In our modern society, we have become very dependent upon our electronic gadgets and appliances. Most households (in the U.S) have Personal Computers with an Internet Connection. If we solely looked at the Personal Computer, we do a lot of thing with this product.
* We communicate with our friends, family members and business associates.
* We conduct financial transactions (e.g., buy or sell products on line)
* We create all kinds of documents (which are very important to our personal and business finances/operations)
* We store and play music (in the form of *.mp3 files)
* We (increasingly) store pictures that have sentimental value (and could be tough to replace if lost).
For many people, anytime their "computer dies", it becomes a major inconvenience in their lives. If you were to look at some other electronic systems that we typically have in our homes, such as
* DVD Players
* Gaming Systems (e.g., Playstation, X-Box, Nintendo, Wii, etc.)
* Audio Entertainment Equipment
* Video Recording Equipment (for you people that like to post videos on YouTube.
* Appliances (such as Central Air Conditioning Systems, Heat Pumps, Microwave Ovens, etc.)
* HDTVs (e.g., LCD or Plasma)
All of these items entertain us, enlighten us and provide us with comfort. These products each require a considerable amount of money to purchase. Further, repairing and/or replacing these products is also quite expensive. Hence, I am quite amazed that people do not do more to protect their investment (in these electronic systems) and do whatever they can to extend the operating life time of these products.
In general, there are three (3) different destructive mechanisms that will either destroy or greatly reduce the operational life-time of your electronics. These three destructive mechanisms are
* Heat
* Electrical Surge/Spike Events, and
* Electrical Noise
In this article, we are going to talk about HEAT. As we discuss Heat, we will cover the following topics.
* How is Heat destructive to your electronics?
* What can we do about heat - How to Protect Your Electronics from Heat and Extend the Operating Life of our Electronics?
2.0 HOW IS HEAT DESTRUCTIVE TO YOUR ELECTRONICS
Heat is an artifact of electronics. All electronic systems generate heat. Electronic systems accept electrical power (current and voltage) from the power line (via the electrical outlet). The electronic system uses a portion of this electrical power to perform work (e.g., the function that you want it to perform, e.g., play a DVD, cook a bag of popcorn, etc). The remaining portion of this electrical power is converted into heat.
However, heat is also an enemy of electronic systems. Few things are more effective in reducing the operating life-time of an electronic system, than raising the operating temperature of the electronic circuitry within your electronic system. If you were to speak with an Electronics Device Reliability expert, he/she would tell you that for every 10 degrees (Celsius) that you raise the operating temperature of an electrical device; you reduce the operating lifetime of that device by 50%. The impact of heat (in shortening the operating life) of your electronics is "huge".
3.0 WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT HEAT?
As I mentioned earlier, all electronics generates heat. There is no way to prevent electronics from generating the very thing that can destroy it. However, there are a couple of things that you can do to prevent this heat from doing so much damage.
1. You can work to remove this heat from the electronics (as quickly as it generates it), or
2. You can do things to try to help the electronics to not generate so much heat in the first place.
I will address each of these approaches below.
3.1. REMOVING HEAT FROM THE ELECTRONICS
Many consumer electronic systems were designed with "Heat Removal" in mind. Some of these electronic systems (like desktop computers) contain "internal fans". These fans were designed into these systems so that they could blow air through the area in which the system electronics resides. The intent behind having these fans to is blow the heat away from these electronics and to help keep them cool.
Other electronic systems contain "vents" (in their outer case) to provide an "escape path" for heat. Many of these vents are located at the top or in the "back-end" of the electrical system. On this basis, I have the following recommendations to permit the removal of heat from your electronics.
Make sure and keep papers, books, dust and other items from "blocking" the vents of these systems.
Leaving these items on top of your (DVD Player for example) will block the vents, and will not allow for heat to escape from your DVD Player. This will cause the temperature (surrounding the electronics) within your DVD player to rise; which will (in-turn) reduce the operating lifetime of your DVD player.
Make sure that the "back-end" of the electronic system is not "butt-up" against the wall or an entertainment cabinet.
It is important to make sure that there is sufficient air/ventilation space between the vents (in the back end) and the wall/cabinet to allow for Heat Removal.
Make sure and have your appliances (like your Central Air Conditioning system or Heat Pump) serviced.
Whenever these appliances are serviced, the service professional will do various things (like clean out dust and debris from ventilation path), therefore maintaining an unobstructed path for heat to escape from these systems.
Make sure that the fan (inside some of your systems) is working.
If this fan stops working, then you need to get it repaired quickly. Failure to do this will result in your electronic system having an early meeting with the "grim reaper" or an electronic waste disposal site.
3.2 REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF HEAT THAT THE ELECTRONICS GENERATE IN THE FIRST PLACE
Another approach to protecting your electronics from heat is to take steps to try to prevent your electronics from generating excessive heat in the first place. The amount of heat that is generated within an electronic system is often referred to as being related to the following expression for resistive loss: I^2XR, where:
* I represents the amount of current flowing through an electronic system and
* R represents the load impedance (or resistance) within this electronic system; and
* I^2 denotes " I being raised to the 2nd Power, or "I-squared"
From this mathematical expression, you can see that if we were able to reduce the amount of current flowing through an electrical system, this would certainly help to reduce the amount of heat generated within this electrical system.
QUESTION: How can you reduce the current that an electrical system uses? Doesn't it require a certain amount of current to do its job? The answer to this question is "Yes", an electrical system does require a certain amount of current and voltage (electrical power) to do its job. However, it doesn't need to use anymore current than that. Hence, we recommend that you use TVSS (Transient Voltage Surge Suppressors) components in order to reduce the current level (flowing into your electrical system).
Now, I know that some of you may be "scratching your heads" and wondering, "How in the world will this reduce the amount of current flowing into my electronic system" and (in turn reduce the amount of heat that it generates)? The answer is this: Anytime there is a large amount of electrical noise or spikes, or other forms of distortion in the electrical voltage and current in the power line, this also results in the flow of additional current into your electrical system. By using the TVSS components, you are eliminating this excessive current (due to noise, glitches, etc.) from the "power line" current, flowing into your electronic system.
In this case, you have now accomplished the following:
1. You have decreased the amount of current flowing into your electronic system, (which is the "I" in the expression "I^2 X R") - which helps a lot to reduce the amount of heat that the system generates.
2. By reducing the heat that the electrical system generates, you are now lowering the ambient (or surrounding) temperature in which your electronics operates.
3. Lowering the ambient temperature will often times also reduce the load impedance/resistance in your electronic system (e.g., the "R" in this expression) as well.
QUESTION: How can you reduce the load impedance/resistance in an electronic system? Isn't that a design feature of the electronic system? The answer to this question is "Yes it is". You cannot change the load impedance/resistance by very much. But, the reason why lowering the ambient temperature will also reduce the load impedance/resistance is that many resistors have (what is called) a positive temperature coefficient. This means that as the ambient temperature goes up, does the resistor value of this particular resistor.
However, the converse is also true. If you were to lower the ambient (or surrounding) temperature, then you would also lower the resistor value as well.
SO LET'S RECAP THE BENEFITS OF USING TVSS COMPONENTS:
* Using TVSS components lower the amount of current flowing through your electronic system.
* Lowering this current reduces the amount of heat that the electronic system generates.
* This lowers the ambient temperature for the system electronics.
* Lowering the ambient temperature also lowers the load impedance/resistance (R) within the electronic system.
Both the reduction of current (and the resulting reduction of the load impedance) would serve to significantly reduce the amount of heat that the electronics system will generates.
4.0 OTHER ARTICLES IN THIS SERIES
Other articles in this series are listed below.
* How to Protect Your Electronics from Electrical Surge/Spike Events
* How to Protect Your Electronics from Electrical Noise
5.0 CONCLUSIONS
In this article, we spoke about "heat" and how effective it is in reducing the operating life-time of your electronics. Heat is one of the three (3) destructive mechanisms that will either destroy or shorten the operational life-time of your electronics. The remaining two mechanisms are
* Electrical Surge/Spike Events, and
* Electrical Noise
We have also described some guidelines on how to protect your electronics from heat, and to extend the operating life-time of your electronics. In particular, we mentioned the following approaches:
1. Use (and do not thwart) the "Heat Removal" features of your electronic systems
* Make sure that Internal Fans are working and
* Make sure that vents are not blocks and that there is plenty of air space around the Electronic system to allow for the escape of heat.
2. Use TVSS (Transient Voltage Surge Suppressor) components to regulate the amount of voltage (and in turn) current that is flowing into your electronic systems: Minimizes heat generation due to resistive loss.
Do you wish to learn more about approaches to protect your electronics from the affects of heat, electrical surge events and electrical noise?
Click here to learn more about an approach to protect your electronics from all three of these destructive mechanisms and extend the operating life of your electronics.
Darrell E. Smith has more than 25 years of experience as an Electrical Engineer. He is also an experienced Article Marketer and a Distributor for a Company that Manufacturer's "Healthy Living/Green Technology Products".
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Darrell_Edward_Smith
Wednesday, 28 September 2011
Tuesday, 8 June 2010
Adobe CS5, Let's Begin With Bridge
It's hard to remember how singular and simple the Web was in it's inception and even as little as five years ago how little dynamics and media had redefined our Web experience.
We have seen how technology leads the software, with broad band and tremendous file sizes negotiable for home viewing so went the software with amazing new media and creative possibilities.
What accompanied this on the developer's desktop was the array of products and technologies one needs to 'put it all together' using blends of web code with media types and 'bringing it on home' with a performance 'web friendly' final composition. A web site is much more than the original html code although this is still the glue that holds it all together.
What was needed on the desktop was a tool that brought all the other tools together, an explorer on steroids that let you view and search and preview. This preview would include a preview of non-desktop viewable types such as Photoshop's 'psd ' file, and see any type of image as a thumbnail with much more information. Adobe's Bridge is that tool. Like any new application, it had humble beginnings but now it is a very sophisticated viewer, searcher, and probably the best tag for Bridge is your media manager. It is the one place to go to 'see everything' and do the kind of scanning, comparing, file sizing, movie previewing, that you want to do without having to open the host application for every file you are working with.
Like all Adobe products, Bridge offer flexible user configuration but also comes with some very useful and practical presets that combines the information presentation in a very 'usable' fashion. When we are viewing media and images, typically we scroll through examples, reviewing the work and looking for the items we are interested in. This is a classic 'thumbnail' task where you are making your first review doing a little research. To be able to see file details, folders, dates and information about the files is helpful in this early stage.
Once you narrow your candidates, of course you will want to zoom in on the images, get a closer look. Bridge provides 'content', 'preview', and 'metadata' windows among others where you can see all the files and folders, choose to see your selection in a preview window and have the greater detail about the file you choose to preview in the metadata window.
Full Moons, Dogcreek, think globally, act locally.
Web Designer Tom Womack uses Adobe CS5 creating dynamic sites with rich media.
http://www.webforu2.com
http://webforu2.com/WebLog
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tom_Womack
We have seen how technology leads the software, with broad band and tremendous file sizes negotiable for home viewing so went the software with amazing new media and creative possibilities.
What accompanied this on the developer's desktop was the array of products and technologies one needs to 'put it all together' using blends of web code with media types and 'bringing it on home' with a performance 'web friendly' final composition. A web site is much more than the original html code although this is still the glue that holds it all together.
What was needed on the desktop was a tool that brought all the other tools together, an explorer on steroids that let you view and search and preview. This preview would include a preview of non-desktop viewable types such as Photoshop's 'psd ' file, and see any type of image as a thumbnail with much more information. Adobe's Bridge is that tool. Like any new application, it had humble beginnings but now it is a very sophisticated viewer, searcher, and probably the best tag for Bridge is your media manager. It is the one place to go to 'see everything' and do the kind of scanning, comparing, file sizing, movie previewing, that you want to do without having to open the host application for every file you are working with.
Like all Adobe products, Bridge offer flexible user configuration but also comes with some very useful and practical presets that combines the information presentation in a very 'usable' fashion. When we are viewing media and images, typically we scroll through examples, reviewing the work and looking for the items we are interested in. This is a classic 'thumbnail' task where you are making your first review doing a little research. To be able to see file details, folders, dates and information about the files is helpful in this early stage.
Once you narrow your candidates, of course you will want to zoom in on the images, get a closer look. Bridge provides 'content', 'preview', and 'metadata' windows among others where you can see all the files and folders, choose to see your selection in a preview window and have the greater detail about the file you choose to preview in the metadata window.
Full Moons, Dogcreek, think globally, act locally.
Web Designer Tom Womack uses Adobe CS5 creating dynamic sites with rich media.
http://www.webforu2.com
http://webforu2.com/WebLog
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tom_Womack
HID Proximity Card
Organizations are commonly using access control systems which require employees to access secure areas of buildings by using proximity cards to gain approval. The proximity card is provided to each employee and it contains a unique identifier that is read by a card reader and transmitted to the access control software in the central computer. The internal database that is housed in the computer where the software resides is the guide that the access control software uses to allow access or deny the request.
Proximity cards are contactless integrated circuit devices. The cards are often called proximity cards or smart cards. A popular brand is made by HID, hence the name HID prox card. These cards provide access control to secure facilities, personal computers, computer networks and other restricted areas that can be controlled by the access system.
In a unique custom ID, the information is able to be read by the computer after it is transmitted by the card-reader to the software capable or reading the interpreting the information. Sometimes a password is required in combination of swiping a smart card to verify the authentication of the user. The card-reader extracts the information available in the prox card when it is swiped.
Some smart cards must make direct contact with the card reader for transmission to occur. Other readers can extract the information when the card is held close to the reader. Contact is not required for this transmission.
Proximity cards are able to be used on card readers located on a personal computer, inside or outside a door, on computer systems or other areas that a company requires limited access. The reader can run off or a power source, a 12 volt, 24 volt or USB power supply.
Once the information is transmitted to the computer software, the software begins analyzing the database on file for the card holder's information. Once it is located, the software scans the database for additional specific information that would allow or deny access. If approved, the software is capable of sending an electronic message to the locked item and it is opened for the card holder to enter. If not approved, some systems do not return any response, while others will issue a denial.
Catherine Williams writes articles for the business security field. Learn more about plastic card printer and other ID card printers at SafeCard ID, an integrator of secure id card systems.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Catherine_A_Williams
Proximity cards are contactless integrated circuit devices. The cards are often called proximity cards or smart cards. A popular brand is made by HID, hence the name HID prox card. These cards provide access control to secure facilities, personal computers, computer networks and other restricted areas that can be controlled by the access system.
In a unique custom ID, the information is able to be read by the computer after it is transmitted by the card-reader to the software capable or reading the interpreting the information. Sometimes a password is required in combination of swiping a smart card to verify the authentication of the user. The card-reader extracts the information available in the prox card when it is swiped.
Some smart cards must make direct contact with the card reader for transmission to occur. Other readers can extract the information when the card is held close to the reader. Contact is not required for this transmission.
Proximity cards are able to be used on card readers located on a personal computer, inside or outside a door, on computer systems or other areas that a company requires limited access. The reader can run off or a power source, a 12 volt, 24 volt or USB power supply.
Once the information is transmitted to the computer software, the software begins analyzing the database on file for the card holder's information. Once it is located, the software scans the database for additional specific information that would allow or deny access. If approved, the software is capable of sending an electronic message to the locked item and it is opened for the card holder to enter. If not approved, some systems do not return any response, while others will issue a denial.
Catherine Williams writes articles for the business security field. Learn more about plastic card printer and other ID card printers at SafeCard ID, an integrator of secure id card systems.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Catherine_A_Williams
BUYING AND RENTING COMPUTERS
The high cost of computing equipment often creates a dilemma in the minds of business owners, as to whether they should rent computing equipment or buy it. But if you understand the advantages along with the drawbacks of these options, you will be able to make a better choice for your business. Here are some of the considerations you should make while deciding between computer rental and purchase.
Do you need the latest technology?
If your business requires the latest in computer technology, it is better to consider rental options. With rented equipment, you can keep pace with the latest technology and innovations in the industry that can give your business an edge. Purchasing equipment could end up costing a lot, as you have to keep re-investing afresh every time your existing technology goes out of date.
Capital requirement
If your business is a startup or in a rapid growth phase, you will already have big capital expenditures lined up. Adding the huge cost of IT equipment purchase may cause you to compromise on office infrastructure or a good office location. When you go with leased or rented equipment, you save on capital expenditure, which can be used for more important things. On the other hand, if you are an established business and have stable demand, then buying equipment is a better choice as it may turn out to be a cheaper option in the long run.
Tax benefits
Rented equipment can give you some tax advantage as your rental payments will be 100% tax deductible. Although depreciation on owned equipment will also reduce your tax burden, the amount that you'll be able to charge will usually be lower than the rental payment.
Flexibility
Rented equipment can give you unmatched flexibility in a number of ways. You can easily upgrade or change the computers or hardware if the need arises. You can even change rental plans to increase or decrease the number of computers you are using. For example, if your business faces a sudden surge in demand, you need to simply add more computers to your existing rental plan.
Besides, computer rental equipment allows you to set up new operations at different locations at short notice. Similarly, rented equipment is great option for temporary needs such as trade shows and other business events. You can opt for a short term rental plan and get the equipment shipped to the venue.
Equipment maintenance
In cased of rented equipment, your provider is responsible for any problems arising with the equipment as against your owned equipment. You are spared the anxiety and expense of the upkeep of your computing equipment. In urgent situations where your equipment fails or develops faults, your business can resume operations speedily because a reliable provider will ensure prompt replacement.
You will have to make the buy vs. rent decision based on your operational needs and your business model. Both computer rental and purchase have their own benefits, and your decision should depend on how much flexibility you need and if you are looking for short or long term cost benefits.
For more information on renting a computer or renting a monitor, contact an IT professional at Vernon Computer Source.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sean_M._Murphy
Do you need the latest technology?
If your business requires the latest in computer technology, it is better to consider rental options. With rented equipment, you can keep pace with the latest technology and innovations in the industry that can give your business an edge. Purchasing equipment could end up costing a lot, as you have to keep re-investing afresh every time your existing technology goes out of date.
Capital requirement
If your business is a startup or in a rapid growth phase, you will already have big capital expenditures lined up. Adding the huge cost of IT equipment purchase may cause you to compromise on office infrastructure or a good office location. When you go with leased or rented equipment, you save on capital expenditure, which can be used for more important things. On the other hand, if you are an established business and have stable demand, then buying equipment is a better choice as it may turn out to be a cheaper option in the long run.
Tax benefits
Rented equipment can give you some tax advantage as your rental payments will be 100% tax deductible. Although depreciation on owned equipment will also reduce your tax burden, the amount that you'll be able to charge will usually be lower than the rental payment.
Flexibility
Rented equipment can give you unmatched flexibility in a number of ways. You can easily upgrade or change the computers or hardware if the need arises. You can even change rental plans to increase or decrease the number of computers you are using. For example, if your business faces a sudden surge in demand, you need to simply add more computers to your existing rental plan.
Besides, computer rental equipment allows you to set up new operations at different locations at short notice. Similarly, rented equipment is great option for temporary needs such as trade shows and other business events. You can opt for a short term rental plan and get the equipment shipped to the venue.
Equipment maintenance
In cased of rented equipment, your provider is responsible for any problems arising with the equipment as against your owned equipment. You are spared the anxiety and expense of the upkeep of your computing equipment. In urgent situations where your equipment fails or develops faults, your business can resume operations speedily because a reliable provider will ensure prompt replacement.
You will have to make the buy vs. rent decision based on your operational needs and your business model. Both computer rental and purchase have their own benefits, and your decision should depend on how much flexibility you need and if you are looking for short or long term cost benefits.
For more information on renting a computer or renting a monitor, contact an IT professional at Vernon Computer Source.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sean_M._Murphy
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