Electronics for You Magazine

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`

100 For You

NOVEMBER 2014

SOLDERING STATIONS, TOOLS

AND SOLDERING ACCESSORIES

[email protected] | 1800 3000 3888

Great selection from industry leading manufacturers. Shop online at element14.

http://in.element14.com/soldering-stations-accessories

SOLDERING STA

TIONS, TOOLS

AND SOLDERING ACCESSORIES

Great selection from industry leading manufacturers. Shop online at element14. http://in.element1 4.com/soldering-s tations-accessories

SOLDERING STA

TIONS, TOOLS

AND SOLDERING ACCESSORIES

http://in.element1 4.com/soldering-s tations-accessories

SOLDERING STATIONS, TOOLS

AND SOLDERING ACCESSORIES

http://in.element14.com/soldering-stations-accessories

SOLDERING STATIONS, TOOLS

AND SOLDERING ACCESSORIES

http://in.element14.com/soldering-stations-accessories Vol. 3 No. 7 ISSN 0013-516X

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48 Career

VLSI Industry Offers Mostly Verification Based Jobs

62 Telecom Technology

SDH: An All-Purpose Digital Transport System

66 Defence Electronics

Smart Shells: The Electronics Behind Big Guns (Part 3 of 3)

72 EFY Plus DVD

This Month’s DVD Contents

100 Innovation

Be Safe With B-Safe

102 Embedded Design

Power-Efficient MCUs Elevating IoT and Embedded Applications

56 Technology Focus

Wireless Communication: Evolving to Meet Ever-Changing Needs

34 Manufacture

How SMEs Leverage Outsourcing for Growth

14

_{Headphones: The right one for you}

eStyle Buyers’ Guide

24

_{Electronics Rocks 2014}

A Conference That Truly Rocked!

Event

28

_{Building a Strong Manufacturing}

Sector in India

Viewpoint

6 November 2014 | electroNics For You plus www.eFYmag.com

52 _{Technology Focus}

44 _{Buyers’ Guide}

EDA Tools For

Circuit Design

Wireless Communication:

Shattering Barriers

106 Test & Measurement

Automated and Portable Test Solutions for RF Devices

109 Industry Focus

Indian Security Market Shifting to IP Based Surveillance

Hands-On

dIy: Project

74-80

• LED Scrolling Display

• Automated Plants Watering System

dIy: Circuit

82-88

• Monitor for 6V/12V Batteries • Simple Low-Power Audio Amplifier • Power Amplifier for FM Transmitter • Laser Based Security Lock

90-92

dIy: Tips & Technique

• Remote Control of Webcam Through Internet

93-97

dIy: Software

• Signal Acquisition and Analysis Using MATLAB

• Plotting with MATLAB

121 Interview

“Some factors that make a wearable a success are its cost, current drain, size and range”— Marc Nadell, vice president, Ecosystems, MediaTek

122 Interview

“A segment where we see significant growth are solid-state drives”— Dr Siva Sivaram, senior vice president, Memory Technology, SanDisk Corporation

next issue

• smart Lighting • LeD Lighting • Programmable Power source

electronics for you Plus | november 2014 | vol. 3 no. 7

10 First Look 18 Technology News 98 Useful Websites 114 Industry News 117 New Products 119 Letters 120 Qs&As 123 Business Pages Ads

134 Electronics Mart Ads 138 Product

Categories Index 139 Advertisers’ Index

Regulars

Create an Electronics Product Using sPlan I Piklab: An IDE for PIC Microcontroller IV Lochmaster 4.0: Developers’ Tool for Strip VII Board Projects

EFy Plus dVd

Printed, published and owned by Ramesh Chopra. Printed at Nutech Photolithographers, B-38, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase-1, New Delhi, on the first day of each month and published from D-87/1, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase-1, New Delhi 110020. Copyright 2014. All rights reserved throughout the world. Reproduction of any material from this magazine in any manner without the written permission of the publisher is prohibited. Although every effort is made to ensure accuracy, no responsibility whatsoever is taken for any loss due to publishing errors. Articles that cannot be used are returned to the authors if accompanied by a self-addressed and sufficiently stamped envelope. But no responsibility is taken for any loss or delay in returning the material. EFY will not be responsible for any wrong claims made by an advertiser. Disputes, if any, will be settled in a New Delhi court only.

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The Latest Home And Office Products

First Look!

10 November 2014 | electroNics For You www.eFYmag.com

Motorola

Launches the

Stylish

Moto 360

A watch that tells time and

much more

M

oto 360 stays true to the time-less form of the classic wrist-watch. A round design maximises the display area while ensuring a comfortable fit, so you can get the information you want conveniently on your wrist. The watch responds to your voice with voice control, which makes it easy to get things done, even when your hands are full. Just say ‘Ok Google’ and you can send texts, set a reminder, check the weather and even ask for directions. Moto 360 is a classically-de-signed, modern timepiece powered by Android Wear. Comfortable, familiar and crafted with the finest materials, Moto 360 keeps you up-to-date without taking you away from the moment. Glance at your wrist to see updates or just speak to get the information you need. You can also keep track of your steps and know your heart rate using a built-in pedometer and heart rate monitor. For now, Moto 360 is exclusively available on Flipkart.

Android Tablet

from Lenovo

Tablet with voice-calling feature

L

enovo has released its A-series tablet called Lenovo A8-50. The new Lenovo A8-50 tablet brings in the voice-calling feature. It

sports a 20.3cm (8-inch) HD screen that supports a 10-point multitouch feature. It is powered by 1.3GHz MediaTek pro-cessor, backed by1GB RAM and 16GB in-ternal storage space, which can be fur-ther expanded up to 32GB via mi-croSD card. It features a 5MP rear camera a n d 2 M P

front camera. It packs 4200mAh Li-Po battery, which can deliver over 20 days of standby time and up to 11 hours of usage time. With respect to

connectiv-ity options, the tablet comes with 3G, Wi-Fi, micro-USB, GPS/A-GPS, GPRS/ EDGE, FM radio and Bluetooth 4.0 facili-ties. It is available in

four colour variants, including midnight blue, white, flamenco red and canary yel-low. It can be availed from the company’s online store and third party e-retailers.

Price: ` 17,999

The

Smart LG G3

Stylus Debuts

in India

The wait is finally over...

F

inally bringing the premium Stylus experience to Indian consumers, LG launched the

much-awaited LG G3 Stylus smartphone in India. The Stylus version of the G3 is a pen-enabled smartphone that inherits the core DNA of the ac-claimed LG G3. The LG G3 Stylus, with its large display, sty-lus pen and LG’s proprietary camera UX features, has a smartly priced pack-age to go with it. The proprietary Rub-berdium stylus pen that slides inside the G3

Stylus feels comfortable in any hand and complements the phone’s 14cm (5.5-inch) large IPS display.

Jotting and sketching are easier and more precise when paired with LG’s QuickMemo+ that lets users take notes or draw directly on images or maps. The stylus is com-patible with a number of third-party

handwrit-ing and drawhandwrit-ing apps. Optimised for

vari-ous 3G markets’ wire-less networks, the G3

Stylus is offered in dual SIM with NFC capability in three colours: black, white and gold.

Price: ` 21,500

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The Latest Home And Office Products

First Look!

GizMo

ByTes

Woodland launches

‘Woodland–Explore More’

Woodland, the global outdoor and adventure gear brand, has launched the country’s first ever digital magazine ‘Woodland—Explore More’ with an intent to facilitate and grow the unex-plored world of outdoor, adventure in the country. This magazine is developed on an interactive digital medium to reach outdoor adventurists and voyagers and give them an understanding of how to explore more. This magazine is avail-able on iOS AppStore (for iPhones) as well as Google Play (for Android mobile handsets); all a reader has to do is down-load it, and he or she will have access to the exciting world of adventure with a bouquet of path-breaking informational content.

Ola enables cash-free cab booking,

launches prepaid wallet

Ola, India’s most popular mobile app for cab booking, today announced the launch of their in-app wallet feature, enabling cash-free rides for customers and a seam-less payment experience. The wallet will allow customers to recharge their account through a credit/debit card or their online banking account right from the app. The available balance will be automatically de-ducted from the customer’s wallet against the final fare after ride completion and a receipt will be e-mailed, making it a fully cashless experience. The wallet will not only allow users to ride cashless, but also help them gift a ride or prepay for their loved ones.

Pustaka launches India’s first

language eBook portal

Pustaka Digital Media launched India’s first eBook selling and lending portal in vernacular languages—www.pustaka. co.in. Initially, www.pustaka.co.in will have 150-plus titles from eminent authors of Tamil, Kananda and Telugu languages. The company plans to launch a digitisation model for all Indian language books by the end of 2020, based on the response from both reader and author community.

Bluetooth Speakers,

Headphones

from Bose

Bose adds to its line of SoundLink mobile audio solutions

T

he SoundLink Colour Bluetooth speaker is a completely new SoundLink design but is still every inch a SoundLink! It weighs just 0.5 kg, and is 12.7cm (5-inch) wide, 5.3cm (2.08-inch) deep and 13.4cm (5.27-inch) high. It fits easily into a handbag, knapsack or the palm of your hand. Bose combined exclusive dual-opposing passive radiators with two high-efficiency transducers for

full-range sound, including deep, low-note performance.

The size and performance of this product makes it a small wonder, making listening undeniably port-able, powerful and fun. It connects wirelessly to a smartphone, tablet or other Bluetooth-enabled devices and uses voice prompts, available in several languages, to simplify set-up, and identify which source is con-nected. Even when you turn it off, it remembers the last eight devices paired with it when powered back on. It, then, automatically connects to the two most recently used—iPhone, iPad, Android or any other Bluetooth-enabled device. A 3.5mm stereo auxil-iary input is integrated on the back of the enclosure. It outlasts parties and playlists with rugged durability.

Using a lithium-ion battery, it can last for up to eight hours of unplugged play time and fully recharges with most USB power sources in as little as three hours. Its exhaustively tested housing is made of elastomer and plastic. It comes in black, white, blue, red and mint.

T

he new SoundLink on-ear Bluetooth headphones deliver a new level of performance. They feature crisp, power-ful sound, new features, and a design that’s lighter and more comfortable than conventional Bluetooth headphones. The SoundLink on-ear Bluetooth headphones deliver all the audio performance of a Bose wired headphone. Bose’s active equalisa-tion and TriPort technology combine for smoother, more balanced sound.

Mid-high frequencies are natural, and low-frequencies are detailed and full. Yet, there are no cords or cables, so you can take calls, or enjoy a video, movie or music freely. These headphones debut new func-tionality and are so intuitive, anyone can use them. They connect up to two devices at a time and let you switch between each, so you can watch a video from your tablet while staying connected to your smart-phone. Simple voice prompts identify call-ers, battery status and source connection. With commands on the earcup, you are in control: turn it on and off, answer and end a call, adjust volume, play/pause, or control tracks, without using your phone.

These headphones were precisely engineered for a busy life. They use rug-ged, impact-resistant materials, glass-filled nylon and non-corrosive stainless steel, yet weigh only 156gm. Designed to be worn comfortably for hours, they feature soft ear cushions and a headband pad made of fabric used in high-end automo-tive applications. They fold smoothly for compact storage in a matching case. The SoundLink Bluetooth headphones come in black or white. They charge easily with a USB cable (included with the headphones) for up to 15 hours of listening or up to two hours after a mere 15-minute charge.

Price: ` 11,138

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Buyers’ Guide

Shakespeare wrote, “If music be the food for love, play on.” Well, if you really want to enjoy

music, you ought to have the right pair of headphones

Headphones:

The right one for you

diksHa GupTa

The prices mentioned here are from various e-commerce portals and are subject to change.

W

hether it is about commut-ing from home to office or spending some private moments, a good set of headphones has become a part of our lives. With various options available in the market, it is con-fusing to choose the right headphone.

There are a host of headphones available from some of the finest brands. While a few of them are good to be used at home because of their size, most of them, which are more portable, add to the music experience while on the go. The four main types presently available in the market are:

1. Over-ear headphones. These large

headphones cover the ears, almost com-pletely. The cushioned pads on them make them comfortable enough to be worn for a longer period of time. These headphones offer good sound quality and are great for using at home.

2. On-ear headphones. These are

sleeker, smaller and lighter than over-ear headphones. Designed to sit on the ear, these are padded with foam or leather-ette. Many on-ear headphones come in a foldable design, making them easy to carry around. However, some have an open-back design and the base levels of these cannot match the levels set by

the closed-back ones, including over-ear headphones. So, you might have to com-promise with the sound quality.

3. In-ear headphones. Also known

as earphones, these can be inserted into the ear canal. The ear canal is almost sealed with the earphone’s rubber head, isolating the noise around. These are best suited for places where noise blockage is required.

4. Earbuds. An earbud sits at the

entry of the ear canal, but does not actu-ally go inside. It has a flat or a slightly curvy surface. Because these do not offer an air-tight seal, noise blockage doesn’t happen when you use them. The audio experience of earbuds is disappointing.

Factors one should look for before buying a headphone:

Value for money. Headphones are

available in all price ranges. Expensive headphones are made up of better engineering and high-quality material and provide improved sound quality. Before making a purchase, check for the basic sound quality and durability levels of the headphones.

Sound isolation factor. Whether

you buy headphones for enhancing your music experience or enjoying gam-ing, sound isolation factor is of utmost importance. It means how well a pair of headphones blocks outside noise.

In-ear headphones, In-earbuds and DJ-style headphones serve you well in this area, as they seal the ear almost completely.

Noise cancellation feature. Noise

cancellation feature reduces unwanted ambient sound but it comes at a cost. This feature makes it possible to enjoy music without raising the volume ex-cessively. In the aviation environment, noise-cancelling headphones increase the signal-to-noise ratio significantly more than passive noise attenuating headphones or no headphones, making hearing important information such as safety announcements easier. These headphones can improve listening, enough to completely offset the effect of a distracting concurrent activity.

However, most experts suggest that this feature is not worth the invest-ment. And if you really need to, you might consider earbuds with sponges that can fill the ear canal. Also, over-ear hover-earing protectors can be worn over earbuds to cancel ambient noise.

Frequency range. The frequency

range of headphones determines how much you can hear of your music. It is good to choose headphones with a wider frequency range. Frequency ranges be-tween 10 Hz to 25,000 Hz are considered to be good as it covers the entire audible frequency range for human beings.

HeadpHones available in india

sony MdR-10RbT

bluetooth Headphones sony Headphone MdR-ZX310 panasonic Rp-TCM190 in-ear earphone Headphone With Micskullcandy inkd 2.0 philips Headphone sHs390-98 back earphoneiball iRocker

price ` 14,990 ` 1290 ` 1299 ` 1499 ` 499 ` 599

Usp Its liquid crystal polymer film diaphragm adds to the quality of the sound.

Cheap, lightweight,

decent looks. Its bass is appreciated. It has a cord slider for tangle-free storage.

Its supreme sound delivers attacking bass, natural vo-cals and precision highs. It has a flattened cable for style and durability.

It is a decent com-bination of comfort, style and sound quality, at its price.

This is a stylish and flexible back earphone with powerful bass and super sound quality.

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Buyers’ Guide

15

www.eFYmag.com electroNics For You | November 2014

Frequencies beyond this range, whether high or low, are felt rather than heard.

Impedance. Simply, match the

im-pedance of the headphones you are planning to buy with the audio equip-ment you wish to use. This impedance is measured in ohms. Headphones with low and high impedance should never be confused with each other. Low impedance headphones may vary from 75 to 150 ohms and can be plugged in the playback or recording equipments directly. Whereas, headsets with high impedance, which is typically around 600 ohms, are more apt for studio instal-lations. The high impedance models are rugged and are made up of high-resistance coils that have less fear of being burnt-out as compared to the low impedance ones. They require high-driv-ing signals to achieve the same levels of output as that of headphones with low impedance. Headphones with higher im-pedance do not guarantee great output all the time—for a device like a portable music player, a headset with maximum impedance of 64 ohms is enough.

Wireless feature. Wireless headsets

allow users to enjoy music without be-ing connected to the audio source with wire. These can be used in places like gyms, where trailing cables can get in the way. These come with either of the following three technologies—radio, Bluetooth or infra-red.

Headsets with infra-red technology allow users to move in a range of about seven metres and require a clear line of sight between the audio source and the headset. You cannot move around freely even in your house with these headsets on. These are best used for activities inside a room.

Bluetooth technology uses short-range digital radio signals for transmit-ting sound from the audio source to the headset. Bluetooth headsets offer almost a similar range of coverage as that of in-fra-red ones but do not require a straight line of sight. You can move around freely from one room to the other.

Some headsets also use radio tech-nology. These headsets use an FM radio signal and offer two or more frequencies

that help in avoiding any kind of inter-ference from other devices.

Since wireless headsets are expen-sive, make an informed choice before buying them.

Headphones with mic. The

head-phones are available with or without a mic. If you use headphones mostly with smartphones or calling tablets, headphone with mic are a good option for you.

Test them before you buy them. All

headphones need to pass an ear test! Before buying headphones, try them on to check for sound quality and comfort. Do not forget to check the build quality to ensure they will last long and are truly worth the price.

Some unique headsets

Let us take a look at some quirky head-sets ever made.

Zipper headphones. Designed by Ji

Woong, these earphones address the

issue of tangled wires. You need to simply unzip them to use them and zip them back for storage once you are done.

Ripple headsets. Also known as

‘more humane audio headset,’ this one can be simply clipped onto the earlobe instead of being suspended over the ear. It adds to the style, along with add-ing to the experience. It also has the talk function—just flip down the talk func-tion and start talking.

DEOS diamond earphones. DEOS

(defining expression of sound) diamond earphones are encrusted with coloured diamonds, and may cost anywhere be-tween $4500 and $60,000 for a pair!

Solar-powered headsets. Solar power

can be a reliable source of energy for headsets. One hour of sunlight is good enough to power the headsets for over two-and-a-half hours of running time. 

The author is a senior assistant editor at EFY

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Most happening, fact-filled current affairs froM around the world

technology nEWS

Astronauts at Made in Space

3D printers for astronauts

Astronauts need 3D printers, despite their not-so-luxurious lifestyles. You must be wondering about the need of a 3D printer in an astronaut’s life. Well, there is a relevant answer too. Stuff breaks in space and replacement of the same is not an easy task while someone is in the space. So, to help those folks, Made in Space has designed a 3D printer that sidesteps Earth’s gravity, when it is used in the orbit. The 3D printer, known as the Zero-G printer, is not made of molten filament but its surface tension holds a widget. There are plans to make a gizmo that would allow astronauts to melt tools. Made in Space has focused on cost-effective measures.

The team is also planning 3D-printing robots, which will be sent to Mars or the Moon. Several tests have been performed on parabolic plane flights by Made in Space that says 15 to 20 minutes are required for complete parts to be printed. The printer has been designed to be operated from the ground, most of the time.

Underwater robot to ensure

ships’ security

Sampriti Bhattacharyya, Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate stu-dent in mechanical engineering, along with Professor Harry Asada, has devel-oped an underwater robot, which looks like a football. It is aimed to inspect ships’ bottom for illegal goods through an ultrasound scan.

The robot was initially targeted to in-spect cracks in nuclear reactors and wa-ter tanks and now it has been modified to inspect ships for smuggling activities. The working prototype of the robot was presented at the International Confer-ence on Intelligent Robots and Systems and a group of such robots is able to stay hidden in water to conduct the inspec-tion of ships, which arrive at ports.

The robot is oval-shaped and a little smaller than a football with a flattened panel on one side. Because of the robot’s unusual design, the team used 3D printers for the structural components of the robot. Its flattened panel is waterproof so that the electri-cal components are protected. The other half is a spongy one, which has the propulsion system of the robot. It comprises six pumps that expel water through rubber tubes.

In the prototype, re-chargeable lithium batter-ies have been used which last about 40 minutes. The next prototype, according to Bhattacharya, will fea-ture wireless rechargeable batteries and some modi-fications will take place in the propulsion system too.

The research was funded by National Science Foundation.

Google working on a

shape-shifting TV

Google has been reportedly working on a new modular concept of a TV screen that will allow the user to rear-range the screen into different shapes and sizes, as per The Wall Street Journal. Now our TV screen options would not remain confined to the flat or the curved screens, we now might have something more refined to opt for.

The report has further elaborated that Google is working to develop a display comprising smaller screens, which will thereafter merge together like Legos to develop a single screen. The small pieces would facilitate the user to change the size and shape of the screen as per the requirement. The display sizes are purportedly consid-ered as ‘giant’ enough to cover the wall of a living room.

The project is right now only at the planning stage, wherein Google is still trying to figure out how it would al-low the picture to appear flawless after the modular parts will come together. They are trying hard to remove the borders amidst each module to have Underwater robot

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technology nEWS

20 November 2014 | electroNics For You www.eFYmag.com a continuous image. Not only this, the company is also working on its modular smartphones, popularly known as ‘Project Ara,’ which would allow you to take apart and put back together the smartphone blocks.

A gaming mouse that puts every major action

in the palm of your hand

Roccat Studios once again leads the way in gaming pe-ripheral design and execution with the release of the high-ly touted and much anticipated Tyon All Action Gaming Mouse, arriving in the United States, Europe and Aus-tralia. The Tyon is a wholly unique gaming mouse that puts every major action in the palm of the player’s hand.

The Tyon’s X-Celerator, a two-way analogue stick, han-dles throttling, sprinting, rotating tank turrets and more with tried and tested ease of use. With 16 assignable buttons,

31 distinct possible functions and a near limitless level of customisation, thanks to Roccat’s dedicated Easy-Shift[+] Button, the Tyon is a game-changer. Land, sea, air, space— mastery of each layer in the FPS gaming sphere is imperative for competitive gamers.

Its designers and developers have worked in close col-laboration with gaming experts, logging hundreds of hours of testing and fine-tuning to ensure Tyon’s abilities elevate play, meeting these challenges head-on. The Tyon’s Dorsal Fin Switch, a two-click button set behind the mouse wheel, allows for a comfortable mid-finger action, eliminates the need for major hand adjustments, 576kB of onboard memory ensures vast storage of settings and macros, an 8200 DPI Pro-Aim laser sensor provides precision, quickness and accuracy, vivid RGBY two-part illumination for both the lower rim and wheel of the mouse gives the Tyon incredible range of personal style, and with a sleek black or white colour choice for the mouse itself, the Tyon truly is a marvel of form and function.

First wearable camera drone that captures

your ‘you’ moment

Stanford post-doctoral researcher, Christoph Kohstall, has developed Nixie in order to capture a moment instantly just for yourself, without even thinking how to capture it. The electronics market, all over the world, is over-flooded with wearables these days. Now it is time for a wearable drone—Nixie.

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technology nEWS

21

www.eFYmag.com electroNics For You | November 2014

Nixie is the first wearable camera drone in the world that can take off and capture a perfect picture or video. While you are travelling on the most beautiful road in this world with some breathtaking scenery around you, your drone is clicking and shooting for you. Nixie can be folded and at-tached to a wristlet to carry it easily wherever you go.

The project manager of Nixie, Jelena Jovanovic, said that this camera is aimed to capture any ‘you’ moment without any photographer and videographer around you. It is able to understand your position, adjust itself in a way to capture an image and return automatically to you (its owner) after its job is done.

A 3D-printed outfit to monitor fitness levels

When fashion and technology gets blended, they both lead to some innovative wearables in this world, and Anouk Wip-precht’s new creation echoes just the same. Wipprecht has integrated Intel’s Edison chip to one of her creations and de-signed a wearable technology—a 3D printed outfit. The lady has combined the chip with sensors of different varieties to create the 3D printed Synapse dress and the material used in it is quite flexible—thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU).

The project is in collaboration with designers, Niccolo Casas and Materialise, and it has embedded LEDs through-out the body of the through-outfit. The through-outfit uses

electroencepha-lography (EEG) and electrocardiography (EKG) to monitor brain activities and heart rate. There is also a camera embed-ded in the wearable to take a picture, whenever the wearer feels tensed or relaxed. Synapse has a proximity sensor too to measure other people’s proximity.

Unlock using your lips

Fingerprint scanner in mobile phones gained immense pop-ularity ever since Apple implemented it in iPhone 5S. Some smartphone manufacturers are coming up with products with fingerprint scanners inbuilt in them. The invention of the fingerprint scanner for authentication has created a big impact in security technology. Recently, software has been created that uses lip movements for authentication. Ahmad 3D-printed Synapse dress

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technology nEWS

Check efytimes.com for more news, daily

Hassanat from Mu’tah University in Jordan is the creator of this technology.

The software reads the movements of lips to authenticate access to the user. The efficiency of the system is as high as 80 per cent. The user has to speak out the words to get verified. The system contains two stages. The user can set a visual password and verify himself or herself. The system is equipped with a VSR system that recognises words and extracts the sequence of feature vectors. When the user tries to log-in, these features are digitally compared with the visual password, after which the system grants access to him or her.

Hassanat tested the system with video database from over 20 people. The error rate in the workability of the system is just 7.63 to 20.51 per cent. Hassanat claims that this technology has the po-tential to become the most secure security system as even actors cannot mimic the lip movements of other people.

Nano-structure technology

that replicates human brain

A unique nano-structure is being cre-ated using a thin film of oxide mate-rial by a team of researchers led by Dr Sriram from RMIT University. The material that they are using to develop this nano-structure is 10,000 times thin-ner than human hair. Researchers are further working on the development of hard drive technology using this nano-structure. This could be the new leap in the field of memory storage devices. New devices made using this nano-structure can be faster as well as reliable. The thin film is capable of cre-ating a memristive effect. The device can log the history of events using the memristive effect. This effect can be used to train the computer to behave like human brain. It is very similar to synaptic interfaces in the human brain. Researchers are testing the struc-ture with various electronic devices. The current structure has a data-storage size of 60 nanometres. They are also experimenting with implementa-tion response time of the human neural network.

Innovative bionic ear that

can switch on or off

AT&S, a leader in advanced packaging solutions, Soundchip SA, a Swiss-based innovator in wearable sound technol-ogy and STMicroelectronics, a global semiconductor leader serving custom-ers across the spectrum of electronics applications, have collaborated for craft-ing a bionic hearcraft-ing module that, when installed into a personal audio device, delivers an amazing wearable sound experience controlled at the ear by the wearer and software intelligence.

Personal audio devices, like an MP3 player or smartphone, equipped with the bionic hearing module, provide wearers with the ability to electronically ‘open’ and ‘close’ their ears to ambient sound conditions, or even to augment ambient sound with programmed audio from a connected smart device. This capability can fully protect wearers from noise in situations where the ambient sound is too loud, or to open the ear for natural conversation with others, without hav-ing to remove the audio device, suffer from the discomfort of occlusion, or worse, the pain of loud noise.

The bionic hearing module integrates a broad spectrum of advanced electron-ics to further enhance the on-the-go au-dio experience, including head-tracking and other sensing, to enable exciting new features, including augmented-audio guidance and biometric monitoring.

The multi-mode audio capabili-ties of the bionic hearing module are enabled through the use of HD-PA technology developed by Soundchip. Their implementation in a compact form factor is made possible through the use of patented Soundstrate tech-nology, which enables the efficient combination of electronic, acoustic and transmission means within a single, compact mechanical structure.

The semiconductor components in the bionic hearing module comprise the latest motion and audio MEMS (micro electro mechanical system) components from STMicroelectronics, an HD-PA-compliant audio engine for zero-latency

sound processing, and an ultra-low-power STM32 MCU from ST’s industry-leading portfolio of more than 500 32bit ARM Cortex-M-core microcontrollers.

The bionic hearing module’s pack-aging employs the latest in embedded component packaging and 2.5D PCB tech-nology from AT&S, which is capable of integrating acoustic, electro-acoustic, pas-sive and active electronic components with unmatched efficiency, providing module dimensions ideally suited to the comfort and size constraints of in-ear operation, and is compatible with most existing in-ear-type personal audio devices.

Wearable skin to monitor the

heart and skin

A new device has been developed by scientists that is just like our skin. When put on, it works as a fitness-monitoring device, by keeping a check on our heart and skin. Researchers from Northwestern University and University of Illinois de-scribed the tool as a medical device which is enabled to raise an alert whenever any cardiovascular trouble occurs or skin gets dry and requires moisturising.

This wearable, wireless skin-like device can function 24 hours a day. The device is 5cm, which has around 3600 liquid crystals on a thin, soft and flexible substrate that can be placed directly on the skin. According to Yonggang Huang, who led the theory, design and model-ling aspect of the research, the device is ‘mechanically invisible.’ He also called it first-of-its-kind.

Transient temperature change hap-pens at the skin’s surface, which is used by the technology in the device. This tem-perature change determines blood-flow rate which is connected to cardiovascular health and skin hydration levels. Huang also said that whenever temperature is felt by a crystal, its colour changes. Its dense array provides a snapshot of the distribution of temperature across that particular area of the device. The tem-perature data is changed into an accurate health report by an algorithm within 30 seconds. A wireless heating system is also a part of the device which gets powered by electromagnetic waves in the air and it determines thermal properties of the skin.

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EvEnt

ElEctronics rocks 2014

A confErEncE thAt truly rockEd!

For those of you who missed this year’s show, we bring to you a post-show report

on all that happened at Electronics Rocks 2014–the design engineers’ conference

and expo that witnessed 4000+ registrations

W

ith 70 talks, 12 workshops and a whop-ping turnout, this electronics extrava-ganza was a grand success, thanks to all the speakers, sponsors, community partners, delegates and every single attendee. Here are select pictures from the third edition of eRocks, highlighting various keynote addresses, star speakers, workshops, expo exhibitors, in-novation demos and a lot more.

The audience

Comprising a footfall of 2500+ people (rest 1500 could not attend) passionate about electronics engineering, the audi-ence that attended the talks and workshops at eRocks con-ference was a mix of design engineers, industry experts, academicians, engineering students and entrepreneurs.

Sessions

The sessions were spread across various verticals like the Internet of Things (IoT), rapid prototyping, aerospace and defence, automotive and medical, open design and Great Indian Jugaad (where speakers demonstrated their latest products and talked about how they were able to successfully get their products to the market). Some key sessions were:

1. A Look at Current Opportunities for ESDM Industry to Leverage by M. N. Vidyashankar, president, IESA 2. The Future of the Connected Car: Wireless of Wheels

by Dr Jim Lansford, fellow in Global Standards Group, CSR

3. 3D Printing will Change How the World Leans by Vishal Jariwala, chairman, J Group Robotics

4. Air Surveillance Systems: Challenges Ahead by SLV Santhosh David, deputy manager, HAL

5. Open Source for Automation and Robotics in Indus-trial Sector by Rajarajan Elango, CTO, Bluetronics 6. The Electrical Switch for Next-generation Smart

Homes by Syam Mandanapalli, iRam Technologies 7. Vedic Mathematics in Microcontrollers by P. Chow

Reddy, managing director, Interleaved Technologies

Great Indian Jugaad

At every edition of Electronics Rocks, entrepreneurs and start-ups are given a chance to showcase their products, and this year, too, the conference saw some fascinating products. There were about 11 start-ups that were given booths free of charge to display their latest innovations. Some of the products displayed included:

1. An imaging drone that can be used for unmanned surveillance

2. An indigenous alternative to Google Glass

3. Remote labs—a laboratory controlled over the Internet 4. An electric bike completely designed and built in India 5. Gesture-controlled bionic arm

6. IoT switch—an electrical switch for next-generation smart homes

7. Indian 3D scanners and printers heralding a new revolution

ABHISHEK A. MUTHA

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www.eFYmag.com

EvEnt

electroNics For You | November 2014 25

1.

It was just 9:00 AM and the crowd had already started to pour in

2.

Ramesh Chopra, founder and editor, EFY, inaugurating the event

3.

M. N. Vidyashankar, president, IESA, sharing his thoughts on ’Current Opportunities for the ESDM Industry to Leverage’

4.

Ganesh Guruswamy, VP, India Design Centre, Sandisk India, talking about the Internet of Things and the road ahead for India

5.

Dr Jim Lansford, fellow in Global Standards Group, CSR, keeping the audience glued to their seats with his talk on ’The Future of the Connected Car: Wireless on Wheels’

6.

Hosea Lukas Busse, application engineer, Boundary Scan, GOEPEL Electronic GmbH, sharing his insights on ’Embedded System Access (ESA): An Introduction to a New Test Technology’

7.

Ravi Ramaswamy, senior director and head, Healthcare, Philips Innovation Campus, talking about how informatics and mobility support telehealth

8.

Sirish Bachu, head, Infotronics Technology and Advance Electronics, Mahindra, highlighting the potential and challenges of connected vehicles

9.

Prasad Pillai, co-founder, Raksha SafeDrive, giving his talk on ’Connected Car and Internet of Things for Road Safety and Emergency Management’

10.

Vishal Jariwala, chairman, J Group Robotics, enlightening the audience on ’3D Printing will Change How the World Leans’

11.

Rajesh Motta, DGM, Bharat Electronics Ltd, opening the ’Aerospace and Defence’ track with his talk on ’How to Select the Right HVPS for Radar Transmitters’

12.

Akshay Agarwal, general manager, Operations, Mediatek, Bengaluru, talks on ’Getting Started with IoT: Developing an Ecosystem in India’

13.

Geet Modi, manager, Applications Engineering, Internet of Things, Texas Instruments, presents his talk on ’Realising IoT with Texas Instruments SimpleLink Wi-Fi CC3200’

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EvEnt

November 2014 | electroNics For You 26

14.

Jean-Philippe Cunniet, founder, Waykup, engaging the crowd with his talk on ’Key to Success: Getting your IoT Products into the European Market’

15.

Kavitha Santhana Lakshmi, program director, TIP Mobile M2M Engineering, SAP Labs India, talks about IoT enablement with the support of an industry case study

16.

SLV Santhosh David, deputy manager, HAL, talks about the challenges ahead in air surveillance systems

17.

Hampanna K, field application engineer, Atmel, in action with his workshop on ’Getting Started with Atmel Pico Power Technology’

18.

Sahil Khan, consultant, Upheave Systems, helping enthusiasts ’Getting Started with PCB Design Using Design Spark’

19.

Ashwin Mechri from COMSOL explaining ’Multiphysics for Design of Electronic Devices’ at the workshop area

20.

A houseful crowd keenly listening to the keynote session

21.

Exhibitors showcasing their latest innovations and drawing the visitors to get a closer look

22.

Attendees checking out the ’Shadow Bionic Arm,’ which can be used for space exploration, remote surgery, bomb disposal and as a prosthetic arm

23.

A spokesperson from EDALL Systems explains their drone to a visitor

24.

Exhibitors showcasing their flexible, open design creator Bot 3D printer, which weighs about 4.5kg

25.

Team JustRobotics attracting visitors with the latest innovation – Electric Bike

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EFY thanks the partners who hade shared our enthusiasm in reaching out to the delegates and visitors

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The author is a senior technical correspondent at EFY

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viewpoint

prabhu S. Deodhar, chairman of ApLAB group of companies, is president of india China

economic & Cultural Council in new Delhi since 2003. in 2008, he published a report titled

‘Rapid Growth of SMe Sector in China’ after 18 months of study in seven cities of China.

He also published a report on China’s industry-friendly taxation policy

Building a Strong Manufacturing

Sector

in India

P.S. DEODHAR and problematic. Slowly, work culture in India has degraded.

Engineering education turns out sales executives without any hands-on engineering knowledge or skills, or even an aptitude to be hands-on. IT is limited to services with no IT product to our credit.

In 2013, the UPA

govern-ment pro-posed a new industrial policy for the electronics sector. Alas, again we are going to the old regime of protecting and fostering our immature industries. The government is taking the role of a boss with a promise of subsidising industries using govern-ment funds. One knows that such poli-cies can become a breeding ground for corruption and misuse. It needs to be abandoned.

Success from 1983 to 1990

Late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was my friend since 1976, till we lost him in 1991. During his non-political years as a pilot, I convinced him that

electron-G

overnment policies have great

influence on developmental trajectories of specific indus-trial sectors of a country. Infant Indus-try Theory has dominated as the basis of our industrial policies so far. But the approach to protect and foster our immature industries has not worked. After-effects of protecting our trader-owned industries is reflected in shoddy product-quality and total lack of customer care almost till the end of eighties.

In 1991, the central govern-ment took a U-turn and removed this protection under internation-al pressure. But it has not given up its bureaucratic control over the industry till now through inspector

raj and complex multi-level taxation

and its corruption-ridden recovery. Manufacturing efforts in India have slowly become a scary nightmare and many entrepreneurs have just given up.

Today, industrial estates barely function and are unable to compete with low-cost and low-quality imports. Big trader-owned ‘industries’ have given up manufacturing and are sell-ing imported products under their own labels, claiming that as Indian manufacturing output! Only exceptions are pharmaceuticals (thanks to growing ill-health due to malnutrition at one end and greedy over-eating at the other) and the automobile industry.

Technical entrepreneurs are strug-gling and talents get no support from the corrupt bureaucratic apparatus of the government. Nothing is done on time and whatever gets done is shoddy

ics and communication technologies could be used as nation-building tools by India by integrating the nation through easy information movement. Later, when he joined politics, I con-vinced Mrs India Gandhi in 1982 to de-licence at least the consumer

elec-tronics sector and put thrust on software.

New policy came into be-ing in August 1983. As a re-sult domestic manufacturing grew from mere 12 billion

(1200 crore) rupees in 1983-84 to 94 billion rupees in

1989-90, when I left; that is, 40 per cent annual growth in

manufactur-ing. Later I introduced Material, Technology Brand Name (MTB) plan for SMEs to

mar-ket high-quality B&W and CTVs at extremely competitive prices. In 1988-89, I did the same for India-made personal comput-ers (PCs) by supporting our private medium-scale industry with technol-ogy and selling these at ` 10,000, when Wipro and HCL were selling PCs at double the price. Soon both dropped their prices to similar levels.

After I left, bureaucrats man-aged to kill those initiatives one after the other. But Rajiv’s loss ended my ‘Capital punishment’ and I returned to Mumbai for good.

How to rebuild

manufacturing sector

We have a model right across the Himalayas that we should learn from but not ape. In a short span of 25 to 30

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viewpoint

30 November 2014 | electroNics For You www.eFYmag.com years, by doing the right things at the

right time, China has moved from noth-ing to become a ‘factory for the world.’ I told Rajiv in 1988, that nine out of ten of China’s politburo members were all hands-on engineers, unlike his street-smart cabinet colleagues. Clever Chinese also managed to have all the modern technology from the world without pay-ing a penny for it.

I paid regular visits to China in 2008 and 2009 to study the development of their SME sector as well as taxation policy. Several copies of this report are lying in related ministries of the former government. Except for a smile and a cup of tea for me, nothing was done to study it. Strangely, I think now is the right time for India for three reasons:

1. China is growing too big, causing discomfort to the western nations. They do not want to keep feeding the dragon and are looking for other places in Asia.

2. China’s costs are rising alarmingly; skilled workers are today being paid as much as those in the US or South America.

3. Multi-national world is today looking for a country with a large do-mestic market having low-cost labour in abundance, like India, to produce intelligent products outside China due to IP issues.

We can benefit from the prevailing sentiment. My thoughts are:

1. India should gear up to attract foreign companies by eliminating bu-reaucratic control over Indian industry and labour-laws relaxation as China did. 2. The foreign companies will train our manpower at all levels for appropri-ate work culture and work practices. Our engineers will get to learn material technology and hands-on hardware en-gineering geared to produce products for the world market and get a grip over engineering processes and practices. (China’s private industrial entrepreneurs largely come out of multinational manu-facturing plants in that country.) India should create economic and industrial environment and focus on developing infrastructure conducive to enhance industrial efficiency and attracting do-mestic and foreign direct investments.

3. China has cleverly used its taxa-tion policy to strengthen its SME sector. Subsidy is given very meaningfully to help SMEs to compete. This includes low-cost rental premises for SMEs (as low as ` 20/sq m in Guangdong), re-duced power rates for two-three years (in many provinces, free power for two years) and clever way to recover VAT on industrial inputs (66 per cent VAT offset on assumption that material input is 66 per cent) to offer low-cost products.

4. There is a lot to learn about public sector industrial organisation and re-forms like dilution of ownership to ben-efit inside stakeholders in its successes. Some rewarding taxation policy suggestions are stated below.

MTB plan for SMEs

(cluster approach)

We are a huge nation, each state being as big as a nation elsewhere. SMEs nor-mally serve markets in their own states or regions. All of them struggle to give high quality at low price. We can help them very innovatively through the MTB Plan.

Problem of SMEs is three-fold: tech-nology (access to good-quality, reliable and durable product design), material (inability to buy in bulk and therefore high material cost) and brand name (inability to benefit from a renowned brand name). I used ET&T Corporation owned by the government’s Depart-ment of Electronics to act as a cluster enterprise of 140 SMEs making colour and B&W TVs and gave them three-prong support:

1. Technology. We developed a

35.6cm (14-inch) B&W TV and a 50.8cm (20-inch) colour TV, shared that design with all these SMEs and trained their engineers to produce them in their own factories.

2. Material. ET&T bought all the

materials that were needed for the TVs in bulk for 100,000 sets at a time. This reduced the material cost by over 40 per cent while ensuring high-quality sourcing.

3. Brand name. Had a central

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viewpoint

32 November 2014 | electroNics For You www.eFYmag.com companies to use the brand name of

ET&T, charging 7 per cent of kit cost for brand promotion.

Member companies produced the TVs and sold them in their areas. ET&T brand of B&W sets shared 40 per cent of the national market. Colour TVs had 20 per cent share.

We can replicate this model by creat-ing clusters of independent SMEs manu-facturing and selling the same product line in various states and regions in the country. Any consumer product is suit-able for such a cluster approach. This is quite different from franchise model.

Control misuse of

low-cost loans/funds

Whenever such efforts are made, all rep-resentative bodies of industries seek low interest rates and subsidies on capital equipment. Often these measures are misused and become open-ended cash assistance by the government without meeting the desired objective. Simple easily-auditable measures could prevent misuse of such loans and advances.

Enterprises that receive such loans and advances be banned to give loans to any other individual or company, or invest in stock markets, or use it any-where else than as working capital for the core activity. They should not use the funds to give advances to anyone except short-term advances to suppli-ers for not exceeding three months. The companies must get their accounts audited from independent chartered accountants with special attention to such loan and subsidy utilisation.

Income tax concession

for employment

Consider two profitable small or me-dium enterprises with annual sales of, say, 500 million (50 crore) rupees each, one (Unit A) manufacturing products from raw materials and the other (Unit B) marketing branded goods. Unit A will need, say, 150-200 employees for the business while Unit B doing trad-ing business will probably manage with 10 to 50 employees.

Both A and B today pay the same

income tax on their earnings. Which company out of the two the government wants to encourage? Obviously: Unit A. So why not give, say, 50% tax exemp-tion to Unit A since that creates more employment? Beneficial aspects are:

1. This way we encourage only prof-itable enterprises and not the inefficient loss-making ones.

2. A simple audit of the number of full-time employees working for the company for a continuous period of, say, nine months needs to be considered while scoring level of employment per ` 10 million sale.

There are more ways to support the industry where beneficiary industry or related bureaucrats can’t loot the na-tion. 

The author was chairman of the Electronics Com-mission, government of India and advisor (elec-tronics) to PM Rajiv Gandhi from 1983 to 1990. In 1992, P.M. Narasimha Rao appointed him as chairman of the committee that set guidelines for the electronic media privatisation. In 2003, Mrs Su-shma Swaraj appointed him as chairman of Media Research Committee of the I&B Ministry. The views expressed here are his personal

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Manufacture

the success of china's export industry is attributed to its small and medium electronics

manufacturing companies for integrating outsourcing into their business model. this

enabled them to create a cost-effective product by leveraging the capabilities of partners

through outsourcing

How SMEs Leverage

Outsourcing

for Growth

S.A. SrinivASA MOOrtHy

O

utsourcing allowed the Chinese companies to compete globally by optimising their capital in-vestment and developing cost-effective products, propelling them into a leader-ship position. In India, outsourcing is seen as an expensive approach, espe-cially in the electronics industry. Most companies outsource only capital-inten-sive or low-end jobs. Industries where capital investment and manual content are high, outsourcing is a way of life. However, most electronics companies in India try to do everything in-house. While this may be cost-effective for large OEMs, it may not be the case for small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

Globalisation makes it important for SMEs to adapt to the changing world. Primary reasons for hesitation in em-bracing outsourcing are:

1. Lack of understanding of the product life cycle (PLC)

2. Wrong notion that outsourcing is expensive

3. Inability to track the velocity of the technological change and adapt to it

Understanding the product

life cycle

Due to changes in technology in the electronics industry, products undergo rapid changes.

a product is no longer a standalone entity—selling it is like selling a service, and customers expect product support as part of the package for as long as they use the product. For example, an SME can provide a voltage stabiliser along with the refrigerator or integrate

its functions inside the refrigerator itself. Today, with an increase in focus on a safe environment, assisting cus-tomers in the safe-disposal or recycling of a product has increased the need for understanding the complete PLC. This helps original equipment manufactur-ers (OEMs) in three ways:

1. Creating a long-lasting product 2. Satisfied and loyal customers 3. Sustained and predictable profits a PLC includes interconnected phases of a product from its creation to disposal (Fig. 1).

This model can be applied to any product and is divided into two phases. First phase consists of four sub-phases, starting from conception to manufacturing. Once a product reaches the market, the second phase kicks in and this consists of two sub-phases—support and sustain. When a product is under production and needs support to continue manufacturing, it falls under the support phase. The sustain phase is when active produc-tion is either stopped or reduced in volume, but the end users may still be using the products and might need support. This is where capital equip-ment are involved. Typically, capital

equipment have a long life and need support till the time they are withdrawn from service. Table I provides the differ-ent activities of each phase and a brief description of each activity.

It is clear from the table that each phase of a PLC includes multiple activi-ties. When an OEM starts outsourcing, each step becomes mandatory. Since a PLC incorporates these activities distinc-tively, migrating to outsourcing becomes smoother, as and when required. a PLC helps OEMs’ current businesses as well.

Paradigm shift in

electronics industry

In the last decade, the biggest change in the electronics industry has been in the way products are developed, manufactured, distributed and sup-ported. Conventionally, OEMs per-formed every step of the PLC at their end. Rapidly changing technology has forced companies to look at outsourcing seriously—they now have lesser time to get their product to the market. This has encouraged them to focus only on their core activities and outsource the rest. This means that a company will design and develop a product that would be manufactured by another party, and

SUPPORT

CONCEPT DESIGN ENGINEERING MANUFACTURE SUSTAIN New Product First Release Matured Product New and Old Product

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Manufacture

sold and serviced by a third-party. Each company involved in the chain special-ises in its area of work and is able to provide the best possible product at an optimal cost. Fig. 2 shows the evolution of outsourcing (activities marked in blue are generally outsourced). This shows that every activity, except IP issues, can be outsourced. Companies may make an exception if their IPs are well pro-tected (e.g., apple Inc.).

The main reasons for this shift to outsourcing are:

Time to market pressure. To get

products into the market in the shortest time possible in order to establish a lead and capture the market.

Specialised expertise and capital-intensive nature of manufacturing. With

the usage of surface mount and other small footprint technologies, need for specialised technologies for manufactur-ing has become mandatory. This tech-nology is capital intensive and needs process, experience and knowledge.

Compliance to regulatory needs.

Increased environmental awareness is driving the product-development-and-manufacturing process to be environ-ment friendly. This calls for specialised processes, which are forcing the shift to outsourcing because the equipment to comply to green laws are expensive and doing it in-house is not cost-effective.

Changing ecosystem and the need to be agile and lean. Extremely-short

com-ponent life cycles and a highly-volatile market make it difficult to predict prices. a rugged supply chain and component engineering practice ensures that short-age or obsolescence of components does not impact production. This issue leads to fluctuating bill of material (BoM) prices, and many times they switch to untested, unreliable equivalents, which ultimately leads to failures in the field. also, using components produced with surface mount technology (SMT) almost guarantees a reliable product.

Markets going global. Designing

products for Indian markets only is not smart as a lot of those products have a ready market in the rest of the world. Also, country-specific laws are some-times imposed as invisible trade barriers

(ITBs) to restrict imports. Similar prod-ucts from competitors outside India meet global standards, which increase the competition in today's brand-con-scious market.

Customer expectations and expe-rience. The rising expectation level

of users has redefined the need for a product as a service—any shortfall reflects badly on the product.

These are some of the trends that have changed the way business is car-ried out. For an SME to handle all these changes in-house can be challenging as these need expertise, special skills and investment in machinery. It also requires investment in human resources and

upgradation of the skills of employees. So, in order to meet challenges, outsourc-ing in full or in part is unavoidable.

Most SMEs today are cost centric and averse to the idea of outsourc-ing, which affects the image of the product and the OEM goes down as a whole. This invisible damage and the impact is felt by the OEM only when the end customer switches to another vendor’s product. Today, OEMs have outsourced the support function to specialised partners.

Challenges SMEs face

a changing environment brings with it a host of challenges. Some critical

chal-Different Activities of Each Phase of a Life Cycle and

a Brief Description of Each Activity

Phase Activity Brief description

Concept PoC Proof of concept (functional prototype)

IP Intellectual property (patents)

Improvement Improving an existing product

Design Refresh No physical changes but redesigning to save cost Redesign New shape and other changes with reduced cost New design Absolutely new product to market

Engineering DFA Design for assembly

DFM Design for manufacturing

OFT Design for test

DFC Design for cost

DFR Design for reliability

DFE Design for environment

Manufacturing PCB assembly Components soldered to PCB

Subsystem build PCB assembly, and testing of PCB and additional elements but not the full product

Box build Delivering a fully-tested product Fulfilment Delivering product to end user directly Support Manufacture support Providing support during manufacture of product

Field failure analysis Failure analysis of components, parts and sys-tems returned from field

Test and repair Testing and repair of post warranty product for OEM Homologation Changing products based on country-specific

requirements

Cost reduction/value engineering Continuous process to reduce cost of product Recycle or disposal Disassembly, recycling and disposal of product at

the end of its life

Sustain Bug Fix Fixing software or hardware bugs

Enhancements Enhancing the features with minimal changes Life extension Supporting product throughout its life, even