Sensors Magazine articles from June 2002

Sensors Magazine archives from June 2002

Wayne, Perry, and the car in your future. (Editorial).
June 1, 2002... With this issue, Sensors is pleased to announce the addition of two contributing editors to the team. You'll recognize the names Wayne Manges and Perry Sink Marshall from various articles. Mr. Marshall has recently written about smart...

Datataker, Inc., USA announced that Grant Instruments, Ltd. (Agreements, Acquisitions, Etc.).
June 1, 2002... Datataker, Inc., USA (Laguna Hills, CA, www.datataker.com), announced that Grant Instruments, Ltd., has acquired controlling interest and majority shareholdings in its parent company, Datataker Pty, Ltd. (Melbourne, Australia).This merger will...

Lumberg. (Agreements, Acquisitions, Etc.).
June 1, 2002... Lumberg (Midlothian, VA, www.lumbergusa.com), known for its connectors, interconnects, and application tooling, is working on an elegant new industrial connector architecture, Fixcon, based largely on existing M12 industry-standard technology....

Raco Manufacturing and Engineering. (Agreements, Acquisitions, Etc.).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Raco Manufacturing and Engineering's (Emeryville, CA, www.raco man.com) extensive line of data logging and remote monitoring products are now available to federal employees through the General Services Administration (GSA) Advanstage! program,...

John Wiley & Sons. (Agreements, Acquisitions, Etc.).
June 1, 2002... John Wiley & Sons' (New York, NY) Encyclopedia of Smart Materials (www.mrw.interscience.wiley.com/esm/index.html) contains reports from many world experts in one reference. The two-volume book addresses theory, fundamentals, fabrication,...

Coreco Imaging. (Agreements, Acquisitions, Etc.).
June 1, 2002... Coreco Imaging (Montreal, Quebec, Canada, www.corecoimaging.com) has established a new Intelligent Products Division to deliver easy-to-use, packaged machine vision products to end users. The division will serve an international market from its...

ARC Advisory Group. (Agreements, Acquisitions, Etc.).
June 1, 2002... Executives from leading industrial control discussed the future of automation and their strategies at the annual ARC forum on Manufacturing Strategies for the Plant Floor in February. In opening remarks, Andy Chatha, president and founder of...

APTE Association. (Market Trends).
June 1, 2002... According to the newly released Nanotechnology Opportunity Report by APTE Association (nanoreport@apte.net), the nanotechnology industry is growing much faster than expected. The 450-page report sheds light on the worldwide landscape, revealing...

Freedonia Group. (Market Trends).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... According to a study by Freedonia Group (Cleveland, OH, www.freedoniagroup.com), the OEM (original equipment manufacturers) market for automotive electronic products is expected to increase nearly 7% annually through 2006. Consumer demand for...

Venture Development Corp. (Market Trends).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... According to Venture Development Corp. (VDC, Natick, MA, www.vdccorp.com), control system suppliers are becoming increasingly dominant in markets for distributed/remote I/O products. Comparison of current and 1998 data shows that this trend is...

Frying is key to five-minute anthrax ID. (Research & Developments).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Fatty acids are found in all living organisms with cell membranes--including Bacillus anthracis, the anthrax bacterium. (A bacillus is any rod-shaped bacterium.) And as we all know by now, identifying that potentially lethal microorganism can...

Ground zero hazard mapping. (App Snaps).
June 1, 2002... On September 16, 2001, scientists from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory began flying a plane equipped with AVIRIS, one of NASA's most sophisticated airborne imaging sensors, to aerially map the environmental conditions at the site of the World...

Level-detection challenges overcome with guided wave radar. (App Snaps).
June 1, 2002... A plant in Hopewell, VA, recently overcame the challenge of determining levels in two molten sulfur tanks. Sulfur is a low-dielectric fluid, and previous mechanical measuring units could not hold up to the 260[degrees]F temperatures within the...

Civil War sub recovery.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... In 1864, the Civil War submarine H.L. Hunley, the first ship capable of maneuvering completely underwater, sank off the coast of South Carolina while returning from its first mission. Now, Friends of the Hunley, Inc. is working to preserve the...

Intelligent wireless condition-based maintenance. (Machine Monitoring/Networking).
June 1, 2002... More than $1 trillion is spent each year to replace perfectly good equipment because no reliable and cost-effective method is available to predict the equipment's remaining life. Now through careful design and a balance of technologies, a...

Simplifying the electronic balance load cell. (Sensor: Technology and Design).
June 1, 2002... A new way to manufacture the load cell that forms the core of an electromagnetic force restoration balance reduces production costs, shortens time to market, and achieves a high level of product reliability. The most accurate electronic...

Columbus: a novel sensor system for domestic washing machines. (Putting Sensors To Work).
June 1, 2002... To find out what really goes on inside a domestic washing machine, researchers built a "washdisc" and filled it with a variety of sensors. the collected data will be invaluable for improving the way future washers are designed--and used. ...

Rapid elemental analysis. (Sensor: Technology and Design).(Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy)
June 1, 2002... Advances in pulsed lasers and spectrometer array detectors have led to the development of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy instruments that provide rapid elemental analysis with no sample preparation, offering in situ and online analysis....

Imaging Association. (People).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... The Automated Imaging Association (AIA) has presented its 2002 Automated Imaging Achievement award to Amir Novini, president and chairman of Applied Vision Co. The award honors "outstanding contributions in promoting market acceptance of...

Edmund Industrial Optics. (People).(appoints Fred Abbott director of corporate design engineering)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Edmund Industrial Optics (Barrington, NJ, www.edmundoptics.com) has appointed Fred Abbott as director of corporate design engineering for Edmund's manufacturing facilities in the U.S., China, and Singapore. Working out of the company's Tucson,...

ABB Inc. (People).(Blake Doney appointed director of flow products)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... ABB Inc. (Warminster, PA, www.us.abb.com) has named Blake Doney as director of flow products in the U.S. Based in the company's Warminster, PA, office, he will have full responsibility for ABB's flow business and represent the U.S. on the...

Jay B. James. (People).(joins Santa Barbara Infrared as director of business development)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... SBIR Business Development Leader Jay B. James recently joined Santa Barbara Infrared (Santa Barbara, CA, www.sbir.com) as director of business development. James has more than 15 years in the defense and commercial IR industries.

Dan Rooney is the new president and CEO of Superconductive Components Inc. (People).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Dan Rooney is the new president and CEO of Superconductive Components Inc. (Columbus, OH, www.superconductivecomp.com), maker of advanced ceramics for use in sensors and other products. Founder Dr. Edward R. Funk will remain active as chairman....

High-frequency IR light sources take advantage of exotic carbon film. (Research & Developments).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... A new class of pulsed IR light sources has been developed based on a unique diamond-like carbon thermoresistive thin film laid on a silicon micromachined diaphragm. Because the film is so strong, it can be made into ultrathin membranes with...

Dielectric constant sensor conquers that annoying static cling. (Research & Developments).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Tank level sensors based on capacitive probes can get seriously flustered by light powders and pellets that build up a static charge and cling to the tank walls and/or probe. Ditto with sticky pastes and slurries. Moreover, if the tank contents...

Flexible battery redefines the power of print. (Research & Developments).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Every so often we hear from someone with a potentially cool product but with no way to power it. We hope that all you inventors in the same bind are reading this. Power Paper cells are a new power source technology that allows ultrathin,...

Be kind to your dog--and let your dog be kind to you. (Research & Developments).(research into nutrition to reduce dog flatulence)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... We could not resist passing along a short, nonbylined news item we found in a Local paper. Here's our edited version: Researchers from the Waltham Center for Pet Nutrition in Leicestershire, England, have embarked on a project intended to...

Miniature optical kit encoders. (Product News).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... The HEDR-542X Series from Agilent Technologies Inc., Palo Alto, CA, arc 2-channel miniature optical ineremental encoders with a 23 mm dia. and 17.9mm height. Translating rotary motion into a 2-channel TTL-level digital quadrature output, the...

Force gauge. (Product News).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... The Force One FDI Series from Wagner Instruments, Greenwich, ar, lets you attach one of 7 interchangeable force cell modules to a force display module, clanging capacity while maintaining an accuracy of +/-0.3% F.S. Capacities are from 2-200...

Fan-failure detector/driver. (Product News).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Inserted in series with loe low side of the fan, the MAX6684 from Maxim Integrated Products, Sunnyvale, CA, senses tlse fan current; ststic fan current is interpreted as fan failure. TIse device drives 5,12, and 24 V fans rated up to 250 mA...

Portable DA system. (Product News).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... The WaveBook/5 12A from IOtech, Inc., Cleveland, OH, isa DSP-based portable DA system with 8 built-us channels that connects to a notebook PC for invehicle, field, or benchtop applications. You can expand the channel count up to 72 with a...

Smart sensor connectors. (Product News).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... SmartPlug components from Turck Inc., Minneapolis, MN, are ~2 in. long and let you add control functions such as timing, counting, output conversion, and speed monitoring. You connect them between the cable and the quick-disconnect-style...

Tactile sensor arrays. (Product News).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... The T-2000 from Pressure Profile Systems, Inc., Los Angeles, CA, uses a conformable array of capacitive-based pressure sensors to quantify the sense of touch. The hardware/software system can be configured with 16-256 sensor elements in arrays...

[DELTA][SIGMA] ADCs from Linear Technology. (Product News).
June 1, 2002... LTC2421 and LTC2422 no latency 20-bit [delta][sigma] ADCs from Linear Technology Corp., Milpitas, CA, are supplied in a 10-pin MSOP, operate from a single 3 or 5 V supply, and draw 200 [micro]A, dropping to 20 [micro]A between conversions. The...

Signal conditioner. (Product News).
June 1, 2002... A bench-top, single-channel amplifier, the Model 2775B from Endevco Corp., San Juan Capistrano, CA, accepts input from PE, Isotron, or remote charge converters and has a F.S. input range from 0.01-100,000 engineering units. The signal...

Ultrasonic probes. (Product News).
June 1, 2002... ABM Sensor Technology, Peterborough, Ont., Canada, offers its ABM400 (4-wire) and ABM300 (3-wire) family of ultrasonic probes with sensing ranges from 5 in. to 30 ft. and available with 1, 1.5, and 2 in. NPT mountings. The probes feature...

Acoustic bubble spectrometer. (Product News).
June 1, 2002... Able to measure bubble size distribution and volume fraction of gas in a liquid in 2-phase flow applications, the ABS acoustic bubble spectrometer from Dynaflow, Inc., Jessup, MD, does not require liquid or container transparency. The...

Fieldbus coupler. (Product News).
June 1, 2002... Wago Corp., Germantown, WI, offers the EGO fieldbus coupler, recommended for applications with reduced I/O requirements. The coupler has a smaller, 8-bit microcontroller format for use in I/O nodes with max. 32 byte data sizes. Analog and...

Wireless radio module. (Product News).
June 1, 2002... The B900ss-500 from Adcon Telemetry Inc., Boca Raton, FL, is FCC certified and suited for integration into security, industrial control, meter reading, bar code scanning, and POS devices. Operating us the 900 MHz ISM band, the FHSS radio module...

Digital proximity sensor. (Product News).
June 1, 2002... In the presence of nonferrous materials, the Series P7000 from Phoenix America Inc., Fort Wayne, IN, can sense both permanent magnets and ferrous materials and is designed as a replacement for inductive proximity switches. The sensor uses a...

Optical linear encoder. (Product News).
June 1, 2002... Offering resolutions from 5 [micro]m to 10 nm, the noncontact RGH25F from Renishaw Inc., Hoffman Estates, IL, combines a low-mass, compact readhead and a self-adhesive, cut-to-length gold-plated steel tape scale and is suited for positioning...

Fingerprint identification system. (Product News).
June 1, 2002... The MBF300 Sweep Sensor from Fujitsu Microelectronics America, Inc., San Jose, CA, combines sweep sensor technology with advanced algorithms in an authentication system for mobile devices such as PCs and cell phones. A single rapid fingerprint...

Single-point sensor. (Product News).
June 1, 2002... The CCD-based SPR-02 from LMI Selcom, Detroit, MI, uses optical triangulation to measure up to 1800 points/s with 25 [micro]m resolution for monitoring wind-up of materials, distance, thickness or material deformation, position, and profile....

Microcontroller programming software. (Product News).
June 1, 2002... Based on a drag-and-drop concept, microCommander from Intec Automation, Victoria, B.C., Canada, lets engineers configure microcontrollers by using standard proven components such as switches, indicator lights, gauges, strip chart recorders, and...

Analog laser sensor. (Product News).
June 1, 2002... The BOD-66M from Balluff, Inc., Florence, KY, features a 200 mm to 2 m sensing range, background suppression, analog and digital outputs, and its teachable set point provides a discrete digital pnp output when a target reaches a specified...

Concentration/density transmitter. (Product News).
June 1, 2002... The 2-wire, loop-powered DT301I (general purpose) and DT301S (sanitary) Touche from Smar International Corp., Houston, TX, provide continuous online measurement of liquid concentration and density in industrial processes. A capacitive-type...

HVAC temperature sensors. (Product News).
June 1, 2002... Advanced Thermal Products (ATP), St. Marys, PA, has expanded its standard line of HVAC temperature sensors. Available temperature assemblies use a range of NTC thermistors, RTDs, and other solid-state sensors and are offered in duct sensor with...

pH/mV/temperature meter. (Product News).
June 1, 2002... The microprocessor-based PHH-860 from Omega Engineering, Inc., Stamford, CT, is a rugged portable digital pH/mV/temperature meter able to recognize and compensate for electrode offset and slope. The meter features RS-232 communication and hold,...

Miniature transducers. (Product News).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Series D60, D61, and D62 digital-output position transducers from SpaceAge Control, Inc., Palmdale, CA, offer measurement ranges up to 1095 inns using a SS cable wound around a threaded machined aluminum drum. All products are 81 by 81 by 76 mm...

Nano-sized connectors. (Product News).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Nano-sized connectors from Tyco Electronics, Harrisburg, PA, have single-row contacts with centerline spacing of 0.025 in. (single-row) or 0.0125 in. (dual-row). The nano contact system consists of a burnished gold bore amid surface that make...

Package analysis software. (Product News).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Turbo PACKAGE ANALYZER (TPA) 4.0 from Ansoft Corp., Pittsburgh, PA, automates analysis of complex semiconductor packages, including flip-chip, chip-scale package, and multipledie system-in-package designs. A multipole-accelerated partial...

Palm software for loggers. (Product News).
June 1, 2002... With sGo software for Palm OS from Veriteq Instruments Inc., Richmond, B.C., Canada, you can download data and take real-time readings of temperature, humidity, voltage, and current from the company's Spectrum data loggers by using a Palm...

Differential pressure transmitter. (Product News).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Able to replace mechanical gauges in cleanroom HVAC monitoring and control, the LPX 1000LCD Series from Druck inc., New Fairfield, CT, is a wet/wet variable inductance differential pressure transmitter with an LCD for local readout. Standard...

Reflective optical sensors. (Product News).
June 1, 2002... ERT-3280 Series sensors from Elekon Industries USA Inc., Torrance, CA, are 2.7 by 3.2 by 1.4 mm devices that combine a high-output GaAs IRED with a high-sensitivity phototransistor. Optimum sensing distance is 1 mm, switching speed is 30 [mu]s,...

Thermal dispersion flow switch. (Product News).
June 1, 2002... For pump and process protection, Flowline, Los Alamitos, CA, offers the FF10 Thermo-Flo liquid flow switch with a set point adjustable from 0.04-3 fps. An LED shows flow or no-flow status and the relay or FET output provides an interface to a...

Miniature temperature loggers. (Product News).
June 1, 2002... Spectrum Technologies, Inc., Plainfield, IL, offers the WatchDog Temp 2K data logger, a small (3/4 in. across) button-shaped unit that stores up to 2000 unique temperature measurements, from minute fluctuations to extreme variance. The WatchDog...

Miniature multiturn encoder. (Product News).
June 1, 2002... The EQN 1123 from Heidenhain Corp., Schaumburg, IL, is a compact multiturn rotary encoder that uses gear transmission to distinguish between revolutions. Absolute position information is transmitted over the fast serial bidirectional EnDat...

Wireless mini modules. (Product News).
June 1, 2002... The 70 Series single-channel wireless transmitter and receiver mini modules from HM Radio Technology, Atlanta, GA, are now available in FCC-certified versions. The modules are offered in the range of 420-510 MHz, with 12.5 or 25 kHz...

Humidity/temperature sensor. (Sensors Express: Readers' Choice).
June 1, 2002... The tiny SHT11 from Sensirion AG, Zurich, Switzerland, integrates humidity and temperature sensor elements, an ADC, calibration, and a digital interface into a single chip housed in a 7.5 by 5 by 2.3 mm module. The sensor measures RH from...

Engineering.com. (Web Picks).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Always on the lookout for useful engineering sites, I stumbled across Engineering.com. It's very slick and pretty and, although there are elements of its design that caused me great irritation and not a little swearing, the site's worth...

www.keveney.com/Engines.html. (Web Picks).
June 1, 2002... The Animated Engines site, created and maintained by Matt Keveney, is for simpler but very, very cool and informative. A fan of all things mechanical since childhood, Matt's site contains animated GIFs of various types of engines (internal...

www.kissthisguy.com. (Web Picks).
June 1, 2002... For sheer silliness, I'm adding the Archive of Misheard Lyrics, KissThisGuy.com. You will not tax your brain wandering through this site, but you might want to make sure you aren't drinking anything. Nothing worse than having to clean coffee...

Quick poll.
June 1, 2002... www.sensorsmag.com Quick Poll appears on the Sensors Online site and is updated every two weeks. Of the readers who answered the recent question regarding time spent in meetings, 34.2% report meeting for 5-12 hr./mo., while 22.2% spend...