August 26, 2010
We are experiencing some technical difficulties but we're still here!
For now, online ordering has been disabled but you are still welcome to
call or email us. See our Contact page for
numbers and addresses. We should be back to normal shortly. Thank you for your patience.
May 6, 2010
Jeremy has been reading up on propsed changes to IATA and FCC regulations on the shipping and transport of lithium-ion batteries. While looking for relevant information, he stumbled upon this (413kB PDF). It's a list of battery-related incidents recorded by the FCC since 1991.
Jeremy: While battery-related accidents are by no means funny, I couldn't help but shake my head at some of the incidents described in the first few pages of this document. Page 2, for example, contains two excellent examples: July 15th, a collection of batteries were packaged "loose, with the contact points exposed"; and June 11th, a battery with exposed terminals was packaged in a bag along with loose screws.
Is it any surprise that a dead short could occur under these circumstances? On the very next page, December 13th, 20 12V batteries connected together with exposed terminals packaged along with metal "shelves" caught fire in Memphis. Inconceivable!
My point is this: increasing restrictions on transportation of lithium-ion batteries based on incidents like the above is futile. Many of the recorded incidents don't even involve lithium-ion batteries - those that do come from rather suspect manufacturers. Take a look at pages 4, 5, 6 and 8. You'll see the same CR123 battery involved in 5 seperate incidents. 2 of which involve the same "Fresh Air Buddy" product.
Transportation regulations will never be completely effective - particularly when faced with the twin devils of cheap electonics and user "creativity" - but I daresay improving enforcement of existing regulations is far better than simply increasing restrictions.
February 16, 2010
Gung Hei Fat Choi!
Happy Chinese New Year! What with the Olympics in full swing and the Year of the Tiger now upon us, we've had very little time to keep up with the news updates. Wishing everyone an exciting Olympics and a prosperous new year!
December 23, 2009
Happy Holidays!
Alti-tech Engineering would like to wish everyone a happy and healthful holiday season! We've had a great year, and we're looking forward to working with you again this 2010.
November 19, 2009
The ST202 packs are now available! With a capacity of 7600mAh and 84Wh of power, it is an excellent battery pack at an affordable price. Click here to be taken to our products page.
November 12, 2009
We've been hearing a fair amount of talk about the latest "super-fast-charge" battery technology recently. While it is true that recent developments with lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cels have enabled impressively fast charge and discharge times, we feel it's important to bear in mind that there are other considerations when it comes to battery charging.
Let's say we'd like to charge a 500mAh cell phone battery in seconds, rather than hours. At 0.5A, the charge would take an hour; at 1A it would take half that time. So, to charge in 10 seconds:
0.5Ah ÷ 0.002777778h = 180A!
Assuming we had a connector large enough to handle all that current, there's the small matter of how the existing electrical grid could handle such a draw. The long and the short of it is: it couldn't. The charger and charger rate must be designed to minimize load on the electrical grid while still providing convenience for the user.
This still exciting news - these cells also have a very fast discharge rate, which lends itself to more practical applications.
November 9, 2009
We are pleased to announce the upcoming addition of STL's portable power solutions to our products line. Their MP series provide variable-output voltages to power anything from your laptop to rack and cart-mounted equipment, and come in 68Wh and 98Wh formats. They're not available yet, but contact us if you'd like to learn more!
October 6, 2009
We're very pleased to announce that Alti-tech now has expanded our capacity for prototyping and PCB assembly. With our new solder reflow oven, we can produce boards that meet IPC-610A soldering standards. Contact us for more information!
July 9, 2009
For our clients who need Windows versions of our test and calibration software we've been using a Python package called py2exe. It's
cross-platform; we can take a program developed on a Linux system and package it up to be a Windows executable. Best of all, it doesn't
require our customers to install anything on their systems -- perfect for people with restrictive IT policies.
March 31, 2009
We've received a few inquiries about the recent layoffs at E-One Moli Energy - more information here. Although this is unfortunate news, our contact at Moli informs us that they will still be able to maintain our supply line, so our Molicel battery pack pricing and availability should remain the same.
March 17, 2009
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Despite the recent economic downturn, we've been enjoying a steady flow of work. Companies are finding it more profitable to outsource their tech projects to subcontractors rather than bring on full-time staff. We're busy, but we'd love to discuss what we can do for you!
January 16, 2009
Happy New Year!
It has been another great year for us here at Alti-tech, and we'd like to take a moment to thank all of our clients and customers for choosing our services.
Here's to a happy, healthy and prosperous 2009 for all of you!
November 21, 2008
Alti-tech has successfully registered with the Controlled Goods Directorate! We are now entitled to work with controlled goods under the Defence Production Act and the Controlled Goods Regulations, as well as work on ITAR projects. More information here.
September 11, 2008
It's been an eventful summer here at Alti-tech, with perhaps the most exciting event being the arrival of our new CNC machine! It took a lot of work to get it installed and running, but we think it was well worth it. Watch this space for more information about our manufacturing capabilities.
July 7, 2008
We've received word from our friends at Energy Access that the new and improved ICS 2-bay chargers are available! Check out our products page for more details.
May 29, 2008
We've made up some CAD drawings in STEP format of the ME202CJ, MCR-1821J, MQC1821 charger and the 1821 contact plate to help you with your design process. They can be found on our products page. Enjoy!
May 26, 2008
With the recent increases in raw materials and fuel costs, E-One Moli Energy has had to raise their prices and we have reluctantly had to follow suit. Our products page and online ordering system have been modified accordingly, but if you should encounter an error, please let us know!
March 10, 2008
Jeremy managed to find a couple spare hours in which to give the website a little facelift. Special thanks to Sharon Bader for providing us with the gorgeous background photo!
February 12, 2008
The prototype vehicle hybridization kit we developed with People's Hybrid has been featured on the VEVA website. Standard gasoline-powered vehicles retrofitted with the kit effectively become hybrid vehicles and exhibit an increase in overall fuel economy. The full press release can be viewed here.
January 2, 2008
- Happy New Year!
We've only just come back to the office, but we've already found lots to do! The online ordering system now uses the new 5% GST rate, and Hanna has revisited her tips for connecting to the ADAM in a Linux environment. Check out the changes here.
November 7, 2007
Our selection of in-house test equipment is expanding! Alti-tech can now provide a range of different testing services including automated battery pack cycling at controlled temperatures. Check back for a more detailed update soon!
September 27, 2007
Our online ordering system has been upgraded - Hanna has added an algorithm that calculates customs and duty charges when shipping to the United States. What does this mean to you? No more delivery charges at your door!
September 14, 2007
Despite how busy we've been this summer, Adrian found a little time to chat with a reporter from Business In Vancouver, a local publication focusing on business in British Columbia. We've made a summary of the article here.
June 11, 2007
So much to do, so little time! The past six weeks have been pretty hectic here at Alti-tech, what with prototype assembly and testing, finding parts, ordering inventory and scheduling production runs. No idle hands here!
April 25, 2007
Having trouble getting your ADAM unit to work in a Linux environment? Hanna has some tips for connecting the unit to your network and translating MODBUS commands over TCP/IP.
Check it out here.
April 18, 2007
We've been developing software applications for use with ADAM Data Acquisition Units, and are pleased to announce that we can now offer you customized production test equipment!
March 19, 2007
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Revisiting the DC-DC conversion circuitry on the Procyon Power Belt has enabled us to use a smaller control box. We think the new design is pretty sleek - check it out for yourself!
February 9, 2007
The first few weeks of 2007 have been the standard dreary drippy days we're so fond of here on the West Coast. We've taken advantage of the weather and buried ourselves away in the workshop, busying ourselves with a mix of projects.
January 12, 2007
The year is off to an exciting start! Alti-tech has been approached by Ecodrive to help design and develop a lithium-ion battery system for the EVT line of electric motorcycles.
January 2, 2007
Happy New Year! Alti-tech would like to wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous 2007.
November 2, 2006
Update: The problems at our DNS provider have been resolved.
November 1, 2006
You may be experiencing problems connecting to our site. Our DNS provider has been suffering under a Denial of Service attack aimed at their DNS servers. They are working on mitigating the attack and we hope to have everything working normally again soon.
October 26, 2006
It's done! Our website upgrade is complete! Take a look around and let us know what you think!
October 23, 2006
We've been working with White Monkey again putting together some exciting new props for various shows filming around town. Not only that, but we've also been working on an overhaul for the website, which should be ready soon!
September 5, 2006
Alti-tech has been approved by Microchip as a member of the Authorized Microchip Consultant, Design House and Specialist programs. This is a recognition of Alti-tech's expertise in Microchip PIC programming and circuit design.
August 1, 2006
We're still here! Alti-tech has been busy completing several custom design and PCB layout projects for a major lithium-ion cell manufacturer and a large battery pack assembler.
June 14, 2006
Our products page has been upgraded! The ability to specify options and add items to your online shopping cart makes ordering faster and easier than before.
May 30, 2006
We are pleased to announce our recent partnership with Energy Access Intelligent Charging Technologies. We are now offering both the Smart Battery Series and the Intelligent Charger Series on our products page, as well as all accessories available for these products.
May 9, 2006
Adrian and Alti-tech have been expanding their horizons with developing props for the television and film industry. So far, Adrian has designed and built LED "scanning devices" for Battlestar Galactica and a "Doomsday Machine" for Eureka, both television series being filmed in Vancouver.
April 11, 2006
The Procyon Power Belt is available! The product provides 150Wh of extended run time with a programmable 5V-24V output.
March 23, 2006
Adrian takes the GPS Power Case into the backcountry. See the Blue Logger data track here.
March 15, 2006
Looking for batteries for your Trimble, Telxon, or Symbol products? Check our MCR-1821J and ME202CJ battery compatibility lists for your device.
March 3, 2006
The GPS Power Case is being noticed! See GPS Gazette and GPS Review for articles about the product.
February 22, 2006
Work is continuing on a new extended run time product. Look for a product announcement in the next month.
January 20, 2006
We are pleased to announce the launch of our new online ordering system. Customers can now order any of our standard products quickly and conveniently. Online payments are made using PayPal, the world's most popular and trusted payment intermediary.
January 9, 2006
We're continuing to update our site. We have some application ideas for the GPS Power Case here.
October 3, 2005
The GPS Power Case is now in production. This product extends the run time of Earthmate's Blue Logger up to 60 hours and encloses it in a waterproof case.
January 12, 2007
Alti-tech to Help Develop Li-ion Electric Motorcycle
May 9, 2006
Alti-tech Introduces Procyon Power Belt
February 2, 2006
GPS Power Case extends runtime of Blue Logger by 600%