Did you know that a dripping faucet or pipe, a seemingly minor inconvenience, can waste thousands of litres of water a year and account for up to 75 per cent of a household's water consumption? Small electronic devices like smart meters and leak detectors allow homeowners to get warning signs or alerts, resulting in faster response times and, ultimately, improving wider water conservation efforts.
The first smart meter was developed and produced in the late 70s and, by the mid-80s, manufacturers of these devices found Lithium Thionyl Chloride (Li/SOCl2) cells to be an extremely well-suited source of power due to their long service life that reduces the need for replacement. Ultralife has recently introduced a new line of Li/SOCl2 cells, called ER Generation X, that are a great option for those who consider performance, price and lead time.
According to Amazon, a record number of smart home devices were sold during the 2018 holiday season, a trend that looks set to continue this year. However, sales are dominated by household names, such as Amazon and Google, making it difficult for competitors to secure a coveted place under the Christmas tree. Here, we look at a home automation and smart home security device from other manufacturers and discuss the ways that batteries are developing to meet the emerging power needs.
Ultralife has enhanced its URB12400-U1-SMB Lithium Iron Phosphate smart battery to offer a 19% increase in energy (584Wh compared to 492Wh). To reflect the change, the product has a new name - the URB12450-U1-SMB - but is still commonly referred to as the smart U1.
Ultralife Corporation is now offering four new pre-engineered Thin Cell® 3V primary (non-rechargeable) batteries to electronic design engineers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) across the globe. The new slimline batteries measure as thin as 1.1mm to meet the increasing demand for handheld and wearable electronic devices.
Since 2019, a Formula 1 rule states that the fastest lap winner of each race gains a bonus point, encouraging drivers to get to the finish line sooner every lap.
Films about fictitious shrinking devices - like Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and Despicable Me - have captured the imagination of audiences for many years. So imagine the excitement in 2011 when Chinese engineers claimed to have made the world’s first shrinking device. While it may sound like it came from a film, the device only created the illusion of a smaller object, rather than actually shrinking it.
It is hard to imagine life without the 9V battery. It has powered so many household and industrial devices for over six decades that it can easily be taken for granted. Yet Ultralife Corporation are still manufacturing these power houses after more than a quarter of a century; phenomenal considering the rate of scientific and technological change.
Did you know that the lead acid battery is over 160 years old? Since its invention there have been many improved variations, including the first sealed, or maintenance-free, lead acid (SLA) that was introduced in the mid-1970s. However, in 1996, an alternative chemistry – Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) – was introduced that can serve the same applications with significant advantages.
