Sensors Magazine articles from April 2002

Sensors Magazine archives from April 2002

A big, transformative impact. (Editorial).(Editorial)
April 1, 2002... Having spent the past many years studying information technology trends and their impact, technology forecaster Paul Saffo knows something of the future of sensors. Please note: It will prominently feature "a sensor-rich environment" and "an...

Bittware Inc. (Agreements, Acquisitions, Etc.).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Bittware Inc. (Long Beach, CA), supplier of SHARC-based DSP boards, reported that sales in the U.S. and Canada for 2001 were up 40% over its 2000 sales figures, and its international sales grew 38%. Bittware attributes the growth to its...

Ametek, Inc. has expanded its position in analytical instrumentation by acquiring Instruments for Research and Analytical Science. (Agreements, Acquisitions, Etc.).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Ametek, Inc. (Paoli, PA), has expanded its position in analytical instrumentation by acquiring Instruments for Research and Analytical Science (IRAS) of Oak Ridge, TN, from PerkinElmer, Inc. (Wellesley, MA). IRAS, which manufactures and markets...

Cleveland Motion Controls (CMC) of an industrial motion control company for more than 40 years, has entered into a technology partnership with SmartData Inc. (Agreements, Acquisitions, Etc.).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Cleveland Motion Controls (CMC) of Cleveland, OH, an industrial motion control company for more than 40 years, has entered into a technology partnership with SmartData Inc., a software engineering company. CMC, which specializes in providing...

Keithley Instruments, Inc. has entered into a collaborative relationship with GGB Industries, Inc. (Agreements, Acquisitions, Etc.).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Keithley Instruments, Inc. (Cleveland, OH), has entered into a collaborative relationship with GGB Industries, Inc. (Naples, FL), to provide technical and marketing support for each other's products used in semiconductor parametric testing. The...

Kistler Instrument Corp. has entered into a joint alliance with Applied MEMS, Inc. (Agreements, Acquisitions, Etc.).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Kistler Instrument Corp. (Amherst, NY) has entered into a joint alliance with Applied MEMS, Inc. (Stafford, TX), a wholly owned subsidiary of Input/Output Devices. Kistler, distributor and integrated instrumentation solution provider for the...

Moore Industries an interface instrument provider for industrial process control. (Agreements, Acquisitions, Etc.).(Powers Process Controls Instrument Division )(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Moore Industries. (North Hills, CA), an interface instrument provider for industrial process control, system integration, and factory automation, has purchased Powers Process Controls Instrument Division (Skokie, IL), a unit of Crane Corp....

The Laboratory Accreditation Bureau (L-A-B) of has certified C.S.C. Force Measurement, Inc. (Agreements, Acquisitions, Etc.).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... The Laboratory Accreditation Bureau (L-A-B) of Detroit, Ml, has certified C.S.C. Force Measurement, Inc. (Agawam, MA), as ISO/IEC 17025 accredited for having demonstrated technical competence in force, torque, scales, and mass. C.S.C. Force...

ARC Advisory Group. (Market Trends).(open control software and fiber optics industry)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2002... The PC-based Open Control Software (OCS) business is projected to increase at an annual rate exceeding 24% through 2006, according to ARC Advisory Group's (Dedham, MA) new study. This is due in part to the move of OCS providers to new business...

Microchain makes the connections. (Research & Developments).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Microelectromechanical motors are indisputably among the Next Big (metaphorically) Things. But how do you get usable power out of them? These motors are so small, and MEMS device chip real estate is so tight, that they could remain in the realm...

Web picks.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... I have a new search engine for you! It's called Vivisimo, and it organizes your search results into folders, which is a particularly useful feature. If your current favorite search engine doesn't do this and you yearn in your heart to have...

Brains and brawn -- the power of smart batteries. (Intelligent Systems: Embedded Systems).(battery industry research)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2002... Legions of wireless Products and industrial appliances have built-in rechargeable batteries. Embedded intelligence can minimize user intervention, reduce charge time, and dramatically increase battery life by optimizing power management. Are...

How to add Web access to your smart device: You can turn your product into an Internet appliance with an embedded modem. (Intelligent Systems: Web-Enabled Communications).
April 1, 2002... A vending machine transmits a refill request for 7 UP cans. A postage meter debits the customer's account remotely. The refrigeration system in a convenience store reports low lubricant levels to an outsourced maintenance crew. An electric...

MICA: the commercialization of microsensor motes. (Sensor: Technology and Design).(research)
April 1, 2002... Miniaturization, integration, and customization make it possible to combine sensing, processing, and communications to produce a smart, network-enabled wireless sensor. Here's how it works. New technology is changing the nature of sensors...

Line Scanners: Thermal imaging for industrial applications. (Sensor: Technology and Design).(research)(Bibliography)
April 1, 2002... For many industrial applications, a combination of iR line-scanning technology and application-specific software provides thermal imaging capabilities not possible with more expensive IR imagers or IR cameras. Thermal imagers (also called...

Navy pilots catch their breath with a new oxygen regulator. (Putting Sensors: To Work).(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2002... Fighter pilots routinely push both the aircraft's performance envelope and their own physical limits. The CRU-103 oxygen regulator, with its low-spring-rate electrodeposited nickel bellows, helps give them an extra edge. Maneuvering for...

True Bulk GaN substrate is an industry first. (Research & Developments).(gallium-nitride by Technologies and Devices international Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Technologies and Devices International, Inc., has produced what is described as the industry's first true gallium-nitride (GaN) bulk substrate. Eagerly sought by advanced electronic and photonic device designers, the new material has been...

Mesowire [H.sub.2] sensor is fast, reversible, and elegant. (Research & Developments).(by University of California)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2002... A research team based at the University of California Irvine has proposed a mesowire chemical sensor/switch with the remarkable property of decreasing its resistance in the presence of hydrogen. Conventional nanowire gas sensors, by way of...

IrDA protocol stack handler. (Product News).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Suited for data communications equipment applications, the MCP2155 from Microchip Technology Inc., Chandler, AZ, contains the IrDA protocol stack, including the IR link access protocol, Ir link management-mux, tiny transport protocol, IrComm...

Omnipolar Hall effect switch. (Product News). www.allegromicro.com.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... The A3212 ultrasensitive Hall effect switch from Allegro MicroSystems, Inc., Worcester, MA, has a latched digital output; a north or south pole of sufficient strength will turn the output on. With no magnetic field, the output is off. A...

FM-certified I/O family. (Product News). www.rockwellautomation.com.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Rockwell Automation, Milwaukee, WI, adds 5 products to its Allen-Bradley FLEX Ex I/O family, including the FLEX Ex bus isolator pair, AC power supplies, and a noise-filtered analog input module for process control. The FLEX Ex products create a...

Tunable low-pass filters. (Product News). www.alligatortech.com.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Alligator Technologies, Costa Mesa, CA, offers its AAF-2 anti-aliasing, 2- to 8-channel, low-pass filter cards with selectable frequency ranges in Butterworth, Bessel, Cauer, or Linear Phase characteristics. Filter channels are fully isolated...

Online vibration monitor. (Product News). www.csimeansreliability.com, www.emerson process.com.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... An addition to the 4500 Series RBMconsultant products, thc 4500-S from Computational Systems, Inc. (CSI), Emerson Process Management, Knoxville, TN, is for smaller continuous monitoring applications that require 12 or fewer signal channels. The...

Web-enabled controllers. (Product News). www.ctc-control.com.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... The Blue Fusion 5100 Series from Control Technology Corp., Hopkinton, MA, has a built-in 10/100 Base-T Ethernet port and supports a variety of popular IT and Web standards, including HTTP, XML, SOAP, and SMTP. The controllers incorporate 6...

Handheld ambient CO monitor. (Product News). www.ttiglobal.com.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... The lightweight, compact Mini CO Sniffer Model 7598 from TTI, Inc., Williston, VT, shows gas concentration using 5 LEDs and a proportional frequency buzzer. The device detects ambient CO from 8-500 ppm and operates with alkaline or NiMH...

Surface-mountable pressure sensor. (Product News). www.msiusa.com/icsensors.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... For high-volume applications, the piezoresistive Model 1471 from IC Sensors Div., Measurement Specialities, Inc., Milpitas, CA, is compensated for span and offset at room temperature and comes with a gauge or absolute pressure-sensing chip...

Small inductive sensor. (Product News). www.am.pepperl-fuchs.com.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... The 8 mm Pile Driver from Pepperl+Fuchs Inc., Twinsburg, OH, is an 8 mm dia., all-metal inductive sensor with a SS housing for protection against applications hazards such as lubricants, cutting fluids, metal shards, and target impacts. Fully...

Spectrometer accessories. (Product News). www.oceanoptics.com.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... USB2000 Direct-Attach accessories from Ocean Optics, Inc., Dunedin, FL, connect to the front of a USB2000 spectrometer and combine an application-specific sampling chamber with a light source. The attachments draw power from the spectrometer...

Wireless level transmitter. (Product News).(from Flowline Div.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Providing noncontact level sensing from 0.5-14 ft. with [+ or -]0.25% accuracy, the ultrasonic Model LN2O EchoNet from Flowline, Los Alamitos, CA, monitors and transmits inventory updates via the Internet to the TankLink data and alarm...

Protective transducer coating. (Product News).(from Endevco Corp)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Option J from Endevco Corp., San Juan Capistrano, CA, is a gel filling for gauge and absolute pressure transducers operating in harsh media such as water, refrigerant, and the many contaminants found during oil and drilling operations. Reliable...

Micropower op amps. (Product News).(operational amplifiers)(Texas Instruments Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Featuring 1 MHz bandwidth at a 45 [micro]A supply current, the Burr-Brown 0PA348 family of op amps from Texas Instruments Inc., Tucson, AZ, are suited for use in portable and battery-operated equipment, medical instrumentation, automotive, and...

Atmospheric pressure recorder. (Product News).(Instrumented Sensor Technology)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... The GEM3 from Instrumented Sensor Technology (IST), Okemos, MI, was originally designed to measure and record atmospheric pressure during parachute testing. Using a built-in pressure sensor, DSP circuitry, and an internal battery pack, the unit...

Omnidirectional mounting brackets. (Product News).(from MauiMount and Machine)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... The MauiMount line of swivel mounting brackets from MauiMount and Machine, Lowell, MA, USC a patented clamping system to hold sensors or equipment rigidly in place regardless of vibration or environment while allowing for repositioning whenever...

Package inspection software. (Product News).(from Cognex Corp.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Designed to solve a variety of common package inspection tasks in food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industries, Cognex Corp., Natick, MA, introduces CapInspect and LabelInspect software applications for use with the company's In-Sight vision...

Current transducer. (Product News).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... A universal current transducer with split-core, clamp-on construction, the CT-l00 from Solidyne Corp., Rolling Meadows, IL, is selectable for 0--2.5 A, 0--10 A, 0--20 A, 0--50 A, or 0--100 A load current and provides a 4--20 mA signal output....

Miniature temperature controller. (Product News).(from Minco Products, Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... The 1.0 by 1.0 by 1.5 in. Model CT325 from Minco Products, Inc., Minneapolis, MN, controls up to 240W of seating power and is epoxy sealed against moisture. Suited for use with the company's temperature sensors and Thermofoil heating elements,...

Detachable IDC system. (Product News).(from Harting, Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... HARAX, a detachable insulation displacement connector system from Harting, Inc., Industrial Group, Elgin, IL, is designed primarily for heavy industrial use and requires no special tools. You accomplish termination by removing time cable...

Speed, travel measuring system. (Product News).(from Kistler Instrument Corp.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... The Velocity Box (VBOX) from Kistler Instrument Corp., Amherst, NY, was designed and built by Racelogic, England, and is a noncontact system that measures the Doppler shift in GPS signals to calculate the velocity of the vehicle to within 0.1%...

Soil moisture probe. (Product News). specmeters@aol.com, www.specmeters.com.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... The fully portable Field Scout TDR 300 from Spectrum Technologies, Inc., Plainfield, IL, lets you gather information at several points across the field. VWC (volume water content) mode indicates the percentage of water in the soil at the...

Data analysis, graphing software. (Product News). www.originlab.com.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... OriginLab Corp., Northampton, MA, has released version 7.0 of Origin, a Windows-based scientific graphing and data analysis application. The new version combines presentation-quality graphics, the C language, and elements of the Numerical...

Thread verification system. (Product News).(advertisement)
April 1, 2002... You can use the ThreadChecker XP from Holloway Equipment Co., Inc., New Baltimore, MI, to verify ferrous or nonferrous threads in tapped holes without contact. The rugged, modular system can detect o.d. and i.d. missing threads and is available...

Compact proximity sensors. (Product News). sensors@turck.com, www.turck.com.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Q10 inductive sensors from Turck Inc., Minneapolis, MN, have a I-piece rectangular housing and offer a sensing range of 8 mm for cold rolled steel, aluminum, SS, brass, and other nonferrous materials. Measuring 10 by 25 by 42 mm, the fully...

Programmable potentiometers. (Product News).(advertisement)
April 1, 2002... The CAT5111 AND CAT5113 digitally programmable potentionmeter (DPP) Ics from Catalyst Semiconductor, Sunnyvale, CA, are an addition to its Analog EEPROM mixed-signal product line. With 100 taps, or steps of resolution, the devices are...

CAN transceiver. (Product News).(advertisement)
April 1, 2002... The LT1796, a rugged transceiver for CAN bus applications from Linear Technology Corp., Milpitas, CA, withstands (+ or -)15 kV ESD strikes and faults up to (+ or -)60 V. Packaged in an SO-8, the device matches the industry-standard footprint....

Cylinder position sensor. (Product News).(advertisement)
April 1, 2002... The SL200 absolute linear position sensor from Control Products, Inc., East Hanover, NJ, mounts completely inside any hydraulic cylinder without needing to core drill the piston rod. Sensing range is 0-48 in. The sensor operates by attaching a...

In-Circuit Emulator. (Sensor Express: Readers' Choice).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Xemies SA Neuchatel Switzerland and Mountain View, CA, has teamed up with Phyton, Inc., Brooklyn, NY, to offer the In-Circuit Emulator (ICE) for Xemics' XE8000 microcontrollers and sensing machines. The ICE lets you more easily develop, test,...

Wish List.
April 1, 2002... Temperature Measurement and Control I have to control the temperature of two rotating drums. The cooling medium is [LN.sub.2] (liquid nitrogen); the drum temperature is around -100[degrees]C. I would like to install a wireless...