Sensors Magazine articles from December 2002

Sensors Magazine archives from December 2002

Fast-tracking Plug and Play. (Guest Editorial).(IEEE P1451.4 working group is developing a mixed-mode interface standard for analog sensors that defines TEDS (Transducer Electronic Data Sheets) )(Editorial)
December 1, 2002... Editor's note: The IEEE P1451.4 working group is developing a mixed-mode interface standard for analog sensors that defines TEDS (Transducer Electronic Data Sheets) as well as protocols to communicate the TEDS information. National Instruments...

Advanced Photonix, Inc. (Agreements, Acquisitions, Etc.).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Advanced Photonix, Inc. (Camarillo, CA, www.advancedphotonix.com), supplier of silicon-based electro-optical products to OEMs, has acquired privately owned detector manufacturer Silicon Sensors LLC (Dodgeville, WI) for $1.7 million in cash....

Yokogawa Corp. of America. (Agreements, Acquisitions, Etc.).(Is moving Systems Division headquarters from Atlanta to Houston)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Yokogawa Corp. of America (www.us.yokogawa.com) is moving its Systems Division headquarters from Atlanta to Houston. The move is a strategy play to focus the supplier of instrumentation, process control, and automation equipment on its core...

Unitek Miyachi International, Ltd. (Agreements, Acquisitions, Etc.).(Buys MicroJoin Inc's intellectual property products from Palomar Companies )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... In an effort to meet the needs of an expanding customer base in the metals-joining industry worldwide, Unitek Miyachi International, Ltd. (UMI, Monrovia, CA, www.umiltd.com), has acquired all of MicroJoin, Inc.'s (Poway, CA) intellectual...

Ocean Optics. (Agreements, Acquisitions, Etc.).(Is exclusive worldwide distributor of MicropackGmbH products, such as spectroscopy accessories)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Ocean Optics (Dunedin, FL, www.oceanoptics.com), manufacturer of miniature fiber-optic spectrometers, has expanded its product line with the addition of nearly 100 spectroscopy accessories from the German firm MikropackGmbH (www.mikropack.de)....

Coreco Imaging. (Agreements, Acquisitions, Etc.).(Is named one of Canada's top technology firms)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Coreco Imaging (Montreal, P.Q., www.imaging.com), developer of high-performance machine vision products, has been named one of Canada's top technology companies by two business publications. Canadian Business ranked Coreco in its annual list of...

GE Power Systems Company. (Agreements, Acquisitions, Etc.).(Bently Nevada is chosen by ExxonMobil to be global supplier of products and services for Equipment Health Monitoring program )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... In a recent announcement by Bently Nevada (Minden, NV, www.bently.com), it has been chosen by ExxonMobil to be a global supplier of products and services for its Equipment Health Monitoring program, which uses automated monitoring...

Messring Systembau MSG GmbH. (Agreements, Acquisitions, Etc.).(Gets US government okay to build crash-test facility)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Messring Systembau MSG GmbH (Munich, Germany, www.messring.de) has received the go-ahead from the U.S. government to build a new crash-test facility for investigation of vehicular accidents. George Washington University and the Federal Highway...

Geotest-Marvin Test Systems, Inc. (Big Deals).(Will provide test systems for F-15 Eagle and F-16 Falcon fighters)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Geotest-Marvin Test Systems, Inc. (Irvine, CA, www.geotestinc.com) has won contracts totaling more than $2 million to provide test systems for the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Falcon fighters. The F-15 contract is for handheld organizational-level...

Sensor Technologies & Systems. (Big Deals).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Sensor Technologies & Systems (STS, Scottsdale, AZ, www.sensor-tech.com), designer and manufacturer of commercial and government radar sensor systems for security, transportation, and military applications, has received a new contract. The U.S....

The NanoBusiness Alliance. (Market Trends).(Enters into agreement with Foley and Lardner to develop reports and surveys on nanotechnology applications)
December 1, 2002... The NanoBusiness Alliance (New York, NY, www.nanobusiness.org), an industry association formed to drive development of micro- and nanotechnology, has entered into an agreement with Foley and Lardner (Chicago, IL, www.foleylardner.com), an...

Instrumented mighty mouth evaluates your chow. (Research & Developments).
December 1, 2002... Just what is "al dente," really? Wouldn't the firm or soft of pasta depend to some extent on who's doing the chewing? Is there some way to quantify this mysterious property? Yes, there is. Ametek's Chatillon TAPlus, designed for both...

Don't monkey with grease. (Research & Developments).
December 1, 2002... Knowing when to grease a piece of machinery, when to stop, and when to just leave it alone takes a finer ear than many of us can claim. Too much lube, and you get overheating and elevated pressures that can burst the seals on your equipment....

BEI's Asad Madni named AAAS fellow. (Research & Developments).(BEI Technologies Inc president and COO is elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science)
December 1, 2002... Dr. Asad M. Madni, president and COO of BEI Technologies, Inc., and member of the Sensors editorial advisory board, has been elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Fellows are selected by a vote of the AAAS...

Clever furniture kit helps assemble itself. (Research & Developments).
December 1, 2002... Too many thumbs? Too much intuition? Here's help. Stavros Antifakos and colleagues at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology are developing a flat-pack furniture kit instrumented with cheap motion and pressure sensors that report to a...

Sensor, heal thyself. (APP Snaps).
December 1, 2002... Maintaining calibration is one of the most difficult problems encountered by sensor designers. Circuit components inevitably age and degrade, and until now, this usually meant recalibration by a technician and downtime for mission-critical...

Having the vision to measure flow. (APP Snaps).(Morning Star Packing Co uses LightWorks LLC solution )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Tomatoes, tomatoes everywhere--how do you measure them? That's what The Morning Star Packing Co. had to figure out. And as is often the case, it was the application's parameters that decided how the measurement would be done. In this instance,...

Distillery gets looped. (APP Snaps).(Black Velvet Distillery uses ABB distributed control system and MycroSENSOR Technologies' XTC line of transmitters)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... To meet market demands and to ensure the quality of its products, the Black Velvet Distillery moved from predominantly manual control to an ABB distributed control system 10 years ago. Nevertheless, plant engineers determined that it didn't...

IEEE P1451.4: the most direct impact of plug-and-play sensors is quicker, more automated system setup. (Intelligent Systems).
December 1, 2002... While the notion of smart sensors typically conjures up images of super-intelligent, DSP-enhanced sensor nodes with sophisticated networking technologies, an emerging IEEE standard that takes a pragmatic, more modest approach to smart sensors...

MEMS Clearinghouse. (Reference And Tools).
December 1, 2002... The MEMS Clearinghouse is hosted by the University of Southern California's Information Sciences Institute as part of the DARPA MEMS Program. Be sure to check out the Materials and Links areas of the site. www.memsnet.org

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. (Reference And Tools).
December 1, 2002... The official Web site for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office allows you to search patents and trademarks, and provides other patent-related services. Patent grants since 1790 and patent submissions since March 2001 are online and searchable....

Measure 4 Measure. (Reference And Tools).
December 1, 2002... Measure 4 Measure is a collection of interactive Web sites that estimate, calculate, convert... you name it. www.wolinskyweb.net/measure.htm

NASA TechFinder. (Reference And Tools).(NASA Commercialization Portal )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... At NASA TechFinder, the NASA Commercialization Portal lets you view various research developments looking for commercial partners. http://technology.nasa.gov

Knovel. (Reference And Tools).(Growing collection of online scientific and engineering references)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Knovel is a growing collection of engineering and scientific references online. Not only can you search the references, you can also create interactive data tables and graphs. Not free, alas. www.knovel.com

MatWeb. (Reference And Tools).
December 1, 2002... MatWeb, an online materials database containing property information on polymers, metals, ceramics, semiconductors, fibers, and other engineering materials, lets you search by material type, trade-name, manufacturer, property, and metal...

"The Reference Desk". (Reference And Tools).
December 1, 2002... Martindale's "The Reference Desk" has links to just about any topic you'd care to shake a stick at. It collects all kinds of handy reference material in one place for your viewing pleasure. www-sci.lib.uci.edu/HSG/Ref.html

Eric Weisstein's World of Mathematics. (Reference And Tools).(Supported by Wolfram Research)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Eric Weisstein's World of Mathematics (supported by Wolfram Research) is an online compendium of mathematics with tons of examples and cross-references and figures. http://mathworld.wolfram.com

Mathtools.net. (Reference And Tools).
December 1, 2002... The Math Works maintains a site called Mathtools.net, which gathers and organizes technical computing information and links for scientific and engineering computing resources. www.mathtools.net

The Federal Consumer Information Center. (Reference And Tools).
December 1, 2002... The Federal Consumer Information Center indexes a vast quantity of advice, educational tracts, and links about everything that you, as a consumer, may be interested in. The Consumer Action Web site collects links to companies and government...

For a truly amazing array of time- and date-related tools. (Reference And Tools).
December 1, 2002... For a truly amazing array of time- and date-related tools, visit www.timeanddate.com, courtesy of Steffen Thorsen, the author, and Thorsen Tid og Kalendar, the company behind the site. www.timeanddate.com

FreeTradeZone. (Portals/Organizations).
December 1, 2002... FreeTradeZone from PartMiner, Inc., allows people in search of electronic components to find the various parts they need, do side-by-side comparisons, request quotes, and place orders. www.freetradezone.com

The EE Compendium. (Portals/Organizations).
December 1, 2002... The EE Compendium is for electronic engineers (both professional and amateur) and collects news, relevant books, tutorials, and projects. http://ee.cleversoul.com

Eng-Tips Engineering. (Portals/Organizations).
December 1, 2002... The Eng-Tips engineering tips forum is a site dedicated to engineering discussion forums; all the engineering flavors are represented as well as the more specialized fields. www.eng-tips.com

Engineering.com. (Portals/Organizations).
December 1, 2002... Engineering.com. Another engineering portal with various directories, handy calculators, tables, free software, and so on, related to the various flavors of engineering. www.engineering.com

Mining online source code and example programs: the Internet is handing out free samples--of source code and example programs. If you use this resource correctly, you'll make your job easier and improve your company's bottom line.
December 1, 2002... Engineers just starting out face a steep learning curve. Even seasoned F engineers who need to learn new software or hardware may feel pressured to hasten the learning process to get to the actual project sooner. To combat these pressures,...

Choices and options: here's a look at different ways of adding TCP/IP Internet connectivity to your products and a discussion of the pros and cons of different alternatives. (Internet Connectivity).
December 1, 2002... A though you don't have enough on your plate--your boss walks into your office and says, "Hey, I just got the word from marketing--we need to add Web servers to our product. Oh, yeah, and don't spend a lot of money. You know how tight budgets...

An Elastic-Plate Liquid-Level Switch: this innovative switch, simple in design and operation, is intended for pump control in tanks or sumps--even those containing liquids with suspended solids. (Sensor Technology and Design).
December 1, 2002... Does the world really need a new type of liquid-level switch? The Elastic Plate Liquid-Level Switch (EPLLS) might appear to be a "retro" design when compared to MEMS technology and exotic level sensors found in patent literature. It is,...

Noncontact thread detection with eddy current sensors: a vendor-driven program to automate thread inspection of water pump hubs resulted in an eddy-current-based system that saved the manufacturer time and money. (Putting Sensors to Work).(Metal parts maker A.J. Rose Manufacturing implements eddy current sensing technology)
December 1, 2002... A.J. Rose, a leading supplier of metal fabricated parts to the automotive industry, has successfully implemented eddy current sensing technology to automatically inspect for the presence or absence of threads in tapped holes. The motivation was...

Digital humidity sensor. (Product News).
December 1, 2002... With plug-in pin-type packaging for 1.27mm sockets, the SHT71 sensor module from Sensirion AG, Zurich, Switzerland, provides a fully calibrated digital signal foe RH and temperature. The unit combines 2 sensor elements, an ADC, calibration, and...

Temperature, humidity logger kit. (Product News).
December 1, 2002... The Model 42275 humidity/temperature data logger kit from Extech Instruments Corp., Waltham, MA, includes the data logger, docking station, Windows software, and battery; the compact size of the logger lets you place it in refrigerators, vans,...

Weather DA unit. (Product News).
December 1, 2002... The DAQPOD from Applied Data Sciences, Dallas, TX, combines a high-precision digital thermometer, hygrometer, and barometer in a handheld 9 V battery-powered unit; it reads and sends real-time, polled weather sensor data via its serial port...

Humidity indicator card. (Product News).
December 1, 2002... The 4 by 4 in. Traceable Humidity-On-A-Card from Control Co., Friendswood, TX, indicates the current humidity as well as max. humidity attained, allowing you to monitor humidity levels in shipments, optics, and packaging. Current range is...

Ultrasonic distance sensors. (Product News).
December 1, 2002... With an IP68 rating and narrow beam pattern, ToughSonic TS-30S1 noncontact ultrasonic sensors from Senix Corp., Bristol, VT, measure distances from 6 in. to 14 ft. in wet or dirty environments. The 4 in. long units are housed in a 30 mm...

Universal scanner. (Product News).
December 1, 2002... A 24-channel monitoring and alarm system, the SC-2124 from Azonix-Dynalco, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, can handle a mix of analog inputs such as thermocouples, pressure, voltage, current, and RTDs and is PC configurable using its Modbus communication...

DeviceNet resolver. (Product News).
December 1, 2002... Advanced Micro Controls, Inc. (AMCI), Terryville, CT, introduces the DeviceNet DoraCoder rotary position sensor that combines the affordability of an optical encoder with the durability of a 2.5 in. dia. resolver housing and onboard...

RF transmitters. (Product News).
December 1, 2002... The Point Sensor family of wireless, battery-powered RF devices from Point Six, Inc., Lexington, KY, use 418 MHz transmitters to links variety of digital or analog inputs to a wireless network. Typical inputs include temperature, humidity,...

Gas-Flow controller. (Product News).
December 1, 2002... The DigiTUNE from DigiFLO, Inc., Bellevue, WA, is a closed-loop flow controller that incorporates an ultrasonic gas flow sensor and a proportional solenoid valve. Sensing range is 0-25 Ipm. Control accuracy is [plus or minus] 1.5% or 0.2 1pm....

Limited-space position sensor. (Product News).
December 1, 2002... The Temposonics L Series LD4 from MTS Sensors Div., Cary, NC, has a complete sensor-installed height of 28.5 mm; its combination of a short sensing element and overlapping electronics module lets you mount the complete assembly inside an...

Laboratory Environment Monitor. (Product News).
December 1, 2002... The NIST-traceable Laboratory Environment Monitor from Ruska Instrument Corp., Houston, TX, monitors barometric pressure, ambient temperature, and RH and reports the data to a PC via RS-232 or RS-485. Windows-based logging software displays the...

Miniature magnetometers. (Product News).
December 1, 2002... San Diego Magnetics, San Diego, CA, offers NANOtometer 1D and 2D noncryogenic magnetoresistive sensor arrays that can detect magnetic fields

Rugged data loggers. (Product News).
December 1, 2002... NanoVACQ loggers from TMI-USA, Inc., Sterling, VA, are small, hermetically sealed devices that can record parameters such as temperature, pressure, air flow, RH, force, and dimensional changes and can be inserted directly into a can, jar, or...

Air quality sensor. (Product News).
December 1, 2002... The Intellek air quality sensor from Delphi Corp., Downers Crove, IL, acts as an electronic nose, detecting the quality of outside air entering through a vehicle's cabin air intake. Located near the air intake vent, the sensor detects...

Sensor signal processor. (Product News).
December 1, 2002... The 16-bit, dual-channel, programmable MAX1463 from Maxim Integrated Products, Sunnyvale, CA, provides sensor amplification, calibration, signal linearization, and temperature compensation. Output is configurable as 2 independent signals, the...

Noncontacting rotary sensor. (Product News).
December 1, 2002... Designed to withstand high EMC levels and sealed to IP67, the VX sensor family from Novotechnik U.S., Inc., Southborough, MA, provides 3600 absolute angle measurement with selectable analog or digital outputs. Specifications include resolution...

Visibility sensor. (Product News).
December 1, 2002... The Sentry visibility sensor from EnviroTech Sensors, Inc., Clarksville, MD, is an ER forward scatter sensor with a 42[degrees] scatter angle; it measures atmospheric visibility by determining the amount of light scattered by particles in the...

Electronic assembly test kit. (Product News).
December 1, 2002... The 179/EDA Combo Kit from Fluke Corp, Everett, WA, lets you take measurements in tight spaces on circuit boards, components, connectors, and cable harnesses. The kit's 179 DMM features 0.09% basic DC accuracy, 6000 count resolution, and the...

Soil compaction meter. (Product News).
December 1, 2002... For instantaneous, research-grade data on soil conditions, Spectrum Technologies, Inc., Plainfield, IL, offers the SC-900 that has an ultrasonic depth sensor, an integrated data logger with OPS compatibility, and a user-friendly interface. It...

Isolated pressure transducer. (Product News).(advertising)
December 1, 2002... The BE Bonded Element general-purpose industrial transducer from SenSym ICT, Inc., an Invensys Sensor Systems Co., Milpitas, CA, offers 1.5% accuracy over -20[degrees]C to 85[degrees]C and is offered with a variety of pressure ranges and ports....

Pressure sensor improvements. (Product News).(advertising)
December 1, 2002... SSI Technologies, Inc., Janesville, WI, has improved the accuracy and pressure ranges of its MediaSensor and MediaNugget pressure sensor lines. With a new accuracy rating of 0.5% and expanded pressure ranges of 157 3000 psi, the bulk...

Monitor and control system. (Product News).(advertising)
December 1, 2002... The 911 Sentinel 48 from TX Technology Corp., Randolph, NJ, uses RF wireless and PCI technology to monitor up to 48 sensors in any combination of 4-20 mA, 0-5 VDC, NO/NC, and 80 k[Ohm] to 3.8 M[Ohm]. Communication options include TCP/IP, modem,...

Dual-range torquemeters. (Product News).(advertising)
December 1, 2002... S. Himmelstein and Co., Hoffman Estates, IL, offers its MCRT 79000V Series noncontact torque sensors that Isave 2 ranges with independent 0-5 V outputs. Overload ratings are 1000% on the low range and 200% on the high range; accuracy is 0.1%...

Web picks.
December 1, 2002... Rick Faehnrich c-mailed me to tell me about his Web site, www.ecircuitcenter.com, where he maintains a growing collection of free SPICE circuits for you to play with and modify. Currently there are sections on op amps, sensors and control, and...