Sensors Magazine articles from February 2002

Sensors Magazine archives from February 2002

Wireless and Mems. (Editorial).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... You are in a select group, the last in more than a millenium to live in two palindromic years (2002 and 1991). Palindromes (numbers or words that read the same backward as forward) are curious beasts. For instance, if you add any number and its...

Brenda Reichelderfer has been appointed by ITT Industries. (Business Sense).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Brenda Reichelderfer has been appointed by ITT Industries (White Plains, NY) to the position of president, Specialty Products, a group of businesses producing engineered products. Reichelderfer, a 19-year veteran with ITT, was most recently...

Ansoft Corp. (Business Sense - Agreements, Acquisitions, Etc.).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Ansoft Corp. (Pittsburgh, PA), a developer of high-performance EDA software for electrical engineers, announced an increase in revenue for the second quarter to $12.5 million, up 30% from $9.7 million reported in the previous year's second...

To expand its Analog EEPROM (AE2) mixed-signal product strategy. (Business Sense - Agreements, Acquisitions, Etc.).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... To expand its Analog EEPROM (AE2) mixed-signal product strategy, Catalyst Semiconductor (Sunnyvale, CA) announced its CAT116x Microprocessor Supervisory Circuits with 16 Kb EEPROM, which uses an 12C interface and features hardwire-write...

iDeveloperNetwork Ltd. (Business Sense - Agreements, Acquisitions, Etc.).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... By opening offices in outlying towns, iDeveloperNetwork Ltd. (iDN) (Moscow, Russia) brings work to programmers and specialists with advanced technical degrees so they can earn a living without leaving their hometowns. Electronic communication...

MKS Instruments, Inc. (Business Sense - Agreements, Acquisitions, Etc.).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... MKS Instruments, Inc. (Andover, MA), manufacturer of components and subsystems for vacuum-and gas-based processes, is producing the MKS Pico Series, a portable mass spectrometer-based leak detector that weighs 16 Ibs. The Pico is a...

Circular waveguide could advance inertial guidance systems. (Research & Development).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... In a development that could lead to dramatic improvements in aircraft guidance systems and open new areas of study in basic physics, Georgia Tech researchers Michael Chapman, Jake Sauer, and Murray Barrett have demonstrated the first storage...

Cheap optical fiber sends news from down the hole. (Research & Developments).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Sandia researcher David Holcomb has devised a way to use inexpensive, throwaway optical fiber to collect real-time information about gas and oil drilling operations. With his technique, data on temperatures, pressure, chemistry, and rock...

Web picks.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... My thanks to Scott Sokolik, Anton Greenwald, and Jim Baker for recommending MatWeb, an online materials database containing property information on polymers, metals, ceramics, semiconductors, fibers, and other engineering materials. You can...

How secure is secure? (Wireless).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... The advent of wireless networks has raised significant questions about security. The vulnerability to inside threats continues, and new concerns have become troublesome as well. Almost everyone now realizes that security is relative. There...

e-Manufacturing the shrinking world of business. (Connectivity).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... The Internet is integrating disparate elements of the enterprise, giving employees, customers, and suppliers a unified view of the entire business, from factory and resource management to customer service. e-Manufacturing is the application...

Controlling Vibration with magnetorheological fluid damping. (Sensor Technology and Design).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... A good example of unwanted vibratory motion is a washing machine in its spin cycle trying to walk out of the room. MR damping can correct this and other problem vibrations. As motion control systems become more refined, vibration...

MEMS Sensors are driving the automotive industry. (Putting Sensors to Work).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... The proliferation of inertial MEMS sensors in cars is making systems designers rethink the stand-alone sensor architecture in favor of a sensing cluster. Once inertial information is available, added features will be limited only by the...

Micropropulsion for the Aerospace industry: Is a self-contained propulsion system-on-a-chip in NASA'S future? These micromachined micronozzles bring the technology one step closer. (Sensor Technology and Design).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... A microsatellite revolution is currently under way in the aerospace industry. Its goal: To make a functional spacecraft weighing 20 kg and drawing MEMS technology is the micromanufacturing method of producing sensors, actuators, and...

PartMiner. (Business Sense - Agreements, Acquisitions, Etc.).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... PartMiner (Englewood, CO) is adopting a subscription model for researching its CAPS iContent database. Procurement professionals and engineers can subscribe to Advisor, which will provide component replacement listings, part lifecycle status,...

Eastman Kodak Co. (Rochester, NY) and SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. (Gifu, Japan), have formed a joint global venture, SK Display Corp. (Business Sense - Agreements, Acquisitions, Etc.).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2002... Eastman Kodak Co. (Rochester, NY) and SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. (Gifu, Japan), have formed a joint global venture, 5K Display Corp., to manufacture organic light-emitting-diode (OLED) displays for consumer devices such as cameras, PDAs, and...

Keithley Instruments, Inc. (Cleveland, OH), and Anritsu Co. (Morgan, Hill, CA) have announced a technology partnership. (Business Sense - Agreements, Acquisitions, Etc.).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Keithley Instruments, Inc. (Cleveland, OH), and Anritsu Co. (Morgan, Hill, CA) have announced a technology partnership to provide technical and marketing support for each other's products used in semiconductor parametric testing. The first such...

Mitsui Chemicals (Tokyo, Japan) has selected Invensys Process Systems (Foxboro, MA) to provide advanced process control and real-time optimization solutions. (Business Sense - Agreements, Acquisitions, Etc.).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Mitsui Chemicals (Tokyo, Japan) has selected Invensys Process Systems (Foxboro, MA) to provide advanced process control and real-time optimization solutions for its Osaka-based petrochemical facility. Invensys Process Systems will assist in...

Falling prices and technological advances have made infrared (IR) sensors popular with control engineers and manufacturers. (Business Sense - Agreements, Acquisitions, Etc.).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2002... Falling prices and technological advances have made infrared (IR) sensors popular with control engineers and manufacturers, according to a recent report from Frost & Sullivan (New York, NY). Total revenue for 2000 is estimated to have generated...

More help for Becky. (Research & Developments).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... We have received a wonderful letter from a reader who catches up on back issues of Sensors while he is traveling. Happily for Becky, whose efforts to communicate have become a joint project between her parents and the sensor community, Ed Bell...

Gas analyzer to look for signs of life out there. (Research & Developments).(gas sensors for use in outer space)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... NIST Researchers and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory are working to adapt NIST's "microhotplate" technology for use in detecting biogenic gases in planetary atmospheres, investigating organic materials on comets, or monitoring air quality in...

Laser sensor. (Product News).
February 1, 2002... Using laser triangulation principles, the single-point DLS-2000 from LMI Selcom, Detroit, MI, provides a measurement range of 300 mm and resolution down to 0.0254 mm for long-range measurements in QC applications. The device offers real-time...

FPGA card. (Product News).(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
February 1, 2002... The Reef-PMC+ board from BittWare, Inc., Concord, NH, combines a XILINX Virtex-II FPGA and an Analog Devices ADSP-21160 SHARC DSP. Features include SHARC link port interfaces; up to 512 MB SDRAM; support of large frame buffering, low-latency...

Non-Integer encoder. (Product News).
February 1, 2002... The Omnicoder Model OH-250 from Miranova Systems Inc., San Luis Obispo, CA, lets you output integer or fractional numbers from an industry-standard optical encoder. Outputs can range from 0.001-4999.999 cpr and can be specified up to 17 places...

Compact DA system. (Product News).(Gould Instrument Systems)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
February 1, 2002... The C-DAQ System from Gould Instrument Systems, Valley View OH, synchronizes CAN bus data frames, GPS position/time and 96 channels of traditional analog inputs in a ruggedized (to 100 g) coffee-mug-sized system. You can use the CAN bus to add...

Environmental monitor. (Product News).
February 1, 2002... The ECM (Environmental Conditions Monitor) from Rohrback Cosasco Systems, a Corrpro Co., Medina, OH, measures humidity, temperature and corrosive attack on 2 replaceable thin film sensors. The monitor shows the rate of corrosion on indicator...

Explosionproof sensor. (Product News).
February 1, 2002... Based on Temposonics R Series and L Series rod-style magnetoresistive sensors, Temposonics TempoGuard sensors from MTS Systems Corp., Sensors Div., Cary, NC, are FM approved for Class I, Div. I, Groups B, C, and D (Combustible gases) and Class...

High-Purity pressure transducer. (Product News).
February 1, 2002... With a 1.125 in. Down-Mount C Seal interfacing base, the Model 227 from Setra Systems, Inc., Boxborough, MA, installs on modular gas delivery systems or panels for use in gas delivery system and semiconductor process tool monitoring. Helium...

Ethernet-Based I/O Modules. (Product News).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2002... Optimation, Inc., Huntsville, AL, has added the OL2258.2-channel high-speed pulse counter and OL2304.4-channel analog voltage output modules to its OptiLogic series. The OL2258 pulse counter contains onboard intelligence for processing and...

Microcontrollers with CAN. (Product News).
February 1, 2002... The PIC18F248, PIC18F258 PIC18F448, and PIC18F458 self-programmable Flash microcontrollers with intelligent CAN 2.0B active interface from Microchip Technology Inc., Chandler AZ, can be programmed in socket via the CAN network Performance is 10...

DeviceNet Connectors. (Product News).
February 1, 2002... Woodhead Connectivity, Northbrook, IL, offers its Brad Harrison open-style overmolded DeviceNet connectors. The family of products is available in both single- and double-ended configurations, including versions with back-panel receptacles, and...

Intrinsically safe transducers. (Product News).
February 1, 2002... Barksdale, Inc., Los Angeles, CA, offers its 440 Series pressure transducers and transmitters that arc UL and CUL listed for use in Class 1; Div. 1, Gropus A, B, C, and D and Class II, div, 1, Groups E, F, and C hazardous locations Process...

Pressure sensor material. (Product News).
February 1, 2002... Impress from Cogent Enterprises, Inc., Sterling Heights, available as a wire or as a shape for custom applications and reacts measurably to small changes in pressure, allowing it to be used as a pressure sensor. Resistivity is inversely...

Multichannel spectrometer module. (Product News).
February 1, 2002... The MS-140-CCD from Inno-Spec GmbH, Starnberg, Germany, consists of a 1:1 imaging reflection spectrograph with a 140 mm focal length, an aberration-corrected diffraction grating, and a 2D back-illuminated silicon CCD array. Suited for low-light...

Fiber-Optic displacement systems. (Product News).
February 1, 2002... Philtec Inc., Annapolis MD, offers its DMS microprocessor based fiber-optic displacement measurement systems that provide direct outputs of distance and reflectance via RS-232. Factory calibrations are stored onboard with 20 nm precision; units...

Weld-Immune proximity sensors. (Product News).
February 1, 2002... Factor 1 inductive proximity sensors from Balluff, Inc., Florence, KY, are available in M8, M12, M18, and M30 tubular and original rotatable-head block- style housing and detect metals of all types at the same sensing distance. Sensing ranges...

Sensors with integral harnesses. (Product News).
February 1, 2002... SSI Technologies, Inc., Janesville, WI, packages its MediaNugget and MediaSensor pressure sensors with an integral harness. The scaled integral cable sensor package gives the MediaNugget and MediaSensor more interconnect flexibility. In...

Ultra-Thin proximity sensors. (Product News).
February 1, 2002... The QF 5.5 from Turck Inc., Minneapolis, MN is a 5.5 mm capacitive proximity sensor that mounts in very small areas. Sensing range is 5 or 10 mm (depending on model), flush mountable. The sensors detect all metallic and nonmetallic materials...

Photo IC sensors. (Product News).
February 1, 2002... EIC 3200 Series sensoxs in surface mount packaging from Elekon Industries USA Inc., Torrance, CA, incorporate a photodiode with a signal-processing circuit and have digital outputs. The signal processing circuit includes an amplifier, Schmit...

Ball valve system. (Product News).
February 1, 2002... For precise ON/OFF or continuous process control, the Type 2658 from Burkert USA, Irvine, CA, consists of a preassembled valve body, pneumatic actuator, and electropneumatic TOP Control head mounted directly atop the actuator. The 2 piece,...

Instrumentation recorder. (Product News).
February 1, 2002... The Data MAX II compact DA system from R.C. Electronics Inc., Santa Barbara, CA, includes the functionality of a digital recorder with video capture and graphical playback. With a data rate of 102.4 Mbps, analog bandwidth of 90 kHz, and...

Wireless serial bundle. (Product News).
February 1, 2002... Comtrol Corp., Minneapolis, MN and Enterasys Networks, Rochester, NH, offer bundled serial device connectivity and wireless LAN products. The bundled Comtrol products are the RocketPort Serial Hub line of Ethernet-attached device servers; these...

3-Axis Teslameter. (Product News).
February 1, 2002... Sentron AG, Zug, Switzerland, offers the digital Teslameter 3ML1 for triaxial measurement of magnetic fields. The instrument comes with a small probe containing the company's patented single-chip 3D Hall sensor and features 3 displays showing...

Color sensor. (Product News).
February 1, 2002... Melanie Martella The FP04 from Wenglor Sensors Ltd., Springfield, OH, operates in either scanning or through-beam mode; the reference color for each of 3 outputs is selected by means of teach-in either directly at the sensor or externally....

Wish List.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Pressure-to-Current Converter I am looking for a P-to-I (vs. I-to-P) converter to measure exhaust pulses from a pneumatic diaphragm pump, which I can then scale in a rate meter. The pressure range is between 50 and 100 psig and will need to...