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Test equipment advancing to meet rapidly changing market needs

Although the rise of the IoT, 5G, and advanced automotive electronics markets is instigating rapid changes in technology, test equipment is keeping pace, and not just in extensions to bandwidth specifications or signal resolution. Maureen Lipps, Multicomp Pro Private Label Product Segment Leader, Test and Tools, Newark Electronics, runs through important advances in the industry and its tools.
Read the full article.

Smallest rugged AI supercomputer for avionics

Aitech Systems has released the A178-AV, the latest iteration of its smallest rugged GPGPU AI super-computers available with the powerful NVIDIA Jetson AGX Xavier System-on-Module. With its compact size, the A178-AV is the most advanced solution for artificial intelligence (AI), deep learning, and video and signal processing for next-gen avionic platforms.
Learn more.

Touchless angle sensors get CAN SAE J1939 interface

Novotechnik has added the CAN J1939 interface (developed for heavy-duty vehicles) to its RFC4800 Series of touchless angle sensors measuring angular position up to 360°, turn direction, turns, speed, and operational status. It can provide one or two output channels. It has a longer life and robustness than an optical encoder. It can signal if a sensor needs replacing or average a programmable number of values to output to reduce external noise if present. This is wear-free angle measurement made easy.
Learn more.

Radar level sensor monitors liquids and powders

The innovative FR Series non-contact radar level sensor from Keyence has been designed to monitor the level of both liquid and powder in any environment. This sensor features short- and long-range models, as well as chemical and sanitary options to address a wide array of level sensing applications. Works even when obstructions or harsh conditions are present, such as build-up, steam, or turbulence.
Learn more.

Raspberry Pi launches $70 AI Kit

Artificial intelligence (AI) is all the rage, and the makers of Raspberry Pi have created a way for enthusiasts of the single-board computer systems to take part and do a lot of experimenting along the way.
Read the full article.

3D model sharing at Brother Industries cuts rework

When Brother Industries, maker of printers, computers, and computer-related electronics, deployed Lattice Technology's XVL Player as a viewer for sharing 3D models throughout the processes of product design, parts design, mold design, mold production, and QA of molded parts, they reduced rework significantly -- especially from downstream departments. XVL Studio with its Difference Check Option helped address the rework in mold design, for example, by always keeping everyone informed of design changes.
Read this real-world case study.

What is 3D-MID? Molded parts with integrated electronics from HARTING

3D-MID (three-dimensional mechatronic integrated devices) technology combines electronic and mechanical functionalities into a single, 3D component. It replaces the traditional printed circuit board and opens up many new opportunities. It takes injection-molded parts and uses laser-direct structuring to etch areas of conductor structures, which are filled with a copper plating process to create very precise electronic circuits. HARTING, the technology's developer, says it's "Like a PCB, but 3D." Tons of possibilities.
Learn more (video included on page).

New! Thermoelectric dehumidifiers for enclosures

Seifert Systems has just introduced its line of compact Soliflex^® Series thermoelectric dehumidifiers, with or without condensate pump. These IP 56-rated units are designed to dehumidify enclosures and small control panels, can be used indoors or outdoors, and are maintenance free. When used with a hygrostat, Soliflex dehumidifiers will keep enclosure humidity below a defined level and only operate when needed.
Learn more.

More Stego enclosure heater options from AutomationDirect

Automation-Direct has added more Stego enclosure heaters to their Enclosure Thermal Management lineup. These new 120 to 240 VAC/VDC units include small, flat versions that distribute heat evenly within compact enclosures and are available with 8- or 10-W heating capacities. Also added are compact loop heaters that feature a patented loop body design for increased natural convection airflow, reduced thermal stress on the heater, and better heat transfer. Loop heaters are available in 10- to 150-W heating capacities.
Learn more.

Great design: Handle with integrated lighting/signaling

Signaling and indicator lights, switches, and buttons -- elements that hardly any machine can do without. The new JW Winco cabinet U-handle EN 6284 integrates all these functions into a single, compact element. The new U-handle is designed to enhance the operation of systems and machines. It features an integrated button and a large, colored, backlit area on the back of the handle. These elements can be used individually or in combination, providing a versatile tool for system control and process monitoring that can be seen from across the room.
Learn more.

Engineer's Toolbox: What is ground loop feedback?

Improper grounding can create problems in data logging, data acquisition, and measurement and control systems. One of the most common problems is known as ground loop feedback. Experts at CAS DataLoggers run through five ways to eliminate this problem.
Read the full article.

AI development kit for multi-camera products

The QCS6490 Vision-AI Development Kit from Avnet enables engineering teams to rapidly prototype hardware, application software, and AI enablement for multi-camera, high-performance, Edge AI-enabled custom embedded products. The kit facilitates design with the new, energy-efficient MSC SM2S-QCS6490 SMARC compute module based on the Qualcomm QCS6490 processor. Provides support for up to four MIPI CSI cameras and concurrent Mini DisplayPort and MIPI DSI displays.
Learn more.

High-temp cabinet cooler keeps incineration process in business

An EXAIR client company handles waste treatment on a large ship by operating an incinerator. The area where the incinerator is located gets very hot (over 120° F). This causes failures in the electronics package used to control the incineration process. Since compressed air is readily available, EXAIR's Model HT4225 Cabinet Cooler System is being used to keep the panel cool. It saved the customer from having to replace their control units due to the hot conditions in the incinerator room. Thermostat control is also available, conserving air and operating only when needed to minimize air consumption.
Learn about EXAIR's huge selection of Cabinet Coolers.

Compact snap-in capacitors for general-purpose applications

TDK's new EPCOS B43659 series of snap-in aluminum electrolytic capacitors is the next generation of ultra-compact, general-purpose components for voltages of 450 V (DC) featuring an extremely high CV product. It provides the same features and serves the same applications as the previous series but is much more compact. These RoHS-compliant capacitors can be used in a wide range of applications, such as switched-mode power supplies, frequency converters, UPS, medical equipment, and solar inverters.
Get all the specs.

Conductive Brush Ring overcomes current leakage in EV powertrains

SKF's new Conductive Brush Ring paves the way to greater reliability and longer life in high-performance electric vehicle powertrain systems. Using pure carbon fiber bristles, it provides a reliable electrical connection between an EV eAxle rotor shaft and its housing. When used in combination with SKF Hybrid ceramic ball bearings, it helps to alleviate parasitic current effects that can lead to premature failure in bearings and other components. Available in different configurations for wet (oil-lubricated) motor designs -- and soon for dry (sealed) applications.
Learn more.

Ultrafast camera captures images at the speed of light

A National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) grantee has developed an ultrafast camera that can acquire two-dimensional images at 100 billion frames per second, a speed capable of revealing light pulses and other phenomena previously too fast to be observed.

"When you turn on a laser pointer, you see an immediate beam of light. That's because light moves so fast, you aren't able to detect its movement with the naked eye. Using this camera, light is revealed as traveling through space from one point to another," says the camera's inventor, Lihong Wang, Ph.D., a professor of biomedical engineering at Washington University in St. Louis.

The CUP system configuration. [Reprinted by permission from Macmillan Publishers Ltd: [Nature] (L Gao et al. Nature 516, 74-77 (2014) doi:10.1038/nature14005), copyright (2014)]

 

 

 

 

While other research groups have achieved higher frame rates (trillion f/s), Wang's camera is the world's fastest 2D camera that doesn't require an external flash or multiple exposures. This distinction makes the camera particularly apt for imaging ultrafast, non-repetitive phenomena such as a single laser pulse or the short-lived, intermediate states of a biochemical reaction.

Wang is currently working to couple the camera to a microscope, which could help researchers gain valuable insights into previously unobservable biological phenomena.

For example, the camera could be used to visualize energy metabolism as it occurs within a cell's mitochondria or the way light passes through tissue, an important consideration for therapies that use lasers to destroy diseased tissue with the goal of leaving healthy tissue unharmed. It could also help researchers determine how fluorescent signals decay over time. Such knowledge could be used to create fluorescent sensors that can detect diseases and cellular environmental conditions like pH or oxygen pressure.

"This camera has the potential to greatly enhance our understanding of very fast biological interactions and chemical processes that will allow us to build better models of complex, dynamical systems such as cellular respiration, or to help doctors better deliver and monitor light-based therapies," says Richard Conroy, Ph.D., program director for Optical Imaging at NIBIB.

NIH Pioneer Award enables high-impact research
The novel camera is the fruit of an NIBIB grant supported via the NIH Director's Pioneer award, which Wang won in 2012. The award provides funding to exceptionally creative scientists who propose bold research approaches that are expected to have a transformative impact on biomedical research.

"Most of the time, we have to propose something that's reasonably safe to get funded. With the Pioneer Award, we are emboldened to push in new directions. The unbridled funds have really allowed us to explore some high-risk, high-pay off ideas," says Wang.

Wang and his colleagues recently created several movies of single laser shots racing through different media such as air or resin and being refracted or reflected off various surfaces. They were also able to capture the moment at which a fluorescent material began to fluoresce after being excited by an incoming laser shot. This latter capability is extremely valuable to biomedical research, which relies heavily on fluorescent probes to label and track proteins, nucleic acids, and other cellular components. Wang's camera would enable researchers to visualize these fluorescently labeled components at light speed.

Developing an ultrafast imaging system in 2D
Several years ago, Wang bought a streak camera, a device that measures variations in the intensity of a light pulse over time. Streak cameras are capable of capturing ultrafast events, but are limited to imaging in one dimension. Wang compares this to watching a horse race through a distant slit:

"It's not very intuitive or informative. The camera on our phones can image in two dimensions even though the temporal resolution is poor. So that pushed us to add one more dimension somehow, and the only way to do that is to use the streak camera in an unconventional way."

Wang knew that to capture a 2D event using a streak camera, he would have to widen the camera's narrow slit. Yet doing so would be detrimental to the temporal resolution. To get around this, Wang developed a technique called compressed ultrafast photography (CUP).

The key to CUP is that prior to reaching the streak camera, the object is first encoded by a tiny apparatus called a digital micromirror device. The process is similar to taking a picture of an object through a piece of paper that has tiny, randomly distributed holes cut out of it. The full image of the object is later reconstructed from this encoded data using sophisticated algorithms based on a relatively new technique called compressed sensing.

Wang described his innovative CUP technique in the December 4, 2014, issue of Nature.

Pushing the limit
Wang's ultrafast 2D camera is one of several significant biomedical imaging advances that he has made over the past decade. With additional funding support from NIBIB, Wang recently overcame the optical diffusion limit, which is the depth at which light can be used to take images of tissues in the body by other existing high-resolution imaging technologies. Through the development of a technique called photoacoustic tomography, Wang was able to conquer this limit and advance the imaging depth by nearly two orders of magnitude, from 1 millimeter to several centimeters, an improvement that could enable doctors to acquire high-resolution images through a patient's skin using light.

The technique is currently being tested in a number of clinical applications, including imaging breast tumors, detecting skin cancer, and tracking blood oxygenation in tissues.

For his extraordinary achievements in biophotonic technology, Wang was recently awarded the 2015 Britton Chance Biomedical Optics award from the International Society for Optics and Photonics.

This research was funded by the National Institutes of Health grants EB016986 and CA186567.

Reference: Single-shot compressed ultrafast photography at one hundred billion frames per second. Gao L, Liang J, Li C, Wang, LV. Nature. 2014 Dec 04; 576(7259): 74-77.

Source: National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering

Published May 2015

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