Posted Apr 25, 2012, by John Day
Registration is now open at www.mentor.com/events/iesf/detroit for the 12th IESF Conference for Automotive EE Design – June 14th, 2012 at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Dearborn, MI. Click to sign up if you haven’t already. I missed the last one and don’t want to miss this one – especially since this year I am on the program, speaking about automotive electronics reliability (shameless plug: http://books.sae.org/book-t-126) … Read More
Tags:
LEONI Wiring Systems,
Johnson Controls,
system analysis,
the GENIVI Alliance,
Automotive EE Design,
Hyatt Regency Hotel,
The Hansen Report,
automotive electronics reliability,
IBM Rational,
the Linux Foundation,
wire harness engineering,
IESF Detroit,
'FlexRay,
Infolytica,
CAN,
electronic thermal design and measurement,
Chrysler,
AUTOSAR,
Freescale Semiconductor,
Bishop & Associates,
GENIVI,
Delphi Automotive Systems,
Continental Automotive,
E/E systems design,
SAE International,
LIN,
power and signal design,
NXP Semiconductors,
Open Kernel Labs,
Mentor Graphics,
modeling and simulation,
Linux,
Mecel
Posted Jul 26, 2011, by John Day
Ford announced in England that in-car CD players are going the way of cassette tapes. The company noted that each Focus in the UK is equipped with an auxiliary input socket for connecting MP3 devices, and Bluetooth for wireless connection.
Ford said it’s increasing the availability of Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) radio to UK customers, and will launch Ford SYNC next year. So customers won’t … Read More
Tags:
MP3 devices,
Ford Sync,
reel-to-reel tape players,
Bluetooth,
cassette tapes,
8-track players,
Ford,
Ford Focus,
Chrysler,
Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB)
Posted Nov 26, 2010, by John Day
The market research firm iSuppli recently predicted that factory-installed Wi-Fi will grow from about 174,000 this year to 7.2 million in 2017. That got me thinking about in-vehicle Internet access.
iSuppli said automakers increasingly view wireless connectivity as a key competitive differentiator, and I am sure they do, but there is little consensus on how to provide that connectivity and little evidence … Read More
Tags:
Harman Automotive,
General Motors,
in-vehicle Internet access,
Audi a8,
USB mobile broadband modem,
Autonet Mobile,
Wi-Fi,
WLAN,
Amazon,
Chrysler,
iSuppli,
eBay,
Marvell Technology,
Ford,
Bluetooth,
Subaru
Posted Nov 9, 2010, by John Day
The folks at USCAR drew my attention to cyber-physical systems (CPS), a discipline of keen interest to the National Science Foundation (NSF) and to a growing number of universities, as well as to Ford, GM, Chrysler, and other automakers.
USCAR thinks of CPS as a network of highly sophisticated electromechanical subsystems autonomously controlling hybrid drive, automated parking assist, crash avoidance, … Read More
Tags:
Ford,
GM,
cyber-physical systems,
Chrysler,
National Science Foundation,
USCAR
Posted Oct 27, 2010, by John Day
Cars today have more electronic content than ever, which means more circuits, more wiring, and more weight. At the same time, automotive semiconductor and networking technologies pack more performance into smaller space. How does that net out?
I posed the question to Paul Geyer, who has design responsibility for connectors, schematics and wiring tools in Chrysler’s Power and Signal Distribution group … Read More
Tags:
GM,
SAE/USCAR 21,
Ford,
USCAR,
Chrysler,
SAE/USCAR-2,
United States Council for Automotive Research
Posted Oct 14, 2010, by John Day
The New York Times published a positive story about Detroit this week (Oct. 12). It referenced the fact that U.S. brands edged imports in J.D. Power’s Initial Quality Study, 108 to 109 PP100 (problems per-100 vehicles within 90 days of purchase).
Ford cracked the IQS top five for the first time, and Lincoln had 23 fewer problems per 100 vehicles than it did last year. Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac all … Read More
Tags:
New York Times,
J.D. Power and Associates,
Chrysler,
Cadillac,
Chevrolet,
Buick,
GM,
GMC,
Ford,
Ford Sync
Posted May 14, 2010, by Paul Johnston
Since I began working in the realm of software systems for electrical interconnect design I have seen increased user choice in on-and off-road vehicles. I have read the technical papers and marvelled at the memorable phrase “combinatorial explosion” used to refer to the options a buyer of a high-end new passenger car is able to order.
Choice is good right? If you are fortunate enough to be able to … Read More
Tags:
John Antilla,
IESF,
Virtual Architect,
Capital Desktop Architect,
Capital Integrator,
Automotive Electrical and Electronic Systems Design,
Wiring Harness,
Complexity Management,
Electrical Interconnect Design,
Chrysler,
CHS,
CHS Capital Costing
Posted Feb 12, 2010, by John Day
One telling sign of the automotive electrical and electronics industry slowdown last year was a steep drop in marketing efforts by component, software and system suppliers. Companies that sponsored major events for customers and press or were otherwise highly visible two years ago had relatively little to say in 2009. That didn’t mean the companies were idle, of course; only that corporate belts needed … Read More
Tags:
The Hansen Report on Automotive Eelctronics,
Silicon Valley,
Wrightspeed,
Hyatt Dearborn,
Ian Wright,
Chrysler,
Mentor Graphics,
Paul Hansen,
Integrated Electrical Solutions Forum (IESF),
John Antilla
Posted Feb 10, 2010, by John Day
Remember a year or so ago when GM and Chrysler were teetering on the edge of bankruptcy and debate raged – as it still does – over federal involvement in the filings? Would either have survived without the government’s help, or would they have been liquidated? And if one or both had ceased to exist, where would the automotive industry (not to mention the U.S. economy) be now? How many suppliers would … Read More
Tags:
GM,
Honda,
Airbag Recall,
Toyota,
Chrysler
Posted Dec 29, 2009, by John Day
Since the auto industry entered crisis mode a year or so ago, I’ve often thought about the horrid and simplistic perception of the industry in the public mind – “stupid” and “greedy” people who only make “gas guzzlers” – in contrast with the very different perception I’ve gained from reporting on automotive electrical and electronic technology. The auto industry employs some very smart people who are … Read More
Tags:
Chrysler,
GM,
"Crash Course",
United Auto Workers,
Wall Street Journal,
Greek Tragedy,
Paul Ingrassia
Jim Martens
J VanDomelen
Nazita Saye
Michael Ford
Robin Bornoff
Dennis Brophy
Mike Jensen
Colin Walls
Tom Fitzpatrick
Max Clark
Patrick Carrier
Mark Laing
Travis Mikjaniec
Christopher Hallinan
Bernard Sutton