Design News articles from October 2008

Design News archives from October 2008

Single Supply Amplifiers-They Sound Simple-are they?
October 6, 2008... By John Ardizzoni Q. Running rail-to-rail op amps on a single supply sounds like a winning combination, but what drawbacks will I encounter when using amplifiers like this? A. Single-supply and rail-to-rail outputs are a great...

The Apple Core and the Candy Wrapper.
October 6, 2008... By Geoffrey C. Orsak We Need Green Design Tools Now Let me be honest, here. I grew up relishing the outdoors, but took the indestructibility of the earth completely for granted. Litter was everywhere in my childhood years and I was...

The Case of the Fragile Fork.(Column)
October 6, 2008... By Kenneth Russell, Professor Emeritus, MIT, Cambridge, MA Bicycling is fun, inexpensive, cheap, non-polluting and provides nice open-air exercise. Most mishaps are a nuisance rather than being life threatening, as may be the case with...

Mindful of the Gap.
October 6, 2008... By John Dodge, Editor-in-Chief Anyone who's ridden The London Tube has heard the admonition 'Mind the Gap.' The so-called gap - the space between subway and platform - is dangerous and unknown. You can get hurt in the gap. Well, Center...

Best of the Engineering Marketplace.
October 6, 2008... Compiled by Elizabeth M. Taurasi and Sasha Brown-Worsham OMEGA's DRF Series Elizabeth M. Taurasi, Sasha Brown-Worsham DIN Rail mount configurable signal conditioners This series of DIN Rail signal conditioners provides up to...

Industry's Wasteful Ways.(energy conservation methods)
October 6, 2008... By Joseph Ogando, Senior Editor, Motion Control & Automation American factories have yet to adopt many energy-saving technologies In our national debate about energy independence, fossil-fuel alternatives get most of the attention and...

The Computing Landscape Cultivates a Greener Edge.(computers with less electricity consumption to be designed by computer companies)
October 6, 2008... By Beth Stackpole, Contributing Editor, Design Tools Companies take control of skyrocketing energy costs and create a more eco-friendly computing environment As rising energy prices power up companies' concerns about computing cost and...

Wood: The New Engineering Material.
October 6, 2008... By Doug Smock, Contributing Editor, Materials and Fastening Advanced compounding and formulation technology are making it possible to injection mold highly loaded wood-plastic composites Does Anyone remember 'woodies' - early station...

Sensors Improve Train Security.(Amtrak)(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... By Terry Costlow, Contributing Editor Amtrak is expanding its capability for non-intrusive screening of passengers, trains and stations. Train passengers and their belongings may now be scanned by the SABRE 4000 explosives detection system....

Truckers Pump Up to Save Fuel.
October 6, 2008... By Terry Costlow, Contributing Editor Minimizing costly tire wear is one way truckers can trim maintenance costs while cutting their consumption of pricey diesel fuel. Tires account for 50 percent of total maintenance expenses for many...

Sensing Water, Saving Steps.
October 6, 2008... By Terry Costlow, Contributing Editor Walking 150 ft along a hill was the only way Anne and Jim Dorough could monitor the water level in their 3,000 gal tank by their remote home outside tiny Pie Town, NM. That trek has become more...

Making Sure Drugs Are Cool.(Microchip Technology Inc.)(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... By Terry Costlow, Contributing Editor Temperature sensors and RFID tags are being combined to enhance the safety of hospital patients. RadarFind Corp. linked them in compact modules that can be attached to tissue samples, vaccines or other...

Linking Printed Pages to the Web.
October 6, 2008... By Terry Costlow, Contributing Editor NASA's Goddard Flight Center has a tool for people who like to read old-fashioned books yet still want Internet interactivity. NASA is using Somatic Digital's eTouchBook(TM), which lets readers of...

Case #127: Gadget Keeps Suspension Even.(James Kinney designs air suspension systems)(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... By Design News Staff Gadget Freak James Kinney was looking for a way to take the pressure off the back end of a tow truck when it's carrying a heavy load. If you can equalize the pressure of the truck bed so all the weight is not on the...

Hydrogen Cars Tour 18 States.(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... By Rob Spiegel, Contributing Editor Last summer, nine auto manufacturers demonstrated their hydrogen fuel cell vehicles as the National Hydrogen Road Tour kicked off in Portland, ME. The tour visited 31 cities across 18 states as it wound...

Self-Powered Mini Lantern.(Freeplay Energy Group)(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... By Rob Spiegel, Contributing Editor Freeplay Energy has unveiled a durable, rechargeable self-powered mini lantern designed for use in camping and the backcountry. 'The ML-1 Mini Lantern answers the demand for a lightweight,...

Kaplan's Guide to Green Colleges and Careers.(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... By Rob Spiegel, Contributing Editor Today's college-age students are very conscious of environmental problems and many are picking their colleges based on how green they are and how many green career opportunities they provide. In...

Compliance in Mechatronic Motion Systems: Friend or Foe?
October 6, 2008... By Kevin C. Craig Resonance and anti-resonance are mystifying phenomena. Resonance, and its destructive potential, always brings to mind the Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster in 1940 (http://rbi.ims.ca/5726-521 ). Anti-resonance brings to...

Are You An Engineer If You Don't Pass the P.E.?(Occupation overview)
October 6, 2008... By Charles J. Murray, Senior Technical Editor, Electronics Burton Siegal's case in Illinois worries engineering organizations During the course of his 55-year career, Burton Siegal has assembled a resume that would be the envy of most...

Lego<EMPHASIS TYPE="SUPERSCRIPT">&reg;</EMPHASIS>, NI Team up on Childs' Toy.
October 6, 2008... By Charles J. Murray, Senior Technical Editor, Electronics Software enables children to program movement of robots Lego[R] Education has teamed with National Instruments on the creation of a new product designed to draw children into...

New Steels Make Play for Advanced Vehicles.(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... By Doug Smock, Contributing Editor, Materials and Fastening Joint development program yields first-stage designs for power trains and bodies-in-white New steels coupled with new designs significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions in...

VFD Gets Big and Fast.
October 6, 2008... By Joseph Ogando, Senior Editor, Motion Control Siemens Energy & Automation continues to ratchet up the size of its fastest variable speed drives With energy costs on the rise, it's no surprise the users of large motors have started to...

HP Releases Dream Team of Mobile Workstations.
October 6, 2008... By Beth Stackpole, Contributing Editor, Design Tools EliteBook 8530w and 8730w feature DreamColor screen technology along with performance, durability enhancements Recognizing a growing need for high performance and mobility among its...

Industry Innovation Overcomes Manufacturing Design Obstacles.
October 6, 2008... By Daniel L. Twarog, President, North American Die Casting Assoc. NADCA assists companies, works to keep jobs and production in U.S. Manufacturers agree constant innovation is necessary to achieve a competitive advantage. Finding ways...

The Future for Analog ICs is in the Hands of Handsets and TVs.(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... By Rob Spiegel, Eontributing Editor Mobile handsets and digital TVs represent annual double-digit growth for the analog IC market According to iSuppli Corp., digital multimedia products have greatly boosted the sales of analog IC...

Extended Battery Life is the Mantra for Power Management Devices.
October 6, 2008... Design News Staff Energy efficiency is everything In power management, we're seeing a future that emphasizes high-energy efficiency. The challenge to Analog IC manufacturers is to satisfy the convergence of two large trends: the need...

Following Product Trends in Electronics.
October 6, 2008... By Randy Frank, Contributing Editor Connectors and cables deliver improvements on many fronts With smaller products, more features and the need for increased ruggedness to survive the operating environment, both connectors and cables...

Meeting New Requirements.
October 6, 2008... Design News Staff Specialty connectors are required for advanced automotive systems With the addition of new electronic equipment, automakers and their tier one suppliers need numerous connectors appropriate for each system and the...

Small is Necessary but Not Sufficient.
October 6, 2008... Design News Staff Miniature connectors must provide more to meet total requirements Miniature connectors demonstrate the multiplicity of requirements imposed by customers. In addition to meeting the small form factor, depending on the...

Meeting Hostility Head-On.
October 6, 2008... Design News Staff Connectors designs withstand temperature and meet industry ruggedness ratings Perhaps the first indication a connector can handle more than the usual environmental conditions is an IP67 rating. This rating indicates...

Industrial Applications Demand More.
October 6, 2008... Design News Staff Adding flexibility to connectors' performance and protection requirements EMC shielding, IP67 protection, low cross talk and other protection and performance capabilities are among the requirements industrial users...

Saving Space on PC Boards.(Molex Inc.)
October 6, 2008... Design News Staff Smaller connectors take less space and provide greater functionality Space saving is the name of the game when connecting to a PC board. This volume, both the footprint and the height, is costly and a connector that...

Variety Spices up Power Connections.
October 6, 2008... Design News Staff Choices simplify design activity and accommodate the end product's needs In the power area, options and variety are growing in importance. Unlike connectors for low power signals, power connectors have to handle high...

Security: It's a Snap.
October 6, 2008... Design News Staff Suppliers integrate secure connection features to keep connectors connected A connector that doesn't stay connected misses the mark in every application. However, new designs attack reliable connectivity with...

Cables Cope with Critical Conditions.(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... Design News Staff Depending on the application, requirements vary considerably Industrial, medical and military cables demonstrate a small sample of a broad range of cable applications that require passing one or more relevant tests to...

Distribution's Future Looks Mighty Bright.
October 6, 2008... By Rob Spiegel, Contributing Editor Look for more green, more design support and more anti-counterfeiting measures The future shows distributors responding to a wide range of customer needs. Some distributors see a green future, while...

Distributors roll out new services.
October 6, 2008... Design News Staff Distributors are differentiated by expanding design and supply chain tools Distributors can no longer compete on price. The cost of components tends to be like commodities, fairly level across the industry. So...

Autos, Energy and Handheld Drive DSPs.(digital signal processors)(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... By Rob Spiegel, Contributing Editor DSPs: bigger performance, smaller size A number of trends in electronics have changed the nature of digital signal processors (DSPs). The automotive industry is going through a transformation toward...

Built to Save Space.
October 6, 2008... Design News Staff Designed to save energy The big word for DSP embedded controllers is light energy consumption and small size. Customers are seeking tiny size for portable, handheld devices. Those tiny DSPs also need to extend the...

Editor's Letter.(Editorial)
October 6, 2008... By Charles J. Murray, Senior Technical Editor, Electronics, charles.murray@reedbusiness.com Earlier this year, Lego Education teamed with National Instruments to create a new design toy. Called WeDo, it combines hardware with graphical...

Electromechanical Technology Advances.
October 6, 2008... By Randy Frank, Contributing Editor To cope with challenges from solid-state designs, electromechanical products stress innovation, as well as performance Providing the finishing touches for traditional or advanced electronic and...

Finishing Touches.
October 6, 2008... Design News Staff Switches with extra capabilities and cooling add to many application designs Appearing more like something besides a switch, some of the newest switches combine features normally associated with other products. Users...

Tough But Easy Going.
October 6, 2008... Design News Staff Making ease-of-use a priority Handling high power is not enough for industrial relays. To be competitive, these relays require additional features with perhaps the most prominent being ease-of-use. Ease can be ease of...

Creating the Next Wow!
October 6, 2008... By Randy Frank, Contributing Editor Now it's your turn When the cellular phone was introduced, people were amazed at its ability to do one thing - provide voice communication without wires. The engineering pioneers who created the cell...

Solid-State Lamps Get the Spotlight.(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... By Randy Frank, Contributing Editor Spurred by the need for increasing efficiency, LEDs make inroads for applications in homes, computers and vehicles It seems no matter where you look today, LED lighting is changing the way products,...

White LEDs Are Green.
October 6, 2008... Design News Staff Improved efficiency lighting arrives for many applications With energy efficiency becoming a dominant theme in many areas, it is no surprise white light emitting diodes (LEDs) are increasingly being used in a variety...

Wired and Wireless Networks.
October 6, 2008... By Randy Frank, Contributing Editor Traditional wired networks abound as wireless alternatives proliferate Wired networks include several standard protocols such as PROFIBUS-DP for Decentral Peripherals (http://rbi.ims.ca/5727-549 ),...

Industrial Connectivity.
October 6, 2008... Design News Staff Hardware for coupling distributed elements in networks increase Supported by organizations and users groups such as the Open DeviceNet Vendors Assn. (ODVA), PROFIBUS & PROFINET International (PI), Modbus-IDA and CAN...

New Applications Will Drive Increased Use of Passive Components.(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... By Rob Spiegel, Contributing Editor Industries such as automotive, aerospace, energy and medical will drive new developments in passives technology While the U.S. economy was soft during the past year, there has been little impact on...

LED Market Headed for 20 Billion Units in the Coming Year.
October 6, 2008... Design News Staff Market will see higher light-emitting efficiency and lower cost The market for LEDs is growing larger as they go into more products and those products head for high volume sales. There are five primary markets for...

Capacitors Tasked with Conserving Energy.(KEMET Corp.)
October 6, 2008... Design News Staff Smaller and smaller capacitors preserve battery life Capacitor manufacturers face a future where they compete to prolong battery life and make their devices more energy efficient all while taking up the challenge of...

Specialized Passives to Enhance Networks.
October 6, 2008... Design News Staff Individual components developed to solve specific network challenges A number of passives are developed to address specific needs in networks and systems, whether that includes special connectors for electronic...

Getting Power from Non-Traditional Sources.
October 6, 2008... By Randy Frank, Contributing Editor New technologies provide exciting alternatives for powering portable products Today, lithium-ion battery technology is the mainstay for several portable applications. However, any existing battery...

Batteries for Portable Electronic Systems.
October 6, 2008... Design News Staff New designs provide longer life and smaller form factors Replacing the well-established coin cell batteries is the target of companies pursuing thin-film battery technology. According to Elaine Chan, research...

Obtaining Energy from the Environment.
October 6, 2008... Design News Staff Converting the energy available from vibration, heat and solar sources gains momentum Portable products and remote mounted units pose a challenge for users. While these products can have wireless connectivity, battery...

Power for Critical Applications.
October 6, 2008... Design News Staff Meeting government regulations and conforming to industry norms drives safety and efficiency While some companies still try to get by with the cheapest power supply and pass on the impact of poor efficiency and low...

The Expanding Role of today's Sensors.
October 6, 2008... By Randy Frank, Contributing Editor Automotive, industrial and consumer products employ more In control systems, sensors provide the information for measuring, monitoring and controlling. In some consumer products, sensing provides...

Why Settle for Only One or Two Axes?
October 6, 2008... Design News Staff Triaxial accelerometers provide more for greater functionality With silicon micromachining and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) design, getting more than one axis does not add that much complexity to an...

Linear Position Sensors.
October 6, 2008... Design News Staff Numerous industrial applications exist for linear position sensing To cope with variations in applications' requirements, suppliers take advantage of several different sensing technologies. Solid-state sensing using...

New Approaches for Pressure Measurements.
October 6, 2008... Design News Staff Sensor design depends on the intended application While the pressure range may be very close, packaging and other system requirements make a sensor targeted at one application poorly suited for another. Specific...

Advancements in Design Software and Software for Products.
October 6, 2008... Design News Staff Software supports sustainable design and project collaboration Software is helping design engineers manage an ever-increasing complexity both in the product design process and within the products themselves. In design...

Communicating with MTConnect.
October 6, 2008... By David Edstrom, Chief Technologist, Sun Microsystems North America Software Practice Machine tools can talk with open-source standard David Edstrom explains how the MTConnect standard will foster open communication among machine...

LEDs Get Smarter.
October 6, 2008... By Charles J. Murray, Senior Technical Editor, Electronics Suppliers roll out power management for LED-based lighting systems As the popularity of mobile electronics has grown, the need for LEDs and their power management systems has...

New Compound Replaces Metals.
October 6, 2008... By Doug Smock, Contributing Editor, Materials and Fastening Another formulation actually replaces concrete in nuclear plants, submarines New applications for high-performance plastic are targeting very specialized applications. In...

Machine Vision's Bright Side.
October 6, 2008... By Joseph Ogando, Senior Editor, Motion Control Sales aren't soaring, but the industry continues to develop innovative systems Machine vision components and systems exhibited lackluster growth in 2007 and will likely do even worse in...

Sample Rates Revisited.
October 6, 2008... By Jon Titus, Contributing Editor In my previous Tips column (Sept. 22), I noted my rule of thumb for sampling at five to 10 times a signal's bandwidth (http://rbi.ims.ca/5726-530 ). That range provides a good starting point, but you can...

Prototypes That Heal.
October 6, 2008... By Joseph Ogando, Senior Editor, Motion Control Rapid prototyping and 3-D Imaging Systems are seeing increasing use to produce surgical aids , custom implants Think 'surgical tools,' and images of scalpels, forceps and hemostats might...

The Case of the Slothful Switch.
October 20, 2008... By Myron J. Boyajian, President, Engineering Consultants We easily blame an injured equipment operator who failed to use, or defeated, an available safety device. But, we are rightfully shocked and sympathetic when, unknown to the operator,...

Best in the Engineering Marketplace.(Astrodyne., Positronic Industries Inc., Minco Technology Labs Inc.)
October 20, 2008... Compiled by Elizabeth M. Taurasi and Sasha Brown-Worsham Astrodyne's Ultra-Miniature 30w Encapsulated AC/DC Supplies Elizabeth M. Taurasi, Sasha Brown-Worsham Universal input of 90 to 264V ac Astrodyne has added 30W units to...

LEDs Breathe Life into Skyscraper.
October 20, 2008... By Charles J. Murray, Senior Technical Editor, Electronics Low-cost LEDs enable video operation on a grand scale The sign's statistics are almost unimaginable: 16 miles of electrical cable; six miles of structural steel; half a million...

In-Mold Assembly Gains Speed.
October 20, 2008... By Doug Smock, Contributing Editor, Materials and Fastening Specialized tools perform snap-fit and material bonding as part of a continuous in-machine process Increasingly, injection molding is being used as an assembly system in which...

Driving Pump Efficiency.
October 20, 2008... By Al Presher, Contributing Editor Pump can infuse for eight to 10 hours on a single change of batteries The human body can contain as much as 85 percent water, so it's not surprising one of the first lines of treatment for trauma...

Geared for Recovery.
October 20, 2008... By Al Presher, Contributing Editor Advanced gearboxes help OEM increase life of materials' recovery facilities High-efficiency gearboxes from NORD Gear Corp. (http://rbi.ims.ca/5728-542 ) helped Ken Mills Engineering (KME) build the...

Rebuilt Levees Pass First Hurricane Test.
October 20, 2008... By Beth Stackpole, Contributing Editor, Design Tools While the partially revitalized levee system in New Orleans held its ground during Gustav, major work is still required to deliver 100-year protection The U.S. Army Corps of...

The Pumps Pumped, but Investigations Are Continuing.
October 20, 2008... By Joseph Ogando, Senior Editor, Motion Control & Automation New Orleans' controversial flood pumps helped keep the waters from rising during September's Hurricane Gustav With New Orleans still mopping up after Gustav, a hurricane that...

In the Marketplace.
October 20, 2008... By Design News Staff Red Valve's Megaflex Design News Staff Handles stormwater overflow The Type A Megaflex Valve, available in sizes from 20 to 84 inches, is extremely simple in design and principle. As with every Red Valve...

Overcoming Inertia.
October 20, 2008... By Al Presher, Contributing Editor Replacing two drives with one improves conveyor operation The toughest engineering problems often require overcoming multiple, interrelated obstacles. A combination of greater than expected load...

Telehandlers on the Move.
October 20, 2008... By Al Presher, Contributing Editor Newer systems combine power of hydraulics, electronic controls, software Electronics and software are teaming up with hydraulics to lower system costs, boost performance and add features, creating a...

Case #128: Syncing Music and Fireworks.
October 20, 2008... By Design News Staff Deane Williams fixed up his PC to synchronize fireworks with music. He used his PC's parallel printer port to connect the circuit controlling the fireworks. He fanned out the port with a 16-line decoder which allows...

Energy Harvesting Gets Real.
October 20, 2008... By Rob Spiegel, Contributing Editor Energy harvesting is the process of utilizing the vibrations inherent in structures, vehicles and machinery to create power. AdaptivEnergy has developed a demonstration kit using Joule-Thief(TM)...

UK Courier Goes Green.
October 20, 2008... By Rob Spiegel, Contributing Editor The same-day courier company eCourier.co.uk has gone electric. The company is rolling out zero-emission electric vans and scooters as part of its fleet. The company is testing the Gem eLXD, which has been...

Trimming Energy at Data Centers.
October 20, 2008... By Rob Spiegel, Contributing Editor TrendPoint Systems, a data center energy management company, has announced a four-point plan aimed at dramatically reducing energy costs and carbon emissions at data centers. A recent study by McKinsey &...

STEPS' Program Fosters Manufacturing, Engineering Aspirations in Female Students.(Science, Technology and Engineering Preview summer camp)
October 20, 2008... By John Dodge, Editor-in-Chief Students build radio-controlled speed boats, self-confidence at summer camp A critical component of educating girls is building their self-confidence. Historically, girls are not encouraged in the same...

Microcontroller Could Give Boost to Energy Harvesting.(Texas Instruments Inc. )(Brief article)
October 20, 2008... By Charles J. Murray, Senior Technical Editor, Electronics Lower power draw opens new applications in portable medical equipment, piezoelectric actuators Texas Instruments Inc. is taking aim at power reduction in the newest generation...