Vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications are only experimental, but showing promise. In this video interview, a representative of one of the companies working on the technology discusses how it works. Test vehicles use GPS data to establish their location and velocity vectors, and transmit that data to nearby vehicles, while collecting like information from the surrounding traffic. Based on that, an on-board computer calculates the probability of potential collisions. Currently, the emphasis is on warning drivers of dangers, but future versions may extend to taking direct action — such as steering, braking, or accelerating — to avoid an accident.

DaqScribe Solutions announces a turn-key 64-channel recorder at $24,995 and a 128-channel recorder at $36,995. Both systems offer 200k sampling per channel with 16-bit resolution. The DDR4000 addresses the vast majority of data acquisition recording requirements in today's marketplace. Please visit us at Globalspec or DaqScribe Solutions for more information.

Analog Devices' AD7626 PulSAR® ADC achieves 16-bit data capture performance, 15-bit ENOB and 10 MSPS throughput. It also boasts 92 dB SNR, while consuming 130 mW power, and comes in a 5x5 mm QFN package. More...

The Model 5020-102 signal conditioning assembly accepts inputs for strain (dynamic and static) and vibration, or can be customer-specified. Settings controlled remotely from any Web browser. For more information on the economically priced Model 5020-102 or other signal conditioning requirements contact us at Encore Electronics.

The Dash 8HF-HS from Astro-Med, Inc. is a portable data acquisition recorder engineered specifically for capturing high frequency data and transient signals. This versatile system provides eight isolated analog inputs and eight event inputs streaming directly to a dedicated 250 GB hard drive.

Following recent high-profile incidents like the "Stuxnet" worm, a security research firm finds that many supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems, "do not securely implement the SCADA communication protocols." The firm says SCADA vendors need to incorporate secure coding practices into the entire software design lifecycle, and corporate customers should press them to provide more security features.

Can human/machine interface (HMI) displays used in process control become more effective and useful? That's what researchers at one automation company have been exploring. At an industry conference, they gave previews of a prototype of one possible system — sporting a gestural, multi-touch type of interface — to gauge user feedback.

Designed for audio testing, acoustical measurements, and vibration analysis — all applications where wide dynamic range is paramount — this dual-channel, 24 bit, data acquisition module delivers more than 100 dB dynamic range and simultaneous sampling at up to 216 kilosamples/sec. It's configurable for AC or DC coupling, and to support IEPE sensors.

Teachers, hobbyists, and audio technicians might find this low-cost, USB-based combo I/O board useful. It combines a microphone, light sensor, RGB LED, oscilloscope and resistance-measurement inputs, four digital I/O ports, three sensor ports, a pH/redox sensor input and a signal generator. With the included software, the module can be configured as an 8 bit, 100 kHz-bandwidth oscilloscope or a data logger.

The Model TS-1 Wireless 6-channel networkable Monitoring System is engineered to withstand heat, cold, water, and caustic environments acquiring and transmitting data miles away. Now available with database translator. From Spectrum Instruments.

The Yokogawa SL1000 is the only data acquisition system that delivers independent, isolated channel hardware at 100MS/ch rates without a compromise in performance.
Since 1957, Yokogawa Corporation of America has become a leading manufacturer and supplier of test, measurement, field instrumentation, process control and information products for North America.

There's no single world-wide standard for mobile wireless. But this dual-channel, 16 bit, digital-to-analog converter (DAC), capable of 1.25 Gsps output update rates, has the needed performance specifications, says its maker. It is fully compliant with the Multi-Carrier GSM spectral mask, as well as the LTE and LTE-Advanced transmit specification — enabling it to support multiple standards without sending bill-of-materials costs skyrocketing.

Designed for advanced applications such as radar array processing, data acquisition systems, software-defined radios, and broadband communications, this low-power, 16-bit, analog-to-digital converter (ADC) samples at up to 250 Msps while consuming only 786 mW from its 1.8 V power supply. Claimed to be the first device of its kind fully specified for input frequencies above 600 MHz, the device has a full-power bandwidth of 700 MHz.

Thermocouples are rugged, handle extremely wide temperature ranges, and are low in cost. But with their low (microvolts/°C) output voltages, electrical interference can easily introduce significant measurement errors. And cold-junction compensation must be applied. In this article, learn how you can build your own signal-conditioning circuit with just a few components, and match it to any thermocouple.

Planning to offer the new SuperSpeed USB (a.k.a. USB 3.0) in desktop, notebook or tablet computing products? How about Serial ATA (SATA) 3.0 or eSATA 3.0? But how do you provide signal conditioning for data rates up to 6 Gbps? That's where this chipset family comes in, with models that handle that task for USB 3.0 and others designed to support SATA/eSATA 3.0.

Electro Standards will custom engineer and build to your specs. Because ESL has its own manufacturing capabilities, the ESL Engineering Services Group can design, build, and deliver custom products for each project in prototype or production quantities. This guarantees functionality and performance along with unsurpassed quality control.

System 10 is a flexible high-speed front end with stand-alone intelligence. Configurations range from simple multichannel dataloggers to factory-wide distributed tasking networks.

Offering the speed, accuracy, and stability of real-time signal processing, Daytronic instrumentation has found its way into virtually every kind of industrial data acquisition application.

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Salaries for process instrumentation engineers can vary widely, depending on experience and industry, but, as in so many other areas of life, it's also location, location, location. For this category of employment, it turns out that Houston, Texas, is at the top of the list. Find out what the average rate is for your area, and also check out salaries for related job titles.

Many spectators of Formula 1 racing say they feel the races have become "parades," in which it is difficult for one driver to overtake another. The sport's rule-making body hopes that allowing regenerative braking, along with a movable rear wing flap, will inject some much-needed excitement — and more overtaking — into the races.

Do Instrument Interfaces Need Updating?

Does the gestural, multi-touch interface being pioneered on smart phones and tablets point the way to the future interface for instrumentation and factory controls? Should it?

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