XTRONICS Vol #01, Issue #03(NOV & DEC2009)

 
THE MONTHLY TECHNICAL NEWS LETTER

 
 
VOLUME NO.I  
ISSUE NO.III   16Pages
 
NOV & DEC 2009
XTRONICS Vol #01, Issue #03(NOV & DEC2009)

 
FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF ECE 

 
No man is a failure who is enjoying life. -William Feather 2
 XTRONICS Vol #01, Issue #03(NOV & DEC2009)

Technical – zone
Tyco Electronics: New trends in the
application of Electromechanical Relays
Electromechanical relays are innovative and reliable components; they offer
robust, long-lasting and economical solutions to highly topical and volatile questions
related to emissions reduction and motor-vehicle fuel consumption. The expanded
network relay program addresses the new demands in automation applications as well
as the subject of energy cost savings for industry and in the household. Signal and
telecom relays are being applied in new areas, for example in order to completely shut
off Ethernet ports, or are being used in medical electronics as measuring point change
over switches. Signal relays from Tyco Electronics with high voltage stability are
being used in automotive electronics for new functions in hybrid vehicles.
New Areas of Application for Automotive Relays
In the area of automotive relays, growth is being driven partly by the ever-
increasing upgrade of vehicle equipment. However, the rising needs are based primarily on
new fields of application resulting from ever-increasing demands for vehicle safety,
fuel consumption reductions and vehicle comfort - all of which create new requirements
for on-board power supply.
For example, the electronic power steering element must have a safety
shutdown feature. Especially for this purpose, Tyco Electronics developed the power-
assisted steering relays SPR (Star Point Relay), which in two versions switches off
the power to the power-steering motor as well as the entire component group.
The implementation of this electronic power steering brings about new
possibilities for active assistance systems such as, for example, dynamic track
following which again creates new demands for sensors and switches.
A multitude of new applications requires the use of relays. The current automotive
relays often represent the more cost-effective alternative to semiconductor switches, in
particular for high switching currents.
New Applications for the Area of Signal Relays
Electromechanical signal and telecom relays demonstrate significant advantages
for cost-effective and reliable solutions compared to alternative switch principles in
electronic circuits.
Signal and telecom relays are distinguished by: compact designs combined with
high switching capacities; a large load range from zero up to 60 W / 125 VA; high

Simplicity is the key to brilliance -Bruce Lee 3

 XTRONICS Vol #01, Issue #03(NOV & DEC2009)
insulation properties between the load and control cycles as well as in the open load
cycle; high overload capacity; excellent properties from DC up to high frequencies;
and extremely high reliability in operation. As a result of these amazing properties,
they are constantly being used in new electronics applications, for example in the
areas of:
Optical Transmission Technology
Glass fibers are being increasingly used in transmission technology. The last
step in most cases is a copper line. This requires that the optical signal be converted
back into an electrical signal at a specific point. In optical terminals, relays permit the
simple implementation of a remote-controlled test function and thus increase the
availability significantly. The C variant of the IM relay is suited to this application,
with its extremely high dielectric resistance.
Industrial Electronics
In the new D variant of this two-pole IM relay, the extremely small design with
low contact resistance is combined with a simultaneously high switching current.
Currents of up to 5A at 60 W switching capacity can thus be switched; self-inductive
loads are possible.
Medical Electronics
Comparable with the applications in measurement technology, signal relays are
used as measuring point change over switches in medical electronics. Minimized
design formats and the highest degree of reliability are ideal properties for this
application. All variants of the IM relay are suited for this.
- Siva koteswara rao,
IV/IVB.Tech,ECE-B 

Chipnastics – The Art of High Performance

Chip Design
Next-Generation Xeon processors trim system power through integration.
The just-announced next-generation Xeon CPU offerings from Intel provide
designers with a choice of a single, dual, or quad processor chips with integrated
memory controllers and a 16-lane PCIe 2.0 I/O controller. These new processors,
internally referred to as Jasper Forrest, use Intel’s latest Nehalem architecture and are
implemented in the company’s 45-nm high-k metal-gate process. Software compatible
with previous-generation Xeon processors are targeted at embedded applications

Our greatest glory is not in never failing but in rising up every time we fail. 4
 XTRONICS Vol #01, Issue #03(NOV & DEC2009)
such as communications and storage systems.
The lowest power single-core member of the CPU family has a 23 to 30 W
power envelope, while the dual-core versions range from 35 to 65 W depending on
clock speed and other features. At the high end of the new family, the quad-core
versions consume from 45 to 85 W. At the system level, these power ratings represent
a savings of approximately 27 W vs. previous system implementations employing
the Xeon 5500 processor and a separate chipset that incorporates the memory and
PCIe controller. Thus, system solutions based on the Jasper Forest deliver some of
the highest performance per Watt of any Xeon platform to date. (The comparison is
based on systems using two Jasper Forest processors at 2.13 GHz with a 60 W
power envelope and a 3240 (Ibex Peak) chipset, vs. two Xeon L5528 processors at
2.13 GHz with a 60-W power envelope along with a 5520 chipset.)
In addition to the integrated memory controller, the Jasper Forest processors also
integrate a PCIe 2.0 I/O hub which allows systems to perform non-transparent
bridging, and the Crystal-Beach direct-memory-access control, which accelerates
RAID access requests. The non-transparent bridging allows multiple systems to
seamlessly connect over a PCIe link, which eliminates the need for an external PCIe
switch. The 3420 chipset rounds out the system, providing USB, high-definition
audio, external SATA storage support, PCI and PCIexpress interfaces, a Gigabit LAN
controller, power management logic, and many other support functions.
The processors are expected to be available in early 2010 and come with a
guaranteed seven-year lifecycle support program, which should make them attractive
for systems that have long lifecycles such as in telecommunications, military, security,
network infrastructure, and storage.
- Srinivas VSS
IV/IV B.Tech, ECE-A

SOLAR CELL
A solar cell is any device that directly converts the energy in light into electrical
energy through the process of photovoltaics. The development of solar cell technology
begins with the 1839 research of French physicist Antoine-César Becquerel. Becquerel
observed the photovoltaic effect while experimenting with a solid electrode in an
electrolyte solution when he saw a voltage develope when light fell upon the
electrode.

Our strength grows out of our weakness. -Ralph Waldo Emerson 5

 XTRONICS Vol #01, Issue #03(NOV & DEC2009)
Charles Fritts - First Solar Cell
According to Encyclopedia Britannica the first genuine solar cell was built
around 1883 by Charles Fritts, who used junctions formed by coating selenium (a
semiconductor) with an extremely thin layer of gold.
Russell Ohl - Silicon Solar Cell
Early solar cells, however, had energy conversion efficiencies of under one
percent. In 1941, the silicon solar cell was invented by Russell Ohl.
Gerald Pearson, Calvin Fuller and Daryl Chapin - Efficient Solar Cells
In 1954, three American researchers, Gerald Pearson, Calvin Fuller and Daryl
Chapin, designed a silicon solar cell capable of a six percent energy conversion
efficiency with direct sunlight.
The three inventors created an array of several strips of silicon (each about the size
of a razorblade), placed them in sunlight, captured the free electrons and turned them
into electrical current. They created the first solar panels. Bell Laboratories in New
York announced the prototype manufacture of a new solar battery. Bell had funded the
research. The first public service trial of the Bell Solar Battery began with a telephone
carrier system (Americus, Georgia) on October 4 1955.
‐ M. Siva Gopal
III/IV B-Tech, ECE-A
Claytronics
(Futuristic)
As research progresses on this exciting field, the potential to fax a synthetic
replica of yourself to another location seems a possibility! This project aims to
create nanoscale robotic mechanisms with computing abilities!!
Programmable clay:-
Researchers are designing a programmable clay that could morph into a working
3D replica of any person or object, based on information transmitted from anywhere in
the world. The clay would be made of millions of tiny microprocessors called catoms,
each less than a millimeter.
Claytronics would make possible a radical vision for the future of longdistance
meetings. For instance, it may be possible to fax a copy of a speaker’s body,
mimicking his moves in real time and speaking in his voice, to someone sitting miles
away. The project—at the moment still a long way from realisation—aims to create

New Year's Day is every man's birthday. ~Charles Lamb 6

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nanoscale robotic mechanisms with computing abilities, capable of changing form and
joining together to form large-scale mechanisms or objects. With claytronics, millions
of tiny individual devices would assemble into macro-scale objects, connecting and
disconnecting as they move.
The current large proof-of-concept catoms of 4.4 cm connect and move via
electromagnetic or electrostatic connections, much like the ‘replicating’ robots
operating at scales where it may bedifficult to control with the same technology.The
catoms could have LCD or LED surfaces to produce a faintly glowing image of a
person or object made of millions of tiny microbots that would actually look like the
person or the object.

- K. Madhuri
II/IV B.Tech, ECE-B

History of the Metal Detector

Alexander Graham Bell invented the first crude metal detector in 1881. As
President James Garfield lay dying of an assassin's bullet, Alexander Graham Bell
hurriedly invented a crude metal detector in an unsuccessful attempt to locate the fatal
slug. Bell's metal detector was an electromagnetic device he called the induction
balance. Then afterwards in 1925, Gerhard Fischar invented a portable metal detector.
Gerhard Fischar ‐ Portable Metal Detector 
In 1925, Gerhard Fischar invented a portable metal detector. Fischar's model
was first sold commercially in 1931 and Gerhard Fischar was behind the first large-
scale production of metal detectors.
According to the experts at A&S Company: "In the late 1920's, Dr. Gerhard
Fisher, the founder of Fisher Research Laboratory was commissioned as a research
engineer with the Federal Telegraph Co. and Western Air Express to develop airborne
direction finding equipment. He was awarded some of the first patents issued in the
field of airborne direction finding by means of radio. In the course of his work, he
encountered some strange errors and once he solved these problems, he had the
foresight to apply the solution to a completely unrelated field, that of metal and
mineral detection.
‐ S.G.R.Naidu
III/IV B.Tech, ECE-A

The new year begins in a snow-storm of white vows. ~George William Curtis 7
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The First Transistor

In 1947, John Bardeen and Walter Brattain, working at Bell Telephone
Laboratories, were trying to understand the nature of the electrons at the interface
between a metal and a semiconductor. They realized that by making two point
contacts very close to one another, they could make a three terminal device - the first
"point contact" transistor.

The first point contact transistor made use of the semiconductor germanium. Paper
clips and razor blades were used to make the device.

They quickly made a few of these transistors and connected them with some
other components to make an audio amplifier. This audio amplifier was shown to chief
executives at Bell Telephone Company, who were very impressed that it didn't need
time to "warm up" (like the heaters in vacuum tube circuits). They immediately
realized the power of this new technology.

This invention was the spark that ignited a huge research effort in solid state
electronics. Bardeen and Brattain received the Nobel Prize in Physics, 1956, together
with William Shockley, "for their researches on semiconductors and their discovery of
the transistor effect." Shockley had developed a so-called junction transistor, which
was built on thin slices of different types of semiconductor material pressed together.
The junction transistor was easier to understand theoretically, and could be
manufactured more reliably.

- B.Anand,
III/IV B.tech. ECE-A
 

It wouldn't be New Year's if I didn't have regrets. ~William Thomas 8

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How Does a Touchscreen Work?

A basic touchscreen has three main components: a touch sensor, a controller,
and a software driver. The touchscreen is an input device, so it needs to be combined
with a display and a PC or other device to
make a complete touch input system.
1.TouchSensor
A touch screen sensor is a clear glass panel
with a touch responsive surface. The touch
sensor/panel is placed over a display screen so that
the responsive area of the panel covers the
viewable area of the video screen. There
are several different touch sensor technologies on the market today, each using a
different method to detect touch input. The sensor generally has an electrical current
or signal going through it and touching the screen causes a voltage or signal change.
This voltage change is used to determine the location of the touch to the screen.
2.Controller
The controller is a small PC card that connects between the touch sensor and the
PC. It takes information from the touch sensor and translates it into information that
PC can understand. The controller is usually installed inside the monitor for integrated
monitors or it is housed in a plastic case for external touch add-ons/overlays. The
controller determines what type of interface/connection you will need on the PC.
Integrated touch monitors will have an extra cable connection on the back for the
touchscreen. Controllers are available that can connect to a Serial/COM port (PC) or
to a USB port (PC or Macintosh). Specialized controllers are also available that work
with DVD players and other devices.
3.SoftwareDriver
The driver is a software update for the PC system
that allows the touchscreen and computer to work
together. It tells the computer's operating system how to
interpret the touch event information that is sent from the
controller. Most touch screen drivers today are a mouse-
emulation type driver. This makes touching the screen the
same as clicking your mouse at the same location on the
screen. This allows the touchscreen to work with existing
software and allows new applications to be developed

I think in terms of the day's resolutions, not the year's. ~Henry Moore 9
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without the need for touch screen specific pogramming. Some equipment such as thin
client terminals, DVD players, and specialized computer systems either do not use
software drivers or they have their own built-in touch screen driver.
Touchscreens Add-ons and Integrated Touchscreen Monitors
Companies offer two main types of touchscreen products, touchscreen add-ons and
integrated touchscreen monitors. Touchscreen add-ons are touchscreen panels that
hang over an existing computer monitor. Integrated touchscreen monitors are
computer displays that have the touchscreen built-in. Both product types work in the
same way, basically as an input device like a mouse or trackpad.
Touchscreens as Input Device
All of the touch screens that we offer basically work like a mouse. Once the
software driver for the touchscreen is installed, the touchscreen emulates mouse
functions. Touching the screen is basically the same as clicking your mouse at the
same point at the screen. When you touch the touchscreen, the mouse cursor will
move to that point and make a mouse click. You can tap the screen twice to perform a
double-click, and you can also drag your finger across the touchscreen to perform
drag-and-drops. The touchscreens will normally emulate left mouse clicks. Through
software, you can also switch the touchscreen to perform right mouse clicks instead.

- Aditya Srinivas Varma,

II/IV B.Tech, ECE-A

Funtronics -Zone:
CLEVER ENGINEER
A mathematician and an engineer are sitting next to each other on a long flight.
The mathematician leans over to the engineer and asks if he would like to play a fun
game. The engineer just wants to take a nap, so he politely declines and rolls over to
the window to catch a few winks.
The mathematician persists and explains that the game is real easy and lots of
fun. He explains, "I ask you a question, and if you don't know the answer, you pay
me $5. Then you ask me a question, and if I don't know the answer, I'll pay you
$5."

He who angers you conquers you. ~Elizabeth Kenny 10

 XTRONICS Vol #01, Issue #03(NOV & DEC2009)
Again, the engineer politely declines and tries to get to sleep. The
mathematician, now somewhat agitated, says, "Okay, if you don't know the answer,
you pay me $5, and if I don't know the answer, I'll pay you $50!"
This catches the engineer's attention, and he sees no end to this torment unless
he plays, so he agrees to the game. The mathematician asks the first question.
"What's the distance from the earth to the moon?"
The engineer doesn't say a word, but reaches into his wallet, pulls out a five-
dollar bill and hands it to the mathematician now; it's the engineer's turn. He asks the
mathematician "What goes up a hill with three legs and comes down on four?"
The mathematician looks up at him with a puzzled look. He takes out his laptop
computer and searches all of his references. He taps into the air phone with his modem
and searches the net and the Library of Congress. Frustrated, he sends e-mail to his co-
workers all to no avail.
After about an hour, he wakes the engineer and hands him $50. The engineer
politely takes the $50 and turns away to try to get back to sleep.
The mathematician then hits the engineer, saying, "What goes up a hill with three
legs, and comes down on four?" The engineer calmly pulls out his wallet, hands
the mathematician five bucks, and goes back to sleep.

-G.V.D.V.Srikanth
III/IV B.Tech, ECE-A

Triplet Brothers

There are 3 triplet brothers. They look identical. The oldest is John, he always
tells the truth. The second is Jack, he always tells a lie. The third is Joe, he either tells
the truth or a lie.
Jimmie Dean went to visit them one day. He was wondering who was who. So he
asked each person a question.

Everyone is gifted - but some people never open their package 11

 XTRONICS Vol #01, Issue #03(NOV & DEC2009)
He asked the one who was sitting on the left: "Who is the guy sitting in the
middle?". The answer was "He is John."
He asked the one who was sitting in the middle: "What is your name?". The
answer was "I am Joe."
He asked the one who was sitting on the right: "What is the guy sitting in the
middle?". The answer was "He is Jack."

Jimmie Dean got really confused. Basically, he asked 3 same questions, but he
got 3 different answers. Would you find out who is who for Jimmie?

• What is the perimeter of the 5 circles?

The diameter of the big circle is 40 inches. What are the total circumferences of
all 5 circles? Assume the line segment passes through all the center of the circles.

-Bhanu satya sai

II/IV B.Tech, ECE-A

Jokes
™ Sardar: Will u marry, after I die.
Wife: No I will live with my sister.
Wife: Will u marry, after I die.
Sardar: No I will also live with your sister.

™ Man: what is million years to u?

God: only a second.
Man: what are billion of Dollar to u?
God: only a Coin.

Don't kill the dream - execute it 12

 XTRONICS Vol #01, Issue #03(NOV & DEC2009)
Man: ok give me a Coin.
God: wait a second….

- Ravikanth D
III/IV B.Tech, ECE-B

Can you solve it???

- Dushyanth
III/IVB.tech,ECE-B

RIDDLES 
1. Once upon a time there was a beautiful princess named Anna. Anna's father, the 
King,  wanted  to  be  sure  his  daughter  married  an  intelligent  man.  To  test  his 
daughter's suitors the King hid Anna's picture in one of three boxes. The suitor had to 
be able to select the box with Anna's picture on one try and within twenty seconds. 

Tears are the silent language of grief ~Voltaire 13

 XTRONICS Vol #01, Issue #03(NOV & DEC2009)
On the gold box was the message "Anna's picture is in this box". The silver box had 
the message "Anna's picture is not in this box." "Anna's picture is not in the gold box" 
was written on the bronze box. The King would tell each suitor "Only one of the three 
messages  is  correct."  Which  box  contained  Anna's  picture? 
sol:  The silver box contained Anna's picture. If her picture had been in the gold box, 
two statements would have been true. (The messages on both the gold box and the 
silver  box.)  If  her  picture  had  been  in  the  bronze  box,  two  statements  would  have 
been  true.  (The  messages  on  the  bronze  box  and  the  silver  box.) 
 
2.A clock chimes 5 times in 4 seconds. How many times will it chime in 10 seconds?  
sol:  11  times.  It  chimes  at  zero  and  then  once  every  second  for  10  seconds.  
 
3.Two convicts are locked in a cell. There is an unbarred window high up in the cell. 
No matter if they stand on the bed or one on top of the other they can't reach the 
window to escape. They then decide to tunnel out. However, they give up with the 
tunneling because it will take too long. Finally one of the convicts figures out how to 
escape from the cell. What is his plan?  
sol: they will use the mud of the tunnel to pile up and reach the window  
 
4. There are 20 people in an empty, square room. Each person has full sight of the 
entire room and everyone in it without turning his head or body, or moving in any 
way (other than the eyes). Where can you place an apple so that all but one person 
can see it? 
sol:  above the head of one person 
- Sujana Kshatri
III/IV B.Tech, ECE-A
TOUNGE TWISTER 
The sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep is sick

(this has been declared as world toughest tounge twister for year 2009)
               
- A.Lokesh
III/IV B.Tech, ECE-A

Fear is pain arising from the anticipation of evil. ~ Aristotle 14

 XTRONICS Vol #01, Issue #03(NOV & DEC2009)

Be an Achiever
All of us wish to be successful, and yet we don't know what the mantra is behind
true Success. What is it that makes certain people successful? What magic do they
have that turns everything into gold? Why can't you be as successful as them?
Success is a state of mind. It is how you approach life and what you do with it. More
than the proper utilization of resources, it is the utilization of your thoughts. With the
success principles mentioned below, you too can understand how to drive success into
your life.

Do not carry the Burden of Past Mistakes

All of us are apt to make mistakes in life. Our aim should be to learn from these
mistakes and then, to bury the past. Constant wailing and regretting will be of little
help. In fact, it could be quite detrimental for your present. The past should remain
there - in the past.
You can review your past experiences, you can introspect on what could've been done
better or differently, you can take all there is to be learned from the experience, and
then forget about it. This is among the more important success principles in life.

Be an Asset, Not a Liability

There are people who are assets, and there are people who are liabilities. Think
about it, and you'll see how true it is. Assets are something you value and liabilities are
burdensome to you. If you wish to be successful, you need to be an asset to the people
around you, you need to be productive, and you need to be of use to them.
Look at anybody around you who's successful, even the local store around the corner.
The reason why he's successful is because he has some goods or service to give to
people around him. The moment he has nothing to give, he will stop being an asset,
and stop being successful.

Remain a Student Forever

Here is one of the most important success principles. This is not to say that you
should perform miserably in school and college and never graduate. What this means
is that you should remain a learner and try to gain as much knowledge as possible.
Learning is the fuel that helps you grow. Without it you will stagnate, and where there
is stagnation, there can never be any success.

Life without liberty is like a body without spirit. ~Kahlil Gibran 15

 XTRONICS Vol #01, Issue #03(NOV & DEC2009)

ERRATA: 
In the October edition: 

• In the article ‘Tag lines of famous companies”, TOMARROW must be read

as TOMORROW, POSSOBLE must be read as POSSIBLE. 
• In Page no.11, in the article ‘The four engineers”, in the first line 
‘traveling’ must be read as ‘travelling’. 
• In CROSS WORD.
In col. 4, (3) should be replaced by (10).
ANS of col. 12, col. 19, row. 19 must be reversed.
The spaces remained must be filled with black.

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Mail your articles to xtronics.team@gmail.com 
For solutions (Funtronics – zone) visit: www.veda.co.nr 

All glory comes from daring to begin. ~ Eugene F. Ware 16