Sensors Magazine articles from October 2001

Sensors Magazine archives from October 2001

Some Good Advice.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... With such a broad array of technologies and applications to cover, no single person could possibly be an expert in every area within Sensors' purview. That's why our editorial staffers, knowledgeable as they are in various areas, benefit from...

eetimes.com.
October 1, 2001... In a report released in 2001 and reported in eetimes.com (Manhasset, NY), analysts Eric Chen and Donald Lu of J.P. Morgan have determined that productivity in the photonics industry will decline until manufacturing breakthroughs can reverse...

The Automated Imaging Association.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... The Automated Imaging Association (Ann Arbor, MI) has published an industry study with actual growth rates for machine vision in semi-conductor, electronics, pharmaceutical/medical device, plastics, and printing industries. "The Machine Vision...

ARC Advisory Group.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... More than 40 ARC analysts working for the ARC Advisory Group (Dedham, MA) provide news globally on manufacturing plant applications. Based in the Americas, Germany, the U.K., and Japan, the news summaries appear in German and Japanese as well...

Ballistic Missile Defense Organization.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Access to follow-on reports of the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization's (Department of Defense, Washington, DC) "BMDO FiberOptic Technologies for Telecommunications" is available online from BMDOLINK's technology transfer section. It covers...

Biometric Digest.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... The Biometric Digest (St. Louis, MO) introduces its Biometric information Digest (BID), detailing the 330 vendors behind the technology that identifies individuals based on fingerprints, iris recognition, facial scan, voice, signature, or...

Europractice.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Europractice (Surrey, England), in its sixth year, is composed of 60 European organizations that report advances in biomedics in Europe. While Europractice provides access to advanced microelectronics, microsystems, and miniaturization design...

Quest Technologies.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Quest Technologies (Oconomowoc, WI), an ISO 9001 registered company for the design and manufacture of life safety and health instrumentation, now offers the "5-Minute Simplicity Guarantee" on select Metrosonics products, whereby if the product...

Cygnus, Inc.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Cygnus, Inc. (Redwood City,CA), has applied to the U.S. FDA for supplemental premarket approval of an automated, large-scale process for GlucoWatch AutoSensor manufacturing, a glucose monitoring device for people with diabetes. The GlucoWatch...

Etec, Inc.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Etec, Inc. (Peabody, MA), an electronics testing business since 1986, has delivered its MEMS motion analyzer (MMA) test system to a telecommunications manufacturer. A turnkey system for characterizing the complex motions of any MEMS/MOEMS...

Anadigm (Campbell, CA) and Omron (Schaumburg, IL) will market field-programmable analog array (FPAA) products and technology in Japan.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Anadigm (Campbell, CA) and Omron (Schaumburg, IL) will market field-programmable analog array (FPAA) products and technology in Japan. Omron is offering Anadigm FPAA products under its own brand through the Semiconductor Division of its...

Irvine Sensors Corp.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Irvine Sensors Corp. (Costa Mesa, CA) announced that its contractor team is one of four winners of the Jigsaw System competitive procurement being funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) of the U.S. Department of...

Photoacoustic Spectroscopy Detects Water in Oil.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Contamination, most commonly from water, can degrade petroleum-based and synthetic transmission, lubricating, and hydraulic fluids and lead to destructive wear and corrosion of machinery. While detection of water in oil at 10-50 ppm is...

Strain Gauges ID Ore Pass Blockage.
October 1, 2001... The bridging of material in ore passes causes potentially hazardous blockages in the flow of material. While there are sensors on the market capable of determining fill level from the top of an ore pass, the best solution would be a device that...

Smart Sprayer Hits Just the Weeds.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... In much of the country, highway crews are busy all summer getting rid of weeds beside the roads, under the guardrails, and bursting up through the pavement. They will probably welcome the SmartMotor, a stand-alone, brushless DC servomotor with...

Tiny Implantable Sensor Will Monitor Biological Fluid Pressure.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... A pressure sensor no larger than a grain of rice is being developed by Integrated Sensing Systems, Inc. Its purpose: implantation in the body for direct and continuous monitoring of biologic fluid pressure. The wireless, batteryless,...

Google.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... I'm not used to writing about somber subjects. Web sites that are amusing, quirky, or amazingly useful tend to be more in my line. But in light of the carnage on Tuesday, 11 September, I'm going to include a site, courtesy of Google, that...

Serial Port Central.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... For something slightly more useful and work-related, I'll point you to Serial Port Central, maintained by Jan Axelson, where you can find a great deal of information relating to serial links and networks, especially those used for monitoring...

Society of Manufacturing Engineers' (SME).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Are you a manufacturing engineer? Would you like to be? Either way, the Society of Manufacturing Engineers' (SME) Web site is a repository of large amounts of relevant information. Interested in educational programs or awards? Conferences and...

Design a Low-Jitter Clock for High-Speed A/D Converters.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... To calm the jitters for high-speed, high-performance A/D converters, you need a well-designed, high-frequency clock. Many modern high-speed, high-performance A/D converters (ADCs) require a low-phase-noise (low-jitter), high-frequency clock...

Monitoring Bearing and Gear Failures in Aircraft Gas Turbine Engines.(sensors used)
October 1, 2001... A unique use of sensors helps aircraft engine maintenance departments trend wear debris that could lead to engine failure. Here's how it works. Most bearings and gears used by the aerospace industry are made of ferrous and nonferrous...

Combining Motion and Vision Systems in Automation.
October 1, 2001... Using both vision and motion punches up the power of your automation process. With new off-the-shelf tools and software interfaces, even nonexperts can design their own integrated systems. As the demand to automate process increases, more...

Manometer BASICS.(measuring instruments)
October 1, 2001... Manometers, devices for measuring differential fluid pressures, come in two flavors--liquid-based and digital. Knowing how each type works will help you make the best choice for your application. One of the earliest pressure measuring...

Dynamic Rotary Torque Measurement Using Surface Acoustic Waves.
October 1, 2001... A new noncontact frequency domain strain torque sensor based on SAW technology can satisfy a variety of static and dynamic measurement applications. Fundamental to the study of the mechanics of materials, the stress-strain relationship...

The Best of Both Worlds for Surface Roughness Measurements.(optical approach with stylus systems)
October 1, 2001... Combining the advantages of optical approaches and features of stylus systems, this new system gives you more measurement flexibility and range. The current trend toward dimensional shrinkage of manufactured parts demands smoother surfaces...

Ultrasonic Sensors for OEMs.
October 1, 2001... Polaroid Corp., Wayland, MA, offers piezo transducers for challenging environments as well as ultrasensitive electrostatic transducers. Applications include proximity sensing, positioning, distance and/or level measurement, and automotive...

Electrode Sealing Feedthroughs.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Conax Buffalo Technologics LLC, Buffalo, NY, adds the heavy duty 1 in. dia. electrode gland teflon Model ECT-1000 to its line of electrode sealing feedthroughs for gas or nonconductive liquids. Operating temperature range is -185[degrees]C to...

High-Accuracy Accelerometer.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Approximately the size of a I in. cube, the LSM from Jewell Instruments, LLC, Manchester, NH; has an input range from [+ or -]0.5 to [+ or -]20.0 g and bandwidths from 70-160 Hz(-3 dB). Output range is [+ or -]5.0 VDC [+ or -]l%; operating...

Noncontact Torque Sensors.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Embedded Magnetic Domain torque sensors from Fast Technology, Livonia, MI, measure up to 1000 Nm of torque applied to a rotating or stationary shaft without contact. Shafts are conditioned with a permanent magnetic pattern, the magnetic...

AS-Interface Tools.(Synergetic Micro Systems Inc.)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... PCI, PC/104, and embedded AS-Interface cards from Synergetic Micro Systems, Inc., Downers Grove, IL, link 2 independent AS-I master channels to software applications and tools. The dual-channel PCI and PC/104 cards are compatible with popular...

Area Velocity Open Channel Meter.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Suitable for any application containing bubbles or suspended solids, the Mainstream III from TTI, Inc., Williston, VT, measures liquid speed with a velocity sensor; simultaneously, an integrated level transmitter's signal combines with channel...

Rugged Magnetic Incremental Encoder.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Specifically for heavy- to medium-duty process applications, the H20M encoder from NorthStar Technologies, Inc., Westerville, OH, is engineered with magneto-ASIC sensing technology developed by The Torrington Co. and sold under license to North...

Rugged Pressure Transducer.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... For any application involving extremes in heat, vibration, and moisture, the Model TJE from Sensotec, Inc., Columbus, OH, comes in ranges from 0-1 to 0-60,000 psi; reference is absolute or true gauge. Available outputs include 3 mV/V (standard)...

Serial-to-Ethernet Bridge.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... The FS-B2010-01 serial-to-Ethernet bridge from FieldServer Technologies, a Sierra Monitor company, Milpitas, CA, is both a protocol translator and Ethernet gateway. With this bridge, a device using one protocol appears to be using a completely...

Spectrometer Modules.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... The MS-MIC Series spectrometer modules from Inno-Spec GmbH, Stamberg, Germany, are based on transmission spectrographs using planar diffraction gratings on a highly transmissive antireflection coated substrate in combination with a prism...

Carbon Monoxide Sensor.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Based on high-specification industrial gas sensors, the ECO-Sure from Sixth Sense Poole, England, is guaranteed to operate continuously in extreme environments for [greater than]5 yr.; measurement range is 0-500 ppm. Continuous operating...

Surface-Mount Pressure Sensor.(Honeywell Sensing and Control)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... The 26PC SMT Series sensor from Honeywell Sensing and Control, Freeport, IL, is for use on printed circuit assemblies and supports gauge, vacuum gauge, differential, and wet/wet sensing applications. The device features silicon piezoresistive...

Ethernet I/O.(Advantech Automation Corp.)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... The ADAM-5000/TCP from Advantech Automation Corp., Cincinnati OH, features a 10/100Base- T auto-negotiation high-speed communication port and a communication distance up to 100.m. The unit supports Modbus/TCP; it allows for remote configuration...

Thermal Conductivity Gas Sensor.(Microsens Products SA)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... The MTCS 2200 from Microsens Products SA, Neuchatel, Switzerland, is a silicon micromachined Kensor that determines gas concentrations of binary or ternary gas mixtures. The sensor consists of an integrated heater located on a thin electrical...

Inductive Gauging Sensor.(Keyence Corp.)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... The EX-V Series from Keyence Corp. of America, Woodcliff Lake, NJ, provides resolution to 0.4 pm, a 40,000 sps sampling rate, and [+ or -] 0.3% F.S. linearity; a variety of sensing heads enables a detection range of 1-10 mm. Controller...

Air Velocity Probe.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... GrayWolf Sensing Solutions, Trumbull, CT, offers the AS-201, an air velocity probe with WolfSense application software for HP Jornada and Compaq Ipaq Pocket PCs. The AS-201 consists of a thermal sensor mounted on a 34 in. (extended) telescoping...

Ethernet Interface for PLCs.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... GE Fanuc Automation North America Inc., Charlottesville VA, enhances its line of VersaMax PLCs and I/O with an Ethernet Network Interface Unit (NIU) featuring embedded Ethernet connectivity with up to 2000 I/O per unit and no need for a serial,...

Rotary Encoder.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... The Sine/Cosine Rotary Electric Encoder from Netzer Precision Motion Sensors, Ltd., Smithtown, NY, provides noncontacting full-rotation absolute output with resolution to 20 bits, and accuracy to 16 bits. The unit features a 58 mm o.d., power...

FPAA Development Board.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... The AN10DS40 evaluation board from Anadigm Inc., Chandler, AZ, helps electronics engineers evaluate field programmable analog array (FPAA) technology letting them configure complete analog signal conditioning and process systems in software and...

Portable Option for Flowmeter.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... The Battery Pack (BPACK) from Alicat Scientific, Inc., Tucson, AZ, converts M Series mass or liquid flowmeters into portable measurement and, calibration instruments. When attached to the Alicat mass flowmeter, the BPACK enables you to...

Analog Input/AC Output Module.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... The DN-A101 from Huron Net Works Inc., Ann Arbor MI, is suitable for using DeviceNet to control any 120 VAC load, measure any analog (4-20 mA) signal or both for control loop applications. The 8-bit input can monitor any analog value from any...

Dual-Axis Inclinometer.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... The EZ-TILT-5000 from Advanced Orientation Systems, Inc., Linden, NJ, is a dual-axis temperature-linearity compensated industrial inclinometer that outputs up to 90 arc[degrees] pitch/roll tilt information in RS-232, PWM, alarm formats....

Tiny Proximity Sensor.
October 1, 2001... Providing a 1 mm sensing distance without an external amplifier, the self-contained, 3 mm dia, by 27 mm Long Ranger inductive sensor from Baluff, Inc., Florence, KY, is [P67 rated with a smooth-barreled SS housing and PUR cable. The sensor...

Two-Inch Multiturn Encoders.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... The BMG, BMH, and BMK absolute hollow-shaft optical rotary encoders from Baumer Electric Ltd., Southington, CT, come in end-shaft and through-shaft configurations from 14-50.8mm dia, and in housings measuring 75,90, and 116 mm, respectively....

Vibration Meter Kit.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Available with audio output, the Industrial Vibration Meter kit from IMI Sensors, a PCB Piczotronics Div., Depew, NY, is supplied with headphones an industrial accelerometer, a right-angle cable assembly, and an industrial high-strength magnet....

Portable Flowmeter.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Designed for clean liquids such as water, oils, and most chemicals, the Portaflow transit time flowmeter from Greyline Instruments, Inc., Massena, NY, is suitable for troubleshooting, spot checks, and balancing flow. Strap-on sensors mount on...

CANbus Analyzer, Monitor.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Combining a Compaq iPAQ computer, a Janz Cancard and additional software, the CANpak from Saelig Co., Victor, NY, Janz Computer AG's U.S. distributor, is a Linux-based handheld PC that provides portable control or monitoring for debugging...

DA System-on-Chip.(digital to analog converter; XE88LC05 Sensing Machine)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... The XE88LC05 Sensing Machine from Xemics, S.A., Neuchatel, Switzerland, and Mountain View, CA, includes 2 DACs and a 16+10 bits ZoomingADC that can be programmed to directly read any Wheatstone bridge sensor. The device also includes integrated...

Low-Pressure Sensor.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Designed for O-ring flush mounting, the Model 82 UltraStable pressure sensor from the IC Sensors Div. of Measurement Specialties, Milpitas, CA, is a 19 mm, small-profile, media-compatible piezoresistive silicon pressure sensor packaged in a...

Level Sensors.(Stedham Electronics Corp. Liquid Level Sensing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... The rugged Liquid Level Sensing family of capacitive proximity sensors from Stedham Electronics Corp., Reno, NV, are housed in Delrin and have standard 1/2 in. threads to fit into tanks and fittings without a sensor well. Sensing range is 0-10...

Distributed I/O Family.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... The PointScan family of 45 analog and digital distributed I/O modules from IOtech, Inc , Cleveland, OH, is divided into 3 groups and their supporting accessories for industrial automation test and measurement, and DA. PointScan/100 modules have...

Spice Simulator.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... SwitcherCAD III for Windows (95/NT) from Linear Technology Corp., Milpitas CA, is a fully functional SPICE simulator with schematic capture and waveform display tools software code enhancements provide optimized transient simulation of complex...

Color Machine Vision Sensor.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... The SmartImage Legend 540C from DVT Corp., Norcross, GA, is an Ethernet-ready vision sensor with color capability; supported color space are RGB, optical density CIE LAB Delta, E, and CIE LCH Delta Ecmc. Designed to perform a multitude of color...

Hydrogen Sulfide Sensor.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... The 7HH/LM CiTiceL from City Technology Ltd., Portsmouth, England, detects [H.sub.2]S with reduced cross sensitivity to methanol and can be incorporated into portable and fixed safety instruments used in environments with background levels of...

Force Indicating Films.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Sensor Products Inc. (SPI), East Hanover, NJ, offers Pressurex Pressure Points tactile force indicating films in size from 0.8-2.5 cm dia. When force is applied, the sensor film instantaneously and permanently changes color. Color intensity is...

WISH LIST.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Position Sensors for Hydraulic Cylinders We are looking for position sensors that can be used in hydraulic cylinders. The only solutions we have found so far (magnetostrictive- and potentiometer-based) must be integrated into the rod of the...