Greece should think twice before accepting aid from the EU and the IMF.
The last country to take the EU bailout was Latvia in 2007. Although Latvia received support amounting to 43% of GDP, they were not able to recover from the recession, and still face increasing unemployment and declining GDP, according to the Carnegie Endowment.
On the other hand, Greece could screw the international community and take control of the local currency. It worked for Argentina, says Uri Dadush at the Carnegie Endowment:
Though Argentina paid a heavy price for devaluing and defaulting, its competitiveness was quickly restored and a rapid recovery—helped by favorable global conditions—ensued. Its exports grew by 15 percent in 2003 and 17 percent in 2004, while its GDP grew 8.8 percent in 2003 and 9.0 percent in 2004, regaining its pre-crisis peak within about ten quarters.
In contrast, though Latvia’s current account balance has swung to surplus, this has come on the back of demand containment rather than export growth: since the end of 2007, imports have fallen 41 percent compared to a 14 percent decline in exports. Latvia remains mired in recession, with the IMF forecasting that GDP will contract by 4 percent in 2010, followed by anemic growth of 1.5 percent in 2011. In addition to its large outstanding private debt, it now has a large foreign public debt burden to repay to the IMF and the EU.
Italian design house I.DE.A unveiled its new SOFIA concept at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. The concept shows a 4-seater sedan designed to be powered by a hybrid powertrain.
“SOFIA is a concentration of sportiness and elegance, I.DE.A said in a statement. “The curves are graceful, the lines smooth and supple, the shape and profile are as enchanting and alluring as a female figure. The front and rear light clusters convey a captivating and inviting look. Sculpted lines emphasize the front and rear wings with the bird’s eye view showing off the car’s hourglass figure.”
While no firm technical details are available, I.DE.A says that the SOPHIA Concept was designed to accommodate an 8-cylinder engine with a front or rear-wheel drive system. It said that an electrical alternator/actuator setup is also possible.
Make the jump for the high-res image gallery and the press release.
I.DE.A SOPHIA Concept:
Press Release:
I.DE.A. INSTITUTE PRESENTS A NEW SEDAN
I.DE.A Institute presents the all-Italian SOFIA sedan at the Geneva International Motor Show 2010
Following last year’s success, I.DE.A Institute returns to Geneva for the 80th International Motor Show to present a 4-seater sedan designed to be powered by a hybrid engine.
This concept car is symbolic of I.DE.A Institute’s continued drive to renew the company, which began in 2007. The styling by the new Design Center and the workmanship of the model makers and show car builders have together created this new “all-Italian” model, aptly named “SOFIA” The sedan’s lines and shape reflect how the car is related to its forerunner, ERA, presented in Geneva last year. SOFIA is also inspired by the female form: its flanks, glance and elegance are emphasised by a glamorous red dress.
This latest concept car is Italian to the core: its shape, its look, its elegance and name are instantly recognised as being synonymous with Italian styling and beauty.
The mechanical layout is designed for an 8-cylinder engine with front or rear-wheel drive.
A hybrid configuration with an endothermic engine combined with an electrical alternator/actuator is also possible.
I.DE.A Institute and its history
Founded in 1978 by the entrepreneur Franco Mantegazza, I.DE.A Institute rapidly grew into a company which could supply a whole range of services to the automotive as well as to other industries. With its modern headquarters in Turin, the company has expanded onto global markets to respond to the needs of its customers and now has branches in Europe, Asia and South America.
Since 2000, I.DE.A Institute has been part of the Swiss multinational Rieter Group with a 2009 sales figure of 1.95 billion Swiss Francs.
I.DE.A Institute was created with the aim of providing a technological partnership to car manufacturers and never to impose its own signature on the cars it designed. I.DE.A Institute’s true trademark is the innovative spirit that it has embodied in its approach to design and engineering for over thirty years. It is this spirit that, at some point in their professional careers, attracted figures of the calibre of Renzo Piano, Walter de’ Silva and Ercole Spada.
Over the years, I.DE.A Institute has contributed to the design of many cars for the world’s major carmakers as well as working with manufacturers in other fields such as motorcycles, household appliances and furniture.
The process of renewal and international expansion launched by the company’s Chairman, Pietro Lardini, means that I.DE.A Institute now offers its clients a complete range of services. Its optimised working methods fully respond to the market demand for a flexible, integrated workflow. I.DE.A Institute’s services cover the entire product development process: from the initial concept, through design, engineering, the construction of 1:1 scale models and running prototypes, right up to start of production.
An important characteristic of I.DE.A Institute is its systematic application of a Cost Engineering methodology to every phase in product development. This achieves the best possible balance between technical aspects and cost in order to fully meet project targets.
During its history, I.DE.A Institute has worked with the world’s major carmakers supplying design, engineering and prototyping services as well as complete turnkey projects.
The Fiat VSS (sub-system vehicle), Fiat Tipo, Nissan Terrano II and Daihatsu Move are just a few of the many vehicles that have been designed by I.DE.A Institute. In more recent years, in addition to its major European clients, the company has also worked with rapidly growing carmakers from China, such as Changan and Hainan. I.DE.A Institute has also been a key partner in the development of the most important low cost cars on the world market today.
The company has also worked with well-known names in other fields of activity such as Ducati, Hoover/Candy, Bialetti, Ariston, Indesit, B&B and Nordica, to name but a few.
With the expansion of I.DE.A Institute onto new markets and the opening of a new branch in Brazil, the company is currently engineering cars for important manufacturers in South America.
The development of the Design Centre in Turin has seen more young designers joining the company and investments being made in Computer Aided Styling technologies. This means that the company can now respond more dynamically to the requirements of the market by further shortening development times. The team of designers is also working on concept and show cars which will soon make their debut at major Car Shows around the world.
360° Design
The new organisation at I.DE.A Institute is centred on a new management team of young, highly motivated people. The ideas of the young designers, modern technologies, the competence and technical skills of the company’s expert “historical” modellers are the strengths of the new I.DE.A Institute. Activities begin with the concept ideas, drawings and computerised renderings through to surface drafts, engineering and feasibility studies, right down to prototype construction.
The expansion of the Design Centre and investments in state of the art Computer Aided Styling mean that the team now focuses not only on Design and Styling but also on benchmarking, trend analysis and advanced design. The company’s focus is on providing its clients with a comprehensive package, not just styling or a model but a complete service. In addition to vehicle design, I.DE.A Institute is also working on projects for other industrial products and on interior design.
Industrial design and interior design
I.DE.A Institute’s experience extends also to other fields of industry. The company’s design services and skills are available to manufacturers of a wide variety of everyday objects. The
Design team reinterprets function and takes a new look at shape while paying close attention to ergonomics and recyclability.
In the home furnishings sector, I.DE.A Institute is working on projects with world-renowned names such as B&B Busnelli, Alcantara, Bialetti, Ariston and Indesit.
I.DE.A Institute also takes part in international competitions in interior design and architecture.
One of the earlier fun things on Twitter was the lyric of the day bot @lotd. Basically, if you sent a Twitter message to lotd, it would automatically repost the lyric for other lotd fans to read. Neat! But is it copyright infringement? Well… we’ve seen claims that lyrics online need to be licensed, and there have been a few discussions around whether or not you can copyright a tweet, but would anyone seriously try to collect royalties on Twittered lyrics?
Apparently the answer may be yes. Reader Anshar points us to a story claiming that Japan’s collection society JASRAC is putting together plans to collect royalties on Twittered lyrics. Honestly, the whole thing sounds so ridiculous that I’m hoping the original report is coming from the Japanese version of The Onion (please, someone tell me that’s the case). But this is JASRAC we’re talking about — which attacked YouTube quite early on for not stopping all copyrighted songs from appearing on the site.
According to the report, JASRAC said: “We want everyone to recognize that Internet is not your private place,” in defending the plan to charge royalties for such lyrical tweets. No, it’s not your private place, but that also means it’s not the industry’s private place to automatically demand the right to collect money any time anyone utters a snippet of a lyric. Japan’s copyright law is a lot less well developed than the US, and it doesn’t really have fair use within the law (notably, Japan has been a big supporter of ACTA).
Either way, if this story is true and not just some joke (please, please, tell me it’s a joke), it’s really quite ridiculous. People tweeting lyrics are not harming anyone by any stretch of the imagination. They’re fans. They’re encouraging more people to find out about a song or to remember an old song. They’re not taking away licensing rights or revenue or anything. They’re sharing lyrics, which is something JASRAC should be encouraging.
2010 Nissan Micra – Click above for high-res image gallery
The more charming – if that’s even possible – Nissan Micra has been tweaked to bring smiles to consumers in 160 countries where it will go on sale. To keep them smiling once things get under way, a brand new 1.2-liter, supercharged three-cylinder gas engine gets down with 80 horsepower and 144 pound-feet.
Believe it or not but the bounty doesn’t stop there, with a suspension combining “agility, refinement and poise” also included as standard equipment. We’ll let you decide for yourself, unless you’re in the U.S. since we probably won’t get it. For you, there’s a press release after the jump and a gallery of high-res photos below.
It’s no secret that Ireland, like Greece, is under great fiscal strain.
But in a new effort to cut its deficit, the government is proposing raising the nationalized pension age to 68, up two years from 66.
The Irish Times: The Taoiseach today announced a major reform of future State, private and public service pensions. Under the new National Pensions Framework, the age at which people qualify for the State pension will increase over time – to 66 years of age in 2014, 67 in 2021 and 68 in 2028.
This means everyone now under the age of 49 will have to work until they are 68 before they can draw down the State pension. Speaking at the publication of the plan in Government Buildings this afternoon Minister for Social and Family Affairs Mary Hanafin said the move was necessary because people were living longer and healthier lives.
Listen to Ann’s CPAC speech which got a standing ovation from 8000 people when she told the audience that James Cameron needs to grow up, that Avatar is beautiful but dangerous and threatens the American Dream and what to do about green indoctrination in American public schools.
Ann McElhinney, the director of Not Evil Just Wrong and Mine Your Own Business speaks about anti-development bias in James Cameron’s blockbuster Avatar and about environmental indoctrination in public education system in US.
Avatar director James Cameron has called for a mobilisation to tackle climate change, of a scale similar to that of World War II.
He was speaking at Global Green USA’s 7th Annual Pre-Oscar Party, which he attended with wife Suzi Amis in LA.
They were joined by tennis star Serena Williams and former Spice Girl Mel B at the bash in LA, plus Jessica Alba and Benji and Joel Madden from Good Charlotte.
Bonds: THE ONE CHART THAT SCARES RICHARD RUSSELL – Russell " … I view the pattern on this chart as a huge, down-slanting head-and-shoulder top with the bond sitting right on support. The bond appears weak, and if support is violated, interest rateswill be heading higher. And that’s the last thing the Fed wants at this time.” … " – The Pragmatic Capitalist
and
we are ok! – JP MORGAN: THE FISCAL THREAT IS OVERBLOWN – … JP Morgan is shifting back to a fully bullish posture here. Three weeks ago they shifted to a more cautious position (see here), but have removed the hedges as equity fund flows begin to support the market and fears of fiscal tightening, regulation, and sovereign debt appear overblown. Based on this change in outlook they are moving back into the recovery trade. They are now net long equities, credit, commodities with a long dollar hedge and a short bond position: … – The Pragmatic Capitalist
————
(Louise) Yamada: Ready for a bond bear market? – Posted by Edward Harrison – Uber-technician Louise Yamada is now warning that the secular bear market in equities is likely to be joined by one in bonds as well. In the video below, she talks with Bloomberg’s Pimm Fox about her view that bond yields are going to rise over time. – Credit Writedowns
————
Japan Declares They’ll Kill Deflation THIS YEAR With The Loosest Monetary Policy You’ve Ever Seen – Vincent Fernando – Japan’s finance minister has arbitrarily declared that he wants Japan to defeat deflation by the end of 2010. This is opposition to what the Bank of Japan had intended, given that they were planning on beating inflation over the course of a few years. – Money Game at Business Insider
————
About the Fed and $187.53 Billion of Chinese-Owned Toxic Assets – Andrew Butter – Seeking Alpha
Two pieces of disturbing news on the wires this week: 1: The Chinese are NOT buying U.S. debt anymore. 2: The Chinese ARE buying U.S. debt (except they are buying it through intermediaries). And then there is always the fear that China might dump $700 billion or so of U.S. Treasuries and so yields will go through the roof ————
FDIC to grease mortgage market with $1.8 bln deal- By Al Yoon – … The move has been anticipated by investors and dealers for months as the FDIC piles up loans from banks failing at an alarming rate. The plan calls up memories of the savings and loan crisis of the early 1990s when the federal government created the Resolution Trust Corp to dispose of assets. It could also awaken a market that has been largely frozen for two years, except for government-sponsored programs of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac … – Reuters ————
It’s Time for Swaps to Lose Their Swagger – By GRETCHEN MORGENSON – “USING these instruments in a way that intentionally destabilizes a company or a country is — is counterproductive, and I’m sure the S.E.C. will be looking into that.” That’s what Ben S. Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve, said last week when lawmakers asked him about credit default swaps during his Congressional testimony. Concerns are growing about such swaps … – NY Times
Jay Sean has told MTV he’d love to work with Jay-Z and Beyonce in the future. Speaking to the urban blog The Wrap Up the down star revealing all about his dream collaboration.
He said: ‘Jay Z and Beyonce are the ultimate, I know that’s being extremely greedy because one of them would be enough but you’ve got to dream. I asked Jay-Z last time I saw him “I was like come on man lets do this, me, you and B and he was like yeah ok…..maybe one day. He knew I was taking the mickey.’
While stocks sink, commodities are enjoying the benefits of a weaker dollar.
Energy is up, along with lean hogs and cattle. Grains are performing solidly with the only loser being rough rice, down 2.1% to 1340. Soft goods are doing well, with lumber soaring 3.5% to 259.
Sony has produced some amazing commercials for their products and if you may remember certain ones may truly capture you and put you in a short fantasy dream, if I can say so. We have seen the Bravia Paint Ad and Bravia Bouncing Balls , some rabbits jumping in NYC as well as some VAIO TZ and X series ads, however this one really stands out and makes you wonder what it would look like on a 55 inch TV with some 3D love. Yea, frankly I cannot wait for some 3D commercials.
I came across this blog via Twitter (thanks @AndrewMagann) and thought it’d be worth blogging and spreading some love to our readers. Let’s hope it hits major TV networks though, as I only see outstanding and breathtaking ads made by Sony only run on the World Wide Web.
Seattle, WA — Superfad’s new in-store campaign for Sony is a startlingly beautiful and surreal homage to Sony’s global brand message of “make.believe” and a tribute to the pleasure of “Eye Candy”. Unfolding in three parts, “Birth of Color,” “Explosion of Color,” and “Release of Color,” the project was directed and produced by Superfad and will be seen in stores and trade shows throughout the world.
The concept was inspired by the idea that from one’s imagination anything is possible. Drawing from the theatrical world of fashion photography, Superfad chose moments of visual drama and magic, with spherical objects representing the dot in “make.believe” as a connecting through-line.
Superfad Director/Executive Creative Director Will Hyde captured a live action, slow motion narrative with imagery that would showcase the picture value of Sony BRAVIA high definition televisions including color fidelity and detail. The project’s effects and animation, completed in just under three weeks, was creative directed by Carlos Stevens.
The project keenly represents Superfad’s methodology; one that eschews a singular signature style in favor of applying project-specific creative approaches to reveal the unexpected. With Sony’s “Eye Candy,” the blending of live action and animation comes together in a seamless marriage of visual intensity and wonder.
Kendrick Frazier, long time editor of the Skeptical Inquirer magazine, has been caught whining on the Inquirer’s Facebook page about people canceling their subscriptions. The motivation for the canceled subscriptions is SI’s un-skeptical view of anthropogenic global warming. Under Frazier’s leadership the “Magazine for Science and Reason” has been sucking up to the climate change mongering American Association for the Advancement of Science and acting as a cheering section for AGW.
According to his Center For Inquiry (CFI) on-line bio, Kendrick Frazier has been the editor of Skeptical Inquirer magazine for over 30 years. He is a member of the National Association of Science Writers and the American Geophysical Union. Unfortunately for the reputation of the Skeptical Inquirer, Frazier has led that formerly respectable magazine into welcoming arms of the AGW true believers.
In 2005, Frazier was made a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for “distinguished contributions to the public understanding of science through writing for and editing popular science magazines that emphasize science news and scientific reasoning and methods.” The AAAS, publisher of the journal Science, has been a vocal supporter of all things climate change for years. Being made a Fellow was just the payoff for a fellow climate change alarmist for subverting the magazine he edits. Much cheaper than thirty pieces of silver.
Needless to say, a number of people who are themselves skeptics have a real problem with the blind eye Frazier has turned toward the question of climate change. This blog has previously addressed SI’s betrayal of real skepticism in “Skeptical Inquirer Abandons Reason, Embraces Global Warming.” Now, a letter from a SI subscriber canceling his subscription has evoked a tirade from Editor Frazier. Here is part of the former subscriber’s letter:
I find that your treatment of man-made global warming is one of advocacy, not skepticism. CSI has had the opportunity to study the fanatical religion of AGW and the trials and tribulations of its skeptics, but it has failed. I truly can’t understand your position on this topic. Climate science has been corrupted by funding conflicts of interest and political ideology, yet articles in Skeptical Enquirer refer to honest and sincere skeptics as “deniers”. Can you explain your publication’s bias in this matter?
Toyota execs are giving more leeway to its U.S. and Canadian divisions with regard as to when to issue a recall. Under new plans to improve quality control, Toyota’s North American operations “will have more autonomy and decision-making power with regard to recall and other safety issues,” Yoshimi Inaba, president and chief operating officer of Toyota North America, said in testimony before the Senate Commerce Committee. Toyota has also retained former U.S. Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater to head a ‘blue ribbon’ panel to review the company’s own investigation into its global operations.
The announcement comes in the wake of Toyota coming under fire by Congress for their Japanese execs having too much power over U.S. operations.
There has also been talk in Congress about making brake override systems mandatory, and about requiring senior execs legally certify information submitted to safety regulators.
Though disputed by Toyota, many outsiders are pointing their fingers at the electronic throttle control system for causing the incidents of unintended acceleration.
Now that the details of Apple’s claims against HTC have become clear, the fact that it is a transparent attack on the Android operating system has also become very apparent. The question therefore arises how this affects Windows Mobile and Windows Phone.
Android is Google’s up and coming operating system that is based on a Linux kernel running a Java-related virtual machine. The operating system has in recent months found wide adoption amongst both top tier and small ODMs and has been predicted to outsell Windows Mobile in 2010.
With the open source operating system now under attack by Apple with its wide patent portfolio, how are OEM’s likely to respond.
Certainly larger OEM’s like Samsung and LG would be quite risk adverse – Apple for example is asking for triple damages, which for a large OEM can mean rather substantial sums. Smaller OEMs may feel they have more to gain than to lose by adopting Android and still make the gamble. Carriers afraid of being implicated may be more wary of taking on the risk, and may therefore offer substantially less for these handsets to compensate.
The next effect is to slow adoption of Android, which is of course what Apple fully intends.
Windows Mobile and Windows Phone are much more resistant to being affected by this situation, as Microsoft likely have a substantial portfolio of OS patents which it could use to respond to any threat by Apple.
In 2006 Microsoft announced strengthened IP protection that includes the defence of OEMs and distributors against IP claims in every country Microsoft distributes or markets its Windows Embedded and Windows Mobile products; protection of patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret claims based on that software; and the removal of the monetary cap related to defence costs.
This basically meant that Microsoft would step in and defend their OEMs and even carriers selling devices running their OS up to an unlimited amount of cost. This is a much stronger response that HTC has had so far from Google, which have not been named in the Apple suit for example.
This makes Microsoft’s Mobile OS a much safer bet an an increasingly litigious environment for the larger players. The fact that Windows Phone 7 will be more or less feature complete and require very little OS customization will further reduce the software attack surface area OEM’s will be exposed to.
The fact that Windows Mobile is set to benefit does not mean we endorse Apple’s actions. In fact, we see it as evidence that the iPhone empire is crumbling. It is quite likely that in attacking an Open Source OS they will lose the huge amount of goodwill they have online, which means the free advertising, which in 2007 was quoted as worth around $400 million, they have been relying on may backfire spectacularly.
There is however no doubt that Apple’s move to undermine Windows Phone’s biggest competitor can only be good for Microsoft.
I.DE.A Institute Sofia – Click above for high-res image gallery
What’s the one thing that would fix the automotive industry today? Fresh ideas, you say? Well, this isn’t quite that. In fact auto shows these days – Geneva particularly – have become packed with legions of swoopy, stylish four-door hybrid concepts. What this is, though, is one of the more attractive ones we’ve seen to date.
Created by the quizzically-abbreviated I.DE.A. Institute, the Sofia‘s hourglass shape is (according to the press release after the jump, at least) inspired by the female form. And we don’t have much trouble believing that line, curvaceous as it is. The hybrid part, though, is pure fantasy. Because like many design studies, the I.DE.A. Sofia is an empty body shell. It’s got no interior, but more to the point, it has no mechanicals inside. Its creators say it could theoretically accommodate a V8 engine, with or without the assistance of an electric motor, driving either the front wheels or the rear.
Like it? Don’t get too excited by the prospect of production. The I.DE.A Institute claims to have contributed to designs for numerous major automakers, but in its 30-year history has produced more household appliances and furniture. But for the next upstart looking to join the likes of Fisker and Tesla, the sumptuous shape could be just the ticket. Don’t take our word for it; have a closer look for yourself in the galleries below.
Mitsubishi confirmed today that its new entry-level crossover, unveiled at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show as the ASX, will be launched this fall in North America as the 2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport.
The North American version of the ASX, known as the RVR in Japan, will debut at the 2010 New York Auto Show on March 31.
The 2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport will be powered by a 2.0L 4-cylinder engine helping it deliver an estimated fuel-economy of 30 mpg. All-wheel-drive will be available as an option.
When General Motors decided it would keep Opel in the company’s brand portfolio, it knew the price tag would be hefty. The Detroit News is reporting that price tag on The General’s decision to retain its European arm is 1.9 billion euros ($2.7 billion in U.S. funds). And that’s just GM’s part of the bill. The automaker is also looking for 2.0 billion euros ($2.8 billion U.S.) in loans from European countries that have Opel facilities in their borders.
The General had reportedly been asking for up to 2.8 billion euros ($3.8 billion U.S.) in loans, but Germany pulled back on a promise to assist with the Opel restructuring after GM decided not to sell the brand to a group lead by Magna. To complete Opel’s restructuring, GM plans to eliminate 30 percent of its European unit’s structural costs and cut up to 10,000 jobs. Part of those structural costs includes the closure of several manufacturing facilities, some of which may reside in Germany.
In a prepared statement, GM CEO Ed Whitacere called the financial commitment to Opel “of vital importance for GM to demonstrate our commitment for our European operations,” adding “we see this as a major step towards instilling renewed trust and confidence into Opel/Vauxhall’s customers, employees, business partners, unions, dealers and European governments.”
Shares of RadioShack (RSH) are currently up 5.2% at $20.87 a share on renewed takeover speculation.
But there’s debate about whether this is realistic
The Fly On The Wall: Oppenheimer reports that RadioShack is climbing sharply today on takeover speculation. The firm does not know whether the company is looking to sell itself, but it believes that the company is not an attractive turnaround or financial engineering play for a potential buyer. Oppenheimer believes the stock is fairly valued at current levels.
On the contrary, CNBC’s Jim Cramer describes Radio Shack as “an LBO waiting to happen.”
CONTEC, a leading manufacturer of computer peripheral equipment, industrial computers and network devices, is pleased to announce the release of its new opto-isolated digital I/O units for USB, DIO-6464LX-USB, DIO-1616RYX-USB and DIO-1616BX-USB.
DIO-6464LX-USB, DIO-1616RYX-USB and DIO-1616BX-USB are designed to be compatible with PCI/PCI Express boards for desktop computers. Its connector and pin assignments are the same as PCI/PCI Express Digital IO boards, so you can use these products with same cables and terminals which are used for PCI Express or PCI boards. And the salient feature of the software is taking in difference of hardware and easy mutual compatibility.
DIO-6464LX-USB
High density Multipoint I/O: 64 input channels and 64 output channels
DIO-6464LX-USB provides 64 channels of optocoupler isolated input (compatible with current sink output), and 64 channels of optocoupler isolated open-collector output (current sink type) with a maximum response time of 200¼sec. It supports wide range voltages from 12 to 24 VDC.
DIO-1616RYX-USB
16 channels of nonpolar input and 16 channels of semiconductor-relay output.
DIO-1616RYX-USB provides 16 channels of optocoupler isolated input,compatible with both current sink and current source output, with a maximum response time of 200¼sec, and 16 channels of semiconductor-relay output with a maximum response time of 1.0msec. It supports wide range of voltages from 12 to 24 VDC for input, and high voltage 120VAC/DC for output.
DIO-1616BX-USB
Opto-isolated 16ch input, 16ch output with on-board 12 VDC power supply
DIO-1616BX-USB provides 16 channels of optocuopler isolated input (compatible with current sink output), and 16 channels of optocuopler isolated open-collector output. It has on-board 12 VDC power supply for input/output circuit, so an external power isn’t necessary.
Advanced compatibility with CONTEC’s PCI/PCI Express boards.
These units are highly compatible with PCI and PCI Express boards in connector shape and pin assignments. And the salient feature of the software is taking in difference of hardware and easy mutual compatibility.
CONTEC’s DIO-6464LX-USB, DIO-1616RYX-USB and DIO-1616BX-USB are lead-free (exceeding JEITA Phase 2 requirements) and RoHS-compliant.
These switches have been designed for lighter applications requiring precise switching, for equipment mounted in the open air subject to rain, dust etc, where the internal operation of the switch needs to be visible. The access to setpoint is internal, and can be sealed, yet the operation of the switch is visible due to the tough transparent polycarbonate cover. Typical applications are in industries like jet dyeing machines, water treatment plants etc, where the atmosphere can be humid, dusty, slightly corrosive and generally detrimental to general purpose switches.
Fischer Connectors, a trusted partner of Future Soldier Programs around the world, announces new secure interconnect solutions specially designed for Defense Forces: Fischer UltiMate Military Connectors Line. First within this line, the new Fischer LandForce Series offers compact, rugged, lightweight circular connectors for an improved protection of Future Soldiers, vehicles and other land-based equipments.
Major features of the new Fischer LandForce Series include miniature, ultralight and rugged design, extremely robust keying, high shock and vibration resistance, excellent shielding, and ultimate sealing level IP68/69K even unmated with Fischer’s new facilitated cable assembly solutions.
Fischer LandForce Series is complete with EMC 360° high performance shielding tested according to IEC norm 60512-23-3, four extremely robust mechanical codings allowing an easy mating even in the dark, and a wide range of configurations including multipole contacts from 2 to 19 poles. The plug is available in two body sizes with push-pull locking or emergency release system. Additional body styles, sizes and contact configurations will follow shortly.
Thanks to its new one-piece plug body design associated with cable assembly containing highly performing epoxy potting, Fischer has achieved a new industry benchmark. Fischer LandForce Series are Nuclear, Biological, Chemical, Radiological (NBCR) ready, with IP68/69K sealing level even unmated, tested according to IEC norm 60529. Easy cleaning on the field is then also possible.
Made of special high resistant aluminium, Fischer LandForce Series are 50% lighter than typical metal connectors. With its extremely rugged design for harsh and demanding environments, as well as vibration and corrosion resistance, this new line of connectors is immune to even the toughest elements including fog, salt spray (5% 35°C, MIL STD-202 Method101A), sand, and moisture. Its long lifetime usage is guaranteed for 10,000 mating cycles.
Fischer Connectors provides complete, easy to assemble, turnkey solutions — connectors, cable assemblies and overmolding — all from one supplier. Cable assembly solutions are available in both straight and right angle overmolding to accommodate devices conveniently on the future warrior’s uniform.
