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Introducing our new Marketing Apprentice, Maddie Frost

Last week we welcomed Maddie to the Cyclops team for work experience in the summer. She will be working with the marketing team alongside Marketing Manager Marta Marco, Content Marketing Executive Sally Dobie and Digital Marketing Executive Ben Kealey.

What attracted you to working at Cyclops?

I liked the opportunity to do work experience with the marketing team and learn more about the digital side of marketing and how a marketing department works in a company. I wanted to see all different types of marketing to see if I preferred a certain part of marketing that I would want to pursue in the future.

What do you get up to in your spare time?

I enjoy reading, watching TV series and going out with my friends whether it be shopping, going to restaurants or just hanging out. I also love listening to music as I’m a massive Swiftie.

What would your superpower be?

I think teleportation would be cool as you can just go anywhere you want without doing anything. Unpopular opinion but I wouldn’t want to fly!

What meal would you have if you had a last meal?

Probably a really good Chinese! Or a big beef burger!

When you were younger what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be a vet as I loved animals and still do. I also used to watch The Supervet all the time with my sister which made me want to help pets even more.

What would be your dream holiday destination?

I would love to go to Italy and go round all the beautiful cities especially Rome and Venice. It will be warmer than the UK too which is always a plus when going on holiday!

Which FRIENDS star do you associate more with personality wise?

I think my personality is similar to a female version of Ross as he likes to make other people happy, is caring and smart but also clumsy! He is also quite funny and has a dry, sarcastic sense of humour which I think I do too!

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Electronic Components Uncategorized

The inner workings of a flexible screen

flexible screen

Flexible screens that the consumer can fold or roll were once a complex novelty. Now, they are becoming increasingly more commonplace.

More and more phones and electronic devices are offering flexible screens. Only recently were the newest Samsung Galaxy phones released with folding screens. Oppo, LG and other providers are also beginning to offer flexible screens for their devices.

The first phones with curved displays were produced in 2014 when plastic joined glass as a screen substrate option. The flexible plastic could be bent without breaking, and was much more durable than a thin fragile sheet of glass.

Any kind of screen needs to be durable, but the necessity is increased when flexibility and folding is considered. The other layers of the device have to be just as flexible and durable, which is a factor that has led to a much longer development time.

I don’t believe my eyes!

OLED is currently the display of choice on flexible screens, often being chosen over the LCD alternative. Unlike the backlit LCD screen, the pixels themselves are what emit light in OLED. Thanks to this OLED screens can be much thinner and lighter.

Aside from the cover layer, the glass or plastic layer we interact with, and the OLED, there are two other layers in a flexible touchscreen device:

The substrate layer, which is the bottom layer of the screen, supports the layers that follow. This is usually made of plastic or metal. The most common substrate used for flexible devices is polymide, which has a high mechanical strength and thermal stability. This is also usually used for the cover layer as well.

Powered pixels

The thin film transistor (TFT) layer is between the substrate and the OLED layer. It controls the power delivery to each pixel individually, allowing for high contrast rates and lower power consumption.

Within the TFT layer itself there are also several components that go into its construction. The first layer is glass, metals and polymers and is only microns thick.

Next, there is a gate electrode made of aluminium, gold or chromium. The gate electrode provides a signal to the TFT which begins the contact between the source and drain.

The third layer, an insulator, is used to stop electrical shorting in between the two layers. After that there is another electrode layer and is deposited over the semiconducting surfaces.

Welcome to the fold

As a specialist in day-to-day and obsolete electronic components, Cyclops Electronics can help you source the components you’re looking for. With an extensive stocklist and a dedicated team of account managers, we can guarantee to go above and beyond our competitors. Contact Cyclops today to see what we can do for you on sales@cyclops-electronics.com, or call +44 (0) 1904 415 415.

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Electronic Components Uncategorized

Improvements to smart materials in the works

Thin film semiconductor

A team of scientists and engineers has developed a new way of producing thin film perovskite semiconductors.

This ‘smart material’ can adapt depending on stimuli like light, magnetic fields or electric fields.

This could lead to the material being combined with other nano-scale materials to produce sensors, smart textiles and flexible electronics.

Thin films are usually made via epitaxy: atoms are placed on a substrate one layer at a time.

However, with this method the films stay attached to the host substrate and are less easily utilised. If it can be separated from the substrate it is much more useful.

The team, based at the University of Minnesota, has found a way to create a strontium titanate membrane without several of the usual freestanding membrane issues.

Making freestanding ‘smart’ oxide material membranes comes with certain challenges. Unlike 2D substances like graphene, smart oxide materials are bonded in 3 dimensions.

The method

One way to make them is using remote epitaxy. Graphene is used as an intermediary between the substrate and the membrane. This allows the thin film material to be peeled off the substrate. One issue with this is when using the technique with metal oxides the graphene becomes oxidised and ruins the sample.

A new technique pioneered by the University of Minnesota is hybrid molecular beam epitaxy. This stops the oxidation process by using titanium that is already bonded to oxygen. The team has also been able to introduce automatic stoichiometric control, which no one else has been able to do.

The hope is in future to combine these thin film membranes to create more advanced smart materials. There are certain products already using thin films like gallium-oxide. Other alternatives to thin film include carbon nanotubes, which can be used in layers of only 0.06nm thickness.

A ‘smart’ choice

Cyclops Electronics can provide a huge range of specialist, day-to-day, and hard to find electronic components. We work with our customers to make sure we find what they need and deliver in the quickest time possible.

Contact Cyclops for all your electronic component needs. Call us on +44 (0) 1904 415 415, or email us at sales@cyclops-electronics.com.

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Component Shortage Uncategorized

How electronics shortages may affect Christmas

Christmas Shortages

Christmas is just around the corner, and while many shortages have calmed there are some that persist and will have an impact on the usual holiday festivities.

Despite reports that shortages are ending, more than half of semiconductor industry leaders (56%) are expecting them to continue into 2023.

There are shortages that we have been prepared for as the months counted down to the holidays. However, other shortages may catch some unawares.

Much of the news regarding shortages has revolved around the difficulty producing new, smaller nodes. These are the semiconductors going into new consumer electronics, often purchased as Christmas gifts.

What was expected:

As semiconductor shortages persist, next-gen consumer electronics will be in limited supply. Demand always spikes around the holidays, as consumers prepare for the gifting season. But some will be out of luck since electronics have also been affected by the shortages.

While consumer electronics, including smartphones, smart home devices, and games consoles have become slightly more stable, there will still be shortages in the face of holiday buying and events like Black Friday.

This also affects the manufacture of new cars, both fuel and electricity-powered models. Many car companies have lowered the number of vehicles produced. Although they haven’t been able to meet the increased demand, semiconductor shortages mean they cannot produce more.

What you didn’t expect:

New electronic components are not the only ones that are in short supply. Older components and obsolete electronic parts have also become scarcer.

Embedded flash microcontrollers are one component that has long been used in automotive manufacture. Most of the ones used are still using older nodes, like 90nm. So while new cars are being affected, older cars in need of repair will also be impacted.

Industrial electronics are also at risk due to shortages, since they similarly rely on legacy nodes. Traditionally these would be the more stable of options for electronic components. However, the reserves that have taken years to build are now being drained.

Although companies are planning on investing in legacy nodes, the shortages are expected to last until at least 2024, if not 2025.

The shortages show no sign of stopping, and manufacturers will be dealing with the effects of it for years to come. There are surely plenty of electronic components and markets affected that have not been mentioned here, so this overview is by no means exhaustive.

What to expect

As shortages persist, there’s no better time to get in touch with us.

Cyclops Electronics have an extensive supply of day-to-day and obsolete electronic components. If you have been struggling to source components elsewhere, Cyclops Electronics is there for you.

Let us provide your Christmas miracle this year, call us on +44 (0) 1904 415 415 or email us at sales@cyclops-electronics.com.

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One week until Electronica!

Electronica

This year one of the largest electronics trade fairs in the world is taking place in Munich, Germany.

Cyclops’s founder has been attending Electronica since it first began, so the convention has always been a highlight of our calendar. We have met many clients and partners through the connections provided to us by Electronica.

The convention is focusing on the promotion of sustainability this year. Bringing the industry together in one location with the aim of “Driving Sustainable Progress”, Electronica hopes to show the role the world that electronics will help, not hinder, sustainability.

The previous Electronica in 2020 was purely virtual, but having hundreds of exhibitors back in Messe München, spread over 13 halls, will be an event to remember.

 In 2018 there were more than 81,000 visitors to the trade fair from 101 countries. 3,124 exhibitors attended the event, we’re hoping for an even more enthusiastic turnout this time around.

In 2021 there was a 9.8% increase in industry revenue from the previous year, at €200 billion, which is astounding progress during the pandemic.

Electronica will have a supporting program full of knowledge and professional talks. During conferences experts will analyse market activity.

The convention has been held every other year since 1964, and has continually grown and evolved over the years.

In the final week leading up to the trade fair, we want to organise meetings with all our clients who are also attending. Whether you are a returning or new customer, we want to show you what Cyclops can do for you.

We have the expertise and drive to go the extra mile for you. Whether you are looking to buy or sell, Cyclops has a solution for you.

Whether you are a returning customer or are completely new to Cyclops, we want to meet you. If you are attending Electronica you can book an appointment with our staff to discuss your needs at Eventbrite now.

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Keeping clean and going green for Electronica

Electronica

The Cyclops staff are busy preparing for the biggest event in the Cyclops calendar: Electronica. This is the time for us to meet our customers, both returning and new. But this year, we are making sure we’re doing things the clean, green way.

Since Covid, we are paying special attention to the hygiene services we provide. There will be hand sanitiser and wipes available on our stand.

It is more important than ever to ensure we are environmentally conscious, and to that end we are taking steps to minimise our environmental impact.

As we are shipping our goods from the UK to Germany, we are making sure we are using much less disposable packaging. As far as possible we have reduced our packing and will be reducing the total volume of goods shipped to avoid unnecessary emissions.

The goods we are shipping to Electronica are also greener than in previous years. One of the OEM rewards we are giving out to our customers is the Rocketbook.

This notebook is a fusion of traditional handwriting and digitisation. The Rocketbook is a paper notebook with a QR code on each page. When paired with the phone app you can scan the code, upload pages of writing and digitize the text. Once it is uploaded, you can clear the page of the notebook and use it again.

This reusable approach to a traditional tool is something we at Cyclops are passionate about. We are looking forward to sharing this innovation with our customers!

We are also taking other steps to go green for Electronica. The disposable products that we would have taken in the past are being replaced with recyclable alternatives, like paper cups for drinks instead of plastic.

With only 2 weeks until Electronica preparation is in full swing for the event. We can’t wait to see you all there!

Come visit the Cyclops Electronics team in Hall 4, stand 126. In the meantime you can always contact us on +44 (0) 1904 415 415, or email us at sales@cyclops-electronics.com.

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Carbon nanotubes being used to develop ‘Smart Clothes’

Since the discovery of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in 1991, the material has been utilised for commercial purposes in several areas, including anti-corrosion paints, hydrophobic coatings and engineering plastics.

CNTs were one of the materials that made it possible for two-dimensional graphene to be used and researched. On a broader scale, it allowed nanoscience to branch into its own area of study.

The material is made up of a cylindrical tube of carbon atoms, and can be single-walled or multi-walled. On a molecular level, CNTs are 100 times more robust than steel and a fraction of the weight.

But in the last ten years, there have been studies into how the material’s heat and electrical conductive qualities might be used in another everyday product: clothes.

Keeping warm

A recent study by North Carolina State University examined CNTs’ usage as a ‘smart fabric’ in 2020. The researchers investigated how its heating and cooling properties could be harnessed to make a cheaper alternative to the current thermoelectric materials being used.

The plan is to integrate the CNTs into the fabric of the clothes, rather than an extra layer, which means the flexible material has an advantage over others currently available on the market.

The low thermal conductivity of CNTs means that heat would not travel back to the wearer, and the same applies to cool air, when an external current is applied.

Heart racing yet?

 A study from seven years previously studied how CNTs could be used as a built-in electrocardiogram (ECG) within athletic wear. The nanotube fibres sewn into the clothes monitored heartrate and took a continual cardiogram from the wearer.

The Brown School of Engineering lab, who conducted the research, said the shirt would have to be a tight fit to make sure the material touched the skin, but the t-shirt was still – miraculously – machine-washable.

According to the researchers the enhances shirt actually performed better than a chest-strap monitor ECG when compared in a test, and could connect to Bluetooth devices to transmit the collected data.

Recharging…

In 2018 engineers from the University of Cincinnati, in partnership with the Wright-Patterson Air Force Research Laboratory, conducted a study into how CNT clothes could charge a phone.

This study investigated the applications of CNT clothes in the military, where it could be used to charge the electronics that form part of a soldier’s field equipment instead of weighty batteries. Using a similar technique to the other studies, where CNT fibres were sewn into the clothes.

Will it make fashion week?

Not quite yet. Despite the cheaper-by-comparison cost of the material, the quantity of material required for mass production is too high for what is currently available and is still relatively young and untested. The specialist equipment that would also be needed for CNT textile production would be an investment many manufacturers would decide against.

While CNTs may not be a hugely sought-after material just yet, Cyclops can supply you with hard-to-find electronic components when you need them most. Contact us now at sales@cyclops-electronics.com to see how we can help you.

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Incoterms Explained

incoterms

Incoterms (International Commercial Terms) are a set of trade rules issued by the International Chamber of Commerce. This defines the responsibilities of sellers and buyers globally to reduce confusion in cross-border trade.

Incoterms are 11 internationally recognised rules that define things like who is responsible for managing shipment and who is responsible for customs clearance. The aim is to enable smooth trade and transactions.

This article will provide an explainer of the 11 Incoterms.

Incoterms for Any Mode of Transport

There are seven Incoterms for Any Mode of Transport:

  • EXW (Ex Works)– This Incoterm makes export clearance the responsibility of the buyer. Except when the country overrules it by law (such as the U.S.).
  • FCA (Free Carrier)– The seller is responsible for making the goods available at its own premises or at a named place. The seller is responsible for export clearance and security.
  • CPT (Carriage Paid To)– The seller clears goods for transport and delivers them for shipment. Assuming responsibility for delivery to the named destination.
  • CIP (Carriage and Insurance Paid To)– The seller is responsible for delivery and insurance of delivery, after which risk transfers to the buyer.
  • DAP (Delivered at Place)– The seller bears all risks associated with delivery but not unloading.
  • DPU (Delivered at Place Unloaded)– The seller bears all risks associated with delivery and unloading.
  • DDP (Delivered Duty Paid)– The seller bears all risks associated with customs duty and delivery, as well as unloading.

Incoterms for Sea and Inland Waterway Transport

There are four Incoterms for Sea and Inland Waterway Transport:

  • FAS (Free Alongside Ship)– The seller clears goods for export and delivers them for shipment alongside the vessel, after which the buyer assumes responsibility.
  • FOB (Free on Board)– The seller clears goods for export and delivers them for shipment on the vessel, after which the buyer assumes responsibility.
  • CFR (Cost and Freight)– The seller clears goods for export and assumes responsibility up until the goods are loaded on the vessel.
  • CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight)– The seller clears goods for export and bears the cost of freight and insurance. Buyer assumes responsibility for unloading.

Understanding Incoterms 

Incoterms are designed to clearly define who is responsible for goods at different points of importation and exportation.

When explicitly incorporated by parties into a sales contract, Incoterms become a legally enforceable part of that sales contract.

In each Incoterm, a statement is provided for the seller’s responsibility to provide goods and a commercial invoice. A corresponding statement stipulates that the buyer pay the price of goods as provided in the contract of sale.

The limitation with Incoterms is they do not address all conditions of a sale, and they do not address liability or dispute resolution. Instead, they are a framework that importers and exporters can use to ensure smooth transactions.

To find out more about Incoterms, the ICC has an explainer article, or you can download the ICC’s free eBook for a detailed guide.

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Memory suppliers to benefit from strong demand and supplier shortages

Memory

While the downsides to electronic components shortages are well known, business is booming for smaller memory suppliers.

Sales of Samsung DRAM grew 26% in Q2 2021 without meaningful production capacity growth, and as supply-demand imbalances grow, memory suppliers like Samsung, Micron, and others are turning to smaller suppliers to fill gaps.

As chip shortages continue, demand grows. Order books get filled off the page, creating longer lead times (up to 40-weeks) and extending standing orders. This is bad news for the end-product manufacturer but great news for suppliers, who see sales rise and bids increase to fuel record turnover and, in some cases, net profits.

The sector as a whole is booming, but no better example of taking the bull by the horns exists than Alliance Memory.  

Alliance Memory is a US-based 30-year old DRAM manufacturer, billed as a legacy SRAM supplier and a leading domestic supplier of DRAM and flash memory. The company’s run rate in 2021 is double what it was in 2020.

In an interview with EPS News, Alliance Memory CEO David Bagby explains why: “we went out to customers struggling to get Samsung. Now we have maybe the best representation of DRAM and SRAM product of anybody out there.”

Memory upturn forecast to continue

IC Insights, the foremost authority on memory and chip demand, has predicted a new record high for memory demand in 2022.

Stronger DRAM pricing is expected to lift total memory revenue 23% in 2021 to $155.2 billion. The memory upturn is forecast to continue into 2022 to $180.4 billion, surpassing the all-time high of $163.3 billion set in 2018.

Demand for memory, including DRAM, SRAM and flash, is being driven by economic recovery and the transition to a digital economy. Unlike other technological cycles, the current cycle of digitalisation weights it, fuelled by innovations in data centres, 5G and space networks, AI, robotics and IoT.

Sequentially, the average price of DRAM rose 8% in the first quarter of 2021. Another increase of 18-23% in Q2 sent memory suppliers into a spin. Demand is outstripping supply, creating a perfect storm for continued price increases.

Price increases expected to continue until late 2022

The price of memory is more sensitive to other electronic components because supply is controlled by a few big players. Smaller memory suppliers fill in gaps in supply, but the big guns like Samsung and Micron rule the roost.

When demand outstrips supply at the big guns, prices explode. We’ve seen it several times before, such as the memory price increase of 2018. Prices fell again in 2019, recovered a little in 2020, then soared again this year.

Memory is a commodity and companies are willing to pay big to get a hold of it. Bidding wars are not uncommon and 40-week lead times are normal today.

However, while the memory upturn is predicted to continue into 2022, Gartner says memory prices will dive at the end of the year, predicting that an “oversupply” of memory chips will develop as demand eases and supply increases.

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Why are semiconductors so important to so many industries?

The semiconductor chip has done more to connect the world than any other technology, but why is it so important to so many industries?  

Semiconductors are materials used to make semiconductor wafers, on which potentially millions of components are fabricated, to create an integrated circuit (IC), creating a single chip that can be used for computation or other tasks.

Semiconductors are important to so many industries because they are an essential electronic component, whether we are talking about the semiconductor material (silicon, silicon carbide) or the chips that perform tasks.  

To understand why semiconductors are so important to so many industries, let’s take a step back and clarify what a semiconductor actually is.

What is a semiconductor?

A semiconductor is a material that partly conducts current, somewhere between that of an insulator and a conductor (hence the name semi-conductor).

A semiconductor chip is an integrated circuit (IC) formed on a wafer of silicon, consisting of the semiconductor material that manages the flow and control of current, and components like transistors and resistors to create the circuit.

When talking about semiconductors in relation to chips, we use the names “chips” or “semis’” because these names are more accurate for describing circuits laid down or grown to do computation or other tasks like memory.

Why are semiconductors so important?

In 1947, the first semiconductor transistor was made. Engineers quickly realised that manufacturing transistors out of silicon allowed them to fit on a microchip, which opened the gates to all the electronics you use today.

Without semiconductor chips, modern electronics would not exist. These inconspicuous, tiny components replaced tubes in electronics in the 1970s, laying the foundation for every electrical device used today, including the screen you’re looking at.

Today, all modern electrical devices use semiconductor chips, from home ovens to smartphones and cars. Billions of semiconductors are manufactured each year, and they are getting smaller and smarter with each generation.

Powering our smart, connected world

As we discussed earlier, semiconductor chips are single electronic components consisting of thousands or millions of electrical components, enabling functions like computation, memory, oscillation, switching, logic, amplification, and so on.

Without this single component with an integrated circuit, there would be no way to efficiently make the circuits we need to create smart, connected devices in their current form. Quite literally, chips are the reason you are reading this.

With an insatiable appetite for semiconductor chips, it’s a good job the material we use to make the wafers – silicon – is naturally abundant.

Today, most chips are built on silicon, which makes up 27.7% of the earth’s crust, or silicon carbide, a compound tweaked for performance.

However, our demand for chips is outstripping supply. There is a global semiconductor shortage under way affecting all industries, with the automotive industry hardest hit due to a perfect storm that has been building for years.

Electronic components distributors like us, Cyclops Electronics are helping supply meet demand, while the semiconductor industry battles to make more chips.

If you are having difficulty finding those hard-to-find and obsolete electronic components. Get in touch with our team today by emailing sales@cyclops-electronics.com or call 01904 415 415.

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