Design News articles from September 2006

Design News archives from September 2006

Freescale technology forum highlights 'circuit science'.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff Controllers, memories, boost performance and cut costs Freescale Semiconductor Inc. drew approximately 2,000 attendees and 300 exhibitors -- including such heavy-hitters as Microsoft, Wind River, National...

32-Bit performance, 16-bit cost, 8-bit ease-of-use.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff Freescale says its new ColdFire V1 core combines 32-bit performance and ease-of-use with a cost that's only about 20 percent greater than current 8-bit. Moreover, the new 68K/ColdFire V1 32-bit core is compatible with...

Radio is just 1-inch square.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff Also at the conference, Freescale unveiled Redistributed Chip Packaging (RCP), a technology the company claims could replace ball grid array and flip-chip as the dominant packaging and assembly approach for advanced,...

MRAM reaches volume production.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff At the conference, Freescale also demonstrated its fast, 4-Mbit Magnetostrictive Random Access Memory, a product based on more than 100 Freescale patents. The company's MRAM, which combines magnetic materials with...

The Case of the Stressful Stripper.
September 4, 2006... By Kenneth Russell, Professor Emeritus, MIT, Cambridge, MA Surface preparation is a necessary prelude to a successful refinishing job. In years past, refinishers were limited to putty knives, scrapers, sanding blocks and other hand-operated...

Small Sensor Measures Viscosity.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff Patented technique targets automotive oil quality Based on a recently granted patent, a Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) sensor could be used to measure the viscosity, density, temperature and mass flow of...

Deutsch IPD DTP10-4P Board Receptacle.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff For printed circuit board applications This new receptacle uses a compact flange design for mounting to the PCB. It has four, size 12 pins each rated for 25 amps at 125C continuous, plus for straight PCB pins,...

CIT A5 40 AMP European-American Automotive Relay.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff Durable and versatile relay performance This relay comes with SPST N.O. contact arrangements with contact ratings of 40A @ 14V dc, 20A @ 120V ac and 15A @ 28V dc. It can also come with SPST N.C. or SPDT contact...

360-Degree and N-Way Ergo-NAV Analog Control.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff For handheld and portable devices These pointing and navigation disk devices are built to enhance handheld devices. They use an electrically-variable resistive rubber sensor, along with simple plastic components...

ITT Industries High-Performance RF Connector.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff Small, reliable and durable Made for use with telecommunications, consumer, automotive and industrial equipment, this connector is designed for high performance in a smaller size. It is 2.7 x 2.7 mm, and only 1.6...

IDEC 16mm Switch Bezels.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff Low-profile bezels for switches in medical, food processing equipment IDEC's new flush bezels are streamlined, resting only 2 mm above the 16 mm switch panel. It is useful to the food processing and medical...

NANO I/O Server Embedded Motherboard System.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff ETX CPU board compatibility with PC/104 I/O module expansion This system supports Access I/O's line of USB and PC/104 I/O modules. The motherboard/baseboard is only 120 mm across, and comes with right-angle mounted...

X4-Chip DC/AC Inverter.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff With fully programmable logic chip This inverter includes the custom-designed X4 processor logic chip. The chip is fully programmable and keeps specific current level, acceleration, motor speed and volts per Hz for...

McMillan Company Models 104, 107 Liquid Flo-Sensors<EMPHASIS TYPE="SUPERSCRIPT">[R]</EMPHASIS>.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff A newer electronic alternative Designed as an electronic alternative to ball-and-tube sensors, these sensors can measure fluid flow rates as low as 13 ml/minute. Their stainless steel construction works well with...

3-Way High-Flow Miniature Piloting Solenoid Valve.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff High performance in a smaller package This valve comes in a singlecoil configuration, weighs only 4 oz and uses only 7.8W at 28V dc. It runs at an operating pressure of 3,000 psi, with a minimum flow at that...

Electronic Valve Actuator.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff A new, more enhanced actuator Flowserve's newest actuator, like previous models, has a patented absolute encoder that doesn't need battery backup, a patented LimiGard(TM) circuit protection technology Hall-effect...

VC, VC8 Series Centrifugal Barrel Finishing Machine.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff Outperforms rotary, vibratory finishers This new machine is built to complete finishing cycles up to 30 times faster than rotary barrels and 15-25 times faster than vibratory. Its new geared drive runs more quietly...

Taiyo LMBF1608 Series Wire-Round Chip Inductors.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff High inductance, much smaller package This inductor is 33 percent smaller than 0805 wire-round chip inductors, measuring 1.6 x 0.8 x 0.8 mm and still getting a 47H inductance rating. It has a 51 percent smaller...

B&R X20 I/O Analog Modules with Oscilloscope Function.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff Versatile through configurability B&R's 2 and 4-channel 16-bit X20 analog input modules feature a measurement function of each individual channel that can be configured for current (0.20 mA) or voltage (A10V)....

NoisePro[R] Series Personal Noise Dosimeters.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff Now with QuestSuite[R] Professional II The company has merged its line of dosimeters with its professional software suite. The package now offers customized, condensed reports that can be created in .PDF format, if...

DAP 840 Board Package.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff Hardware and software, all in one This package puts the company's DAPstudio software together with its DAP 840 board. The board includes a second processor running DAPL, a real-time operating system controllable by...

B&R Automation PC 620, Panel PC 700 DVD burners.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff The next step up from CD burning B&R's existing Automation PC 620 and Panel PC 700, traditionally using CD burners, now are available with DVD burners, in response to increasing needs for greater data storage. The...

QuickSilver SilverDust IG8 Servo Controller.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff Works with Ethernet and CAN The company's newest single-axis controller/driver, designed for lower-cost network support, has communications options such as RS232, RS465, CAN and Ethernet. It allows CAN-using...

Noran Finite Element Analysis Software.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff Includes SolidWorks' modeling engine The company's new licensing agreement with SolidWorks brings a solid modeling engine to its element analysis software. The easy-to-use CAD-independent modeler will combine...

Chemical-Resistant Bellows.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff Built to be air and liquid-tight These new bellows are used as covers and connections in harsh environments such as paint mixing tanks. They're made out of PTFE Fluoropolymer material, and are air and liquid-tight...

General Inspection GI-300-V Inspection/Sorting System.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff Newer, patented laser-sorting technology This system uses new laser sorting techniques to avoid "missed" defects, using patented "Tilt Head" technology. This technology prevents measurement cosine errors by...

Devcon, Permatex Catalog.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff Shows off both companies' products Devcon's catalog includes both its own and partner Permatex products for maintenance and repair, adhesives for OEM assembly and products for both assembly and repair such as...

Devcon 10 Minute(TM) Epoxy FR.(Brief article)
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff Strong, durable and fire-resistant This fire-retardant epoxy fills gaps and bonds well to concrete, wood, glass, fabrics and metals. It is mixed as it is dispensed, with a viscosity of 80,000 cps. It has a working...

Delta T max Cartridge Heaters.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff A snug fit for high-efficiency These high-performance heaters have diameter tolerances between -.001 and -.005 inches from specified nominal diameters, ensuring a good fit into the heater cavity. The heater's...

Precision Safety Coupling Series SK2.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff Overload protection in stainless-steel Made for wash-down applications in packaging, food and beverage industries, this coupling protects from overload with a patented, backlash-free ball detent system that...

Flexural Pivots.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff Low friction and long life on a lubrication-free pivot This is a patented pivot that doesn't use lubrication, so it will work in a vacuum or super-clean area, and with no rubbing surfaces, it will also work in an...

Velmex UniSlide<EMPHASIS TYPE="SUPERSCRIPT">[R]</EMPHASIS> Assemblies with Encoder.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff Now with optical encoders Velmex's line of assemblies come with brand new compact optical encoders, made for precise positioning or gauging in manufacturing and testing. The screw-driven slides measure absolute...

H2W Technologies Limited Angle Torque Motors.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff New series of high-torque motors These single-phase, brushless, low-profile motors are vacuum compatible to 105 torr. The standard and custom designs range from miniature 1.4 Ncm continuous torque to 5.2 Ncm peak...

Mechatronic Development and Validation Test Bench.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff A better alternative to track testing The company, together with MTS Systems Corp. built the test bench for electrical and electromechanical systems, including chassis and powertrain. It creates realistic and...

Belt-Driven Actuators.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff High speeds and no maintenance Del-Tron's newest actuators run at speeds up to 5.1 m/sec, and without lubrication or maintenance under normal conditions. They have travel lengths up to 6m with a repeatability of...

B&R Automation's X67 Stepper Motor Module.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff Two variants with IP67 protection The X67 offers 64 microsteps, stall detection, IP67 protection, and a compact design. It comes in two variants: the X67SM4320, which can control up to two stepper motors with a...

MicroSmart Micro Controller.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff Highest speed in its class IDEC's newest micro controller comes with a new logic engine that can process basic instructions in 0.056 sec. It has field upgradeable firmware, more program memory and up to seven...

Del-Tron 3D Product Catalog.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff Online catalog has 3D views of products This online catalog offers views of the company's linear motion products online that customers can view, zoom and rotate. The images are available in all major CAD formats,...

Techno Inc. Model 60W Roller Hold-Down System.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff More efficient and easy to use This system runs with the Techno Premium Class CNC Router models. It comes with four, 2-inch diameter urethane-covered steel rollers with automatic roller life and retracting. Parts...

POSICHRON<EMPHASIS TYPE="SUPERSCRIPT">[R]</EMPHASIS> PCST26 Magnetostrictive Sensor.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff Built to take the punishment ASM's latest contact-free, absolute, wear-free position sensor measuring system is made for hostile environments. It comes with analog outputs 0-10V, 4-20 mA, and can also come with a...

Bosch Security VIP X1600 iSCSI 16-Channel Encoder.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff Making total video over IP CCTV easier This 16-channel encoder runs like a DVR, but uses an iSCSI storage array, which can be attached to the LAN for use by other encoders and cameras on the network. Additional...

Parker's 15-inch HPC and HPX PowerStations.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff Stainless steel bezel Parker's latest HPC industrial PCs and PowerStations now have a stainless steel bezel option for its 15-inch displays, so the computers can be used in FDA-regulated fields such as food...

MC73110 Motor Control IC.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff Using field-oriented control for brushless DC motors This is a compact, single-axis IC only needs a MOSFET or IGBT three-phase bridge to implement a full-featured drive. Field-oriented control, a math-intensive...

Brushless DC micromotors.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff Durable motors made to go the distance Built for continuous-use applications like pump, fan or scanner devices, these RoHS-compliant motors have cog-free motion, using a Neodymium rare-earth magnet rotor and...

Linear Three-Phase Servo Drive.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff High resolution with little electrical noise The latest in the Trust Automation drive line, the TA330 offers configuration for three-phase dc brushless servo motors using Hall Effect sensors, three-phase ac...

Linear Transfer System.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff Ten times faster The Linear Transfer Vehicle is billed as an accurate high-speed linear transfer system that takes full advantage of the latest advances in linear servo drive technology. It is designed to...

DirectIndustry WebSite Portal.(Brief article)
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff Now has massive amount of information The company's online industrial exhibition portal now has seven times as much content as it had before. In the past eight months alone, more than 2,000 new exhibitors worldwide...

MFD Pneumatics New Website.(Brief article)
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff Tailored to the OEM crowd MFD's new site has product and engineering information geared toward the OEM market, and allows online sales. It also has technical specifications on its new line of valves cylinders,...

Harrington Launches Website.(Brief article)
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff User-friendly site has more features Harrington Hoists Inc. launched its brand-new website on Feb. 1. Designed to be very user-friendly, visitors can read about Harrington's history, mission, people, and dedication...

Igus Application Corner.(Igus' Application Corner)(Brief article)
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff Company's website helps its customers with new section Igus' Application Corner is a new section of the company's website dedicated to customer testimonials. Real stories from the packaging, medical, agricultural...

VOF-25/45/65 Series Open Frame Switching Power Supplies.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff Replaces 3 x 5-inch industry standard V-Infinity's newest line of RoHS-compliant power supplies can take a universal input voltage (85 to 264V ac) and have efficiencies up to 88 percent in the 48V model. The VOF-25...

c3controls' Series 320 Bimetallic Overload Relays.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff Reliable and accurate motor protection These IEC overload relays offer overload protection for single and three-phase motors, and phase loss protection for all three-phase motors. Installation is cheaper through...

MGVT00 TCXO Frequency Control Products.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff OCXO precision in a TCXO size This series of products holds A0.5ppm vs -40 to 85C operating temperature range, all with only a 15 mA max current drain. It runs at 3-5V supply voltage, packaged in a full-size SMT....

Motor Protection Circuit Breakers.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff Overload and short-circuit protection These breakers come in two versions -- one with magnetic trip element for short-circuit protection and the other with thermal and magnetic trip elements for overload and...

90-Line Right-Angle Beam Bender.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff Built for machinery alignment, adjustment The 90-Line Beam Bender turns the reference beam from the Microgage 2000 and turns it exactly 90 degrees, making it ideal for squaring machinery and equipment, setting and...

Man on a Mission.(U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission)(Saw Stop L.L.C gets vindication)(Editorial)
September 4, 2006... By Charles J. Murray, Senior Technical Editor For years he persevered in the face of legal, corporate and technical foes, but inventor Stephen Gass is forcing society to rethink its acceptance of saw blade accident prevention ...

Pimp My Computer.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff A DIY Tivo for the Memory Mad Learn From My Mistakes 1) Expect your hard drives to fail. Plan for it. It WILL happen. My server previously had a 1 terabyte RAID 5 array. The drives started going bad, so I had...

Golf Cart GPS.
September 4, 2006... By Randy Frank ProLink ProStar (http://rbi.ims.ca/4932-511 ). This golf course management system uses a full-color, 10.4-inch interactive cart-mounted screen and Global Positioning System (GPS) location technology. In addition to...

Digital Flipchart.
September 4, 2006... By Randy Frank PolyVision Corp.'s Thunder Virtual Flipchart System (http:rbi.ims.ca/4932-513 ). A wall of projected images facilitates group communication and increased involvement in meetings. The digital technique allows local and...

Professional Laptop Video Recorder.
September 4, 2006... By Randy Frank Rugerent OHG Easylook VideoAssist The development of a rugged portable laptop video recorder for on-location work in the film industry occurs quicker when the design uses a board-level Digital Video Recorder (DVR) with...

Portable Speech Processor.
September 4, 2006... By Randy Frank DynaVox Technologies Palmtop2G Impact (http://rbi.ims.ca/4932-517 ). People with speech, language and learning disabilities can communicate quickly and easily using the symbols in this portable tool. The unit uses...

Wireless Digital Signage.
September 4, 2006... By Randy Frank Wireless Ronin Technologies RoninCast (http://rbi.ims.ca/4932-515 ). This wireless display greets and provides directions to convention goers or point-of-purchase information to shoppers. The touch-screen display allows...

Case #89: Nathan Loden: Glidden Special Forces Volunteer.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff Looking to paint the town red (or his buddies at any rate), Nathan Loden devised this simple device to detect if the paintballs are traveling at a safe speed ( [TABLE OMITTED] For Nathan Loden's...

Biodegradable Fabrics a Hit at Conference.(World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing)(Brief article)(Conference notes)
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff A full-fledged fashion show, complete with professional models and a runway, nabbed the attention of the scientific community in Toronto over the summer. Attendees at the World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and...

Government Initiatives Push Fuel Cell Technology.(Brief article)
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff A recent study from Frost & Sullivan finds that regulatory pressures from government authorities such as the Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency are stimulating the adoption of fuel...

Most Consumers Don't Care about Green.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff According to a study conducted by the branding firm Landor Associates, 58 percent of the general population doesn't care if the products they buy are environmentally friendly. This group doesn't care about green...

Readers Sound Off.(Letter to the editor)
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff MAKE IT SIMPLER, STUPID! The reason the pencil is still used so much is that most of the "software for engineers" isn't written by "true engineers," (DN 06.26.06, http://rbi.ims.ca/4932-507 ) Oh, the authors may...

Listen to My Boring Podcast.(Editorial)
September 4, 2006... By Karen Auguston Field, Editor-in-Chief Podcasts may be one of the hottest content delivery channels out there today, but I have to confess that I'm late to the party. Although my iPod is full of tunes, I don't really get the point of...

Interactive Software Simplifies Design with FPGAs.
September 4, 2006... By Charles J. Murray Automatically generates applications that can be compiled to run on Field Programmable Gate Arrays National Instruments has rolled out an interactive software environment that allows product developers to easily...

High-Speed Locking Cylinder.
September 4, 2006... By Randy Frank Tie-rod style mechanism isolates brake from air supply SMC Corp. of America's CNA series locking cylinder locks in both directions and delivers the same holding force on both extension and retraction. Isolating the brake...

Online Step Motor Selection Tool.
September 4, 2006... By Al Presher Unique algorithm uses voltage, current and speed to choose step motors A free, online step motor selection tool, part of the Lin Engineering website called Designer's Corner, simplifies the process of evaluating step...

Advice for DFMA Users.
September 4, 2006... By Joseph Ogando Design-For-Manufacturing-and-Assembly analysis can help take the cost and complexity out of your products If you want to take cost and complexity out of your products, a Design-For-Manufacturing-and-Assembly (DFMA)...

DSPs Blend Fast Processing, Low Cost.
September 4, 2006... By Terry Costlow High-quality audio has tons of features for a growing market Addressing the market for high-quality audio systems in mid-range pricing, Texas Instruments has unveiled an audio DSP chip that provides low cost with...

One of Engineering's Biggest Mistakes?(collapse at Boston's Big Dig)
September 4, 2006... By Elizabeth Taurasi, Managing Editor Engineers are posting their two cents across the Internet The faulty bolt and epoxy assemblies that led to more headlines about Boston's Big Dig/Central Artery Tunnel Project was just the kind of...

Why We Need Federal RoHS and WEEE Laws.(Restriction on Hazardous Substances)(Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment)
September 4, 2006... By Paul Tallentire, President, Newark InOne State green laws add confusion and cost The goals of big business and the federal government are not always in alignment, but national environmental laws that mirror two European Union...

Advertisers in This Issue.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff [TABLE OMITTED]

Editor's Letter.
September 4, 2006... By Joseph Ogando Polymer chemists and metallurgists like to stay busy. The number of material grades -- plastics, elastomers and metals -- grows year after year. And that growth is good news for design engineers who have to find new...

Adhesives Reduce Labor Costs.(Brief article)
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff Go rivetless with two-part formulations Adhesive technologies continue to advance, giving them the ability to replace mechanical fasteners such as bolts and rivets. Adhesives can also make it simpler to link...

Adhesive sealant meets many needs.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff DAP Inc.'s Phenoseal Vinyl Adhesive Caulk bonds, caulks and seals a wide variety of materials, surviving in harsh outdoor environments or around bathtubs and sinks. Phenoseal is outstanding as a caulk to fill and seal...

Adhesive tape keeps horses calm.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff An adhesive tape from 3M replaces the mechanical fasteners often used to build horse trailers, reducing the stress animals endure when they are transported. VHB Tape provides enough strength to hold panels on horse...

Broad line mates with many metals.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff Seven structural acrylic adhesives from Henkel Corp., bond to a variety of metals, replacing mechanical fasteners. Two-part Loctite Speedbonder structural adhesives bond aluminum, steel and even galvanized metals to a...

Composite Adhesives Take Hold.(Brief article)
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff Metals and moisture are no problem for new adhesives The use of composite materials is soaring, creating new opportunities for the adhesives used to hold composite products together. In aircraft and many other...

Acrylic tape helps rebuild autos.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff An acrylic double-sided tape attaches moldings and emblems to both the composites and metals, simplifying automobile repair market. Ashland Specialty Polymers & Adhesives is producing the latest entrant in the...

Quick setup aids in automated application.
September 4, 2006... By Design News Staff Dow Corning is utilizing hot melt technology to achieve instant green strength of pressure-sensitive adhesive with the high performance of a crosslinked silicone sealant, improving productivity while reducing costs....