Design News articles from June 2009

Design News archives from June 2009

'Engineering the Peace'.
June 1, 2009... By Geoffrey C. Orsak Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Talley turned a Shiite slum into a peaceful place to live Here's the harsh reality of modern warfare -- it takes a great deal of complex and demanding engineering to design weapons systems that...

The Case of the Fatal Fusion.
June 1, 2009... By Kenneth Russell, Professor Emeritus, MIT, Cambridge, MA Confusion over cold fusion lands man on death row in Alabama The return address was Birmingham, AL. The writer was serving a life term in Birmingham prison for sending pipe...

High Voltage.(Technical report)
June 1, 2009... By Charles J. Murray, Senior Technical Editor, Electronics By using hundreds of pounds of batteries and "slamming" massive amounts of electrical current into their drive motors, drag racers are enabling small electric vehicles to beat...

Get Ready for the Carbon Revolution.
June 1, 2009... By Doug Smock, Contributing Editor, Materials and Fastening Look for major new design applications for carbon reinforcements at the National Plastics Exposition New reinforcement technologies, featuring carbon fiber and nanotubes,...

Hands-On Software Review: Software Tool Eliminates MCU I/O - Pin Conflicts.(GruntWare)(microcontroller input/output)
June 1, 2009... By Jon Titus, Contributing Editor An MCU selection tool spots pin conflicts and homes in on the critical functions you need The hunt for a microcontroller (MCU) can take a tortuous path because although you find the "right" MCU along...

New Blogs at Design News: White Zombie to the Newswire.(www.designnews.com)
June 1, 2009... By Karen Field, Editor-in-Chief, kfield@reedbusiness.com I am delighted to announce the launch of two new blogs on www.designnews.com , although I am almost embarrassed to promote them as blogs. That's because blogs often get a bad rap for...

Navigating the Final Frontier.(Chandrayaan-1)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... By Terry Costlow, Contributing Editor The final frontier is becoming easier to navigate. The Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, now circling the moon, is carrying a state-of-the-art imaging spectrometer that will provide the first map to provide...

Slicing Surveillance Costs.(Boundless Security Systems Inc.)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... By Terry Costlow, Contributing Editor Surveillance systems are becoming less expensive to install, but sending the nonstop flow of images to observation posts can be a large recurring expense. Nail-and-Go(TM), a cellular pole camera system,...

Hybrids in Motion.(Technical report)
June 1, 2009... By Al Presher, Contributing Editor Electric, hydraulic hybrids boost efficiency in different types of vehicles Green, hybridized motion technology using electric and hydraulic solutions is poised to deliver increasing levels of...

Hydraulic-Aided Simulations.
June 1, 2009... By Al Presher, Contributing Editor Construction industry performance testing lab simulates earthquakes, hurricanes Imagine testing key design and performance issues and how well structural building components will stand up against an...

In the Marketplace.(briefs)(Peninsular Cylinder Co.)(R+W America)
June 1, 2009... Staff Peninsular's Metric IMH Air Cylinder Configurator Staff 2-D flat line drawings are now available within minutes Peninsular's Metric IMH Air Cylinder Configurator now provides 2-D flat line drawings with dimensions along...

Servo Motor Sizing Concepts.(Technical report)
June 1, 2009... By Matt Pelletier, Yaskawa Electric America Understanding key parameters helps overcome misconceptions when sizing servos Servo motor sizing is the process of selecting the best motor for a servo application. Misconceptions engineers...

Case #142: GameCube Cop Keeps the Peace.
June 1, 2009... Staff Three siblings and one GameCube is a recipe for territorial skirmishes. Many games only support two users. Jeremy Willden bought his three kids a GameCube for Christmas and quickly discovered parental intervention was critical. He...

Even for Electric Drag Racers, It's All about the Battery.
June 1, 2009... By Charles J. Murray, Senior Technical Editor, Electronics Time was when drag racers were drag racers, and environmentalists were, well -- not drag racers. Now, though, that's changing. A few drivers of eco-friendly, zero-emission...

Noisy CF Bulb Jams Remote Control.(compact fluorescent)(Column)
June 1, 2009... Staff This tale from reader Steve Coan, about an unintended consequence of "going green" by switching to CF bulbs in a remote control unit for a garage door, makes me feel better about sneaking my recyclable bottles into the bottom of the...

MEMS Display Consumes Less Than 1 mW of Power.(microelectromechanical systems)(milliwatt)
June 1, 2009... By Charles J. Murray, Senior Technical Editor, Electronics Low-power technology is gaining momentum in portable electronics A new low-power MEMS-based display technology is making its mark in a variety of portable applications ranging...

Tailor-Welded Blanks Cut Noise, Weight in Autos.
June 1, 2009... By Doug Smock, Contributing Editor, Materials and Fastening Engineers can avoid expensive damping sheet treatments typically applied to reduce the amplitude of vibrations Both weight and NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) in cars can...

ABB Robots Featured in New 'Terminator' Movie.(ABB Asea Brown Boveri Ltd.)
June 1, 2009... By Alex Miller, Control Engineering Visibility of industrial robotics will reach an entirely new level; company's robots are very visible and instrumental in final scene The visibility of industrial robotics reached an entirely new...

ANSYS Tackles Multi-Physics Simulation in a Holistic Manner.
June 1, 2009... By Beth Stackpole, Contributing Editor, Design Tools The new Workbench 2.0 framework automates and establishes enhanced workflow between the different simulation disciplines Along with the smorgasbord of advanced capabilities in each of...

Auto Infotainment Moves Toward Copper.(automotive)
June 1, 2009... By Charles J. Murray, Senior Technical Editor, Electronics IEEE 1394 gains momentum in automotive DVD and GPS systems The move toward copper-based automotive infotainment networks accelerated recently, as one supplier rolled out a new...

Green Engineering, a Better Environment and Economy.
June 1, 2009... By Dr. James Truchard, President and Co-founder, National Instruments Good measurements, control technologies are the key for better designs, products and processes National Instruments' goal for Green Engineering...

What shall we do with an unused op-amp?
June 1, 2009... By James Bryant (Sung to the tune of "What shall we do with the drunken sailor?") Q In the RAQ on op-amps as comparators you mentioned an unused op-amp in a quad as being possible justification for using it as a comparator. What do...

The Adventure of the Camera-Shy Computer.(Column)
June 1, 2009... By Marc R. Mann, Contributing Writer In the mid 80s I provided technical support to the R&D division of a large fast food chain. I tested new appliances and just about anything else that went into the stores to insure reliability and...

Model-Based Design Helps Aerospace Engineers.
June 1, 2009... By Jon Friedman, The MathWorks Inc. Implementation improves design quality, reduces time and saves cost Today's aerospace companies must reduce development time and improve quality, while accommodating demands for greater system...

Taking Small Micro Air Vehicles to the Next Level.(Interview)(Editorial)
June 1, 2009... By Randy Frank, Contributing Editor Wright State University researchers apply their expertise and stake their claim in MAV research and design Winner of the SAE Aero Design competition in 2006, 2007 and 2008 for Micro class #1 in the...

Technology in a New Age of Power.(Technical report)
June 1, 2009... By Gary Wagner and Jim Gillberg, Fairchild Semiconductor Inc. The evolution of Automotive Power MOSFETs is accelerating the impact on the progress of automobile power devices Over the last 15 to 20 years, Automotive Power MOSFETs have...

A Mechatronic Heart Doesn't Beat.(Texas Heart Institute)(Editorial)
June 1, 2009... By Joseph Ogando, Senior Editor, Motion Control & Automation The Texas Heart Institute is developing a total artificial heart based on compact continuous-flow pumps For all their success at extending the lives of a few heart-failure...

Sensorless Control of a Brushless DC Motor.(direct current)
June 1, 2009... By Daniel Torres, Microchip Technology Inc. Digital signal controllers make it possible to meet torque and speed demands in sensorless applications This article discusses a sensorless technique to control Brushless Direct Current...

Connect Sensors with Care.(microelectromechanical systems)(Editorial)
June 1, 2009... By Jon Titus, Contributing Editor Many accelerometers rely on a piezoelectric element, such as a quartz crystal, that develops a small charge on its surfaces in direct proportion to an applied force. Attaching one side of the crystal to a...

Compact Integrated Automation.(briefs)
June 1, 2009... Staff Standard interfaces create smaller products, lower cost solutions The trend toward ultra-compact, integrated automation is driven by supplier efforts to reduce the size of the controls package and deliver lower costs. The key to...