Sensors Magazine articles from April 2003

Sensors Magazine archives from April 2003

Wow! Tell us how! (Editorial).(Editorial)
April 1, 2003... It's April now where you are, and you're probably watching leaves burst out of the twig tips. But we are writing to you from early March in New Hampshire, where everything is white except for the hemlocks, pines, and yews. This has been a...

MEMGen Corp. (Agreements, Acquisitions).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... MEMGen Corp. (Burbank, CA, www.memgen.com) has launched the "3-D MEMS Design Challenge" design contest. The company will award three winners with prototypes of their designs and cash prizes of $10,000, $5000 and $2500. In addition, the...

Interactive Circuits and Systems Ltd. (Agreements, Acquisitions).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Three companies--Sky Computers (Chelmsford, MA, www.skycomputers.com), Interactive Circuits and Systems Ltd. (ICS, Gloucester, Ont., Canada), and SensorCom Inc. (Annapolis, MD)--are collaborating to develop systems for software-defined radio...

Ocean Optics Inc. (Agreements, Acquisitions).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Ocean Optics Inc. (Dunedin, FL, www.oceanoptics.com) has instituted a worldwide pricing policy to ensure that customers outside the) U.S. can purchase its line of more than 600 miniature fiber-optic spectrometers and accessories at uniform...

DWM & Associates Inc. (Agreements, Acquisitions).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... DWM & Associates Inc. (N. Brunswick, NJ, www.dwmai.com) is the exclusive distributor in the U.S. and Canada for Heraeus Sensor-Nite GmbH's Pt temperature sensors (formerly ABB Sensycon temperature sensors). The Heraeus product line covers a...

Intertek Testing Services' ETL Semko Division. (Agreements, Acquisitions).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Intertek Testing Services' ETL Semko Division (Boxborough, MA, www.etlsemko.com) was recently recognized as a Bluetooth Qualification Test Facility (BQTF) to provide radio frequency testing of products using Bluetooth technology. The Bluetooth...

Photronic Devices. (Agreement Acquisitions).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Photronic Devices (W. Bridgewater, MA, www.photronicdevices.com) is offering custom design services for applications that integrate high-speed electronics with optics for networking telecommunications, data communications, and R&D. Photronic...

Xerox's Acoustical Engineering Laboratory. (Agreement Acquisitions).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Heard about the new noise consulting services from Xerox's Acoustical Engineering Laboratory (Webster, NY, www.xrx-acousticenglab.com)? The staff is experienced in product design for low noise and sound quality, industrial noise and vibration...

GE Industrial Systems. (Agreement Acquisitions).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Now part of GE Industrial Systems, Druck (New Fairfield, CT, www.druck.com) is offering a new leasing program for its full line of test and calibration instrumentation, including precision digital pressure indicators and automated digital...

Calendar.(Calendar)
April 1, 2003... Sensors Expo & Conference Spring 2003 June 2-5, Chicago, IL www.sensorsexpo.com Symposium on Functional Coatings and Surface Engineering June 4-6, Montreal, QC, Canada http://home.earthlink.net/~hawkflight/FCSE.htm ...

ASTM International. (People).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... ASTM International (W. Conshohocken, PA, www.astm.org), formerly known as the American Society for Testing and Materials, has given an award of merit and the accompanying title of Fellow (the highest Society recognition for individuals) to...

Venture Development Corp. (Market Trends).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Venture Development Corp. (Natick, MA, www.vdc-corp.com) expects MEMS/MST devices sales to reach 10.4 billion units in 2006, delivering more than $34 billion in revenue. Details are included in the new market study, "MEMS and MicroStructures...

Frost & Sullivan. (Market Trends).(proximity and displacement sensors market)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The proximity and displacement sensors market, which is forecasted to reach 7.8% growth by 2006, calls for coordinated R&D efforts, according to Frost & Sullivan (New York, NY, www.frost.com). Its new "World Proximity and Displacement Sensors...

Danger! Peanuts! (Research & Developments).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... That may seem a silly thing to say, unless you're one of the approximately 3 million Americans who are allergic to peanuts or tree nuts. For them, the presence of peanuts or nuts in their food, even in trace amounts, can cause symptoms ranging...

CAT scans you don't have to lie still for. (Research & Developments).(Oak Ridge National Laboratories, working in collaboration with the Jefferson Laboratory)
April 1, 2003... Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratories, working in collaboration with the Jefferson Laboratory as part of a multi-year DOE Office of Science study, are developing a CAT scanning machine that could eventually allow small children or...

Spotting gas leaks. (Research & Development).
April 1, 2003... I dentifying natural gas leaks just got simpler, courtesy of the Sherlock spectral imaging camera from Pacific Advanced Technology, Inc. The 12 lb. battery-operated camera combines an image spectrometer, a cooled sensor engine from Indigo...

Automating your building's environment--wirelessly. (App Snaps).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Wired networks currently link HVAC systems in large commercial buildings. Unfortunately, these are costly and time-consuming to install and tend to be expensive to modify once they're in place. On the other hand, wireless communications systems...

Are you projecting the right image? (App Snaps).(troubleshooting data projectors)
April 1, 2003... Data projectors are great meeting tools, but they're often a pain to set up. One common complaint is keystoning, a condition that occurs when the projected image' is not rectangular. Keystoning happens when the projector is pointed op toward...

Sensors for swingers. (App Snaps).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Golf is serious business, which is why so many people spend time practicing at driving ranges. Most ranges offer customers an estimate of the distance to each marker. But because the practice area is large (often 85 yd. wide), they are vast...

Dynamic pressure calibration. (Sensor Technology and Design).
April 1, 2003... High-frequency pressure sensors capable of measuring shockwaves, blast, rocket combustion instability, and ballistics were initially developed by researchers for laboratory use. Here's an overview of some of the sensor types, and associated...

Designing sensor signal conditioning with programmable analog Ics. (Intelligent Systems).
April 1, 2003... A new breed of programmable analog ICS is bringing greater design flexibility to sensor signal conditioning applications, allowing manufacturers to differentiate products while slashing parts inventory by using a single chip and board layout...

A sensor mode language: moving sensor data onto the internet. (Connectivity).
April 1, 2003... A new XL encoding scheme may make it possible for you to remotely discover, access, and use real-time data obtained directly from Web-resident sensors, instruments, and imaging devices. Members of the Open GIS Consortium, Inc. (OCC),...

PIR detectors for security. (Sensor Technology and Design).
April 1, 2003... Day or night PIR devices detect motion by sensing any thermal contrast between a moving object or person and a stationary background. As a result, they're being incorporated into a growing number of security devices. PIR devices can detect...

Level sensing in harsh environments with guided-wave radar. (Putting Sensors to Work).
April 1, 2003... When you need to take a level reading on a tank full of molten sulfur or some other low-dielectric product, a noncontact sensor might not be the best way to go. Here are the reasons. Guided-wave radar has established itself as a leading...

Wet/wet differential pressure sensors. (Product News).(Advanced Custom Sensors, Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Designed for differential measurements involving wet or corrosive fluids, the Model 7319 from Advanced Custom Sensors, Inc. (ACSI), Irvine, CA, accepts fluid in both ports to measure F.S. differential pressures from 5-300 psid with a typical...

Hermetically sealed accelerometer. (Product News).
April 1, 2003... The piezoelectric Model 8501 from Columbia Research laboratories, Inc., Woodlyn, PA, is a completely self-contained vibration measuring system with a built-in amplifier within the housing. Designed to measure low-level broadband frequency...

Battery Monitoring System. (Product News).
April 1, 2003... Arga Controls, Pasadena, CA, introduces its Battery Monitoring System with a ground fault locator and digital communication that can be mounted anywhere along the DC bus to protect and diagnose the bus. The field-programmable system provides...

GPS-based speed sensor. (Product News).
April 1, 2003... To measure vehicle driving performance, the QIC speed module from CAESAR DataSystems inc., Farmington Hills, MI, continuously calculates speed with 0.1 km/hr. accuracy and distance to within 0.25 cm by monitoring the Doppler shift of received...

AS-i master, PLC. (Product News).
April 1, 2003... The compact Controller-E from IFM Efector Inc., Exton, PA, is a high-speed AS-i master and PLC that can be used as a gateway to higher-level bus systems or as a stand-alone PLC. The unit supports all AS-i 2.1 specifications and provides...

Portable vibration instrument. (Product News).
April 1, 2003... Designed to be used with a PDA, the Micro Vibe from SKF Reliability Systems, San Diego, CA, analyzes rotating equipment and outputs vibration, time-waveform, and FFT spectrum plots. The card-type vibration meter is made to fit into the...

Shock Timer. (Product News).
April 1, 2003... JBL's Shock Timer distributed for U.S. and Canadian markets by Instrumented Sensor Technology, Inc. (IST), Okemos, MI, can detect biaxial shocks and impacts on products or shipping container surfaces and time-stamp the time of impact. The 4.7...

DSP circuit. (Product News).
April 1, 2003... DSP Logix from NanoVia, LP, Londonderry, NH, uses a patent-pending DSP circuit board to let you modify, convert, or optimize signals used in motion control hardware. Engineers and system integrators can incorporate custom-tailored control...

Self-contained gauging sensor. (Product News).
April 1, 2003... Designed for high-speed applications in the automotive industry, Class II SLS5000 sensors from LMI Selcom, Southfield, MI, are compact, single-point, noncontact industrial gauging devices that use laser triangulation to provide [+ or -]...

Fiber-optic sensors. (Product News).
April 1, 2003... The OS1542 and OS1543 fiber-optic sensors from Omega Vanzetti, Inc., Sharon, MA, are designed for the company's DP1541 two-color emissivity-independent monitor and its fiber-optic cable assembly. The sensors operate at 2 wavebands and use...

Photoelectric sensors. (Product News).
April 1, 2003... ELF Series photoelectric sensors from SICK, Inc., Minneapolis. MN are available in reflex retroreflective, background suppression, and energetic versions to reliably detect objects regardless of surface colors or reflectivity. Background...

Smart soil moisture sensor. (Product News).
April 1, 2003... Onset Computer Corp., Bourne, MA introduces a smart sensor that measures soil moisture with [+ or -] 3% total measurement accuracy in typical soils and [+ or -]1% accuracy with soil-specific calibration. The thin profile sensor plugs into any...

Flowmeter alarm. (Product News).
April 1, 2003... The Eagle-Eye flowmeter alarm for FR Series acrylic flowmeters from Key Instruments, Trevose, PA, is a noncontact optical-based sensor that detects flow rates exceeding user settings. Unaffected by flow-stream contaminants, the alarm is housed...

Liquid-level sensing. (Product News).
April 1, 2003... The D600512 from Deeter Electronics, Inc., Canton, OH, is a rugged, SS, horizontal liquid-level sensor with a -5[degrees]C to 200[degrees]C temperature rating and 550 psi pressure rating. Available in 50 and 100 W models and with an M16...

Controller/RTU. (Product News).
April 1, 2003... Serving as an entry-level controller/RTU or as an upgrade for legacy SixTRAK I/O gateways, the model ST-GT-1210 SixTRAK I/O controller from SIXNET, Clifton Park, NY, includes 10/100 Mbps Ethernet, RS-232, RS-485, and ST-BUS I/O ports. In real...

Trace methane analyzer. (Product News).
April 1, 2003... The corrosion-resistant MTO-1000-[CH.sub.4] from Tiger Optics, LLC, Warrington, PA, couples CW laser technology with cavity ring-down spectroseopy (CRDS) to measure C[H.sub.4] levels down to 2 ppb for concentrations from 0-7000 ppb. The...

Low-profile miniature sensors. (Product News).
April 1, 2003... Designed for precision sensing in tight confines, the VS4 Series opposed-mode self-contained sensors from Banner Engineering Corp., Minneapolis, MN, provide a 1 m sensing range and easy machine mounting alignment. Each 4.75 by 25.0 by 12.2 mm...

Pulse radar probes. (Sensors Express Reader's Choice).
April 1, 2003... ABM Sensor Technology, Peterborough, Ont., Canada, offers pulse radar probes with ranges to 50 and 100 ft. and low-noise performance. Probes include 3-wire models (ABM300) and 4-wire, isolated 4-20 mA models (ABM400) offered with 50 ft range...

www.irs.gov. (Web Picks).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Ah, April in the springtime. And if you're in the U.S., your thoughts turn to... April 15, the deadline for filing your federal income tax return. If you're one of the folks who leave filing their taxes until the very last minute, help is at...

http://pubs.acs.org/cen/whatstuff/stuff.html. (Web Picks).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Have you ever wondered what Cheez Whiz is actually made of? Or what bug sprays contain? Or what exactly is new car smell? If you've an inquiring mind and an interest in chemistry, try visiting What's That Stuff?, a column from Chemical &...

www.onlinehomebase.com. (Web Picks).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Thank you to Barbara Goode for mentioning Online HomeBase.com to me. A Web-based free-form personal information manager created by Marc Fest, Online HomeBase lets you make notes and keep track of appointments online, email reminders to...

Quick poll. (Web Picks).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Quick Poll www.sensorsmag.com How many calendars do you use regularly, both at home and work (including pocket, wall, and desk; digital and analog)? three 26.5% two 22.7% four ...