Barry Craik

eIDAS and eSignatures

In 2014, the EU passed the eIDAS resolution, to provide a stable platform for secure, yet simple transactions on the European stage. Part of eIDAS sets out definitions for three different types of electronic signature. In the resolution text, these are referred to as electronic signatures, advanced electronic signatures, and qualified electronic signatures.

STU-530

The basic electronic signature is about the data collected. When you digitally sign a document this way, it collects data about yourself and your computer, IP address, for example, and can later be used to confirm that you signed the document when and where it is claimed.

An advanced electronic signature is a little more complicated in that there are four key areas it must comply with. It must be capable of identifying the signatory, whether that is something as advanced as facial or fingerprint recognition, or as simple as a unique user ID. It must be linked solely with the signatory, like a password or PIN number. It must be created using data that the signatory can reasonably claim is under their sole control, your signature, for example. Finally, the digital signature must be linked to the signed data in such a way to make changes to the data detectable. Good examples of advanced digital signatures are those offered by online digital signature services.

The third and final definition is the qualified electronic signature, which must cover all of the same points as an advanced electronic signature, but must also be produced on an electronic signature creation device which has been qualified by an electronic Trust Service.

An electronic Trust Service, or eTS for short, is a licensed body which issues security certificates for use with electronic signature services, providing both an additional layer of security to an electronic signature, and a reputation boost for esignature service companies.

So how does this apply to the esignature solutions we offer here at Steadlands? The esignature solutions offered by both companies produces an advanced electronic signature – produced on specific esignature hardware, individual to both the date and time of signing, as well as the signer, and using data unique to the signer, namely, their signature.

ePad Vision

A number of Wacom’s software solutions, and ePadLink’s PDF signing solution do include the option for certification – it is even possible to create your own security certificate, and this does add an additional layer of security, but in the eyes of the EU, this is not enough to turn the signature into a qualified esignature. For this, the certificate used would have to be issued by one of the companies which has registered with the EU as an electronic Trust Service.

Advanced digital signatures, despite not being backed up by a third party, are still legally binding, accurate, and cost effective, with our esignature solutions capable of wiping off up to half the cost of dealing with a paper document.

Please contact us for more information about any of our esignature solutions.

Introducing the Wacom Clipboard

Clipboard

It’s pretty simple, you can transfer a paper form to your digital system without any scanning, transportation or data-loss.

The PHU-111KO Clipboard utilizes scanning technology and free software to create forms, and allow a user to complete them in both the physical and digital worlds simultaneously. Any digital signatures captured this way are still legally binding.

New Signature Solutions Now Available

The STU-540 and STU-541 are new top-of-the-line esignature solutions containing Wacom’s built in memory for seamless looping of advertising images. The STU-540 is equipped with the best of AES256/RSA2048 encryption, where the STU-541 uses Transfer Layer Security (TLS) backed up by authentication certificates from Cybertrust’s managed PKI.

With a good sized screen, and an HDMI interface, the DTH-1152 makes any front desk look smarter. It is fully compatible with Windows, Linux, Citrix, and VMWare. The DTK-1651 is similar in size and appearance, but can be mounted and used in both landscape and portrait mode. When not in use, both displays can be used to target marketing messages.

dth-1152STU-541

Picking Daisy

Building computers for use in hazardous environments can be a tricky business. The specifications of a PC needed for use on an oil refinery is very different to the requirements of one being used in a clean room laboratory or a food packaging plant, for example. This is why Daisy Data Displays offers very few off-the-shelf models, and instead give you, the customer, all the options you could want.

Daisy Data computers cover four key industries: the military, oil & gas, food & pharmaceutical processing, and flight simulation. While computers built for each of these industries have their unique differences, all of them are customizable in several key ways.

Military

Daisy Data’s military hardware is designed to withstand any environment US troops are sent to, and anything that might be thrown at them. Meeting mil-spec (military specification) targets, Daisy’s ruggedized hardware is well suited to all fields of combat, from high altitude combat fighters, down to high pressure, high humidity submarines, and everywhere in between. Systems are designed to be able to withstand the vibrations of a helicopter, through to the recoil of a tank firing a shell.

In the heat of battle, dependable equipment is essential to the success of the mission, and Daisy Data Displays will help get it done.

Oil & Gas

Oil and gas producers often work in some of the harshest (and dirtiest) conditions on the planet, and their technology needs to be able to reflect that. With that ideal in mind, Daisy Data Displays has created some of the toughest computers the world has ever seen, ranging from ATEX rated, portable rugged computers, through to wall or panel-mountable touchscreens in solid steel cases. They are specifically designed to be shock and vibration resistant, and withstand temperatures of -40 – 65 Celcius. The various systems on offer also comply with a number of third party certifications for safe computing in hazardous environments.

Food & Pharma

Food and pharmaceutical processing facilities have unique requirements, clean rooms, corrosive environments, frequent wash downs, and so on. All of Daisy Data’s food & pharmaceutical range are designed to be resistant to such rigours, including FDA certification for the US market, or the Food Standards Agency here in the UK. All Daisy Data computers for this industry are constructed out of corrosive resistant materials, and are typically waterproofed.

Flight Simulation

Supporting both military and commercial flight applications, Daisy Data understand the importance of teaching your pilots properly, using the correct technology. This is why Daisy Data’s flight simulation range of products are capable of doing just that, utilizing both capacitive and resistive touchscreens, SAW, night vision goggles filters, and impact-resistant polycarbonate viewing windows. Daisy Data’s flight simulation units maintain form, fit, and functionality, allowing for backwards compatibility.

Make It Daisy, your Way

As has already been mentioned, Daisy Data Displays offer unprecedented customization options for all of their products. This ranges from mounting options, to touchscreens, to keyboards, to pointing devices, and stops at just about every place in between. You can even choose specific components to go into the computer itself – more memory, hard drive space, graphics, and so on, all with the final option of operating systems and software.

What’s Available?

Out of Daisy Data’s products, the only ones we have available ‘as standard’ are Daisy Data’s keyboards. These are listed on our website, here.  The reason we only offer the keyboards on our website is because all of their other systems have far too many options open to them.

If you would like to discuss requirements for a hazardous environment computer system, please do not hesitate to contact us. We will happily go through all of the options with you, and once we have a specification sheet, we will provide a competitive quote, bespoke to your needs. Just give us a ring on 01670 361261 and speak to Jimmy, or email him at [email protected].

Daisy Data Digest

Continuing our collaboration with HazardEx magazine, here is a summary of the various Daisy Data articles we have on our site.

Part of the Daisy Chain – A brief description of the various sectors Daisy Data works with, including videos showcasing their processes, and some of their products.

Finding NEMA – A Guide to Hazard Ratings.

And take a look at this page, dedicated to Daisy Data Displays on the HazardEx website.

The August edition of the HazardEx magazine is available now.

Daisy Data is a long standing manufacturer of industrial computer equipment, designed for hard wearing and rugged conditions. They are ideal for use on drilling platforms, or military vessels, to name but two examples. As standard we only have available in our store the keyboards offered by Daisy Data. The reason for this is because the PCs have far too many options to keep a regular stock.

If you would like to discuss an industrial PC, please do not hesitate to contact us. Daisy Data can accommodate many requirements, covering both hardware and software.

The Paperless Jigsaw Puzzle

Going paperless is no easy task; here at Steadlands, we have some products which could help you achieve these goals:

Diktamen

Diktamen Digital Dictation and Document Management

Diktamen improve patient care with both desktop and mobile data input interfaces, these enable physicians to dictate and use simple actions with natural speech to manage complex diagnostic workflows of Hospital Information Systems for secure and faultless real time patient document creation. They reviewed the big picture of patient data production and as a result, they changed everything. They started by changing the way clinicians could record notes by pairing their desktop interface with their native mobile applications. They then changed the way the patient data is transcribed by giving device and location independence with the cloud. And lastly, they changed the way management oversees production of data by delivering more control over the workflow and resources.

Benefits Include:
• Healthcare organizations can streamline the production of patient data while saving time and money
• Data entered directly into hospital information systems
• Manage their resources more efficiently
• Healthcare professionals can put of their time towards patient care rather than paperwork.
• The patients are the major beneficiaries of our software as they are getting more accurate and up-to-date records sooner than ever before.

Electronic Signatures

Electronic Signature Devices and Software

Steadlands have been providing Electronic Signature products for around 20 years. We offer expert advice and we only provide solutions which offer legally binding, biometric signatures to ensure the legality of the signature being added to your important documents. According to the press, some web-based Electronic Signature solutions have been hacked recently. Our solutions use encrypted technology which provides extremely high security. Whether you are signing out medication internally, or you are having patients sign for medication or treatment we can help. We offer hardware and software support on site at no additional charge.

Benefits Include:
• Legally-binding Electronic Signatures which can be used in the courtroom
• Flexible software and hardware options
• Time, money and storage savings from the very start
• Desktop and Mobile Solutions available

 

At Steadlands, we like to make sure that the product you are choosing is right for you, product demonstrations are available.

If you have any questions on any of the above products please email [email protected] or call 01670 361 261

For Your Hazardous Computing Needs

 

Steadlands have teamed up with HazardEx, a leading magazine in the field of hazardous environments and industrial computing, to bring Daisy Data to the attention of all their readers.

We have an advertisement placed in their magazine. Read their magazine online, here. You will find our ad on page 11.

And take a look at this page, dedicated to Daisy Data Displays on the HazardEx website.

 

Road Safety Hits The Road

Steadlands relationship and representation of Luxembourgish automotive technology pioneers, IEE, spans for over over 20 years.

It really is an honour to represent a company involved in new, up and coming safety technologies for the motor industry.

On the 25 and 26 April 2017, we hosted the IEE Technology Roadshow at the British Motor Museum in Gaydon, Warwickshire.

This event will always be special to me, my first ever day at Steadlands was setting up the original roadshow and learning about IEE’s products and innovations back in 2015.

It was amazing to come back, this time armed with plenty of key contacts and product knowledge, being competent at presenting products instead of feeling a little out of my depth and anxious.

Having so much know-how for technology and commercial commodities in one room is rare and very useful for clients and potential clients alike.

The idea of the Technology Roadshow is to invite contacts from all UK car manufacturers to come down to the Roadshow to view not only current trending technologies, but also to get a glimpse into what is coming soon.

This time IEE were accompanied by MSL, one of their manufacturing partners. MSL are based in France and produce parts solely for the automotive sector.

We had Radar, Gesture Recognition, 3D and 2D camera, Capacitive and heat products on show amongst others, featuring two amazing demonstrator cars which our clients were more than impressed with.

Some of the other guys and myself even managed to spend a short amount of time in the Museum itself, learning about the history of British Motor Vehicles and taking a few photos of some of the amazing exhibits on show.  The highlights for me were the V6 Austin Metro Group B Rally Car from 1984 and 16 of serious car collector James Hull’s collection including an amazing John Coombs Jaguar E-Type from the 1960’s.  It really is an amazing venue and a must for anyone interested in motoring.

 

For further information on IEE’s products or Steadlands, please visit https://steadlands.com/ or email me: [email protected]

What Is a Thermoelectric Cooler?

Before we can go into detail about what a Thermoelectric Cooler is and does, we need to take a quick history lesson.

The thermoelectric phenomenon behind TEC technology was first discovered by a French physicist and meteorologist named Jean Peltier. This Peltier effect is such that whenever a direct current is passed through the circuit of different conductors, heat is either absorbed or released at the conductors’ junctions, depending on the current’s polarity. The amount of heat generated or absorbed is proportional to the current that is passed through the conductors.

Thanks to work completed by Russian academic, A.F. Iotte and his colleagues, semiconducting alloys were created, allowing us to apply the Peltier effect in practise, and begin full scale production of thermoelectric refrigerating devices for wide use in various fields of industry.

The basic thermoelectric cooler unit is a thermocouple consisting of p- and n-type semiconductor elements, or pellets. Copper commutation tabs are used to interconnect pellets that are traditionally made of a Bismuth Telluride-based alloy.

So, your typical thermoelectric cooler consists of thermocouples connected electrically in series and sandwiched between two Aluminium Oxide ceramic plates. The number of thermocouples will vary greatly, ranging from several elements to hundreds of units. This allows Kryotherm to construct a thermoelectric cooler with a desired cooling capacity ranging from fractions of a Watt, through to hundreds of Watts.

When a direct current moves across a thermoelectric cooler (also called a Peltier cooler), it causes a difference in temperature between the two sides of the thermoelectric cooler. This results in one side being cooled (the ‘cold’ side), and the other being heated (the ‘hot’ side). If the heat generated on the ‘hot’ side of the thermoelectric cooler is dissipated properly through the use of heatsinks, then the temperature of the ‘cold’ side will be a lot colder than the ambient room temperature, by a factor of up to dozens of degrees.

Kryotherm’s TECs are even used in the creation of satellites, to help protect delicate machinery from the cold of space.

Kryotherm single stage thermoelectric coolers allows for temperature difference of 74-76 degrees Kelvin. For greater differences, multi stage thermoelectric coolers are used. For example, the maximum temperate difference of one of the serial Kryotherm thermoelectric coolers is 140 degrees Kelvin.

Part of the Daisy Chain

For over three decades, Daisy Data Displays has been one of the leading manufacturers of toughened or ruggedized computer hardware. Over the years since they were founded, they have spread their reach over four key sectors.

Military

Rugged computers designed to meet MIL-STDs, as well as related standards for temperature variance and shock resistance, these machines are built for military or marine applications. The various models are available off the shelf, but can also be customised, just the way you want it.

Oil and Gas

Daisy Data’s industrial computers delivery the critical performance necessary to keep oil and gas operations running smoothly. Daisy Data personnel work closely with their counterparts in the oil and gas industry to ensure that their ruggedized computers and displays operate efficiently and safely on offshore rigs and remote pipeline operations.

Food and Pharmaceutical

Daisy Data Displays provide food and pharmaceutical companies with computers and displays that have been independently tested and certified for use in aseptic areas, and other hazardous locations. They are specifically designed to withstand corrosive chemicals used in decontamination processes. Oversized touchscreen displays allow operators to collect data more accurately, and experience seamless process control.

Flight Simulation

The flight simulation industry uses Daisy Data’s computers and displays for training purposes. They rely on features such as integrated touchscreens, or impact-resistant viewing windows. The industry has even gone so far as to utilize some NVIA-compatible displays, for use with night vision goggles.

It doesn’t really matter which industry you are in though, Daisy Data Displays will work closely with you to solve problems you might be facing by manufacturing industrial computing solutions that not only fit your needs, but are also intrinsically safe, and meet specific standards and certifications, including MIL-STD, FM/UL, ISO 9001, and IECEx QAR.

 

If you are not sure what all these hazard ratings mean, check out one of our other articles, Finding NEMA, by clicking on this link.

Davies Molding Dailies

Davies Molding Banner

Davies Molding make daily announcements through social media. We will select some of the best and periodically include them here on the Steadlands website.

Davies Molding Goes Metric!

First and foremost, by popular demand, Davies Molding have expanded their capabilities and are introducing metric measurements to complement the imperial measurements already available. This is now spreading across their products, and will eventually cover the majority of their product ranges.

 

Get A Grip!

Davies Molding announce the expansion of their range of Two Point Pull Handles. Molded with a glass reinforced Nylon substrate and a Thermoplastic Elastomer rubber (TPE) overmold to provide extra comfort and style, they also have a non-slip comfortable grip that is both durable, and scratch-resistant.

New support for this range means they are now available in multiple centre-to-centre dimensions, and come in six colours.

Davies Molding Handles

 

Keep Your Distance!

Davies Molding has launched the SH1000 series, a durable and versatile range of insulating stand off spacers capable of withstanding up to 130°C. The series has multiple combinations of male and female inserts, and is available at a variety of spacing lengths, to fit whatever gap you need.

These standoffs consist of molded-in metal inserts with a Nylon UL94 V-2 hexagon spacer body. This hybrid design produces higher tensile/shear strength, and exceptional insulation. As mentioned earlier, it can handle temperatures of up to 130°C. With the default components in this range, the spacing gap can be between 10mm and 85mm.

Davies Molding SH1000

Davies Molding are world leaders in molded solutions, and offer a range of products including handles and spacers like those mentioned here, as well as control and clamping knobs, enclosures, containers, and more. For more information on these, or any of Davies Molding‘s products, please call us on (+44) (0) 1670 361261, or email Jimmy by clicking here.