the Tektronix sales and marketing team to build a multi-media, multi-touch campaign to create leads and convert opportunities. The campaign was supported by external advertising, internal web activities, re-directions to dedicated landing pages and special offers, banners, emails, callout campaigns and sales support, resulting in a +55% increase in orders for Tektronix basic oscilloscopes.

David Farrell, Tektronix EMEA Sales VP said of the award: “Farnell element14 continues to be one of our strongest channel partners in both sales and marketing functions. As such, it’s an honor to present them with the 2016 High Service Provider Partner of the Year Award.”

The awards were presented by Ray Merckling, Tektronix Global Commercial President and David Farrell, Tektronix EMEA Sales VP.

Notes to editors

Image caption: Charlotte Kennedy, Farnell element14 Senior Supplier Account Manager, James McGregor, Global Head of Category, Test and Tools, Farnell element14 and Andreea Teodorescu, Farnell element14 Global Supplier Marketing Senior Manager

element14, The Development Distributor, offers one of the industry’s broadest ranges of test and measurement equipment, as well as a leading line card. element14 offer all the tools and production supplies necessary to take a product through the testing phase to the maintenance needed to extend product life cycle, providing support from Bench to Board. To gain further insight into the challenges that test, maintenance and repair engineers face, element14 has created a new survey to allow engineers around the world to have their say.

element14 already has a deep understanding of the challenges of the product life cycle and helps customers achieve their product goals, including minimizing time to market and optimizing product performance. Alongside over 20,000 of the best tools from over 440 maintenance, repair and operations brands, element14 provides first class logistics support, with stock items available for next day delivery to reduce downtime. The results of the survey will allow element14 to further evaluate areas where it can continue to provide assistance to maintenance engineers and understand what is important to them now and in the future.

James McGregor, Global Head of Test and Tools says:

“Our goal is to provide tools and supporting products that allow our customers to do their jobs quickly, efficiently and safely. The range of products we have is truly holistic in supporting engineering needs from the bench to the board”.

At the electronica show in Europe from 8-11^th November, element14 is presenting the ‘World of Electronics’ on their stand, including the latest products for your bench from Weller, Tektronix and Keysight, there will also be an opportunity to win a Weller WT or Tektronix TBS2000. On day three, element14 will launch the new global survey. Visitors to the stand can take the survey at the Bench to Board Booth or online at https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/benchtoboard.

Find out more about element14 at electronica at www.electronica.farnell.com/

Increasing accuracy and ease of use for design engineers

Design engineers using oscilloscopes to prototype, debug and validate the designs of new products and for general troubleshooting are increasingly faced with greater signal complexity, tighter signal tolerances and increased time pressure. The functionality of basic equipment currently on the market can lead to a lack of confidence in measurements, and scale factors and corrections continue to be hand-applied due to inability to interface with today’s smart probing technology.

The TBS2000 provides a greater level of functionality than any other basic model oscilloscope.

• Models are available with 70 MHz or 100 MHz bandwidth and with 2 or 4 channels.

• Waveform cursor readouts and 32 automatic measurements make it easy to confidently analyze signals.

• It has the longest record length in its class, at 20M points,

• The biggest 9 inch WVGA display with 15 horizontal divisions

• It is the only basic oscilloscope with the TekVPI Probe Interface for better applications coverage with a wider range of active and current probes.

Unique capabilities for enhancing education

For engineering professors, required to teach larger groups of students with an increasing amount of emphasis on hands-on lab work and TBS2000 includes wifi, making it easier to set up an engineering lab, and has a series of built in and online support such as HelpEverywhere and the downloadable Tektronix resource centre to support the teaching of large groups.

element14 offers the latest products, software and solutions from trusted supplier partners through 43 local language transactional websites . The element14 Community allows buyers and engineers to access a wide range of independent technical information, tools and the latest resources and the Design Center enables design engineers to compare kits from the world’s greatest range of development tools.

A wearable impact and health monitor was named the winner in the “Sudden Impact” design competition, organized by the element14 Community. As part of the challenge, 12 individuals from around the world competed to develop wearable health solutions that can detect and even prevent sports-related injuries.

The winning design, created by element14 member Cosmin Iorga of the U.S., features a main helmet unit that measures head impact, body temperature, tilt, global positioning and even brain activity. A separate electrocardiogram chest module measures heart rate, and both units provide data and alerts to an Android smartphone app. A real-time player monitoring system from Ravi Butani of India took home runner-up honors.

The Sudden Impact competition is a part of the community’s “Engineering a Connected World” initiative designed to drive innovation by connecting engineers to powerful new ideas, the latest technologies and to each other. As part of that initiative element14 surveyed 3,500 adults worldwide, and 68 percent agreed healthcare should be top priority in technology and innovation moving forward. 

“Big congratulations to Cosmin, Ravi and all of the ambitious challengers who took part in the Sudden Impact design competition,” said Dianne Kibbey, Global Head of Community, element14. “As with most real-world problems today, element14 believes engineers can create a preventative solution to the issue of impact-related sports injuries. We’re particularly proud of leading an initiative that athletes and consumers alike want to see addressed.”

“Tektronix congratulates Cosmin and Ravi for the innovation and design work that led to them winning the Sudden Impact Challenge” said Gina Bonini, Director Americas Marketing for Tektronix. “To develop working wearable prototypes requires a keen sense of market needs and the knowledge and skill to manipulate advanced technologies to achieve the desired result. The health monitor designs the winners and the other 12 contestants submitted are truly remarkable and could well point the way to improved sports injury prevention.”

Cosmin’s project won the top prize - a Tektronix MD03104 Oscilloscope valued at $14,200, MacBook Air and Withings Home HD Sensor - for its diagnostic capabilities, portability and replicability. Ravi will take home a CEL-Robox 3D printer as the runner up. Each completed solution was rigorously tested by researchers at the School of Computing, Creative Technologies and Engineering at Leeds Beckett University.

“Impact injuries have led to detrimental consequences for athletes all over the world and advancements in wearable systems and sensors are enabling engineers to develop creative solutions to this problem,” said Professor Reinhold Behringer of Leeds Beckett University. “Congratulations to all of the participants of the Sudden Impact challenge. We’re proud to have played a role in evaluating and testing each of these talented competitors’ projects.”

Behringer and his team judged each project in categories that included: ambition and sophistication, setup and installation, usability, measurements and cost effectiveness.

The other projects that were tested included: a real-time coach and athlete monitoring system from Austin Horning in the U.S.; a sudden impact helmet and uniform sensor system by Dragan Knezevic in Serbia; a helmet-mounted ski monitor from Hendrik Lipka in Germany and a helmet-mounted trauma monitor and heart reactor by Douglas Wong in Canada.

To aid in their designs, all 12 participants receive a kit of advanced components from Analog Devices, a Tektronix MSO2024B oscilloscope, advanced polymers from Electrolube and a $500 budget from Newark element14 for additional parts and purchases. Each competitor who finished will receive a Withings Plus Sports Watch to monitor their activity, track sleep and improve overall health.

To view content from all 12 Sudden Impact challengers or to learn more about the award-winning, 350,000-member element14 Community of design engineers and technology enthusiasts, visit www.element14.com/suddenimpact.

element14 is launching the industry’s first wireless lab instrument management solution from Tektronix, Inc. for quickly setting up and efficiently managing basic electronics engineering laboratories at colleges and universities. The new TekSmartLab^TM solution  supports up to 120 instruments (30 test benches) on a single platform.

At many education institutions, implementing productive and fully integrated instrument networks in classrooms can be a daunting task. Using LAN cables to set up a network for example is costly, time consuming and limits flexibility and many instruments lack LAN ports.  The TekSmartLab eliminates cabling hassles by converting instruments’ USB ports into a wireless interface using a Wi-Fi-USB converter while giving professors the software tools they need to efficiently manage large, busy classrooms.

Priced at £141 for the hardware and £4,240 for the software TekSmartLab eliminates many repetitive manual tasks, saving valuable class time. Features such as intuitive laboratory layout emulation, automatic instrument configuration, and push-button report generation mean that professors and students can focus on learning.

Running on a lab server, TekSmartLab is set up without any LAN cables or special instrument configuration.  Professors can load instrument configurations associated with different course requirements and then distribute them to up to 120 instruments with a single mouse click from one central dashboard. Professors can easily check the instrument status and measurement contents of a specific test bench remotely and save student results into a report.

TekSmartLab automatically records and displays asset information and tracks usage time improving overall lab management.

Most Tektronix and Keithley instruments intended for education applications are supported by TekSmartLab including Tektronix TBS1000B-EDU series, DPO/MSO2000B series and MDO3000 series oscilloscopes; AFG2021, AFG1022 and AFG3000C series arbitrary function generators; and Keithley DMM2110 multi-meters and 2231A-30-3 power supplies.

TekSmartLab is available from Farnell element14 in Europe and Newark element14 in North America. 

element14 has introduced the Tektronix TSG4100A series of vector signal generators (VSG) for use in product design, testing and manufacturing.

With the drive towards more affordable test solutions which still meet demanding requirements in wireless design and manufacturing the TSG4100A combines an RF signal generator and a vector signal generator (VSG).  It can be easily upgraded in the field to deliver more advanced vector and digital modulation capabilities.

Priced from £4,190 or $7,300 the TSG4100A series includes three models with carrier frequencies from DC to 2.0 GHz, 4.0 GHz and 6.0 GHz respectively and offer a wide variety of modulation capabilities. Modes include amplitude modulation (AM), frequency modulation (FM), phase modulation (ΦM), and pulse modulation.

Units can be software upgraded to support VSG applications. With the vector upgrade, TSG4100A series offers full support for vector signal modulation on RF carriers between 400 MHz and 6.0 GHz.

The TSG4100A can be used together with the USB-based RSA306 spectrum analyzer, MDO4000B and MDO3000 mixed domain oscilloscopes and is available from Farnell element14 in Europe, Newark element14 in North America and element14 in Asia Pacific.