When it comes to sudden acceleration, automakers claim absence of a detectable fault proves absence of design defect. Not true, said a panel of electronics experts who gathered Tuesday at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., to demystify some of the electronics issues they say are likely responsible for Toyota – and other automakers -- sudden acceleration … [Read more...]
E-Bikes, Ergonomic ESD and Trouble-Free Toyotas at EMV 2010
As we browsed the booths of the 111 exhibitors along with 3,400 other visitors at the EMV 2010 show held last week in Dusseldorf, Germany, these are some of the products, technologies and tidbits that caught our attention:Dynamometer for E-Bikes We haven’t seen many people cruising the streets of American cities on electronic bicycles, but the market for E-Bikes in Europe has … [Read more...]
Do Hybrid Cars Emit Excessive Radiation?
A research committee funded by Israel’s Ministry of Environmental Protection studied radiation emitted from various hybrid vehicles over the past nine months and determined that the current generation Prius is safe, but the Honda Insight, Civic Hybrid, and previous generations of Prius’s all emit “surplus” radiation. Any extended exposure to electromagnetic fields higher than 2 … [Read more...]
How Will NHTSA Test for Unintended Acceleration? The Engineering Way.
Members of Congress are generally lawyers and politicians, not engineers, but they are launching investigations and creating policies that have a direct impact on the designers and builders of incredibly complex vehicles, writes Washington Post columnist Frank Ahrens. One of the basic principles they should understand is that the only way to credibly figure out why something … [Read more...]
Toyota Crisis Spotlights EMI Role in Auto Electronics, Hybrids
Investigations into sudden acceleration issues have put a spotlight on everything that can go wrong with automotive electronics. “Electromagnetic interference leaves no trace. It goes away just as it came,” says Michel Mardiguian, an engineer and consultant near Paris who worked with a European automaker on a gremlin-like electronic fault. Toyota is not alone in its troubles. … [Read more...]
Despite Denials, Electronics Remain a Crucial Question for Toyota
Toyota denies that its vehicles' acceleration problems might stem from an electronic or software glitch, but electronics experts say that even the most thorough testing can fail to turn up computer problems, given the increasing complexity of automobile technology. Ronald Jurgen, an electrical engineer who edits the Automotive Electronics Reliability guidebook for the Society … [Read more...]
Soft Termination Capacitors Reduce Cracks Due to Board Bending
Murata Electronics North America recently introduced soft termination capacitors to reduce cracks caused by bending stress. Based on Murata’s leading GCM and GRM series of multi-layered ceramic capacitors (MLCCs), the new GCJ (for automotive applications and AEC-Q200 compliant) and GRJ (for consumer applications) are designed with an advanced conductive polymer layer, which … [Read more...]
Henry Ott’s EMC Classic, Now Updated
“Electromagnetic Compatibility Engineering” is a completely revised, expanded, and updated version of Henry Ott's popular book “Noise Reduction Techniques in Electronic Systems.” It reflects the most recent developments in the field of electromagnetic compatibility and noise reduction, and their practical applications to the design of analog and digital circuits in computer, … [Read more...]
Gas Pedal Problem Forces Toyota to Pull 8 Models
Toyota suspended the manufacture and sale of eight of its most popular models because of an unresolved mechanical flaw that might cause the accelerator to get stuck in the depressed position. Toyota has been struggling with gas pedal problems for months, tracing the possible causes to jammed floor mats and accelerator components. Experts were concerned at one point that the … [Read more...]
EMI Looms as Car Radio Booms
The growth of new technologies is raising consumer expectations for automotive entertainment, but the close proximity of electronic systems within the radio-head unit can cause interference and electromagnetic compatibility issues, says Harald Koch of Microtune Inc., in an article exploring the challenges of automotive radio design. This is especially true for sensitive analog … [Read more...]
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