Sensors Magazine articles from September 2004

Sensors Magazine archives from September 2004

Approaching the age of the sensor.(Editorial)
September 1, 2004... "RFID is a class of sensor," says Kevin Ashton. Ashton, cofounder and former executive director of the Auto-ID Center at MIT (and now vice president of marketing and business development for ThingMagic), explains, "RFID tags sense identity."...

Medical apps checkup.(Business Sense)(OptiMetric Technologies awarded patent for biochip methods and devices)
September 1, 2004... Sicel Technologies, Inc. (www.siceltech.com), developer and manufacturer of implantable sensors that promise to provide clinicians with ongoing data about tumor cells and the impact and timing of treatment, has named Michael D. Riddle as...

Calendar.(Brief Article)(Calendar)
September 1, 2004... SBIR Grants for the Curious Engineer in Business October 7-8, Sunnyvale, CA www.ieee.org/sbir Advanced Energy Technologies October 12-13 Dearborn, MI www.sme.org UE Systems' Ultrasound World October 24-26...

A vision for CMOS.(meshed briefs)(complementary metal oxide semiconductor)(Cypress Semiconductor Corp. acquires FillFactory NV)
September 1, 2004... According to a recent report by iSuppli (www.isuppli.com), the 78-million-unit market for CMOS sensors in 2003 is projected to expand at an annual rate of more than 40% through 2008. Not surprisingly, then, there's a lot of news surrounding...

New test capabilities.(Business Sense)(Fluid Components International)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Extending the capabilities of its calibration laboratory, Fluid Components International (FCI, www.fluidcomponents.com) has added two new liquid flow calibration test stands, investing heavily in equipment, development, installation, test, and...

Sensor research roundup.(Business Sense)
September 1, 2004... According to a new report by The Freedonia Group, Inc. (www.freedoniagroup.com), U.S. demand for sensor products (including sensors, transducers, and associated housings) is projected to increase 7.8% annually to $13.8 billion in 2008. The...

China's PLC market will double by 2008.(Business Sense)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... For the first time in recent economic history, says ARC Advisory Group (www.arc-web.com) there is a country where manufacturing industries are growing fast, which is of a substantial size, and which has the capacity to invest from rising export...

Nanotractor tests Amontons' law of friction.(Research & Developments)
September 1, 2004... Tribology, the study of friction, lubrication, and wear on surfaces that are in relative motion to one another, has been revivified by recent advances in micro- and nanotechnology. According to Amontons' law, friction force is proportional to...

Fire on the mountain! Run, boys, run!(Research & Developments)
September 1, 2004... As this issue goes to press, wildfires are clawing their way through thousands of acres in the West. The courageous men and women who battle these blazes apply various strategies--extinguish, contain, or sometimes allow the fire to safely burn...

NASA puts Anderson loop into the public domain.(Research & Developments)(National Aeronautics & Space Administration)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... The Anderson loop measurement circuit topology, an alternative to the Wheatstone bridge, has been placed in the public domain by NASA. This makes the worldwide circuit topology choice between Wheatstone's bridge and Anderson's loop now a...

Short takes.(Research & Developments)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Edgar Allen Poe's "Premature Burial" is one scary short story. The title says it all--a hapless soul is buried alive because he exhibits no conventional signs of life. Such a mischance was generally feared in the 18th and 19th centuries, and...

What's in that vial?(AppSnaps)(check-weighing system)(Scientific Generics Inc.)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... If you're packaging pharmaceuticals into vials, you need to verify how much of the drug each vial contains to within certain exacting tolerance ranges (a process called check-weighing). Since the vial cannot contain too little of the drug, the...

High-speed stress.(AppSnaps)(HBM Inc.)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... If you played with magnets as a kid, then you (sort of) understand how electromagnetic levitation (maglev) trains work: Magnets mounted on the train repel magnets mounted on a guide way, lifting the train and propelling it around the track. The...

Happy feet.(AppSnaps)
September 1, 2004... The best shoes are the ones you can forget you're wearing. As opposed to, say, the hiking boots that a mere two miles into your hike are grinding away at your heel. A European manufacturer of custom boot and shoe insoles wanted a way to...

Reality mining: browsing reality with sensor networks.(Intelligent Systems)(Cover Story)
September 1, 2004... Sensors streaming their data online are turning the Internet into a global sensor network. Software platforms that integrate and mine these data streams may create a world in which sensors become pixels and we browse reality as easily as we...

Motion control in extreme electromagnetic fields.(Putting Sensors to Work)
September 1, 2004... What better time to administer a drug or carrry out a medical procedure than when the patient is revealing all to an MRI scan? But how can the necessary equipment be safely introduced into and function properly within the high electromagnetic...

The benefits of a subtractive dither system for data acquisition: a subtractive dither system minimizes signal dependencies and greatly extends the accuracy and usable dynamic range of any digitizer--without affecting storage bandwidth or capacity.(Intelligent Systems)
September 1, 2004... Digital data acquisition systems (DAS) sample a continuous-time waveform and quantize (or "digitize") the result. The unavoidable consequence of this process is quantization error, or quantization noise. This error, viewed as a sequence in time...

Measurement services: more than just a driver; By definition, a device driver should expose the functionality of the hardware. While most accomplish this, the new breed of drivers gives you greater power and functionality.(Intelligent Systems)
September 1, 2004... When it comes to data acquisition (DA), it's not just a matter of choosing the right hardware. Driver software, software used to access the hardware's functionality, is an essential component. An equal partnership is required to successfully...

Advances in analog distance sensing: this introduction to noncontact displacement sensors will be helpful to anyone who's thinking about adding one or more inductive, ultrasonic, or optical devices to an automated manufacturing operation.(Sensor Technology and Design)
September 1, 2004... In the beginning, noncontact displacement sensors either saw something or they didn't, and they passed this information along as an ON/OFF, discrete signal. These simple sensing systems are still at work in many applications today. For more...

Electrolytic tilt sensors and inclinometers: a primer; Electrolytic tilt sensors and their instrumented cousins, the inclinometers, can tell you whether and by how much something is leaning referenced to gravity.(Sensor Technology and Design)
September 1, 2004... The term tilt sensor is often used to identify a large variety of devices that measure, indicate, or otherwise provide a signal of some type when tilted from (or to) a level position, using gravity as a reference. While a number of these...

Wet-wet differential pressure sensor.(Product News)
September 1, 2004... UKSensors Div., SchusterSensor Ltd., London, U.K., offers the ES1210 HIT-Series miniature, PCB-mount, wet-wet differential pressure sensor available in ranges from 0-2 to 0-100 psid. Wet media are in touch with a solid silicone diaphragm....

Energy metering IC.(Product News)
September 1, 2004... The AS8168 from Austriamicrosystems AG, Schloss Premstaetten, Austria, and Raleigh, NC, is a single-phase average energy metering IC capable of

Miniature distance sensor.(Product News)
September 1, 2004... The OADM 12 from Baumer Electric, Ltd., Southington, CT, is 12 X 37 X 34 mm, has sensing distances from 15-120 mm, and offers 2 [micro]m resolution. Measuring cycles are 250-900 [micro]s. Features include analog or digital outputs, an IP67...

Digital multimeter.(Product News)
September 1, 2004... The 87V DMM from Fluke Corp., Everett, WA, can measure voltage and frequency on adjustable-speed motor drive systems, has a built-in thermometer, and is rated for use in 600 V CAT IV and 1000 V CAT III environments. It can withstand voltage...

CANbus DA system.(Product News)
September 1, 2004... QIC-Modules (Quick-installed CANbus) from CAESAR DataSystems Inc., Farmington Hills, MI, create a decentralized DA system by mounting the modules close to the transducers. You can visualize and record data from two CAN buses simultaneously on...

CAN diagnostic tool.(Product News)
September 1, 2004... The CANcorder from IXXAT, Bedford, NH, lets you diagnose CAN networks and record process data independent of a PC. Available with 1 or 2 CAN channels (11-bit or 29-bit identifier), the device lets you record data in single or dual mode. Data...

Ultrasonic level system.(Product News)
September 1, 2004... The ultra-wave from Kistler-Morse, Bothell, WA, lets you monitor vessels of different shapes and heights with up to 16 transducers of various frequencies; you can also add backup point-level probes. The ultra-wave requires little or no tuning...

Clamp-on ultrasonic transducers.(Product News)
September 1, 2004... DTTS small-pipe ultrasonic clamp-on transducers from Dynasonics, Racine, WI, are for use with the company's transit time flowmeter systems and are capable of measuring pipe sizes from 12-50 mm. Suitable for clean liquids and those with moderate...

Mold pressure sensor.(Product News)
September 1, 2004... RJG, Inc., Traverse City, MI, offers the LS-DP-100 Lynx Delta pressure sensor, which measures the difference in coolant pressure between the mold inlet and outlet. The sensor mounts on a machine or mold and is designed to be used with the...

Intelligent CAN connection.(Product News)
September 1, 2004... CAN-USB from Saelig Co., Pittsford, NY, lets you add a CANbus connection via a USB connection. It provides a plug-and-play opto-isolated SJA1000 CAN controller with 128 KB onboard flash memory and 128 KB SRAM to store and run software inside,...

Potentiostat.(Product News)
September 1, 2004... The PARSTAT 2273 potentiostat/galvanostat/FRA from Princeton Applied Research, Oak Ridge, TN, distributed by AMETEK Advanced Measurement Technology, is capable of [+ or -]10 V scan ranges, 2 A current capability, and EIS measurements from 10...

900 MHz transceivers.(Product News)
September 1, 2004... The 48 X 42 mm, 900 MHz AC4490-1W from AeroComm Inc., Lenexa, KS, provides 1 W of output allowing for data transmissions of up to 115.2 Kbps across 20 miles LOS. The transceiver modules and stand-alone units use the company's RF232 protocol to...

Vibration data collector.(Product News)
September 1, 2004... An intrinsically safe portable data collector, the Snapshot IS from Bently Nevada, Minden, NV, is intended for data gathering as part of a predictive maintenance program. You can use the collector in hazardous areas up to and including Zone 0...

TEDS multichannel amplifier.(Product News)
September 1, 2004... The ML801B from HBM, Inc., Marlborough, MA, is a multichannel amplifier that loads a TEDS transducer's data and its correct settings with a single keystroke. TEDS transducer data are stored digitally and transferred to an amplifier, allowing...

Connector systems.(Product News)
September 1, 2004... Murrelektronik, Inc., Duluth, GA, offers its expanded range of standardized cable types for sensors and actuators. All M12 connectors can be connected with the company's Click-n-Lock tool for a secure IP67-rated connection. Cable Type 1 is PVC...

Laser tachometer.(Product News)
September 1, 2004... A handheld, battery-operated laser tachometer, the LT-880 from Terahertz Technologies Inc., Oriskany, NY, senses the passage of reflective/nonreflective markings on rotating or linearly translated machinery to determine rotation rate or linear...

Temperature sensor/fan controller.(Product News)
September 1, 2004... A small single-temperature sensor and fan controller in an MSOP package, the MAX6641 from Maxim Integrated Products, Sunnyvale, CA, monitors its own temperature and that of an external diodeconnected transistor up to 100[degrees]C with [+ or...

Robust laser transmitter.(Product News)
September 1, 2004... The LM200 from K-TEK, Prairieville, LA, is designed to measure level, distance, and position at distances up to 60 m for dry bulk solids, opaque liquids, and slurries. Features include an advanced timing system, self-correcting signal...

6-pin microcontrollers.(Product News)
September 1, 2004... The PIC10F 8-bit flash microcontroller family from Microchip Technology Inc., Chandler, AZ, is offered in a 6-pin SOT-23 package and provides 256-512 instructions of flash program memory and 16-24 bytes of data RAM. The first four members...

Linux SDK.(Product News)
September 1, 2004... Eagle Technology, Cape Town, South Africa, offers the EDR Enhanced Linux SDK for the company's DA devices. The software kit includes device drivers, an application programming interface (API), and manuals and examples, and lets you write...

Reflective sensor family.(Product News)
September 1, 2004... The OPB608 Series nonfocused reflective switches from TT Electronics OPTEK Technology, Carrollton, TX, are designed to optically detect an object at distances up to 2 in. The switches share a common miniature package that can contain any of 3...

Scanning spectrometer.(Product News)
September 1, 2004... Designed to measure the concentration of solvents, sugars, lipids, fatty acids, and other substances in situ, the Linx 5-10ATR from ABLE Instruments USA, Pleasanton, CA, is a mid-IR attenuated total reflectance (ATR) spectrometer. The 12 mm...

High-pressure transmitter.(Product News)
September 1, 2004... The Model 2HT from Delta Controls, Round Rock, TX, measures gauge and absolute pressures up to 16,000 psi and has an operating temperature range from -40[degrees]C to 85[degrees]C. Features include a sputtered thin-film sensing element,...

Thermal mass flow transmitter.(Product News)
September 1, 2004... The Series 534FT inline thermal mass flow transmitter from Kurz Instruments, Inc., Monterey, CA, is offered in 8 basic models, covering flow ranges to 2350 scfm and line sizes from 0.5-8 in., and uses built-in inlet/output piping...

Temperature monitor.(Product News)
September 1, 2004... The Model 140 Series from Hampshire Controls Corp., Dover, NH, is a single-probe digital temperature monitor with a temperature range of -200[degrees]C to 400[degrees]C. The microprocessor-based device features audio and visual alarms,...

Mini photoelectric sensors.(Product News)
September 1, 2004... ML5 Series photoelectric sensors from Pepperl + Fuchs, Inc., Twinsburg, OH, are 26 X 12 X 24 mm and operate in diffused, retroreflective, polarized retroreflective, and throughbeam modes. A sensitivity adjustment potentiometer lets you...

Fiber-optic interrogator.(Product News)
September 1, 2004... The AltoWave5500 from Intune Technologies, Dublin, Ireland, uses a tunable semiconductor laser to interrogate Fiber Bragg grating, extrinsic Fabry-Perot, and other fiber-optic sensors. It returns 40,000 measurement points in 1 pm steps across...

Inline mass flowmeter.(Product News)
September 1, 2004... The Series 730 Accu-Mass from Sierra Instruments, Inc., Monterey, CA, has CE approval and measures flow rates of noncorrosive gases, including methane, from 0.5-50 scfm, delivering a linear output signal proportional to total gas mass flow...

Graphical megohmmeter.(Product News)
September 1, 2004... The Model 5070 from AEMC Instruments, Foxborough, MA, is a fully automated 5000 V graphical insulation tester that provides insulation measurements from 30 k[ohm] to 10 T[ohm] Test results include DAR, PI, DD, capacitance, and leakage current...

Digital laser sensor.(Product News)
September 1, 2004... SUNX LS Series sensors from Aromat Corp., New Providence, NJ, use a high-power laser beam with a spot dia. of ~1 mm and are available with 3 types of sensor heads and with sensing ranges from 200-7000 mm. LS-H21F spot-reflective-type heads have...

Digital I/O module.(Product News)
September 1, 2004... The 3.25 X 3.125 X 1 in. USB-based PMD-1024HLS from Measurement Computing Corp., Middleboro, MA, provides 24 bits of high-current digital I/O and is compatible with any USB port. It provides up to 15 mA of source and 64 mA of sink current. The...

IR thermocouples.(Product News)
September 1, 2004... Exergen Corp., Watertown, MA, offers the SmartIRt/c.5, SmartIRt/c.20, and SmartIRt/c.40 powered, linearized temperature sensors that let you measure your target at greater distances than are possible with standard SmartIRt/c models. All sensors...

Camera link adapter.(Product News)
September 1, 2004... The Cam2Net adapter from JAI PULNiX, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA, works with all of the company's base-configuration Camera Link cameras and is compatible with Gigabit Ethernet. It enables simple multicamera configurations and provides general-purpose...

PC-based DA system.(Product News)
September 1, 2004... Designed for automated test stands, process control, and other applications that require customization, the AstroDAQ Xe from Astro-Med, Inc., West Warwick, RI, can capture 8 analog signals to its internal 18 GB hard drive at 200 kHz/channel....

Weather monitoring system.(Readers' Choice)(All Weather Inc.)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Q-Net from All Weather, Inc., Sacramento, CA, is a modular system for climate, pollution and plume dispersal, and agricultural monitoring. You can choose from a variety of environmental sensors. Five modules control the core system: the sensor...

Mel's picks.
September 1, 2004... Are you looking for sensor manufacturers that support the test and measurement markets? Then point your browser to Sensor Net-Work, a portal devoted to sensor and instrumentation companies that support these markets. Companies are grouped based...