Categories
Education Engineering Engineers

EMI Mitigation

The Twin Cities Chapters of the IEEE Computer Society and the IEEE Electromagnetic Compatibility Society held a joint meeting in November, 2023.

Computer Society members addressed troubleshooting and mitigating Information Technology equipment problems that arise from EMI. Situational topics included WiFi routers and proximate equipment, aging circuit components, the integrity of shielding and grounding, cooling fan quality, and noise from power sources.

EMC Society members addressed the issues of bringing computational hardware to the market using robust EMI testing. Problems addressed range from product interoperability to more subtle failure of FCC requirements and other certifications.

After the presentations there was a tour of Element Materials’ Brooklyn Park facility. Element Materials has various shielded rooms and sophisticated equipment for modifying and testing customer products for radiated emissions as well as its susceptibility to interference from other equipment, among other certification services.

Pizza and light beverages were provided.

All photographs taken by Patricia Hanson.

Categories
Activities Engineering Membership Social Twin Cities Section

Coffee and Donuts

IEEE Twin Cities Section members gathered to enjoy coffee and some high-zoot (as per Eric) goodies last Saturday morning. It was an enjoyable get-together.

All photographs taken by Bruce Hanson.

Categories
Engineering Sustainability Technology

Breakthrough battery?

A Swedish company has announced a lithium-free sodium-ion battery that is supposed to be cheaper and more sustainable. It has an energy density of 160 Wh/kg.

It will require more development before becoming commercially competitive. Energy density and cost considerations vary from application to application so this sodium-ion battery development is still a good step forward.

Lithium-ion battery densities have improved enormously in the last decade, see this article. (Note, the bar chart shows volumetric energy density, Wh/l, and not mass energy density Wh/kg).

In early 2023 a record of just over 700 Wh/kg (1650 Wh/l) was set for Li-ion batteries. A comparison of energy densities for various battery chemistries is shown here. A history of Li-ion batteries can be found here.

Categories
Engineering Humanities Social

Think You Are A Pretty Good Photographer?

Enter the World Standards Day Photo Contest to highlight how technology, driven by global standards, can help protect and preserve our planet. You could win a $500 prize.

Learn more here: “Framing the Future of Technology for Good” Photo Contest

The contest is open from 14 October 2023 at 8:00 AM ET through 14 December 2023 at 11:59 PM ET.

Categories
Events News Region 4 Social

A Few Notes

Hello! You may have noticed that in addition to website pages we now have blog posts. This should (in principle) help to keep site content fresh. (It’s always interesting though, right?) If you are interested in contributing posts, please get in touch with me using the “Contact Us” link in the top menu bar.

There are quite a few virtual meetings taking place this week, so check out the full list here. The one on career happiness (November 15) should be interesting. And if you are a hobbyist, how about this one?

Even better, come to our webinar on Thursday, November 16, when Jack will talk about FORTH-like compilers. You can apply for 1 PDH (Professional Development Hour) after attending!

Oh! You can also take a peek at the IEEE Region 4 Q3 newsletter here.

And finally, you can comment on the posts! Click the comment icon below the heading to add your comment.

Posted: 2023 November 13