Ericsson Microelectronics (Kista, Sweden) has begun production of dc/dc converters at a newly acquired former Volvo factory in Kalmar, Sweden. The plant opening was attended by over 300 people, including the world press, customers, suppliers and government officials and was the most elaborate and lavish event of its kind in recent memory. Ericsson's strong commitment […]
A recent poll by the California Electric Transportation Coalition (CalETC, Sacramento, CA) of over 900 new car buyers in the state shows a strong demand for reasonably priced electric vehicles. More than a third of new car buyers in California said that they would purchase zero emission electric vehicles if more of them were available […]
The formation of Fastron Inc. (Los Angeles, CA) will be announced at Wescon 2000 to consolidate and expand marketing for Fastron throughout America. Fastron Chairman Gabor Faskerty admits that the US market is "demanding and highly competitive," but he remains confident that Fastron's "high quality, competitive prices and ability to quickly deliver custom products" will […]
Eagle-Picher Technologies LLC (EPT, Joplin, MO) has announced the name of its new subsidiary in British Columbia as Eagle-Picher Energy Products Corp. (EPC). The subsidiary, formerly known as BlueStar Battery Systems Corp. (BBSC), was acquired by EPT on June 30, 2000, and was an amalgamation of BlueStar Advanced Technology Corporation and BlueStar Systems Corporation. Rex […]
Fairchild Semiconductor International (South Portland, ME) stated it plans to acquire KOTA Microcircuits (Loveland, CO) and Micro Linear Corp.'s (San Jose, CA) power management business for a total of $21.0 million in an effort to build up its analog business. KOTA and Micro Linear's power management business will become part of Fairchild's Analog and Mixed […]
Microsemi Corp. (Santa Ana, CA) said it has started what it called a major expansion of its Linfinity Microelectronics (Garden Grove, CA) IC fab. The company wants to complete the expanded fab by August 2001 to meet $75.0 to $100.0 million of revenues the company expects to earn from power management, RFICs and advanced optoelectronic […]
Eltek (Drammen, Norway) and Power Conversion Products (PCP, Crystal Lake, IL) recently signed a merger agreement to create a company capable of competing in the global telecom power systems industry.The merger, structured by Eltek, issued shares in exchange for 100 percent of the shares in PCP. The issued shares will give the current owners of […]
American Superconductor Corp. (Westborough, MA) announced that it has completed all of the high-temperature superconducting (HTS) wire needed to manufacture what it claims to be the world's first HTS power cable to be installed in a utility grid. Over 18 miles of HTS wire was manufactured and shipped to Pirelli Cables and Systems (Milan, Italy) […]
Electric Auto Corp. (EAC, Fort Lauderdale, FL) announced that it plans to start production in California of a full-performance, zero-emission, electric Silver Volt sport utility vehicle equipped with its new Apollo fuel cell and lead-cobalt battery, which will sell at the same average price as today's gasoline engine sport utility vehicle. Performance of the Silver […]
Catalytica Inc. (Mountain View, CA) reported that net revenues for the three and six months ended June 30, 2000, decreased by 17.7 and 8.4 percent, respectively, when compared with the revenues in the same periods in 1999. Product sales decreased by 22.0 and 13.7 percent, respectively, during the three and six months ended June 30, […]
Lambda Electronics Inc.(San Diego, CA) introduced their new Z-up Series wide range, output-switching power supplies, which are designed for laboratory performance while providing typical users with accurate voltage and current programming stability when interfacing their equipment with the power supply. The Z-up Series is power-factor corrected and operates continuously from a worldwide ac voltage range […]
Artesyn Technologies Inc. (Boca Raton, FL) unveiled the CVN300, a multi-output, ac/dc power supply designed for use in worldwide communications systems. The CVN300 comes in a 3.4" x 5.9" x 5.5" package and features an industry-standard form factor, extensive peripheral and auxiliary connectors, internally cooled modules that contain a fan-monitoring signal and fan-control signal, five […]
International Rectifier (El Segundo, CA) introduced 24 hermetically sealed, high-reliability HEXFET power MOSFETs for step-down dc/dc power-conversion systems in satellite launch vehicles, missiles, down-hole oil drilling and undersea broad-band communications equipment. According to the company, the devices are toughened to survive high-humidity temperature conditions or vacuum, and this fabrication technology delivers as much as 65 […]
National Semiconductor Corp. (Santa Clara, CA) announced a pair of high-precision current-gauge ICs for monitoring battery capacity in cellular phones, information appliances...
CITEL Inc. (Miami, FL) has unveiled a new line of coaxial surge protectors for wireless systems, microwaves, radios, antennas, GPS and satellite systems. The P8AX coaxial protectors are available for any power from 1W to 1,000W and any frequency from dc up to 4Ghz. According to CITEL, they provide fast-acting protection against lightning surges and […]