Sensors Magazine articles from January 2003

Sensors Magazine archives from January 2003

Financial woes mar the road to [M.sup.3] commercialization: expansion in many important areas portends maturation. (Guest Editorial).(Industry known as [M.sup.3] (that is, MEMS, MST, and micromachines) had first slowdown in decade during 2002)
January 1, 2003... The industry known as [M.sup.3] (that is, MEMS, MST, and micromachines-the microsize sensors that promise to change our world so dramatically) experienced its first slowdown in a decade during 2002. Besides the recent market dynamics affecting...

Keithley instruments. (Agreements, Acquisitions, Etc.).(Sponsors IEEE Joseph F. Keithley Award )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Nominations for the inaugural IEEE Joseph F. Keithley Award are being accepted until January 31, 2003. The award, sponsored by Keithley Instruments (Cleveland, OH, www.keithley.com) ,is presented for outstanding contributions in the field of...

HBM, Inc. (Agreements, Acquisitions, Etc.).(Launches service called OEM Custom-Designed Sensors)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... HBM, Inc. (Marlborough, MA, www.hbm.com), supplier of test and measurement, DA, and software products, launched a new service called OEM Custom-Designed Sensors at Sensors Expo Fall 2002. With this service, the company dedicates a team to adapt...

Case Western Reserve University. (Agreements, Acquisitions, Etc.).(Opens new Center for Micro/Nano Processing )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Case Western Reserve University's (Cleveland, OH, www.cwru.edu) new Center for Micro/Nano Processing is a joint effort by Professors C.C. Liu (who is director of the new center) and Mehran Mehregany. The move was made to better focus on...

Nexus. (Agreements, Acquisitions, Etc.).(Becomes nonprofit and elects first steering committee)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Nexus, the microsystems association funded by the European Union, recently became a nonprofit, elected its first steering committee, and transferred its office in Grenoble, France, to CEALETI, the Laboratory for Electronic and Information...

Berkeley Sensor and Actuator Center. (People).(John Huggins)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... John Huggins is the new executive director of the Berkeley Sensor and Actuator Center (Berkeley, CA, www.bsac.eecs.berkeley-edu), a National Science Foundation industry/university cooperative research center. Huggins replaces Joe Brown of Suss...

Magnetostrictive probe evaluates bridge cables. (Research & Developments).
January 1, 2003... You might not want to know this, but there are no well-established methods of detecting damage to the steel cables and tendons that hold cable-stayed bridges together. (Planning another route home now?) Well, some UCSD engineers are on the...

Photoacoustic technique assesses subdermal defects. (Research & Developments).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Whenever a political cartoonist wanted to do a quick Mikhail Corbachev, a sketch of his port-wine stain was enough. The former Soviet president kept his birthmark, but many elect to have theirs removed. Port-wine stains are capillary tumors...

Shy birds tell sensor motes their secrets. (APP Snaps).(Leach's storm petrels)
January 1, 2003... Leach's storm petrels are small, patient, and reclusive in summer when they're raising their families. These 8-in. birds dig burrows 6 in. in dia. and 1-3 ft. long in soft, peaty soil along the coasts of Maine, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland,...

Whee or woops? (APP Snaps).(EMFiTECH develops electromechanical sensor film technology to measure ski jumper takeoff power and timing)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Are you into ski jumping? Then you know that your takeoff power and timing determine whether you guide or windmill through the air. These factors are now quantifiable, thanks to an intriguing electromechanical sensor film technology developed...

Moderation = happy plants. (APP Snaps).(Paul Boers Ltd. uses Danfoss's variable frequency drives to control temperature levels in greenhouses)
January 1, 2003... Some plants hate to be hot and others don't like cold. What they all (other than desert flora) object to is thermal cycling between extremes. Greenhouses, because of their solargain/heat characteristics and the evaporative cooling effects of...

Fingerprint identification and authentication: new solid-state sensing devices provide cost-effective, reliable, and sophisticated physical access security for mobile devices, such as laptop computers, PDAs, and cell phones. (Putting Sensors to Work).
January 1, 2003... New solid-state sensing devices provide cost-effective, reliable, and sophisticated physical access security for mobile devices, such as laptop computers, PDAs, and cell phones. Two types will serve fingerprint sensing devices have been...

Pressure measurement: principles and practice. (Sensor Technology and Design).
January 1, 2003... Do you find the sheer variety of pressure sensing methods and products daunting? This tutorial will help you take the pressure off yourself and put it on the right sensor for your application. We have previously examined the underlying...

Getting connected: there are many ways of linking a system to the Internet. And they don't all have to cost you an arm and a leg. (Intelligent Systems).
January 1, 2003... With the widespread use of computers and the Internet, customers want more and more information at their fingertips. They no longer want to access their electronic systems by physically walking to them. A system connected to the Internet not...

Digital signal controllers turn thermocouples into superstars. (Sensor Technology and Design).(dsPIC family of digital signal controllers is offered by Microchip Technology Inc)
January 1, 2003... The digital signal controller combines the best features of both microcontrollers and digital signal processors in a powerful, flexible platform on which to build robust measurement and control applications. Precise temperature measurement...

[+ or -]100 A current sensor. (Product News).(from Allegro Microsystems, Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Allegro Microsystems, Inc., Worcester, MA, introduces the ACS750ECA-100 integrated [+ or -]100 A open-loop current sensor that uses a programmable linear Hall effect device. The 10 by 13 by 7mm sensor contains 2 primary power conductive leads...

MEMS gyroscope. (Product News).(from Analog Devices, Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The iMEMS ADXRS gyroscope from Analog Devices, Inc., Norwood, MA, integrates both an angular rate sensor and signal processing electronics onto a single piece of silicon. Mounted inside a 7 by 7 by 3 mm BOA package, the gyro consumes 5 mA at 5...

Wireless serial protocol. (Product News).(AeroComm, Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... By allowing for true plug-and-play installation, the RF-232 transparent protocol from AeroComm, Inc., Lenexa, KS, (embedded into compact AC4424 industrial-temperature 2.4 0Hz FHSS transceivers), simplifies the wireless integration process. The...

DMM loop calibrator. (Product News).(789 ProcessMeter from Fluke Corp.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The 789 ProcessMeter from Fluke Corp., Everett, WA, combines a 1000 V, 440 mA true rms DMM and loop calibrator in a single handheld tool. Building on the 787 model, improvements include a 24 V loop power supply, improved display, HART mode...

Short-range ultrasonic sensor. (Product News).(RPS-400-6 from Migatron Corp.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Used for ranges of 2-6 in., the RPS-400-6 from Migatron Corp., Woodstock, IL, can detect vibrating and/or tilting targets and features a max. response time of 2.1 ms and an operating frequency of 300 kHz. The 0.75 by 2.00 by 1.50 in. sensor is...

Cylindrical load cell. (Product News).
January 1, 2003... The single-ended shear beam Model PKS from Precise Instrument Corp., Woburn, MA, is IP67 rated and has a movable load point to ensure accuracy despite thermal changes, vibrations, and displacement found in agitators, mixers, and blenders....

Tiny load cell. (Product News).
January 1, 2003... The S610 Micro-S from Strain Measurement Devices (SMD), Inc., Meriden, CT, is a high-stability, universal S-type load cell that measures tension and compreasion in ranges from 100 g to 50 kg. Thin film strain-gauge technology provides

Magnetic compass chip set. (Product News).(HMC1055 from Honeywell)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The HMC1055 three-axis compass sensor set from Honeywell, Minneapolis, MN, includes the HMC1051Z and HMC 1052 high-performance anisotropic magnetoresistive sensors and a MEMSIC dual-axis accelerometer used as a tilt sensor. The sensing elements...

Orientation reference system. (Product News).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... InterSense, Inc., Burlington, MA, introduces the [InertiaCube.sup.2] precision inertial orientation sensor with motion prediction, adjustable rotational sensitivity, output data filtering control, and a 180 Hz update rate. Using 9 discrete...

Machine vision system. (Product News).
January 1, 2003... The Impact machine vision microsystem from PPT Vision, Eden Prairie, MN, uses Digital Serial Link high-speed cameras and can capture images at 60 frames/s. Greater speeds are achieved with built-in support for partial scanning. Using robust...

Low-acceleration sensors. (Product News).(Motorola Inc. Semiconductor Products Sector)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Motorola, Inc.'s Semiconductor Products Sector, Austin, TX, offers its MMA Series of accelerometers in low-g ranges from 1.5 to 8 g to measure small forces from shock, vibration, tilt, movement, or acceleration in end products or embedded...

Embedded wireless networking products. (Product News).(Ember Corp.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The EmberNet suite from Ember Corp., Boston, MA, is a family of hardware, development tools, and software designed for embedded wireless networking; its intelligent mesh-based architecture is scalable into tens of thousands of nodes and is...

Wireless Ethernet. (Product News).(from Cirronet Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Cirronet, Inc., Norcross, GA, has added the SEM5811 and SEM58llX to its family of wireless Ethernet bridges used to interconnect Ethemet-based devices in demanding factory-floor and industrial applications. Both operate in the unlicensed 5.8...

Digital load cell. (Product News).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Vishay Tedea-Huntleigh, Chatsworth, CA, has upgraded its single-point Model 240 to a digital version (the Digital 240) able to obtain 3000 Div. NTEP approval and available in capacities from 1-50 kg. Precalibration ensures each unit performs...

Plug-and-play temperature sensor. (Product News).(A2NCT02 )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The A2NCT02 from Ann Arbor Sensor Systems (AAS2), LLC, Dexter, MI, is a fully calibrated digital noncontact temperature sensor that uses Dallas Semiconductor 1-wire networking technology for multidrop capability. Housed in a TO-S...

Mercury-free tilt sensor. (Product News).
January 1, 2003... The ATS3l10 from Piezo Sensors Div., Measurement Specialities, Inc., Hampton, VA, reliably produces a voltage pulse (~10 V peak) when tilted from vertical to a trip angle of 30[degrees] from horizontal. Its output is indicative of a tilt event...

Ultrasonic transducer. (Product News).
January 1, 2003... The 600 Series open-face transducer from SensComp, Inc., Livonia, MI, offers low-ring characteristics, a narrow beam angle, SS housing, and Parylcnc conformal coating for protection from particles, solvents, corrosion, and mechanical abrasion....

18-bit, 500 Ksps SAR ADC. (Product News).
January 1, 2003... The Burr-Brown ADS8381 from Texas Instruments Inc., Tucson, AZ, is a monolitlsic SAR ADC with 18-bit resolution and a 500 Ksps sampling rate. The unit features [+ or -]7.5 ppm F.S. nonlinearity over the first octal input range ([+ or -]2.5 LSB...

Servo inclinometer. (Product News).
January 1, 2003... The rugged, splashproof LCF-2310 Series from Jewell Instruments, LLC, Manelsester, NH, is a biaxial, fluid-damped, flexuresuspension servo inclinometer. Features include [+ or -]VDC FRO and 0,005% FRO nonlinearity, 3 Hz natural frequency, I...

Illuminated connectors. (Product News).
January 1, 2003... The line of control connectors from Hubbell Wiring Device-Kellems, Milford, OT, now includes illuminated LED connectors, useful when an I/O function needs to be monitored visually. The Mini-Quick Straight and 90[degrees] plugs have clear...

Switch with plugged port detection. (Product News).
January 1, 2003... Powered from the PLC/DCS discrete input, the solid-state, 2-wire One Series pressure switch from United Electric Controls Go., Watertown, MA, detects, signals, and displays sensor port blockage caused by process debris, slurries, or build-tip....

MakeAShorterLink. (Web Picks).(Makes compact link of URLs)
January 1, 2003... If you're tired of sending people huge, ugly URLs--you know, the ones that are 4 lines long and appear not to he written in English anyway--then help is at hand. Simply go to MakeAShorterLink, paste the monster URL into the box and click on the...

DSP Developers' Village. (Web Picks).(Texas Instruments offer the site)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... If your job entails working with DSPs and you haven't found your way to Texas Instruments' DSP Developers' Village, you might want to go and check it out. Besides the product information, the site also has block diagrams for various types of...

Sodaconstructor. (Web Picks).(Java application lets one construct simple models from masses and springs )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Thank you to Carl Stoesz for suggesting the Sodaconstructor, a Java application that lets you construct simple models from masses and springs and then play with gravity, spring constants, and other things to make your creation move around and...

What is your age?. (Quick Poll).(Survey of age group percentages visiting Sensors Online)(Illustration)
January 1, 2003... What is your age? 20-29 years old 28.3% 30-39 years old 24.3% 40-49 years old 25.4% 50-59 years old 4.0% 60-69 years old 3.2% 70-79 years old 0.3% 80 years old or older 1.4% ...