Industrial electronic devices that amplify the millivolt level signals put out by strain-gauge tension transducers (load cells) are typically single channel, allowing for tension and display output from a single sensor point only. Dover Flexo Electronics, Inc. (DFE) has just released two new products: the MAC MultiAmplifier Card and the IMUX Tension Multiplexer, which combined allow multi-point tension monitoring at a considerably lower cost than using multiple single-channel indicators to perform the same task.

The 5.5 x 7 inch MAC circuit card amplifies the signals from up to eight sets of tension transducers (or load cells), supplying a corresponding number of O to lOVDC signals proportional to tension. These signals may be used as inputs to drives, PLC's or other tension monitoring or closed-loop tension control devices. An additional 0 - 1mA (or 0 - lOOuA) is supplied as a meter output.

Alternatively the 0-to-lOV MAC outputs can be connected to the IMUX Multiplexer accessory for multichannel tension signal display. The IMUX with switch and meter is used to select (and display) between multiple (up to 32) 0 to lOVDC inputs from MACs or other tension amplifier devices. The IMUX is fully enclosed, can distribute 24VDC power for up to four MAC cards, and may even be used to display signals from other 0 to lOVDC devices used in the web process.

Applications for monitoring tension from multiple web-path points include newspaper printing presses, textile manufacturing, and wire and fiber winding.

Traditional Filter Technologies

• Until recently, entire optical surfaces could be coated quite easily with a bandpass filter, although precise deposition of patterned optical filter coatings was limited to the use of metal masking. Metal masking can withstand the in-vacuum process heat needed to produce durable dielectric multi-layers, but is expensive to manufacture, difficult to align with the substrate, and unable to produce a deposited pattern that can be cleanly aligned to existing patterns -- i.e., edge-to-edge, without gaps or overlapping.
• Other coatings technologies employed to transmit and reflect wavelengths of light are similarly limited. For example, the dicing and bonding of individual filters to form an assembly is a tedious process at best, with miniaturization limited by materials handling and dicing constraints. Also, materials such as gels and colored glass are not very robust and may not provide adequate transmission or blocking efficiency for some applications.

Optical Coatings with Microlithographic Precision

• Ocean Optics has pioneered an optical coatings production methodology that combines modern optical thin film deposition techniques with microlithographic procedures. This patented process enables micron-scale precision patterning of optical thin film dichroic coatings on a single substrate (a dichroic filter selectively transmits light according to its wavelength).With its new process, Ocean Optics can create multi-patterned arrays of different optical filters for use in dense wavelength division multiplexers, micromechanical devices (commonly referred to as MEMS) and optical waveguide-based devices. The process also can be applied to multi-part bonded filter applications common to the manufacture of digital data projectors and CCD camera detectors. In fact, a wide variety of optical coatings can be patterned, including dielectric multi-layer reflectors, bandpass filters, dichroic edge filters and broadband anti-reflection coatings. In addition, the Ocean Optics technique can be used to deposit enhanced metal reflectors, low-reflectivity opaque metals and electrically conductive transparent patterns.

The Ocean Optics Process

• The production of a patterned optical multi-layer coated element begins with application of photoresist to the surface. To generate a pattern, they align the mask and then expose and develop the photoresist. This creates a resist pattern on the coating surface. Next, the prepared substrates are placed into a vacuum chamber for controlled deposition of the multi-layer coating.After deposition of the filter, the patterned coating is rinsed in solvent, which removes any unwanted multi-layer and resist and leaves the desired patterned filter coating. This sequence can be repeated as needed, allowing multiple filters to be deposited.

Advantages of the Precision Patterning Process

• Because the Ocean Optics process relies on precision microlithography instead of cut metal masks to pattern the deposited coatings, features (coated areas) as small as 2 µm can be produced, with spatial registration to within 1 µm. There are other advantages as well:Undesired "shadowing" or thickness drop-off of the coating at pattern edges -- unavoidable with cut masks -- is eliminated due to the pattern edge break produced in the lift-off process. Intricate coating patterns of any shape or size can be manufactured without the machining limits inherent to metal masks. The cost of microlithographic tooling does not increase significantly with pattern complexity. Cut metal masks are less durable than microlithographic tooling. Metal masks must be cleaned often to remove coating deposits, and can be easily damaged in handling.Patterned dichroic filter coatings have optical and physical properties comparable to traditional non-patterned coatings, and have very high resistance to humidity and temperature. And because the coatings are applied directly to substrates and devices, their mechanical resistance to shock and vibration is an improvement over commonly used bonded discrete filter windows.

Implications for Design Engineers

• Photonics technologies are becoming smaller and more commonly integrated into microelectronic and micromechanical systems. With their dichroic filter-making process, engineers can integrate wavelength-selective filtering structures much earlier into the design process. What's more, because the ion-assisted deposition process delivers multi-layer optical structures directly onto a component, it is no longer necessary to make a physical transition from micron-sized, on-chip structures to macroscopic diced and bonded optical filter elements -- and back again -- for wavelength-selective integrated optoelectronic and optomechanical devices.
• For example, optical bandpass filters can be deposited directly onto waveguide structures or active photodetector regions, to create microscopic wavelength-selective detectors. This has major implications for the future of Ocean Optics' core spectroscopy and optical-sensing technologies, with new systems such as grating-less spectrometers and multi-function fiber optic sensors resulting from a marriage of technologies.
• Multi-layer RGB color filters can be produced as a single filter array for devices such as CCD camera detectors and LCD display panels, or as a rotating filter wheel for projection display applications. Selected bandpass filters can be combined in arrays for use with multi-spectral detector systems, or patterned in a ring structure in industrial and medical fiber optic instruments. Also, patterned bandpass filters can be used in dense wavelength division multiplexer and photonics-based microprocessor applications. Optical filter coatings can be deposited onto MEMS structures to form "tunable" filter elements, waveguide relays, and switches (from deposited reflector and beamsplitter coatings) on micromechanical mounts.

Ocean Optics has pioneered an optical coating technology that provides a precise, cost-effective means to integrate a variety of optical thin film coatings into the design and manufacture of an entire new generation of optomechanical and optoelectronic devices.

The iC-MQ provides up to 400 angle steps for sine interpolation; to improve angle accuracy, this basic function is supplemented by a finely adjustable signal conditioning circuitry, a signal path multiplexer (which keeps pin functions variable) and fault-tolerant RS422 line drivers. Device installation with incorrectly connected wires is tolerated by iC-MQ – even when the supply voltage is reversed.

Differential or referenced input signals from a few millivolts upwards are sufficient for the offset-free instrumentation amplifiers; a low impedance can also be set if required for current signals in the µA range.

The iC-MQ itself ensures that the parameters set initially for the offset, amplitude and phase correction are kept valid. To this end sensor energizing can be tracked via a 50 mA high-side source output; the LED current of an optical encoder or the supply of magnetic XMR bridge sensors can be regulated. Temperature and aging effects or varying operating distances are automatically compensated for.

All of the chip's major functions are monitored and can be configured for alarm indication, allowing typical sensor errors, such as signal loss due to wire breakage, short circuiting, dirt or aging, for instance, to be recognized. The mode of error handling can be extensively configured using event masks; an alarm can be displayed at the error output, set the output drivers to tristate and be transmitted to the error memory for later diagnosis.

The encoder signals are supplemented by a generated index signal whose position, width and logic can be set as required. At the same time a patented signal conditioning unit provides glitch-free quadrature signals with hysteresis which always maintain a preselectable minimum transition distance. This enables counting errors to be avoided and enhances the circuit's EMI tolerance with sensor applications.

The iC-MQ is available as a 20-pin TSSOP which takes up just approx. 6.4 x 6.4 mm board space. It is configured using the integrated I²C multimaster interface, either by a microcontroller or a serial EEPROM. Via an integrated supply switch iC-MQ also protects the peripheral electronics against a reversed supply voltage.

Typical applications include:

- Optical rotary encoders

- Magnetic rotary encoders

- Linear scales

- Motor commutation

- DC motor feedback

- Automotive applications.

With a single supply of +5 V the device functions within an industrial operating temperature range of -25 to +100 °C. An extended temperature range can also be provided, as the converter chip has been designed to cope with operating temperatures of -40 to +125 °C.

The Sony EVI-HD1 and BRC series of cameras were recently showcased as the latest and greatest HD cameras available for video conferencing/telepresence applications at Infocomm 2008 in Las Vegas last month.

EVI-HD1

Built upon the great success of the EVI-D70 and EVI-D100, Sony's first high-definition EVI robotic camera, the new EVI-HD1, uses a 1080i CMOS sensor that delivers exceptional high-definition resolution in 720p, 1080i or 1080p. The camera can be used with compatible codec's and systems from other manufacturers, due to its ability to output standard-definition video (YC and composite), high-definition analog component (Y, Pub, Pr) or digital HD-SDI.

For companies outfitting conference rooms with 16:9 widescreen displays, the EVI-HD1 camera outputs 16:9 images in 480i or HD formats. The camera also incorporates a 10x optical zoom lens with a 70-degree horizontal field of view and is equipped with high-torque, high-speed direct drive motors that enable smooth, fast and quiet pan/tilt operations, making it ideal for conference rooms and courtrooms.

BRC Series

The Sony BRC Series consists of three revolutionary Pan/Tilt/Zoom (PTZ) color video cameras, each especially designed for remote video shooting applications. Both the BRC-H700 and BRC-300 have already been highly successful worldwide, satisfying user needs for high-definition (HD) and standard-definition (SD) applications, respectively.

• The Sony high definition BRC-H700 offers high picture quality and high sensitivity with three 1/3-type HD CCDs and a resolution of 1,120,000 total pixels. It is ideal for users demanding extremely clear HD images with great detail, and because of its high sensitivity, it can be operated in shooting environments without ideal lighting. Furthermore, it has the widest viewing angle in the BRC Series, allowing users to capture wide areas of a scene such as audiences at concerts or in auditoriums.

• Sony also recently introduced the new HD/SD BRC-Z700, equipped with three 1/4-type HD ClearVidTM CMOS Sensors. This camera is both HD and SD capable, enabling versatile operations and allowing users to easily migrate from SD to HD picture quality. What's more, the BRC-Z700 incorporates a newly designed smooth PTZ mechanism for precise camera control.

• The BRC-H700 and BRC-Z700 each have sixteen presets to which predefined Pan/Tilt/Zoom positions and other parameters can be allocated.

• Users can transmit uncompressed digital data including external sync and camera control signals via an optical multiplex unit such as the BRU-H700 and BRU-300. With only a single cable connection between the camera and the HD optical multiplex unit, the system is extremely easy to install.

• Flexibility

• Third party switchers and multiplexers work very well with the BRC cameras.
• Sierra Video Systems and AMX switchers and multiplexers were on display at the show and work very well with the BRC cameras.
• Sony adaptor cards are available or third party adaptor cards can be used to accommodate the user's video interface

• Users can run fiber cables up to:

• 500 meters in length for the BRC-300 and
• 1000 meters in length for both the BRC-H700 and BRC-Z700.

Another reason to consider moving to a Sony HD camera is the impending mandatory change of broadcasting from analog to digital in 2009. Due to this change in technology, it may prove beneficial for users to begin looking at their current technologies early enough to assess where they need/want to be in conjunction with what they have to do in order to get there.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE SEE HD Video Conferencing Article OR CALL ( 888 ) 687-6877

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About Aegis Electronic Group, Inc.

Founded in 1989, Aegis Electronic Group, Inc. is a leading supplier of imaging components and integrated system solutions. The company is committed to delivering value added solutions with the highest levels of technical support, customer service and quality hardware. Specializing in areas of Machine Vision, Bioscience, Microscopy, Conferencing, Robotics, Military, Traffic, Space and Medical, has allowed Aegis to be transformed from merely a hardware provider to a full systems integrator.

Aegis has worked extensively on a variety of machine vision applications including semiconductor inspection, PCB board inspection, and SMT dispensing. Aegis offers a wide spectrum of technology ranging from analog industrial camera equipment to industrial digital camera solutions. The ability to integrate the latest digital technologies such as Firewire®, Camera Link®, USB 2.0® and Gigabit Ethernet (GbE)® into specific applications has elevated Aegis in the realm of technical application support.

Aegis can provide not only all of the camera and vision related items for your vision system but also all the peripheral equipment required to build your complete solution, including lenses, lighting, frame grabbers, capture cards, cabling and fully integrated systems. For more information about Aegis Electronic Group, Inc. and its products and services, visit the company's website at www.aegiselect.com or contact Aegis at (888) 687-6877.

STMicroelectronics is a leader in many market segments with a complete family of high-performance, high-reliability and cost-effective linear accelerometers based on micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS).

ST offers system in a package (SiP) solutions where the MEMS sensor and the interface chip are housed in the same package. The family of high-performance accelerometers includes a complete set of SiP products offering different solutions in terms of the number of axis, IC outputs, and package sizes. This level of flexibility allows STMicroelectronics to give manufacturers more freedom in application design and configuration.

Applications:

• Data integrity protection
• Remote control
• Human-machine interfaces
• Sport and health monitoring systems
• Navigation systems
• Compass compensation
• Anti-theft systems
• Motion-activated power-saving systems
• Vibration monitoring systems
• Context awareness
• Machine control
• Personal navigation
• Interactive entertainment
• PDA's • Mobile phones
• Portable media players
• Gaming tools

Analog Output Features:

• Temperature range -40 to +85 °C
• High shock survivability: 10,000G for 0.1 ms
• 2- and 3-axis
• High thermal and lifetime stability
• Factory trimmed parameters
• Analog output with additional multiplexer output
• Selectable full scale: +/- 2 g or +/- 6 g
• Power-down mode
• Resolution better than 0.5 mg @ 100 Hz
• <1 mA current consumption in normal mode
• <10 μA current consumption in power-down mode
• Embedded self test
• LGA packages available

Digital Output Features:

• Temperature range -40 to +85 °C
• High shock survivability: 10,000G for 0.1 ms
• 2- and 3-axis
• High thermal and lifetime stability
• Factory trimmed parameters
• MEMS sensor and interface chip in one package
• Direction detection
• Click and double click recognition
• Embedded high-pass filter
• I²C/SPI output
• Programmable bandwidth and data rate
• Resolution better than 1 mg
• Power-down mode
• 2 independent, programmable interrupt pins
• Wake-up/free-fall interrupt signal with programmable thresholds
• LGA and QFN packages available

Dataforth Corporation's SCM5B45 frequency input signal conditioning modules accept frequency inputs of 0 to 100kHz, then isolate and convert the input to a high-level analog voltage output. Input signals can be TTL level or zero-crossing signals. The voltage outputs are logic switch controlled, which allows the modules to share a common analog bus without requiring external multiplexers. An excitation voltage is available to power magnetic pick-up or contact-closure type sensors.

The SCM5B45 modules interface flow meters, engine test stands, rotating equipment, and other pulse or zero-crossing signals to data acquisition and control systems for the plant, process, or laboratory.

SCM5B45 features include:

• ±0.05% Span Accuracy (Typical)
• ±0.02% Span Linearity
• 1500Vrms Transformer Isolation & 240Vrms Field-Side Protection
• ANSI/IEEE C37.90.1 Transformer Isolation
• CSA Certified, FM Approved, CE and ATEX Compliant
• Mix and Match SCM5B Types on Backpanel
  

Download the SCM5B45 datasheet.

The ability to mix and match the SCM5B45 with other 5B analog input modules on the same backplane allows quick configuration of flexible, easy-to-maintain I/O systems at minimum cost. Dataforth offers the industry's largest selection of SCM5B modules, with 19 family groups and more than 250 different modules.

About Dataforth Corporation:

Dataforth was established in 1984 and is the world leader in data acquisition, signal conditioning and data communication products for industrial applications. Worldwide, our electronic data acquisition, signal conditioning, and data communication products provide rugged signal and data integrity and wide spectrum accuracy.

For additional information, call 800-444-7644 toll-free, email sales@dataforth.com, or visit our website at www.dataforth.com.