Artificial neural networks become more powerful

The pi-top is an all-in-one portable solution in the shape of a kit that transforms a Raspberry Pi into a laptop computer with a 14” 1920 × 1080 high-resolution TFT display, a keyboard with mouse pad, and a battery. An RPi 3 model B+ is included. Read on to find out what you can do with the pi-top.

Although Elektor Magazine and their Labs have been relatively slow to jump the bandwagon called retro & vintage electronics, and specifically the revival of the Nixie tube, the projects and background articles we did see were delightful and well-engineered. The prime examples are the New Precise Nixie Clock and the Q and A on Nixie Tubes. In the wake of their Nixie and VFD clock projects, free-lance contributing designers Ilse Joostens and Peter S’heeren from Belgium (just around the corner from Elektor Labs) now surprise with another gem for in the living room: a thermometer with a traditional degrees C/F column but a “warm” readout. The secret: a perfect match of the old and the new.

We have a look at the ‘Smart Video Car Kit for Raspberry Pi’ manufactured by SunFounder, a kit for a small Raspberry-Pi-based Wi-Fi-remote-controlled car with color video camera. We built one and tried it; here are our findings and tips.

The video chosen for you by Elektor TV this week describes the experimenter’s Google AI Voice Kit, with which Google attempts to put “his” intelligence to the service of voice communication between man and machine. One has to wonder about the deeper motives of Google’s “generosity” in this, but it is certainly worthy of our attention. A cardboard box to talk to Big Brother, now that’s unusual.

The new 3-axis CNC milling machine which has been undergoing testing at Elektor Labs holds a lot of promise. Here is a new video with three trials which are representative of its capabilities. We milled 3 gear wheels in 3 different materials: plywood and Plexiglas®, both 5mm thick, and 6mm Aluminium. Without cooling!

In a few minutes this video gives a summary of the differences (and similarities) between the 3B and 3B+ versions of the Raspberry Pi from the point of view of a reasonably well informed and hopefully impartial user. This information is often seen or heard, but to do a comparative test, with simultaneous starts of the two versions, is a real dogfight!

The good old principle of the XY table is used here with a laser diode instead of the ordinary plotter pen. Although the laser is rated at just 2.5 watts, that's sufficient to permanently mark materials as diverse as wood, leather, cardboard, various types of film and even anodized or painted aluminum. Using a laser engraver, it was never easier to personalise objects with inscriptions, markings, designs, or logos.

That’s right, as of edition 4 /2018 of Elektor Magazine covering July & August has been renamed to ElektorLabs Magazine. It’s to underline that the Elektor Labs based in Aachen, Germany, are at the hub of our publishing house. The subtitle of the magazine remains unchanged however, likewise the team of editors and designers creating the pages whose content is best qualified as: by engineers, for engineers.

Self-driving vehicles are a hot topic. But few people consider one of the biggest problems with autonomous vehicle technology: it’s designed mainly for use on properly mapped urban areas. What about when an autonomous vehicle must drive on a country road? MIT researchers are addressing the issue.

The "Sensors & Measurement" edition of Elektor Business is now available. The issue covers: sensor network design; sensor-driven mobile supercomputing; machine vision for the IoT; innovative sensor companies to watch; and much more.

The electronics industry is always in flux. Let's briefly review the latest news on mergers and acquisitions. Various outlets reported this week that Campbell, CA-based AI startup Wave Computing will likely acquire MIPS Technologies ...