Design News articles from August 2008

Design News archives from August 2008

Our Big Asterisk.(career planning)
August 11, 2008... By Geoffrey C. Orsak Let's finish the job If you are a student of baseball, you probably know the legend of the asterisk. In 1961, Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick announced that New York Yankee Roger Maris would not officially...

Get Energized about Energy.(Editorial)
August 11, 2008... By John Dodge, Editor-in-Chief It seems like I've been writing about nothing but hydrogen for two months so I'll use this lofty perch to make a few final points before I move on. I have gotten about 40 e-mails from my previous hydrogen...

Best of the Engineering Marketplace.(new electric power supplies by Astrodyne Corp.)(Lambda Americas Inc. launches new converters)(Dytran Instruments Inc. introduces single-axis accelerometers)
August 11, 2008... Compiled by Elizabeth M. Taurasi and Sasha Brown-Worsham Astrodyne's PMMK320 Line Elizabeth M. Taurasi, Sasha Brown-Worsham High-density switching supplies Designed to meet the space and performance parameters needed in...

Hitting the Hydrogen Highway.(hydrogen vehicles by General Motors)(Editorial)
August 11, 2008... By John Dodge, Editor-in-Chief Few compromises in Chevy Equinox fuel cell vehicle In early May, I spent a sunny morning in suburban New York driving General Motors' fourth-generation Fuel Cell Vehicle (FCV) (http://rbi.ims.ca/5719-546...

Auto Industry Speeds Toward Ethanol Era.
August 11, 2008... By Charles J. Murray, Senior Technical Editor, Electronics E85 engines are on the way, but some still question the value of ethanol In essence, it's grain alcohol. Moonshine. Hooch. But this hooch is about to change the way we...

Ethanol Is the New Home Brew.
August 11, 2008... By Joseph Ogando, Senior Editor, Motion Control The E-Fuel 100 allows motorists to make their own ethanol from sugar or even leftover booze A new kind of filling station may soon be coming to a backyard near you, maybe even your own....

First Comes Hydrogen Cars.
August 11, 2008... By John Dodge, Editor-in-Chief The refueling infrastructure will follow Fork lifts, buses, tarmac tugs and automatic warehouse vehicles have been running on hydrogen for years. Indeed, industrial gas giant Air Products and Chemicals...

High Speeds Facilitate Large Transfers.(routing wires from NEC Electronics)(Brief article)
August 11, 2008... By Terry Costlow, Contributing Editor It's getting much simpler for consumers and small business employees to share data without the hassle of routing wires. IOGear is shipping a Wireless USB hub that transmits data at up to 480 Mbits/sec,...

Wireless on Top of the World.(Brief article)
August 11, 2008... By Terry Costlow, Contributing Editor Students at Martin Gifted and Talented Magnet Middle School in Raleigh, NC learned about IP networking during a virtual trip to the top of Mt. Everest. Mountaineer and Cisco Engineer Ciprian "Chip"...

Mesh Covers Crowds.(using wireless networks)(Brief article)
August 11, 2008... By Terry Costlow, Contributing Editor Wireless networks are making it simpler for police to preserve order when large crowds gather at events like Super Bowl XLII and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The Glendale Police Dept. monitored...

How Green Are We?(renewable energy systems )(Brief article)
August 11, 2008... By Terry Costlow, Contributing Editor Once renewable energy systems like green roofs, solar power systems and wind turbines are installed, owners often want to verify their effectiveness, particularly when rebates and tax credits are...

Satellite Aims at Mobile Users.(partnership between ICO Global Communications (Holdings) Ltd. and Delphi Corp)(Brief article)
August 11, 2008... By Terry Costlow, Contributing Editor A partnership between ICO Global Communications (Holdings) Ltd. and Delphi Corp. is good news for Americans who want to watch TV while they're out and about. Delphi is developing Digital Video...

Case #124: Controlling the Rocket Fire.(innovation by William Grill )(Brief article)
August 11, 2008... By Design News Staff William Grill created a gadget that helps control the firing of model rockets. The device provides basic rocket igniter functions, including an igniter "fuse" monitor, audio input and an LED display. The gadget also...

Chip Energy Produces Biomass Furnace.(Brief article)
August 11, 2008... By Rob Spiegel, Contributing Editor Chip Energy Inc. has produced a gasification process for its biomass furnace that is designed to suit the heating needs of homes and businesses. The company describes its furnace as "virtually smokeless"...

Honeywell's Renewable Energy Scorecard.(Brief article)
August 11, 2008... By Rob Spiegel, Contributing Editor Honeywell has developed a Renewable Energy Scorecard designed to help customers make informed buying decisions as they acquire renewable energy tools. The scorecard was created to analyze the variables...

Cotton Was Green When Green Wasn't Cool.
August 11, 2008... By Rob Spiegel, Contributing Editor Cotton Inc., the marketing arm for the cotton industry, launched a campaign to tout the environmentally friendly qualities of cotton. The group intends to show how cotton is both green and fashionable....

Readers Sound Off.(Letter to the editor)
August 11, 2008... By Design News Staff Thanks for a moving article I was moved by your article ("Everything Is At Stake," DN 07.14.08, http://rbi.ims.ca/5719-518 ), and see a glimmer of hope for my often self-fulfilling or indentured industry, which I...

Where Is a Slide Rule When You Need One?
August 11, 2008... By Kevin C. Craig In 1969, when I was a plebe (freshman) at West Point, engineering was the required course of study and a slide rule was standard issue. In my first engineering class there was a 10-ft-long working slide rule hanging from...

ITM-Power Claims Polymer Membrane Breakthrough in Hydrogen Electrolysers.
August 11, 2008... By John Dodge, Editor-in-Chief ITM-Power's new polymer cuts the cost of membrane polymer A British company is claiming a breakthrough in electrolyser and fuel cell technology that promises to knock down one of hydrogen's cost barriers....

Freescale Rolls Out Dual-Core DSPs.(digital signal processors)
August 11, 2008... By Charles J. Murray, Senior Technical Editor, Electronics Target car infotainment, DVD players, pro audio equipment Freescale Semiconductor announced it is introducing multicore digital signal processors (DSPs) that could help cut...

New Zinc-Aluminum Molding Alloy Targets LEDs.(Editorial)(Brief article)
August 11, 2008... By Doug Smock, Contributing Editor, Materials and Fastening Cool Polymers hopes Xyloy will replace die cast and plastic parts in heat management and mechanical applications A new metal molding alloy creates new mechanical design options...

Disney's Safety System Makeover.(Walt Disney Imagineering Company Inc. and Siemens Energy and Automation Inc.)
August 11, 2008... By Joseph Ogando, Senior Editor, Motion Control While it has long entrusted safety functions to a black box of its own design, Disney is now dabbling in integrated safety systems with help from Siemens In an indication of just how...

NVIDIA Upgrades Tesla Computing Platform.
August 11, 2008... By Beth Stackpole, Contributing Editor, Design Tools New GPU line delivers 2X performance boost for graphics-intensive simulation and 3-D CAD applications NVIDIA (http://rbi.ims.ca/5719-542 ) released the second generation of its fully...

Software-Defined Instrumentation.
August 11, 2008... By Kevin Bisking, senior product manager, national instruments The Way Engineers Meet Today's Test Challenges One of the most visible challenges test engineers face today is the increased complexity of the devices they need to test. For...

The Difference Between Different Differential Amplifiers.
August 11, 2008... By John Ardizzoni, Contributing Writer Q. I'm perplexed. Why is the output voltage of my ADC differential amplifier driver not what it should be? A. It's probably related to the type of differential amplifier you've selected. Often,...

Editor's Letter.(increase in the market for new materials and processing systems )(Editorial)
August 11, 2008... By Doug Smock, Contributing Editor, Materials and Fastening New Molding Systems Expand Options There's an explosion in new materials and processing systems that expand the capability of engineers to design industrial products for...

Plastics Make First Solar Plane Lighter.
August 11, 2008... By Doug Smock, Contributing Editor, Materials and Fastening New materials extend applications as OEMs cut weight There are eight thermoplastic parts already developed for a solar-powered airplane under development with at least seven...

New Materials Target Environmental Problems.
August 11, 2008... Staff Are they based on science or marketing? There's a rising flood of new materials that are said to solve a whole raft of environmental problems. The two biggest categories are materials that are recyclable and biodegradable. Most...

Compounds Target Tough Problems.
August 11, 2008... Staff Design issues include ethanol, cost The low-hanging fruit for new plastics' applications is largely gone. Design engineers are now asking suppliers to develop specialty materials aimed at solving very specific problems. Among the...

New Grades Strive for Better Adhesion.
August 11, 2008... Staff Rubbery plastics head into more demanding applications Elastomers are one of the fastest growing polymer categories because of growing demand for over-molded handles. As a result, a premium is being placed on improved adhesion to...

Powder Metal Parts Winners.
August 11, 2008... Staff Designs save costs, boost performance Winners of the 2008 Powder Metallurgy Design Excellence Awards exhibit the cost savings and superior precision that can be attained through use of fine metal powders. Other benefits cited by...

Whatever It Takes.(hinges from TorqMaster)(fasteners from PennEngineering)(new connectors from 3M)
August 11, 2008... Staff Completing the job requires fasteners, connectors, hinges and more Besides providing a necessary function, access hardware frequently has additional requirements that elevate their humble status. For fasteners, easy to use,...

Come Together.(the latest in adhesives and joining products )(Brief article)
August 11, 2008... By Randy Frank, Contributing Editor Today's leading-edge fastening and joining techniques improve performance, but don't forget ease-of-use Sure there are several new products that in addition to improved performance, reduce waste,...

Sticking to Basics.
August 11, 2008... Staff Adhesive design targets a variety of materials Depending on the materials being joined, such as glass to metal, metal to metal, metal to plastic, plastic to plastic, high-pressure laminates, foam to foam, carpet to fiberglass or...

Micromechatronic vs. Mechatronic Systems.
August 11, 2008... By Tai-Ran Hsu, professor of Mechanical Engineering at San Jose State University Nanotechnology and microsystems play key role in design methodologies of micromechatronics An expert in micromechatronic systems, Tai-Ran Hsu explains the...

Making It Faster and, of Course, Better.(Brief article)
August 11, 2008... By Randy Frank, Contributing Editor Materials strive to provide more to satisfy customer demands No matter what area of materials processing is involved, metal-injection molding (MIM), plastic gears, gas-assist molding, rubber or...

Taking Advantage of MIM.(metal injection molding )
August 11, 2008... Staff For the right applications, the combined process proves advantageous Competing against traditional machining, investment casting, die casting and press and sinter processes, metal-injection molding (MIM) can provide advantages...

More Than Hot Air.
August 11, 2008... Staff Gas-assist molding delivers value Besides creating intricate hollow channels in a molding, gas-assist technology offers users combined strength and cosmetic appeal. The combination frequently eliminates processing steps required...

Plastic Takes Its Turn.
August 11, 2008... Staff Increasingly sophisticated processes make plastic gears an ideal choice Plastic gears are becoming more "systems oriented." Not unlike many industries, the customers for molders specializing in plastic gears are demanding more...

With Rubber, Timing Is Everything.
August 11, 2008... Staff Sophisticated customized designs offer more including reduced design time New designs using rubber combined with other materials are providing innovative solutions to traditional engineering problems. However, time has become an...

Rapid production systems show more versatility.(Brief article)
August 11, 2008... By Terry Costlow, Contributing Editor Rugged parts can be produced quickly The rapid prototyping marketplace has undergone huge changes, evolving into a robust market where prototypes are only an aspect of system usage. Prototyping...

3-D Printing Gets Simpler.
August 11, 2008... Staff Ease-of-use is in the spotlight KISS is an acronym that sums up many of the latest advances in the world of 3-D printing. Keeping it simple takes many forms. Some companies are forging links to external software programs so...

Targeting Custom Manufacturing.
August 11, 2008... Staff Prototyping systems now used for production The strength and precision of output from rapid prototyping systems has gotten to the point that parts are as good as those made using conventional production techniques. That is...

Creating A Material Evolution.
August 11, 2008... Staff Metal, plastic properties get tougher Parts built to order on rapid prototyping machines have physical attributes that match those of components made using traditional manufacturing techniques that are slower and less adaptable....

Analog Circuitry Cures Medical Application Ills.
August 11, 2008... By Randy Frank, Contributing Editor Advanced analog ICs address performance and portability Portable and lower cost medical equipment has created a need for new analog circuitry. According to market research firm Frost & Sullivan, the...

Thermal Considerations When Designing Power-Management Circuitry.
August 11, 2008... By Kevin Tretter, Contributing Writer Providing power to the entire electrical system is key When designing power-management circuitry, the goal is to provide the proper power to the rest of the electrical system. This sounds easy...

The Highs and Lows of Automotive Power Management.
August 11, 2008... By Randy Frank, Contributing Editor Hybrids require higher voltages, ignition off requires lower current Power has always been a problem area for automotive electronics with integrated circuits (ICs) both causing the problem and...

Microcontrollers for USB Applications.(Microchip Technology Inc.)(Universal Serial Bus)
August 11, 2008... By Charles J. Murray, Senior Technical Editor, Electronics Lower-cost MCUs bring USB to embedded world Originally designed for use in the PC industry, the Universal Serial Bus (USB) is rapidly finding an even bigger market in the...

Account for Thermal Drift.
August 11, 2008... By Jon Titus, Contributing Writer My friend Joshua Israelson, a former EDN editor and analog-circuit expert reminded me to explain that the drift mentioned for an auto-zero amplifier (AZA) in the July 14 column (http://rbi.ims.ca/5719-529 )...

The Economics of Buying a Hybrid.
August 11, 2008... By Charles J. Murray, Senior Technical Editor, Electronics The rising price of gas is making hybrids look like a better deal If you're wondering whether it's finally time to buy a hybrid vehicle, then you're not alone. J.D. Power &...