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Modelithics Inc of Tampa, FL, USA, which provides RF and microwave simulation models for electronic design automation (EDA), has released the Modelithics Qorvo GaN Library v26.5.11. For more than 12 years, the Modelithics Qorvo GaN Library has provided RF and microwave engineers with up-to-date, highly accurate, measurement-based nonlinear models that accelerate design cycles, improve first-pass success and reduce development costs...

Modelithics Inc of Tampa, FL, USA, which provides RF and microwave simulation models for electronic design automation (EDA), has released the Modelithics Qorvo GaN Library v26.5.11. For more than 12 years, the Modelithics Qorvo GaN Library has provided RF and microwave engineers with up-to-date, highly accurate, measurement-based nonlinear models that accelerate design cycles, improve first-pass success and reduce development costs...

NUBURU Inc of Centennial, CO, USA (a dual-use defense & security integrated platform company) is expanding its directed-energy optical portfolio into law enforcement and public security through its subsidiary Lyocon S.r.l. The initiative extends NUBURU’s One Optical Systems Hub beyond the battlefield and into everyday protective operations – public order, checkpoints and access control, tactical response and perimeter protection – with an initial go-to-market focus on the USA and NATO-member countries...

NUBURU Inc of Centennial, CO, USA (a dual-use defense & security integrated platform company) is expanding its directed-energy optical portfolio into law enforcement and public security through its subsidiary Lyocon S.r.l. The initiative extends NUBURU’s One Optical Systems Hub beyond the battlefield and into everyday protective operations – public order, checkpoints and access control, tactical response and perimeter protection – with an initial go-to-market focus on the USA and NATO-member countries...

RF gallium nitride GaN technology is entering a new phase of growth and strategic competition, notes KnowMade in its report RF GaN Technology Patent Landscape Analysis 2026...

RF gallium nitride GaN technology is entering a new phase of growth and strategic competition, notes KnowMade in its report RF GaN Technology Patent Landscape Analysis 2026...

SonicFly lets a drone follow another using only the sound of the leader's rotors—no GPS, cameras, or radio. Built by Yanbaihui Liu, it uses a four-microphone array, neural network, and Kalman filter to estimate position acoustically.

Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. today introduced a new series of thin film chip resistors in compact 0402 and 0603 case sizes. Built on an advanced aluminum nitride (AlN) substrate, the Vishay Sfernice CHEP series combines exceptional power handling and high frequency performance in standard surface-mount footprints, allowing designers to achieve higher power density without sacrificing RF performance or increasing board space.

The CHEP series sets a new benchmark for power handling in its class. While competing solutions are often rated below 1 W, the devices released today deliver standard power ratings of 1.2 W in the 0402 case size and 1.8 W in the 0603 case size. When mounted per datasheet guidelines, power ratings increase by 50 % to 1.8 W and 2.8 W, respectively, enabling higher power density in smaller footprints.

The resistors operate across a wide frequency range and are available with flip-chip or wraparound terminals. When mounted as flip-chip devices, resistors in the 0402 case size achieve frequencies to 50 GHz, while wraparound active face-up mounting supports operation to 20 GHz. Devices in the 0603 case size support frequencies up to 40 GHz.

Designed to minimize internal reactance, the CHEP series features LC values as low as 1 x 10⁻²⁴. The resulting low parasitics reduce phase shift, maintain consistent impedance, and minimize noise to improve RF performance, while standard 0402 and 0603 case sizes enable easy integration into widely accepted land patterns, simplifying design and layout.

The devices are ideal for telecom and connectivity applications, including LEO satellites, base station terminals, 5G and 6G networks, and RF infrastructure such as remote radio units (RRUs) and antennas. Additional applications include aerospace and defense systems such as drones, satellite payloads, guidance and telemetry systems, data links, and phased array radar systems.

The resistors offer a resistance range from 20 Ω to 120 Ω with tolerances down to ± 1 % and a temperature coefficient of ± 100 ppm/°C, with ± 50 ppm/°C available on request. RoHS-compliant, halogen-free, and Vishay Green, the devices operate over a temperature range from -55 °C to +155 °C.

The post Vishay Intertechnology’s Thin Film High Frequency Chip Resistors Deliver More Power in Less Space, Without Need for a Heatsink appeared first on ELE Times.

У КПІ презентували національну стратегію збереження здоров'я нації Інформація КП пн, 09/07/2026 - 09:36

Coolant level sensors may seem small, but they guard against big failures. In this Fun with Fundamentals entry, we break down how these devices keep engines—and engineers—from losing their cool.

On a blazing summer road trip, the dashboard warning light suddenly flickers on—a moment every driver dreads. Engines (and even modern EV battery packs) churn out enormous heat, and without coolant, the consequences are catastrophic.

But here’s the puzzle: how does your car know the coolant is running low before disaster strikes?

In this edition of Fun with Fundamentals, we’ll explore the humble coolant level sensor—a small but vital safeguard against meltdown.

ECL vs. CTS: Know the difference

Before diving in, keep in mind the critical distinction between an engine coolant level (ECL) sensor and a coolant temperature sensor (CTS), as mistaking one for the other is a common pitfall in automotive diagnostics. While both are vital to safeguarding your engine from catastrophic overheating, they serve entirely different functions.

ECL sensor is a fluid-monitoring device typically housed in the expansion tank to alert you when the coolant volume is dangerously low. On the other hand, CTS is a thermal resistor submerged directly in the engine’s coolant passages to constantly measure how hot the fluid is, sending real-time data to your dashboard gauge and engine control unit (ECU) to manage fueling and cooling fans.

A coolant temperature sensor is only useful when it’s bathed in liquid. If the coolant suddenly drains away, the sensor may end up reading the surrounding air—which can appear deceptively cool—while the engine itself is on the verge of meltdown. That’s where the coolant level sensor steps in: it provides an independent safeguard, alerting the driver to dangerously low fluid volume before heat damage spirals out of control.

Engineering approaches to level sensing

Automotive engineers have devised several clever ways to detect when coolant levels drop, each rooted in different physics. The most familiar is the magnetic float switch: a buoyant float with a magnet slides along a stem, triggering a reed or Hall‑effect sensor as the fluid rises and falls. It’s simple and time‑tested, though moving parts can wear or stick when exposed to degraded coolant.

Optical sensors take a higher‑tech route, using an infrared LED and prism to exploit total internal reflection. Surrounded by air, the light bounces back to the detector; submerged in coolant, the beam refracts outward, leaving the detector dark. This design eliminates moving parts and offers high accuracy, but contamination on the prism can cause false alarms.

Solid‑state conductive and capacitive sensors rely on the electrical properties of the fluid itself. Conductive probes complete a circuit only when immersed, while capacitive plates measure shifts in dielectric constant as coolant replaces air. These methods are robust and durable, though they demand careful calibration to account for varying coolant mixtures.

Finally, resistive coolant level sensors measure changes in electrical resistance as coolant wets or leaves the probe surface. In principle, they can provide a continuous indication of fluid height, but in automotive practice they are often used as threshold detectors because their accuracy depends heavily on coolant conductivity and electrode durability.

Variations in coolant chemistry, aging, and corrosion can cause drift, making them less reliable than capacitive or optical designs. Still, they remain attractive in cost‑sensitive applications, illustrating how even a “simple” level sensor embodies diverse physics and trade‑offs, balancing cost, reliability, and long‑term performance.

Figure 1 A solid-state capacitive coolant level sensor detects fluid presence by monitoring capacitance shifts relative to the media’s dielectric constant. Source: Rochester Sensors

Emerging sensor technologies

Beyond the classic float, optical, and capacitive designs, today’s vehicles are adopting more advanced approaches. Ultrasonic sensors use sound pulses to measure fluid levels with millimeter precision, making them ideal for EV battery cooling systems where continuous monitoring is critical.

Meanwhile, next‑generation capacitive sensors integrate digital outputs and on‑chip compensation, allowing them to adapt to different coolant chemistries and resist vibration over long service lives. Together, these innovations reflect a shift toward smarter, solid‑state sensing that not only detects low coolant but also feeds predictive diagnostics into modern vehicle networks.

Electric vehicles also introduce a new safety challenge: preventing coolant or water from entering the battery pack enclosure. Leak detection sensors integrated into the battery management system (BMS) are designed to sense even trace amounts of liquid.

By catching the smallest droplets of coolant or moisture, they trigger immediate alerts, so operators can act quickly—as coolant leaks into the battery enclosure can cause electrical faults or thermal runaway. This makes leak detection a critical complement to level sensing, safeguarding not just the engine but also the high‑voltage battery system.

Figure 2 A coolant leak detection sensor detects coolant leakage through variations in resistance values and sends a signal to the BMS to warn the driver. Source: Amphenol

Maximum pressure ratings

Beyond temperature and chemical resistance, coolant level sensors must survive the pressurized environment of modern cooling systems. Most automotive sensors are specified for maximum operating pressures in the range of 18–20 PSI, which aligns with typical radiator cap ratings.

Heavy‑duty capacitive designs, however, can tolerate up to 100 PSI, making them suitable for trucks, off‑road equipment, or specialized industrial cooling loops. Pressure resilience ensures that sensors continue to deliver reliable signals even when coolant systems are stressed by high loads, altitude changes, or extreme thermal cycling.

DC conductivity sensors for cold-start diagnostics

While continuous fluid monitoring typically relies on alternating current (AC) to prevent probe degradation, specific automotive applications utilize direct current (DC) conductivity sensors for targeted diagnostics. Because running a continuous DC current through an aqueous glycol mixture triggers electrolysis—rapidly corroding the metal electrodes—these two-pin DC sensors are engineered strictly for short-duration use at engine start.

By sampling the coolant’s electrical resistance for just a few moments when the ignition is turned on, ECU can safely verify adequate fluid volume before the vehicle departs, providing a highly cost-effective and reliable low-coolant safeguard without risking long-term sensor degradation.

Figure 3 A two-pin DC conductivity sensor monitors coolant levels during engine start-up to provide rapid, short-duration diagnostics. Source: Source: Amphenol

Design challenges for automotive engineers

Coolant sensors may look simple, but under‑the-hood realities make their design anything but trivial. Fluid doesn’t sit still; hard acceleration, sudden braking, and sharp cornering send it sloshing violently, which can trigger false alarms. Engineers counter this with clever tricks like software‑based slosh filtering delays or physical baffles inside the expansion tank.

Then there’s the chemistry. Coolant is a harsh cocktail of ethylene glycol, water, and corrosion inhibitors, all running at over 100°C under pressure. Materials must withstand years of exposure without cracking or leaching, which is why robust polymers like PA66 nylon or glass‑filled composites are common choices.

Finally, the economics of automotive design loom large. Saving even a dime per vehicle adds up across millions of cars, but reliability cannot be sacrificed. A failed sensor that leads to an overheated engine costs far more than the pennies saved, making the balance between cost and durability one of the toughest calls in sensor engineering.

Picture yourself tasked with designing a sensor that must survive years inside a hostile engine bay. Every bump in the road sends coolant sloshing unpredictably, every chemical in the mix is trying to corrode your materials, and every cent shaved off the bill of materials is scrutinized by the finance team.

Do you prioritize rugged polymers over cost savings? Do you trust software filtering to handle slosh, or add physical baffles that complicate the tank design? These are the trade‑offs real engineers wrestle with—and they highlight why a “simple” coolant sensor is anything but simple.

Future trends in coolant sensing

Looking ahead, coolant sensors are evolving beyond simple switches into smart diagnostic tools. Ultrasonic probes and advanced capacitive designs now deliver continuous, high‑accuracy readings, while digital outputs over CAN bus enable predictive maintenance and fleet monitoring. As electric vehicles demand tighter thermal control for batteries and power electronics, these innovations are reshaping coolant sensing into a critical part of next‑generation automotive safety and reliability.

Figure 4 XLS-1 series single point ultrasonic level sensor prevents false low-coolant alarms caused by reservoir sloshing and foam accumulation in automotive cooling systems. Source: Gems Sensors & Controls

A coolant level sensor may look like a trivial part, but much like an airbag, its importance only becomes obvious in the moment of crisis. Behind its simple exterior lies a blend of fluid dynamics, materials science, and electronics working together to prevent catastrophic failure. Just as brakes give drivers confidence to push forward, level sensors quietly ensure engines survive the heat.

Now it’s your turn: Have you ever had to design around fluid slosh, or do you have a story of a sensor that failed under pressure? Share your experiences—the toughest lessons often drive the best engineering solutions.

T. K. Hareendran is a self-taught electronics enthusiast with a strong passion for innovative circuit design and hands-on technology. He develops both experimental and practical electronic projects, documenting and sharing his work to support fellow tinkerers and learners. Beyond the workbench, he dedicates time to technical writing and hardware evaluations to contribute meaningfully to the maker community.

Related Content

• Book review: A guide to sensors in automotive
• Automotive: The latest on in-cabin sensing designs
• When can a sensor be used in an automotive system?
• Extreme automotive environment challenges sensor design
• Three trends driving the sensor boom in the automotive industry

The post Automotive coolant level sensors: Fundamentals to stay cool appeared first on EDN.

Infineon Technologies AG radiation-hardened HiRel power devices are aboard the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which lifted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the successful launch of NASA’s next flagship space observatory. The Roman Space Telescope will travel to the second Sun-Earth Lagrange point (L2), more than 1.5 million kilometers from Earth, the same orbital position as the James Webb Space Telescope, where stable gravitational conditions and an unobstructed view of a wide swath of the sky will support the mission’s scientific program. The Roman Space Telescope mission adds to Infineon’s space heritage that stretches back to the 1970s, during which the company supported hundreds of space missions including navigation satellites, the International Space Station, and NASA’s Artemis program, with rad-hard components that have traveled more than 20 billion kilometers from Earth.

“The launch marks the beginning of what will be one of the most scientifically productive space observatory missions ever undertaken, and Infineon’s HiRel technology is part of that from day one,” said Mike Mills, Senior Vice President and General Manager HiRel at Infineon. “Roman will operate at L2 for up to a decade with no possibility of maintenance or servicing. At that distance, in that radiation environment, power technology has to work flawlessly from day one and keep working. Space programs require technologies and partners they can rely on for decades, and the selection of Infineon’s HiRel devices for the Roman mission reflects the qualification depth and mission heritage that the space industry demands from a strategic technology partner.”

Beyond Earth’s protective magnetic field, high-energy particles strike electronic components unimpeded and can permanently damage or destroy them, causing mission failure. Infineon’s radiation-hardened technology addresses these mechanisms not through passive shielding, but through a semiconductor architecture that is radiation-resistant by design.

Infineon’s HiRel portfolio integrated into the Roman Space Telescope includes rad-hard power semiconductor components. The devices are qualified to MIL-PRF standards with Total Ionizing Dose (TID) and Single Event Effects (SEE) characterization, providing the performance margins required for sustained operation at L2. Roman’s onboard systems will downlink approximately 1.4 terabytes of raw science data per day to ground stations in New Mexico, Australia, and Japan, representing the highest data volume of any NASA astrophysics mission to date. Reliable, continuous power delivery to the telescope’s instruments and data systems is a prerequisite for meeting this operational cadence across the full duration of the mission.

Infineon’s HiRel product range spans radiation-hardened silicon power MOSFETs, gallium nitride (GaN) transistors, gate drivers, solid-state relays and diodes, backed by in-house fabrication, robust radiation testing capabilities and guaranteed long-term product availability. Infineon’s JANS-qualified rad-hard 100 V GaN transistor, the first and only internally manufactured rad-hard GaN transistor on the market qualified per MIL-PRF-19500, represents the leading edge of this portfolio. GaN enables lower switching losses, higher power density, and higher switching frequencies, reducing power losses and magnetic component requirements and delivering measurable weight and volume savings at the system level, where every gram counts in space applications.

The post Infineon HiRel Power Semiconductors Support Successful Launch of NASA Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope appeared first on ELE Times.

So satisfying when it looks this neat. I spend ages trying to get everything aligned at perfect right angles and then get mildly triggered when I find all the ones later that aren't quite perfect XD submitted by /u/m4rkw [link] [comments]

Unfinished circuit board for controlling Nema 17 stepper motors on a robotic arm. submitted by /u/esp_lukaz [link] [comments]

PyBLE is an open-source MicroPython IDE that communicates over Bluetooth LE, letting you code, run, and debug ESP32 boards wirelessly from a tablet or iPad—no cloud, no USB cable, no PC required.

Control a gate or other electronic devices from your smartphone using the Ganimede.E12 board and a dedicated mobile app, with a focus on privacy and security.

Gemma Translator is an open-source multilingual voice interpreter for Raspberry Pi 5 that runs entirely on-device, using Google Gemma 4 and LiteRT, with a retro-terminal UI and no cloud dependency.

Cheaper, faster, and more fun than ordering from china! PS, I didn't put any acetone down the drain. I just needed a solvent resistant surface to clean the mask off. All the acetone went into the atmosphere and my lungs instead. submitted by /u/BlownUpCapacitor [link] [comments]

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A maker known as PRBS23 has freed the MasterBuilt Gravity 800 Grill controller from proprietary firmware, replacing it with an open source firmware featuring PID temperature control, over-the-air updates, and a real-time web interface.

Build a simple seven-note electronic keyboard using the versatile 555 timer IC. This project explains the astable multivibrator configuration and how to calculate resistor values for musical notes.