Sensors Magazine articles from January 2001

Sensors Magazine archives from January 2001

WISH LIST.(sensors)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Presence Sensor/Activator I am currently looking for a sensor, possibly infrared, that will detect the presence of a person, e.g., the devices used by Sloan or Zurn for automatic plumbing devices. However, I want to control a computer so...

Reed Switch Proximity Sensor.(from Power Components of Midwest, Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... The FP3000 from Power Components of Midwest, Inc., Mishawaka, IN, senses steel or iron objects without the need for an external magnet and operates in the presence of ferrous materials. The unit can be configured NO/NC; typical air gap sensing...

Silicon Strain Gauge.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... The LN-100 from BFGoodrich Advanced Micro Machines, Charlotte, NC, is a single-crystal silicon strain gauge integrated onto a flexible polyimide backing; bend radius is [less than]60 mils for use on irregular surfaces. Gauge factor is [greater...

Displacement Transducer.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... The Mini-Dt from PSI-Tronix, a div. of Scientific Technologies, Inc., Tulare, CA, determines displacement of moving objects up to 20 in. with [+ or -]0.25% F.S. accuracy. The unit offers a dust-tight design and a flexible mounting bracket and...

Compact Proximity Sensors.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... The Stubby Cube series from Altech Corp., Flemington, NJ, are inductive devices with a sensing distance up to 40 mm; mounting brackets let you rotate the sensor head 90[degrees]. The series consists of twelve 46.2 by 40 by 40 mm sensors offered...

Calorimetric Flow Sensors.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Used for liquid and semi-liquid flow metering applications, the 4115.30 smart flow-captors from Weber Sensors Inc., Woodstock, GA, have an adjustable span from 0-0.20 m/s up to 0-3 m/s and provide a linearized 4-20 mA output. An adjustment...

Digital Telemetry System.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... TorqueTrak 9000 from Binsfeld Engineering Inc., Maple City, MI, uses a 1.05 by l.95 by 0.70 in 2 oz., battery-powered transmitter that rides on a rotating shaft and broadcasts digital data from a torque-sensitive strain gauge, converting the...

Hermetic Pressure Transducers.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... The 80HP series transducers from Texas Instruments (TI) Sensors and Controls, Attleborough, MA, are media-compatible, amplified devices for use in industrial applications; they are offered in sealed and vented gauge versions from 0-15 to...

Ethylene Oxide Sensor.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Sensor Electronics Corp., Minneapolis, MN, offers a sensor designed to continuously monitor EtO levels in sterilization chambers, showing EtO levels during the entire cycle. The detector uses directed IR beams focused on a special sensor and...

Portable Vehicle Scale.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... The Survivor ATV portable scale from Rice Lake Weighing Systems, Rice Lake, WI, is designed for heavy-duty vehicle weighing in quarries, asphalt plants, timber operations, and road construction. A C-Force mounting system reduces stress and wear...

32-Bit Software for Microprocessors.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Z-World, Davis, CA, offers Dynamic C32, Windows-based 32-bit version of its Dynamic C integrated development software. The software features streamlined libraries, routines supporting the OP7100 and PK2600 series a graphics engine sample that...

High-Speed Photodetectors.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Series D detectors from Martin, Froeschner & Assoc., Livermore, CA, can detect a weak high-speed signal riding on an unpredictably varying strong background, a time-averaged internally developed version of the background signal is subtracted...

Digital Pressure Transmitters.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... EJA510A absolute and EJA530A gauge pressure transmitters from Yokogawa Corp. of America, Newnan, GA, have measurement spans of 1.5-7200 psia/psig, and are programmable through Brain, HART, or Foundation Fieldbus protocols. The transmitters use...

IR Thermometer Chip.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... The MLX90601 from Melexis, Inc., Concord, NH, combines the MLX90247 micromachined IR thermopile with the MLX90313 programmable signal conditioning sensor interface IC, together they can measure noncontact temperature to better than...

Temperature Sensing System.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... ThermalVial from Minco Products, Inc., Minneapolis, MN, uses a precision RTD probe in a fluid-filled container to mimie the thermal response (to -269[degrees]C) of freezer contents for ultra low freezer, cryogenic storage, blood bank and other...

Discrete I/O Board.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... The PCI-469 from Datel, Inc. Mansfield MA, plugs into the PCI bus and provides 24 lines of digital I/O with CMOS/TTL-LS level compatibility. Logic lines are arranged in groups of 8-bit bytes; each byte is programmable for direction and modes....

PDA-Based Calibrators.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Transmation Products Group a business unit of Transmation, Inc. Rochester NY introduces 6 models of its PDA Calibrators for mA/pressure mA, V, thermocouple, RTD, and frequency The PDA's LCD touchscreen serves as an interface for each Model and...

Magnetostrictive Level Transmitter.(MC420 4-20 mA transmitter with HART from MTS Systems Corp.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... The 2-wire MC420 4-20 mA transmitter with HART from MTS Systems Corp., Sensors Div., Cary, NC, offers 0.02% F.S. linearity and 0.005% F.S. repeatability, and comes with a standard float(specific gravity = 0.67). Floats with specific gravity...

Quadrant LAAPD.(large-area avalanche photodiode from Advanced Photonix)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Advanced Photonix, Camarillo, CA, introduces a solid-state quadrant large-area avalanche photodiode (LAAPD) with a total active area of 18 [mm.sup.2] and low light sensitivity. The device use a square 2 by 2 element array; the signal from each...

Miniature RS-170 Camera.(Pulnix America, Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Pulnix America, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA, introduces the TM-250 monochrome CCD camera that measures 44 by 62.3 mm and features a 1/2 in. 768 X 494 pixel imager and analog RS-l70 output. Its shot length lets you mount it in confined areas. Shutter...

Thermal Profiling System.(TCChart from Nomadics, Inc)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... The TCChart from Nomadics, Inc., Stillwater, OK, plugs into the Type II PC Card slot found on Windows CE/95/98-based laptop or handheld compute channel, real-time providing 6-collection real-time profiling and data of thermal processes. The...

High-Speed CMOS Image Sensor.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... The PB-MV13 from Photobit Corp., Pasadena CA, features a freeze frame electronic shutter that enables simultaneous exposure of the entire pixel array 13 megapixel resolution, and a frame rate of [greater than] 500 fps frame rates [greater...

Temperature, Process Indicator.(DP3410 from Omega Engineering)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... The DP3410 from Omega Engineering Stamford, CT, is a Wall-mounted unit that can measure and indicate temperature, pressure, flow, level, and other process variables on its 6-digit LED display. Standard features include a retransmission output...

Network Data Servers.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Integrating the company's DirectWare data communications middleware with standard or customer-specified PCI-based I/O cards, the DirectServer T1/El from computer I/O Corp., Laurel, MD, is a communications server that provides LAN-based client...

Ultrasonic Flowmeter.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... The UPT868 from Panametrics, Inc., PCI Div., Waltham, MA, uses clamp-on transducers to provide nonintrusive flow measurement of all liquids, (e.g., de-ionized water, dilute chemical solutions, beverage slurries, and CMP slurries) for flow rates...

Internet Enabling Devices.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... The iChip LAN from Connect One Semiconductors, Inc., Santa Clara, CA, used with Cirrus Logic's Crystal LAN CS8900A Ethernet controller, enables engineers to add Ethernet LAN connectivity to devices. The unit supports TCP, DNS, DHCP, SMTP,...

Linear Image Sensor.(Photon Vision Systems LLC)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... The ELIS enhanced linear image sensor from Photon Vision Systems LLC, Cortland, NY, offers low noise, low dark current pixels, [greater than]80 dB dynamic range, and high sensitivity for large pixel applications such as bar-code reading,...

X-Ray Sensitive Camera.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... The stand-alone Shad-o-Box 1024 from Rad-icon Imaging Corp., Campbell, CA, consists of 1 or more 512 X 1024 pixel silicon photodiode array sensors and an integral phosphor scintillator screen that converts incident X-rays to visible light....

USB DA and Control Unit.(data acquisition)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... The Microlink 751 from Biodata Ltd., Manchester, UK, connects to a PC's USB port and provides 32 digital I/O, 8 counters, and 16 differential analog inputs for voltage, current, thermocouple, strain-gauge, and pressure transducer signals....

Temperature-to-Voltage Converter.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... The NCT47 sensor from ON Semiconductor, Phoenix, AZ, accurately measures temperature from -40[degrees]C to 125[degrees]C with a guaranteed converter linearity accuracy of [+ or -]2[degrees]C max. at 25[degrees]C. The unit provides a linear...

PCI-Based DA System.(data acquisition system)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
January 1, 2001... IOtech,. Inc., Cleveland OH introduces a Starter Kit that includes the DaqBoard/2001 multifunction PCI DA board, and all necessary cables, terminations, and software. The DaqBoard/2000 features 16-bit 200 kHz sampling; 16-bit 100 kHz...

Cabin Air Quality Sensor.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Microchemical Systems, Corcelles, Switzerland, specializes in very low power semiconductor gas sensors built on a micromachined silicon platform. The company offers several dedicated modules and software for Cabin Air Quality that control air...

DSSP-Based Pressure Sensors.(digital sensor signal processing)
January 1, 2001... Advances in silicon-based pressure sensors are making microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) more vital than ever to the automotive industry. New designs are enabling higher performance, which in turn is opening the way for new automotive...

Protect Your Sensors AND Reduce Plant Downtime.(unusual wear and tear signals larger problems)
January 1, 2001... Spotting the early signs of abnormal wear and tear on your proximity sensors can improve the chances of a simple fix--and save you time and money. Proximity sensors are by definition noncontact devices, so theoretically they should last...

Bringing MEMS Pressure Sensors to Market--FAST.(microelectromechanical systems)
January 1, 2001... One of the biggest challenges of bringing new technologies to market is the constant drive to reduce development time. Now, through software modeling and simulation, new micromachined pressure sensors can be brought to market in record time....

Make It Snappy with the Clover/Disc.(snap action valve control)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... A bistable, disc-shaped snap-ring element has been added to the mechanical engineer's component shelf. Applied, for example, to hydraulic and pneumatic controls, the Clover! Disc can cause valves to snap open or closed at a precise value of...

Mobile Ad Hoc Networking.
January 1, 2001... Soon you'll be able to deploy a robust, self-configuring, and self-healing sensor network without wires. Typical sensor networks use a straightforward communications infrastructure: Sensors communicate directly with a centralized...

How to Select and Use the Right Temperature Sensor.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... The construction and application details of resistance temperature detectors (RTDs), integrated circuit (IC) sensors, thermistors, and thermocouples are herewith demystified. After briefly reviewing how RTDs, IC sensors, thermistors, and...

KMI Corp.(forecasts expansion for)(single-mode fiber-optic interconnect hardware )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... KMI Corp. (www.kmicorp.com) forecasts that the market for single-mode fiber-optic interconnect hardware will expand to $6 billion by 2005. Fueling recent market growth is a 40% increase in cable installations and a near doubling of transmission...

Vassar College.
January 1, 2001... I have a love/bate relationship with statistics. ANOVA tables? Wonderful. Chi and t distributions? Great. The thought of having to do any of these, however, fills me with Great Dread. Luckily, there's a great online resource available: The...

Online Meteorology Guide from the University of Illinois.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Since it's January, weather is probably a major topic of conversation (assuming you leave the building occasionally). Here's the Online Meteorology Guide from the University of Illinois, a series of Web-based instructional modules about...

RouterGod.
January 1, 2001... RouterGod is the online magazine for Cisco professionals. Each issue includes a celebrity interview (e.g., Gillian Anderson on LAN switching), and these interviews are funny, informative, and just generally well done. RouterGod also maintains a...

MR Knee Is a Step Up.(Magnetorheological)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Magnetorheological (MR) fluids have the curious property of exhibiting a dramatic change in rheological behavior in response to an applied magnetic field. These fluids can undergo a reversible change in a matter of milliseconds from a...

Hydrogen Flame Sensor Quells False Alarms.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... The trick to detecting a hydrogen flame lies in distinguishing the real fire from flame reflections or scattered light. NASA researchers were particularly interested in solving this problem because they were getting false alarms from...

ADC.(forms strategic alliance with MEMSCAP Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... ADC (Minneapolis, MN), a global supplier of fiber optics, network equipment, software, and integration services for broadband, multiservice networks; and MEMSCAP Inc, a commercial provider of telecommunications MEMS components, announces a...

Microchip Technology Inc.(to acquire TelCom Semiconductor)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Microchip Technology Inc. (Chandler, AZ) and TelCom Semiconductor, inc. (Mountain View, CA) have announced that Microchip will acquire TelCom in a stock-for-stock transaction valued at approximately $300 million. TelCom is a provider of a broad...

The Freedonia Group, Inc.(forecasts increase in world demand for semiconductors)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Global demand for semiconductors and passive electronic components is projected to increase 9.5% per year through 2004 to close to $440 billion, according to "World Electronic Components," a new study from The Freedonia Group, Inc....

SKF Condition Monitoring.(to acquire total share capital of Diagnostic Instruments Ltd.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... SKF Condition Monitoring (San Diego, CA) has agreed to purchase the total share capital of Diagnostic Instruments Ltd. (Edinburgh, U.K.), a company that designs, develops, and manufactures mobile industrial computers with specialization in the...

Ansoft Corp.(forms new business venture)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Ansoft Corp. (Pittsburgh, PA) has formed a new business venture, Automotive Product & Technology (APT) Solutions, to address the growing demands from the automotive industry for engineering project and design services. APT targets key...

Premis Corp.(to merge with Nonvolatile Electronics Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... The shareholders of Premis Corp., a publicly traded corporation, and Nonvolatile Electronics, Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN),a privately held corporation, have approved the merger of the two companies. The surviving public company is NVE Corp. ...

Pepperl+Fuchs.(to acquire Photoelectric Sensor Busisness unit of)(Honeywell Sensing and Control/Micro Switch)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Pepperl+Fuchs (Twinsburg, OH), a supplier of factory automation solutions, recently completed its acquisition of the Photoelectric Sensor Business Unit of Honeywell Sensing and Control/Micro Switch. Pepperl+Fuchs will integrate Micro Switch's...

EDITORIAL.(Editorial)
January 1, 2001... First, Dream It A song from The Rocky Horror Picture Show advises, "Don't dream it, be it." For whatever reason, I've found this running through my mind when I've considered the challenge Paul Saffo outlined in his keynote address at NI...

Ardesta, LLC.(gets funding commitments)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Ardesta, LLC (Ann Arbor, MI), CEO Rick Snyder announced the initial closing of funding commitments in excess of $100 million. The funds will be used to acquire new microsystems technology, invest in companies to commercialize the technology,...

Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE).(receives $4 million bequest)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) has received a $4 million bequest from the Otto J. Maha Trust to endow fluid power technology education through the university's Fluid Power Institute, The Otto J. Maha Endowment Fund will be used for...

Photon Vision Systems, Inc. (PVS).(receives $9 million in venture capital funding)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Photon Vision Systems, Inc. (PVS) (Cortland, NY), has received $9 million in venture capital funding through a cooperative effort between JK&B Capital of Chicago, IL, and CLAL Electronic Industries of Tel Aviv, Israel. According to PVS CEO...

Wavesplitter Technologies Inc.(completes $51 million equity financing)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Wavesplitter Technologies Inc. (Fremont, CA), a supplier of fiber-optic components for optical-amplifier and DWDM systems, has completed a $51 million equity financing round led by Thomas Weisel Capital Partners. This latest round attracted a...

Tronic's Microsystems.(establishes consortium)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2001... Tronic's Microsystems (Grenoble, Cedex, France), the French MEMS and optical MEMS foundry, has established a consortium dedicated to the development and production of MEMS components based on SOI wafers. The foundry has established a network of...