Sensors Magazine articles from October 2002

Sensors Magazine archives from October 2002

Your brand of customer service. (Editorial).(Editorial)
October 1, 2002... Ah, October in New England. My favorite month in this gorgeous part of the world. (Just look at the view from our offices in the photo below, and you'll get an idea of why.) Inspired to come on up for a visit? If so, we'll welcome you with a...

RJG Inc. (Agreements, Acquisitions, Etc.).(introduces piezoelectric sensors)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... RJG Inc. (Traverse City, MI, www.rjginc.com)--which provides process monitoring, containment, and control products to help molders supply better quality plastic parts--has launched a line of piezoelectric sensors. This makes it possible for...

Capacitec. (Agreements, Acquisitions, Etc.).(Capacitec receives quality award)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Capacitec's (Ayer, MA, www.capacitec.com) Snow Sounding Probe, which helps to accurately predict snow slides, has received the 2002 Army SBIR Phase II Quality Award from the U.S Army Research Laboratory. Each year only six projects are chosen...

GE Industrial Systems. (Agreements, Acquisitions, Etc.).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... GE Industrial Systems (Plainville, CT, www.geindustrial.com), provider of integrated industrial equipment, systems, and services, has signed an agreement to acquire NovaSensor Inc. (Fremont, CA, www.novasensor.com), a pioneer in micromachining...

GE Power Systems. (Agreements, Acquisitions, Etc.).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Meanwhile, GE Power Systems (Atlanta, GA, www.gepower.com) has acquired Panametrics Inc. (Waltham, MA, www.panametrics.com), provider of ultrasonic testing equipment and process control instrumentation. The company will become part of GE's...

Omron. (Agreements, Acquisitions, Etc.).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Building on what it considers its core competencies--sensing and control--Omron (Schaumburg, IL, www.omron.com) announced that it will enter the component sensor market through its electronic and mechanical controls division. According to...

JDS Uniphase. (Agreements, Acquisitions, Etc.).(divests MEMS unit to MEMSCAP)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... MEMS supplier MEMSCAP (Grenoble, France, www.memscap.com) has agreed to acquire substantially all of the business and assets of JDS Uniphase's Cronos MEMS business unit (San Jose, CA). Cronos, originally a commercial spinoff of MCNC, was...

IOtech. (Agreements, Acquisitions, Etc.).(acquires product line from ADAC Corp.)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... IOtech (Cleveland, OH, www.iotech.com) recently acquired the PCI data acquisition product line of ADAC Corp. (Boston, MA, www.adac.com). With the addition of ADAC products, IOtech can now offer low-cost 12-bit and entry-level 16-bit boards....

Midtronics. (Agreements, Acquisitions, Etc.).(patent announcement)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Midtronics (Willowbrook, IL, www.midtronics.com) has been granted U.S. patent 6,392,414, related to inGEN, the company's vehicle-integrated battery monitoring system. The patent covers a method for measuring a battery's state of health in real...

Measurement Specialties, Inc. (Agreements, Acquisitions, Etc.).(reorganization announced)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The board of directors of Measurement Specialties, Inc. (Fairfield, NJ), has adopted a restructuring plan and has appointed Frank Guidone as CEO. Mr. Guidone is a principal of Corporate Revitalization Partners, LLC, and has been serving as...

Market trends.(machine vision industry)(Brief Article)(Industry Overview)
October 1, 2002... The worldwide market for general-purpose machine vision for manufacturing is expected to grow at a healthy compounded annual growth rate of 8.9% over the next five years. While machine vision's primary users--the semiconductor and electronics...

Heart research has valveless pump implications. (Research & Developments).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... As part of her doctoral work, Oak Ridge researcher Eunok Jung is investigating the behavior of fluids in a closed (valveless) system. At present, the focus of her studies is on the flow of blood in the body, and the results could change the way...

Machine vision system developed for chicken inspection. (Research & Developments).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... When you're looking at a flock of 2000 chickens, it's pretty hard to tell one from another. Genetic research and computer-controlled maintenance conditions have produced fowl that could pass for clones. But by the time these birds are on the...

Radio waves strip search would-be smugglers. (Research & Developments).(holographic image technology)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... A technology developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for nondestructive evaluation of nuclear reactors has been repurposed as a way to detect items that people are trying to smuggle into or out of secure facilities. The...

Device to decrease DWI. (App Snaps).(Smart Start Inc.)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Repeat drunk driving offenders don't have a chance to endanger the public when the public is equipped with the SSI-1000 ignition interlock from by Smart Start Inc. (developed with the help of Paragon Innovations Inc.). Typically, the offender...

The right pressure for painting. (App Snaps).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Large-scale paint spraying is a demanding application. The procedure requires air and liquid pressure measurement throughout the mixing, storing, and spraying stages, and each stage has unique needs. The pressure transmitters that control the...

System sees clearly. (App Snaps).(sensor technology )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... A broken bottle won't hold water--or not enough of it, anyway. To inspect bottles for efficacy, you might move them onto a conveyor equipped with a pair of photoelectric sensors positioned on either side. But not just any photoelectric sensor...

The basics of rotameters. (Sensor Technology and Design).(Illustration)
October 1, 2002... You may have thought about using a rotameter to satisfy your flow measuring requirements. But do you really know enough about these simple, cost-effective devices to make the best decision? You will after you read this tutorial. Rotameters...

Wireless temperature monitoring in remote systems: analog devices has designed a system to meet the demanding requirements of food transportation applications. (Intelligent Systems).
October 1, 2002... The incidence of food poisoning is on the increase. At the end of 2000, more than 250 food-borne diseases were described, but in most cases, the casual agent is unknown. According to a report republished in 1999, food-borne diseases cause...

Software that builds machine vision applications: you've got all the hardware you need to build a vision system. Now how do you make it all work together? Here's one software package that may help. (HMI/Machine Vision).
October 1, 2002... Because a machine vision application can range from simple to sophisticated, a human machine interface (HMI) is an important design element. It must accommodate the user's level of expertise and graphically render the inspection task so that...

Using capacitive noncontact sensors to control coater gap uniformity. (Putting Sensors to Work).
October 1, 2002... Die slot gaps used in layering chemical, adhesive, and photographic coatings must be of uniform width all along their length. A dual capacitive displacement sensor can provide that assurance. Manufacturers of tapes and films for various...

Novel scintillators detect hazmats. (Research & Developments).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Lawrence Berkeley Lab researchers led by Stephen Derenzo are developing a new class of room temperature semiconductor scintillators designed to detect X-rays, gamma rays, and neutrons. The work is the first to intentionally dope a semiconductor...

You can leaf it alone. (Research & Developments).(device from PP Systems detects and measures plant growth)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Remember botany class? We seemed to spend most of our time growing lima beans in various media and under various conditions, tediously measuring the little shoots' growth rates and patterns and recording the data in our lab notes. We were not...

Probelets in the sky with sensor. (Research & Developments).(ENSCO developing 'sky probes' for weather forecasting)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Except for members of the little colony that lived in the Biosphere for a year or so, we humans have about zero control over specific meteorological events. Maybe that's just as well, given that some of us would banish winter forever and others...

Reader wants to make a better leg. (Research & Developments).
October 1, 2002... We have heard from a reader who proposes a way to improve the performance of prosthetic limbs: I have a suggestion for amputees with one remaining intact leg. The living leg is outfitted with sensors that monitor walking, stopping, and...

And the lame shall walk. (Research & Developments).(research into prosthetics conducted at Hokkaido University )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The writer's concept turns out to be less far fetched than we initially thought. About a month after we heard from Mr. Mohammadian we came upon news of somewhat related research into prosthetics being conducted at Hokkaido University in...

Thermal monitoring ICs. (Product News).(Analog Devices' ADT7xxx family)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The ADT7xxx family of temperature-to-digital converters from Analog Devices, Inc., Norwood, MA, offer a combination of multichannel ADCs and DACs in addition to their ambient and remote temperature measurement functions. All products are...

Machinery Alignment Kit. (Product News).(Pinpoint Laser Systems' Laser Microgage Machinery Alignment Kit )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The Laser Microgage Machinery Alignment Kit from Pinpoint Laser Systems, Newburyport, MA, measures straightness, flatness, parallelism, squareness, and levelness to 0.001 in. The kit's laser transmitter projects a reference beam over an Soft....

Servo, stepper controllers. (Product News).(Control Technology's control modules for its 5100 Series Blue Fusion automation controllers)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Control Technology Corp., Hopkinton, MA, offers serve and stepper control modules for its 5100 Series Blue Fusion Web-enabled automation controllers, Each Blue Fusion servo module provides multiaxis control for up to 6 full axes plus encoder...

Long-range proximity sensors. (Product News).(Balluff's HyperPROX 4X )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The HyperPROX 4X line of long-range inductive sensors from Balluff Inc., Florence, KY, features onboard temperature compensation to eliminate temperature effects on sensing distance and an extended sensing range to let you mount sensors farther...

Small triaxial accelerometer. (Product News).(Endeveo's Model 66AXX )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Martella, Melanie The Model 66AXX miniature (5.5 g) triaxial piezoelectric accelerometer from Endeveo, San Juan Capistrano, CA, offers integral hybrid electronics and a Transducer Electronic Data Sheet (TEDS) in each axis. TEDS provides...

LED verifier. (Product News).(LEDtronics' TestLED)(Product Information)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... To verify individual discrete LEDs with TestLED from LEDtronics, Inc., Torrance, CA, you insert the leads into ports with the appropriate current (mA) and press a button--the LED lights up if it's functional. The unit, roughly the size of a...

Digital pressure gauges. (Product News).(Invensys Sensor Systems' SDPGB Series)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... SDPGB Series digital gauges from SenSym ICT Pressure Croup at Invensys Sensor Systems, Milpitas, CA, measure pressure of any media compatible with 316 SS and provide [+ or -]0.25% test gauge accuracy. Designed for battery operation, models...

Temperature sensing cables. (Product News).(Apprise Technologies' TempLine)
October 1, 2002... Apprise Technologies, Inc., Duluth, MN, offers TempLine multipoint devices with a temperature range of -50[degrees]C to 100[degrees]C. Temperature sensors are embedded into the cable; the proprietary matrix system allows a high number of...

Rotating dynamometer. (Product News).(Kistler Instrument's Type 9125)
October 1, 2002... The Type 9125 from Kistler Instrument Corp., Amherst, NY, measures the vertical force (Fz) and the moment (Mz) about the spindle axis of the milling cutter during the machining process for speeds up to 25,000 rpm. A digital signal is...

Voltage feedback amplifier. (Product News).(Linear Technology's LT1819)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... A dual, unity-gain-stable voltage feedback op amp, the LT1819 from Linear Technology Corp., Milpitas, CA, has a gain bandwidth product of 400 MHz and a THD of-85 dB at MHz. Suited for use in high-speed filters, ADC drivers, and DAC buffers, the...

Embeddable accelerometers. (Product News).(IMI Sensors' Series 660 piezoelectric accelerometers )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Series 660 piezoelectric accelerometers from PCB Piezotronics, Inc., IMI Sensors Div., Depew, NY, are suited for applications including impact detection and recording for vehicles, packages, and stamping operations; machinery monitoring; and...

Heat stress monitoring system. (Product News).(Quest Technologies' NetLink II )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... NetLink II from Quest Technologies, Inc., Oconomowoc, WI, is a Web-based heat stress monitoring system that lets you monitor multiple locations simultaneously for conditions conducive to heat stress. The system combines QUESTemp[degrees] 34...

Miniature magnetic sensor. (Product News).(Honeywell's HMC1052L)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... For compassing and navigation products with tight space constraints, Honeywell, Minneapolis, MN, introduces thc 3.0 by 3.0 by 0.9 mm HMC1052L, a 2-axis magnetoresistive sensor. With 2 AMR bridges positioned for orthogonal 2-axis sensing, the...

Encoder Technology. (Product News).(Stegmann's CoreTech encoders )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... CoreTech encoders from Stegmann, Inc., Dayton, OH, use a custom-designed Opto-ASIG and allow you to choose from a variety of incremental and absolute encoder designs with different mechanical interfaces, housing styles, resolutions, and...

Smooth barrel proximity sensor. (Product News).(Stedham Electronics )
October 1, 2002... Stedham Electronics Corp., Reno, NV, offers the CE-rated 34 mm smooth barrel capacitive proximity sensor, with a sensing range adjustable from 7-30 mm. Sensors are available in DC and AC outputs and in cable and connector versions. All have...

DIP pressure sensor. (Product News).(Asia Pacific Microsystems' BP300 Series)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Housed in a 6-pin DIP package, the BP300 Series from Asia Pacific Microsystems, Inc., Hsinchu, Taiwan, R.O.C., is a micromachined silicon solid-state sensor that produces a voltage output linearly proportional to the input pressure. The unit...

Sound and Vibration software. (Product News).(National Instruments' Sound and Vibration Toolset 2.0)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... National Instruments, Austin, TX, extends the power of its LabVIEW development environment with the Sound and Vibration Toolset Version 2.0, which adds frequency measurements including zoom FFT, peak search, and power-in-band. Other features...

Thermal dispersion switch. (Product News).(Kayden Instruments BASIC Model 410 )(Product Information)
October 1, 2002... The BASIC Model 410 microprocessor-based thermal dispersion flow, level, and interface switch from Kayden Instruments Inc., Calgary, Alta., Canada, has all-welded 316 SS construction and RS-232 Modbus serial communications. Standard features...

Control-loop tuning software. (Product News).(Plant Automation Services' TuneWizard)(Product Information)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... For optimizing process control loops, TuneWizard software from Plant Automation Services (PAS), Inc., Houston, TX, includes an explorer-type interface; DOC3000 connectivity; and statistical, power spectrum, variability, and valve travel...

Smart temperature transmitters. (Product News).(Novus Electronics' TxBlock and TxRail )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... TxBlock head-mount and TxRail DIN-rail-mount temperature transmitters from Novus Electronics Ltd., Porto Alegre, Brazil, let you configure the input type and working range in the field by connecting them to the RS-232 port of a PC or using a...

Sensor interface. (Product News).(PalmSens from Palm Instruments )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The portable PalmSens from Palm Instruments BV, Houten, The Netherlands, is a 155 by 85 by 35 mm programmable device that can be controlled from a PocketPC and that, connected to an electrochemical sensor, lets you access relevant voltametric...

Sensitive line-scan camera. (Product News).(Owl line-scan camera from Pixel Devices International)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The Owl line-scan camera from Pixel Devices Intl. Inc., Sunnyvale, CA, has sensitivity >1900 DN/ nj/[cm.sup.2], has a 50 MHz max. clock rate, and produces 14 bits/pixel. Read noise is

Autocalibration module. (Product News).(Sensotec)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Sensotec, Inc., Columbus, OH, introduces an internal Signature Module communicator for pressure transducers, load cells, and torque sensors that allows autocalibration with the Model SC digital indicator. The sensor stores calibrations...

Fan managers. (Product News).(Microchip Technology's TC664/5 and TC654/5 SMBus fan speed controllers)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Microchip Technology, Chandler, AZ, has expanded its TC6xx family with the TC664/5 (single) and TC654/5 (dual) SMBus fan speed controllers with fan-fault and overtemperature detection. The units adjust fan speed according to temperature using...

Programmable DC source. (Product News).(Geotest-Marvin Test Systems GX1838)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... For avionics testing and other ATE applications with multiple discrete outputs, Geotest-Marvin Test Systems, Inc., Irvine, CA, offers the GX1838, a 3U PXI-programmable DC source with 8 output channels and 3 programmable voltage rails. Each of...

Intrinsically safe flow sensors. (Product News).(1-106 Flo-Sensor systems from MeMillan )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Designed as electronic alternatives to ball-and-tube rotameters and featuring a fast-response Pelton-type turbine wheel, 1-106 Flo-Sensor systems from MeMillan Co., Georgetown, TX, measure flow rates as low as 15 mlpm. Compatible with virtually...

Radiation detector. (Product News).(Thermo Electron's Natural Background Rejection handheld detector )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The Natural Background Rejection (NBR) handheld detector from Thermo Electron Corp.'s Radiation Measurement and Protection Group, Santa Fe, NM, used with the FH 40C multipurpose survey meter, can distinguish between natural and artificial...

Fuel-level sensor. (Product News).(SSI Technologies's Acu-trac )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Developed for heavy truck applications, the Acu-trac ultrasonic fuel-level sensor from SSI Technologies, Inc., Janesville, WI, has been migrated to an industrial-based product line where it provides 0-1.5, (1-3, and 0-8 in sensing ranges and...

IP67-rated terminal blocks. (Product News).(Wage Corp)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Wage Corp., Germantown, WI, offers IP67-rated modules for its compact I/O System 755 to enable operation in harsh environments where water and oil can regularly come into contact with the module and its connections. Modules are available for...

Flow switches. (Product News).(Sitron-USA's CF12 )
October 1, 2002... Thermal dispersion flow switches from Sitron-USA, Inc., New York, NY, are designed to monitor and control the flow of liquids, air, and gases in pipes and ducts. Switches are available for AC or DC power supplies; with relay, transistor, or...

Ambient light sensor. (Product News).(TAOS' TSL2550)
October 1, 2002... Using 2 photodetectors, one sensitive to both visible and IR, the other sensitive to only IR light, the TSL2550 from TAOS, Inc., Plano, TX, uses the combined information to approximate the response of the human eye. It converts light intensity...

Touch sensor chip. (Product News).(QT320 from Quantum Research Group )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Based on the company's QProx charge-transfer technology, the QT320 from Quantum Research Group Ltd., Hamble, England, isa self-contained digital [C with a RISC core and 2 sensing channels that can be used to create virtual buttons through...

Web picks.
October 1, 2002... Here's another site full of technology looking for commercial partners, this time from the Navy Research Laboratory (NRL). The technologies are available either through patent licensing agreements or through cooperative R&D agreements. If you...

Correction.
October 1, 2002... The complete address for Ipitek (August 2002 Sensors, pages 28-31) is 2330 Faraday Ave., Carlsbad, CA 92008; 888-447-4835 or 760-438-1010, fax 760-438-1069, gpalmer@ipitek.com, www.ipitek.com/sensors.htm.

Low-Power Telemetry System. (Sensors Express: Readers' Choice).(TBOX LP from Techno Tradc )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The TBOX LP from Techno Tradc S.A., Waterloo, Belgium, is a low-power RTU that performs intelligent data logging and alarming without requiring an external power supply. The device features a built-in PSTN modem, allowing it to send statistical...