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| The latest information on Electrical &
Electronic Components
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November 9, 2009
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Matthew Loew, Chief Engineer from Daxcon Engineering Inc. in
Bartonville, Ill., asked a question that has generated quite a bit of
feedback from our readers. Simply stated, Matt asked, "Is
the design engineer extinct?" He makes a strong case in the
difference between design engineers and the person he calls a designer,
someone able to operate a design program like CAD or FEM, but who really
doesn't possess the engineering background or knowledge as to why
something performs the way it does. He goes on to say that "when a
designer proves resourceful, they can appear to management to be a
suitable replacement" for a design engineer, and several companies are
doing just that -- gradually replacing their design engineering staff
with designers. So what's your take on this idea? Are some companies
replacing engineering disciplines with plug-and-play designers?
You can voice your opinions on this and many other topics in our
discussion groups on MACHINE DESIGN's Blogs, LinkedIn, and Facebook accounts. You can also visit the virtual MD Office in Second Life or
follow us on Twitter.
-- Robert Repas, Assoc. Editor
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A Glimpse at Tomorrow's
Technologies
This year MACHINE DESIGN's birthday cake has 80 candles. As part of
the celebration, we invited industry experts to peer into the future and
take educated guesses as to how the technologies they work with will
change over the next several decades.
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New Brochure on Human Machine
Interfaces
 Learn how advanced
Human Machine Interfaces (HMI) can improve the performance of your
system or vehicle. From ergonomic considerations, to electronic design,
to switch performance and aesthetics, to software and operator
interface, EAO's new HMI brochure spells out the important steps in
making these critical design decisions. Bonus: expanded application
detail in such key markets as transportation, machinery, and
instrumentation.
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New Touch Sensors Sound Off
Trapped acoustic resonance technology expands touch-sensing
capabilities onto metallic substrates. The technology, referred to
simply as ActiveTouch, was developed by ITW (Illinois Tools Works) over
the past seven years. It can turn a solid steel plate up to a
half-inch-thick into a touch-sensitive surface with multiple switch
points.
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LXI-Based Data Acquisition Makes for Happier
Landings
LXI stands for LAN eXtensions for Instrumentation. It is an
instrumentation platform that marries Ethernet-based local-area networks
(LANs) to test-and-measurement equipment. The result creates small,
deployable modules spread across disparate areas that report sensor
readings in real time to a central controller or computer for display
and analysis.
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New! Surface Mount, 2-in-1 Auto Blade
Fuse Holders
 - Unique
2-in-1 design accommodates standard, auto-fuse & low profile mini
auto-fuses.
- Low insertion force plus rugged, Nylon lightweight housings.
- Matte Tin contacts accommodate low temperature reflow
soldering.
- In bulk or on tape & reel.
- Use for vacuum pick & place assembly, too.
Keystone Electronics Corp.
Astoria, NY 11105
(800) 221-5510 or
(718) 956-8900
www.keyelco.com
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More than one way to go unwired
Say the words “wireless link” today and most technologists start
thinking about Ethernet wireless protocols. But wireless connections
that don’t involve transferring a lot of data can often get by with a
radio link rather than an Ethernet connection. Such systems are called
wireless serial-communication systems and typically communicate using
spread-spectrum radio signals in the ISM 900-MHz or 2.4-GHz band.
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Step on it! Force sensor monitors brake-pedal
pressure
Pedal-force load cells are commonly used in cars and trucks to
measure brake-pedal force measurement and as a high-precision trigger
for brake-testing equipment. Though specifically designed to measure the
force needed to operate a vehicle’s brake, clutch, or floor-mounted
emergency brake pedals, the LAU220 Pedal Force Load Cell by Futek
Advanced Sensor Technology Inc., Irvine, Calif., is adaptable to measure
any pedal-based pressure, with readings sent directly to computer
analysis via its USB port.
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Wireless Sensor Network Finds Parking
Spots
Many existing parking structures could benefit from an
occupancy-monitoring system. However, retrofitting these existing
structures is complex and expensive. Such was the task facing a team
from the UCLA Center for Embedded Networked Sensing trying to bring
occupancy monitoring to a UCLA medical-building parking garage. They
wanted to link an online database with the monitoring system to provide
parking information locally and remotely vis cell phones.
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Video: Forecast is for 12 billion power ICs by
2014
Digital power technology is the growth engine driving sales across
the power conversion industry. The worldwide digital power IC market
(including controller ICs, converter ICs and system management ICs) is
expected to grow from over 5 billion units in 2009 to 12.3 billion units
in 2014, a compound annual growth rate of 19.8%, according to Darnell
Group’s just-released third-edition analysis of “Digital Power
Electronics: Worldwide Forecasts.” This will be spread out over a
diverse market of power supplies, including external ac-dc and embedded
ac-dc power supplies, dc-dc modules, embedded dc-dc converters, telecom
rectifiers and external dc-dc, lighting ballasts and inverters. This
Darnell Group video summarizes some of the critical findings in this
analysis.
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Video: Industrial Network I/O
Pete McHugh from Turck gives Lee Teschler of MACHINE DESIGN magazine
the lowdown on a new line of industrial I/O that has no need of any
special enclosure type or style. 9:57
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NEMA Launches Podcasts on Electroindustry
Topics
The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) has
launched NEMAcast, a podcast that focuses on news, information, and
opportunities of interest to the electroindustry. NEMAcast has several
channels, each with a particular focus: Smart Grid Channel, Energy
Efficiency Channel, Inside the Electroindustry Channel, and the Electric
Minute Channel.
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Cable tray
The Snap Track Cable Tray features quick-disconnect technology for
electrical contractors that reduces labor on the plant floor during
electrical installation of instrumentation and control equipment. The
quick-disconnect system consists of instrumentation tray cable (ITC),
cordsets, and quick-disconnect junction boxes assembled with push pins
in place of traditional nuts and bolts that simply snaps into place
without the need for tools.
Turck Inc.
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Electrical power standards
Two new electrical power standards — Fluke 6105A and 6100B —
improve accuracy and increase voltage-channel current drive for
calibrating energy meters which take power from their voltage points.
Both have the same functionality, but the Fluke 6105A’s accuracy —
0.007% (66 ppm) — better matches that of other measurement devices for
sinusoidal waveforms. It is specifically designed to provide the
accuracy required to verify the performance of secondary standards.
Fluke Corp.
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Fuse-terminal blocks
The 2002 Series Topjobs fuse-terminal blocks consist of a
four-conductor, mini-automotive fuse-holder block and a four-conductor
fuse-disconnect block with a spare 5 × 20-mm fuse holder. The blocks
offer two test plug locations on each side of the fuse, and feature
time-saving accessories that include push-in, staggered, and step-down
jumpers.
Wago Corp.
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Linear-displacement transducers
Two new models of ac-ac LVDTs have been developed to work in extreme
pressures and temperatures. To handle high pressures, the transducer
housing is perforated to equalize pressure inside and outside. Because
holes in the housing expose the coils inside, fluids must be
electrically nonconductive and chemically benign.
Trans-Tek Inc.
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Magnetic-Encoder Chip
The solid-state, AM256 magnetic 8-bit encoder chip is for noncontact
angular position encoding over 360°, providing incremental, parallel,
serial SSI, and analog sinusoidal output options. The encoder’s
circuit senses the angular position of a diametrically polarized,
cylindrical magnet placed above it.
Renishaw Inc.
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Modular Signal-Conditioning System Offers
2,048 Channels
The Model 4990A (Oasis) rackmounted modular signal-conditioning
system offers management of up to 2,048 channels and support of multiple
sensor technologies within the same application environment. It’s
designed to interface with multiple sensor types, including
piezoelectric (Isotron/IEPE type and charge output), TEDS (per IEEE
P1451.4 protocol), and piezoresistive/dc differential technologies.
Endevco Corp.
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Check Out the New EET Website
Are you looking for more information on energy efficiency? EETweb.com
features the latest efficiency updates, information on the basics of
energy efficiency and products available for energy efficient designs.
Click here to
visit the site and learn more!
UPCOMING WEBCASTS
Seven Critical Issues in Heater Selection for OEM Applications
Sponsored by Minco
DATE: November 19th, 2009
TIME: 2:00pm ET/11am PT
Product development is a complex process. In addition to cost and
time-to-market, engineers have to address a variety of
sometimes-conflicting issues that can include size, weight, speed,
reliability, flexibility, ease of use, safety, manufacturability,
support costs and more. One aspect of product design that may not show
up on your list of top priorities is heating.
In fact, the heating technologies you choose, whether off-the-shelf or
customized, can have a significant impact on many aspects of your
product including performance, cost, and even time-to-market.
This 60-minute webcast will present seven factors that can help you make
the most of your heating choices.
- how heater choice can increase your design flexibility
- how heating uniformity can improve the yield of your systems
- how to speed warm-up and heat transfer for increased throughput
- how to ensure accuracy and improve your product’s
productivity
- and much more
Click here to learn more and to register!
ARCHIVED WEBCASTS AVAILABLE FOR FREE VIEWING
Click
Here for a list of archived Machine Design webcasts.
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Wilbrecht Electronics metal foil resistors are designed to
consistently meet the tightest temperature coefficients and resistance
tolerances, while providing long-term stability in a wide range of
high-reliability applications.
http://www.wilbrechtledco.com
Motion Control Whitepaper: This paper describes how chip, card
and drive-based motion solutions fit into different machine
requirements, and the benefits of each approach.
www.pmdcorp.com
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Editorial questions: Robert Repas
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