Page 36 - EngineerIt April 2021

INDUSTRY AND INNOVATION

Better weather forecasting antenna system was already in transit to
SANSA. Because SANSA is an essential service,
the Hartebeesthoek ground station was staffed
ANSA installed a new antenna at Hartebeesthoek as part of the Satellite and Weather Information with minimal staff and we were able to receive
Sfor Disaster Resilience in Africa (SAWIDRA) project, which aims to improve weather forecasting the system for delivery.”
capacity for disaster risk reduction and disaster risk management. Avenant says much of the antenna
“The project was well underway until the global slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” foundation was completed just in time before
says Eugene Avenant, Chief Engineer at SANSA. “At the time of the lockdown in South Africa, the the lockdown. “The staff on site was then able
to assemble the antenna while maintaining the
proper protection as required by the lockdown
rules,” he says. When the lockdown was
downgraded to stage three, the final work for
the installation was completed.
Kenya, Niger and Gabon will also
host antennas for the SAWIDRA project,
which is being implemented by the African
Centre of Meteorological Applications for
Development (ACMAD) , with financial
assistance from the African Development
Bank (AfDB). The antennas will acquire
real-time polar-orbiting satellite data, for
use by the South African Weather Service
and others.
Unfortunately, the project has been
severely delayed in the other countries due to
COVID-19 travel restrictions. But with the first
system up and running at Hartebeesthoek, and
software testing completed using the SANSA
antenna, installation at the other sites can
continue as travel restrictions in those countries
are easing. n

Electronic component shortages leaving gamers wanting

lectronic component shortages, specifically semiconductors and companies bought up all extra chips to meet that demand, and when auto
“Esubstrates for central processing units (CPUs), have created a companies realised people still wanted cars it was too late.
massive problem for many industries, including the gaming industry, Most modern chipmakers also use ABF, otherwise known as
leaving consumers in limbo as they are unable to get access to new gaming “Ajinomoto Build-up Film” to design the smaller components of their CPUs
hardware”’ says Matthew Hall, Product Director at Rectron. and GPUs. The shortage of ABF substrates has become one of the major
Gaming hardware manufacturers have struggled with stock shortages factors behind CPU and GPU shortages we are currently experiencing.
for a year now. However, consumers are facing price hikes and shortages
of products from TVs and mobile phones to cars as the global shortage in The impact on the gaming industry
semiconductors grows. This ultimately affects the consumer as prices will go up for all
sorts of electrical products. Some high-end computer and gaming
What is causing the shortage? components are selling on auction sites such as eBay for double their
The current chip shortage is the result of a perfect storm of factors, retail prices and wait times for new PlayStations and Xboxes may get
including pandemic-related work stoppages, increased demand, and pushed out further.
disruptions within transportation logistics. Even while manufacturing Although it’s not hard to find a good desktop or laptop computer for
declined, demand has boomed. everyday work, finding gaming PC equipment and game consoles have
The stay-at-home era caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed become more difficult and more expensive in the past few months. Most
demand beyond levels projected by chipmakers. Lockdowns spurred gaming PCs depend upon Nvidia or AMD graphic processors. With both
growth in sales of laptops to its highest in a decade. Home-networking corporations launching their new line of processors, consumers have been
devices, webcams and monitors were bought as office work moved out of left disappointed by how impossible they are to find.
the office. The semiconductor fabrication industry is going to bounce back, but
At the same time, millions of people forced to work or learn from it is unclear how long it will take for the supply shortage to lift. For the
home poured money they may have otherwise spent on movie tickets consumers, however, this means the best thing to do is to be patient and
or vacations into TVs, computers, and video game systems. Electronics wait for the light at the end of the tunnel. n

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