Online condition monitoring can significantly improve the uptime of high voltage transmission systems. This T&D World article shows how two Australian utilities are installing and evaluating online monitoring of circuit breakers, instrument and power transformers, and reactors. They want to improve the performance of their assets and increase system reliability.

Modern flywheels use carbon fiber rotors mounted on magnetic bearings rotating in a vacuum. Power Engineering says maintaining flywheel vacuum is challenging due to the large number of feedthrough connections needed for power and control. Hermetic vacuum feedthroughs are one solution that can perform over the 20+ year flywheel lifespan.

The proliferation of connectors is a growing problem, especially as laptops shrink. MacNewsWorld posits potential solutions that may reduce the number of required connectors while still providing high-performance and acceptable connectivity. Future laptops may have just three connectors: USB, Ethernet, and wireless.

Automobile relays control many electronic and electrical devices including anti-theft, navigation, and fault diagnostic systems. One market study predicts growing use of these relays to 2.3 billion units in 2009, with printed circuit board relays accounting for 55% of demand. Increased need for advanced features is expected to fuel future demand.

The drying process for polyacrylamides is dependent on precise measurement of humidity. EngineerLive shows how Kemira Oyj's paper chemicals plant in Finland optimized its drying process using patented capacitive thin-film polymer humidity sensors. Precise measurements have significantly improved product quality and increased production.

This nanoliter-airflow sensor uses thermoanemometer flow sensing. Combined with a microscopic channel, the resulting high flow impedance accurately senses low differential pressures. Sensors says high flow impedance allows use of long tubing connections because overall flow impedance is dominated by sensor flow channel geometry rather than tubing characteristics.

The line between smart relays and low-end programmable logic controllers continues to blur, as evidenced in this new controller. The controller features two Ethernet ports and a built-in Ethernet switch. It has eight digital inputs and four digital outputs, and the I/O can be expanded directly by adding inline I/O modules.

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What do you get when you combine origami and nanotech? Researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute say sheets of DNA folded into multilayered objects with dimensions 1000x smaller than the thickness of a human hair. These objects could lead to custom-made biomedical nanodevices that sneak drugs into patients' cells.

Career expert Edward Hallowell says that hard work is good, but crazy busy is bad. In this short video, Hallowell explains how to increase your productivity and the quality of your work by saying no to your boss and your co-workers in a constructive way. He also shows you why and how you should leave on time. He suggests working slower and better to deliver the best to your employer.

Wireless data transmission is so ubiquitous these days that most of us take if for granted when we use cell phones, TV remotes, and notebook PCs. But this EDN column argues that wireless video may have a harder time gaining widespread acceptance. The technology is theoretically capable of transmission speeds of 25 Gbps, more than twice the 10.2 Gbps of wired HDMI v1.3. But will consumers demand and pull this technology through to the market?

Is Wireless Video the Next Big Thing?

Wireless video is technically feasible, and it would make it easier to install that new big screen. But will consumer pull be sufficient to spur vendors into perfecting the technology?