Advantages and Disadvantages of Surface Mount Technology

Surface Mount Technology is something that has many advantages over the traditional through-hole technology that it has largely replaced. We have included a few of these below as the process is used within circuit boards and printed circuit boards that are used in video game technology.

• Few holes need to be drilled onto the circuit board
• Costs and budgets are reduced as the parts often cost less than their equivalent through-hole parts
• Components can be placed on either side of the circuit boards, which is beneficial
• The components of SMT are smaller

However, there are some disadvantages of Surface Mount Technology which are listed below:

• The manufacturing process for SMT however, requires positioning of parts of un-perforated boards instead of accurate drilling of many holes.
• Large, high-power or high-voltage parts are unsuitable for SMT. This requires the process of combining SMT and through hole construction.
• Manual prototype or component level repair is more difficult as it requires the use of skilled operators and expensive tools as the parts are much smaller.

The components on surface mount technology are often smaller than their counterparts and also designed to be handled by machines rather than humans.

The Technology and Logistics Of The Olympic Games

This sporting event brings a wide range of competitive sports and sports persons together for the summer to compete and win medals for their country. This is a proud moment for London we 2012 sees the third time London has hosted the Games. The technology and logistics have dramatically improved and changed since 1948.

Imagine the construction and planning work that goes into building the venues and accommodation. There has been a need to plan building deliveries and pallet delivery of goods to get buildings completed on time.

There are also several venues outside of London that are hosting events and we take a look at some of those. The logistics and transport is needed to get equipment and athletes to the locations. Imagine all the equipment that is needed to host the football matches in the City of Coventry stadium.

The mountain bike track at Hadleigh Farm is a temporary track that will host the mountain bike events.  The course at Brands Hatch is suitable to host the Paralympics Road Cycling events. Both these venues are out of London so will require transport links and Europe Delivery for those competing from Europe and will be based at the events.

Some Great Movie Technology

Short Circuit - A great film where technology and electronics combined to create a fantastic robot, who ended up being called "Johnny 5". The electronics and pcb design can actually be seen in this guy (sorry robot) when he needs to be fixed up.

Star Wars – Technology is in abundance with these films as you would expect when you take on Darth Vader. Even the modern CGI and technology cannot take away the electronics and almost human characteristics of R2-D2 and C3PO.

Science fiction film, 'Minority Report' sees an interesting mix of electronics, pcb design and access systems. Retina scanners are used by the tiny robot that checks a person’s identity. Interestingly this form of technology is potentially being installed into banks and US Air Force bases.

After all, eyes are unique and cannot be replicated. Unless you use the persons eyes like in Angels and Demons to gain access to the lab. This is one of the eye watering parts of the film though.

Voice recognition features in ‘Richie Rich’. Wealthy parents set up the access code to their vault by using voice recognition, based on frequency. This seems like a great way of using electronics and pcb design to create secure access.

Technology In The Movies

One aspect of technology that we know about but often overlook is technology in the movies. How many films have you watched that had you thinking wow when you left the cinema?

It could be the graphics and CGI which made everything look amazing, a character that was completed animated but you forgot that by the time the film ended or even the plot of the futuristic film which made you wonder if the future really could be like that.

Some of the best characters that we grown to know and love and either animation based or contain electronics and resonate with interest in science and robots. How many of the following films has captured your interest at the cinema?

Technology Behind Pick and Pack Operations

The pick and pack process is important if you are are a logistics business. Imagine all the orders that need processing and distributing, there needs to a process to follow to make sure all the items are picked correctly and delivered to the right address.

This is also called a fulfillment process and the steps of any major distribution process are the same although the technology may differ slightly. The technology element starts from the beginning of the order, from receipt of goods and storage.

The technology can be complicated but the process of picking and packing is vital. Alot of companies do not store stock on their own premises, so therefore it is important that the information is correct. This allows for instant stock control and mailing solutions.

Electronic Design Across The Airlines

Communication in the business world is important and vital. This article concerning the US Government is taking steps towards making it easier for airlines to allow passengers to use tablets, music players and e-readers during takeoffs and landings.

Electronic design has improved as technology has advanced and this will also need to be taken into consideration as the older iPads and readers will have different technology and power requirements than newer ones. This has made testing complicated in the past.

There is also the social aspect to look at, one person using an iPad on a plane is slightly different environment to 100+ people using iPads and one person not.

PS Vita

Today sees the release of the PlayStation Vita in the UK and its reported to be a very impressive piece of technology. New handheld video game consoles always have new features and the PS Vita has them in abundance with 3G connectivity, touch screens, motion control, rear touch pad and PS3 console hook up.

I'll try and give you my verdict of these new features in a post once I've got to grips with the new console.