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| The latest information on Electrical &
Electronic Components
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January 7, 2010
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The 2010 Consumers Electronics Show opens today in Las Vegas amid a
cautious optimism about 2010. Though most manufacturers are still
projecting a flat year, that's still better than the double-digit drops
experienced by some in 2009.
Judging from the range of announcements crossing my desk, design and
innovation have not been a casualty of the recession. One of the more
interesting items include the Parrot
A.R.Drone. The A.R. stands for Augmented Reality. It's a four-rotor
helicopter that carries a wifi link and two video cameras. The link
sends camera video to an iPhone, iPod touch, or other online game to let
the person playing move through the game space.
Also, thanks to movies such as James Cameron's Avatar and
other 3D released-to-theater movies, the 3D-in-the-Home buzz has seen
renewed interest. The Blu-ray Disc Association recently released a
standard for 3D movies on Blu-ray discs for home players. A number of
Blu-ray makers are expected to announce new hardware that incorporates
the new standard to be sold later in the year. Look for 3D titles to hit
the stores shortly thereafter.
--- Bob Repas, Assoc. Editor
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Limit Current to Boost Stepper-Motor
Torque
Higher-than-normal operating voltages give steppers better torque at
high speeds — but higher voltages generate higher currents. Currents
that may shorten the life of the motor if not limited within safe
operating values. One technique that can help keep the motor safe is to
use a small micrprocessor to control and limit the motor drive's output
power.
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The Backyard Wind Turbine
Small wind turbines don’t use the same technology found on the
megawatt-scale behemoths populating wind farms. It takes a 50-story
crane and a task force of people to erect a wind turbine able to
generate megawatts of power. For a turbine going up in someone’s
backyard, however, put down a concrete pad and some anchor points, bring
in a three-person crew, and you can be up and running with a 10-kW
turbine atop an 80-ft tower in a day or two.
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Ten Principles of Sustainable, Cost-Effective
Design
Manufacturers across many industries increasingly emphasize
sustainability. When it comes to building machines, cost is no longer
king. New designs must improve safety, minimize waste, and consume less
energy. Design-for-sustainability takes a holistic approach analyzing
operational efficiency, safety, functionality, productivity, material
use, ease of operation, and maintenance. These 10 best-practice design
principles should help machine builders move toward sustainable designs.
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Video: Integrated control systems
Mark Novack demonstrates the integrated control system from Athena
Controls Inc. to Jessica Shapiro of MACHINE DESIGN magazine. Length:
5:40
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Engineers Need Electrohydraulic Standards
There is nothing quite as efficient as a soft economy for focusing
our attention on technologies that help us do more with less.
Electrohydraulics is an example. The marriage of electronic “brains”
and hydraulic “muscle” promises to improve the efficiency of
thousands of applications of both technologies, while opening a whole
new realm of possibilities for using their incredibly synergistic
capabilities.
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Industrial Design: Power Generation Gets
Personal
As lighting gets more efficient, it becomes easier to illuminate
products using personal power generation. In fact, a number of clever
devices have been developed that work based on piezoelectric effects or
coil motion in a permanent-magnet field. For example, piezoelectric
elements in shoe soles can capture the impact energy from walking.
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HSTAR 750 Series LVDTs designed for
high-temperature applications
The HSTAR 750 Series of ac-operated, position-sensing LVDTs (linear
variable-differential transducers) from Macro Sensors, Pennsauken, N.J.
(www.macrosensors.com), are hermetically sealed and constructed out of
stainless steel. Sealed construction inside a heavy-duty steel housing
lets the core move freely while protecting the windings from the
environment. It also lets the core withstand temperatures to 400°F.
Macro Sensors
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Marking system for cables, wires
Plot System Conversion Kit lets plotters make wire markers and
labels for terminal blocks, switches, indicators, and so forth. The kit
consists of software, operating manual, and support template.
Automation Systems Interconnect
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Miniature optical encoder
The Mercury II 5000 miniature, high-resolution optical encoder is
designed for next-generation precision manufacturing, inspection,
metrology, and medical equipment. The encoder features up to ±20-nm
short-range accuracy (cyclic error), programmable 5-µm to 1.2-nm linear
resolution, programmable interpolation, ±2° rotational tolerance about
the Z axis, and ±0.15-mm ride-height tolerance.
MicroE Systems
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Specialty motors
Specialty motors for challenging applications go beyond standard
brushless-dc motors.The motors address specific application needs in
form, function, and environment including clean-room, ultrahigh-vacuum,
extreme-temperature, and radioactive environments.
Wittenstein
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Contact Information
Editorial questions: Robert Repas
216-931-9319
Advertising/sponsorship opportunities: Virginia Goulding
216-931-9893
Machine Design
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