Design News articles from February 2009

Design News archives from February 2009

Industrial Control Applications Challenge Analog ICs.
February 1, 2009... By Randy Frank, Contributing Editor Higher voltage and temperature requirements add to the problem Analog ICs for industrial applications may have similarities to consumer designs but certain aspects demand a unique approach to meet...

'Top 5 Reasons to Stop Whining'.
February 1, 2009... By Geoffrey C. Orsak Engineering students need to take responsibility for their education While cruising the Internet, I came across one of those endless lists compiled by a well-known tech magazine. Lists with a cynical edge can...

DN's most popular blog posts.
February 1, 2009... Staff 1. Obama, Pope Show Tech Savvy It's official: Those who haven't yet embraced YouTube, Facebook and BlackBerries are out of touch. In the past week, the Chicago Tribune and numerous other news outlets have reported that President...

The Case of the Sunken Pistols.(Viewpoint essay)(Case overview)
February 1, 2009... By Kenneth Russell, Professor Emeritus, MIT, Cambridge, MA Gangland killings often involve pistols, which though compact and lethal, still need to be disposed of to prevent being traced. I would favor slipping the guns into a crucible of...

Best of the Engineering Marketplace.
February 1, 2009... Compiled by Elizabeth M. Taurasi and Sasha Brown-Worsham Control Co.'s Traceable Infrared Thermometer gun Elizabeth M. Taurasi, Sasha Brown-Worsham Simple operation permits "point-and-shoot" readings The Infrared Thermometer...

The Eye of the Stethoscope.
February 1, 2009... By Charles J. Murray, Senior Technical Editor, Electronics Using an electronic stethoscope with a small display, physicians can watch the changing waveforms of a beating heart There was a Time when physicians diagnosed heart ailments...

Engineering Still Shines in Detroit.(Ford Motor Co.)
February 1, 2009... By Doug Smock, Contributing Editor, Materials and Fastening The crossover Ford Flex is one example of how American engineers continue to innovate Don't blame American automotive problems on engineers. There's an explosion of new...

Hello Again Design News' Readers!(Editorial)
February 1, 2009... By Karen Field, Editor-in-Chief After two years on assignment with our London office and a stint in a corporate role, I can't tell you how excited I am to be rejoining the great team here at Design News . Though I learned a lot and had...

Couch Potatoes Take Tontrol of Every Room.
February 1, 2009... By Terry Costlow, Contributing Editor Couch potatoes can expand their control reach far beyond the TV, controlling whole house audio, lighting, HVAC and security, as well as their home theater systems. Remote Technologies Inc. offers a...

Expanding Radio's Reach.
February 1, 2009... By Terry Costlow, Contributing Editor Internet radio offers an enormous range of stations, but connectivity is often limited to rooms that have a computer. Sanyo's Internet Radio R227 solves that problem, using either Wi-Fi or Ethernet...

A Power Miser Monitors Home's Electric Meter.
February 1, 2009... By Terry Costlow, Contributing Editor Saving energy is becoming fashionable, as well as frugal. LS Research is providing help for people who want to do more than swap out lightbulbs. Its Rate$aver energy usage rate monitor is a wireless,...

Getting to the Heart of Athletics.
February 1, 2009... By Terry Costlow, Contributing Editor Sports' performance continues to improve thanks to advanced electronics. The latest tool comes from Polar, which is using Bluetooth technology to let coaches monitor heart rates for up to 28 athletes....

Hotels Connect for Energy Savings.
February 1, 2009... By Terry Costlow, Contributing Editor Rising energy costs are a double whammy for hotels, which are seeing fewer guests during the recession. A ZigBee controller from Control4 lets managers and guests manage the in-room television,...

Directions in Fluid Power.
February 1, 2009... By Al Presher, Contributing Editor Engineering research center puts focus on energy efficiency and digital hydraulics Compact and efficient fluid power is both the name and the overarching goal for the coalition setting the research...

Linear Bearing Misconceptions.
February 1, 2009... By Al Ng, Contributing Writer Avoid common pitfalls when designing with linear motion bearings Achieving the highest levels of performance with linear motion systems requires careful attention to detail, engineering know-how and...

Valve Optimization.
February 1, 2009... By Al Presher, Contributing Editor Custom valve manifold key to new portable oxygen concentrator Designing the valve manifold for a lightweight, portable oxygen concentrator required an engineering balancing act to achieve the compact...

Case # 135: Magnify Your Workbench.
February 1, 2009... Staff William Grill needed a better view of his worktable for prototyping. He was using a three-times lighted lens mounted on his workbench, but it wasn't enough for working on small gadgets. So he created a gadget for gadget prototyping...

Readers Sound Off.
February 1, 2009... Staff The 'Battery in the Basement' Myth Half of the battery in the basement myth, "The Mythical Battery in the Basement" (DN 05.12.08, http://designnews.hotims.com/23091-519 ), is easily dealt with, even with the cocktail party...

Control Systems Keep the Rockettes in Motion.
February 1, 2009... By Joseph Ogando, Senior Editor, Motion Control & Automation Full-scale ac/dc bus carries dancers across the stage while moving in sync with video screens For most people, the Rockettes' Christmas Spectacular is all about the leggy...

TI Brings Low-Cost Real-Time Control to Motors, LEDs.(Texas Instruments Inc.)
February 1, 2009... By Charles J. Murray, Senior Technical Editor, Electronics New family of microcontrollers enables applications that previously couldn't afford real time Texas Instruments has rolled out a family of low-cost 32-bit microcontrollers that...

New Insulin Injector Cuts Parts' Count.(Antares Pharma Inc.)
February 1, 2009... By Doug Smock, Contributing Editor, Materials and Fastening Snap-fit designs join injection-molded silicone rubber components A redesign of a needle-free insulin injector reduced part count and, in the process, eliminated a lubrication...

A Better Belt Drive.(Bell-Everman Inc. )
February 1, 2009... By Joseph Ogando, Senior Editor, Motion Control & Automation A new linear actuator from Bell-Everman takes belt-drive performance into linear motor territory If you think belt drives have too much slop for your precision linear motion...

Abaqus Gets a Crash Course in Composites.
February 1, 2009... By Beth Stackpole, Contributing Editor, Design Tools CZone for Abaqus add-on tool expands FEA capabilities for analyzing the crushing behavior of composite structures Armed with a new add-on tool for its Abaqus FEA software, Dassault...

Key Plastics, Special Devices Fall Victim to Automaker Woes.
February 1, 2009... By Doug Smock, Contributing Editor, Materials and Fastening Two tier three suppliers seek to reorganize their capital structure Special Devices Inc. of Moorpark, CA and Key Plastics LLC of Northville, MI, both filed for bankruptcy...

Robotics on the Vine.(Vision Robotics)
February 1, 2009... By Howard Baldwin, Contributing Editor Prototype tackles precision pruning in real time Last month, in the agriculturally rich central valley of California, Vision Robotics (http://designnews.hotims.com/23091-550 ) planned to test a...

Fiber-Optic Sensors Tackle Tough Environments.
February 1, 2009... By Randy Frank, Contributing Editor Design techniques allow sensors to easily survive 300C and more If the sensing application involves high temperatures or a very tight, almost inaccessible, location, fiber-optic sensors could provide...

The Cloud is Redefining the Rules of Electronic Design.
February 1, 2009... By Marcelle Douglas, technical marketing, Altium Ltd. It's likely to change the landscape of electronics' design, good news for the future of electronic innovation The ubiquitous connectivity of 'everything to everything' is an...

Are Your Filters Filtering?(designs of analog to digital converters)
February 1, 2009... By Rob Reeder, Contributing Writer Q. Why is my A/D converter's anti-aliasing filter showing inadequate spurious and noise rejection? A. It is important to realize that an A/D converter's internal front-end bandwidth, sometimes...

Standing on the Edge.
February 1, 2009... By Howard Baldwin, Contributing Editor They're not quite there yet, but the design tools are getting better There is no clairvoyance in industrial design. Engineers create designs based on current knowledge, and when technology leaps...

Optimizing Torque in Microstepping Drives.
February 1, 2009... By Marc McComb, Contributing Writer Embedded solutions for maximizing coil current in overshoot suppression Stepper motors provide unique high-torque and positioning characteristics, along with the ability to hold a load at a specific...

The Challenge of Moving to New Development Tools.
February 1, 2009... By Howard Baldwin, Contributing Editor The 3-D tools Bosch Rexroth chose for its St. Lawrence Seaway project reduced development time and brought about cultural changes What turned out to be a major shift in design strategy had its...

Collaboration Remains a Key Challenge for Development.
February 1, 2009... By Howard Baldwin, Contributing Editor Aberdeen Group Analyst Michelle Boucher cites design obstacles There is a yawning disconnect between how well vendors think their products work with other products and what users say about the same...

Evolution in Packaging Controls.
February 1, 2009... By Al Presher, Contributing Editor Robotics and software solutions deliver impact in OEM packaging machinery Since electronic servo motion control emerged as an automation solution 25 years ago, packaging machinery has been a primary...

PCs Offer All-in-One Packaging Control.
February 1, 2009... By Al Presher, Contributing Editor One network for motion, HMI and sequencing simplifies system architecture and supports software innovation What are new ideas for addressing performance and cost issues? We promote the idea of...

Measure Small Resistances.(Correction notice)
February 1, 2009... By Jon Titus, Contributing Writer Engineers often must measure small resistances between relay contacts, in power cables, at cable junctions, across connectors, along railway rails and so on. Motor manufacturers, for example, measure the...