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Inflatable EMI shielded RF enclosures

Saelig Company has introduced the Select Fabricators Series 700 EMI Enclosures -- reliable, portable, and lightweight RF and EMI shielding enclosures in standard sizes with a fast-up inflatable frame, ready for operation in less than 60 sec. No more aluminum tents. The Series 700 applies the same level of RF security obtained with previous RF/EMI shielded enclosures but is now made even more portable. Great for military operations, secure communications, mobile testing, emergency response, and more.
Learn more.

Haptic feedback prototyping kit from TDK

Get your customers to feel the difference your products make. TDK has just released a development starter kit for fast haptics prototyping. It gives mechanical designers and engineers first impressions of the haptic feedback using PowerHap piezo actuators, shows how the mechanical integration works, and provides a reference design. Applications include automotive, displays and tablets, household appliances, vending machines, game controllers, industrial equipment, and medical devices.
Learn more.

Position sensor real-world applications: Automotive and mobile equipment

From firetruck nozzle positioning and race car steering to accelerator control and wheel vector sensing, learn how position sensors from Novotechnik are used in real-world applications. Sensor types include non-contacting rotary sensors, angle sensors, and magnetic encoders. We love when manufacturers provide examples of their products in action.
Learn more.

Detecting part errors: Automotive resistance welding machines

NewTek Sensor Solutions has designed a custom linear variable differential transformer (LVDT) position sensor for resistance spot welding machines used in automotive plants to detect missing or misaligned parts in nut and stud welding. Cars contain hundreds of welded nuts and studs that hold them together. Properly securing the right nut and stud to different car components is critical to safe operations.
Read the full article.

Clutches and brakes for electric outdoor mobile equipment

As OEMs and drive train manufacturers work to bring emerging technology to life, they are partnering with Warner Electric engineers and electrification specialists on electromagnetic braking solutions for electric riding mowers, UTVs, ZTRs, and more. Lots of options, including enclosed and low-profile Spring Applied Emergency and Parking Brakes -- some even feature regenerative braking.
Learn more.

Potentiometer with extremely low torque requirement

Novotechnik, U.S. has just announced the P2200 potentiometer that operates with an extremely low torque requirement of 0.003 Ncm. This rotary position sensor is well suited for applications where the system to be measured can be affected by the torque requirements of the sensor. It offers a precision conductive plastic potentiometer in a servo size 11 housing with stainless steel bearing and a life of 100 million movements.
Learn more.

New 32-bit Arduino Uno development board

Arduino has just launched its next-gen UNO board, a significant revision of its 8-bit technology. The new UNO R4 preserves the standard form factor, shield compatibility, and 5-V power supply of the popular UNO R3 but adds a 32-bit microcontroller with up to 16x the clock speed, memory, and flash storage with the integration of the RA4M1 processor from Renesas. Comes in two versions: basic UNO R4 Minima and comprehensive UNO R4 Wi-Fi.
Learn more about the UNO R4.

Open-access learning center for multiphysics modeling

COMSOL, the developer of the COMSOL Multiphysics simulation software, has introduced a new online resource that provides no-cost, open access to modeling and simulation learning material across all areas of physics. Designed with the user in mind, the Learning Center offers a single entry point for users of all skill levels, where courses, articles, and videos present a clear path for learning how to use COMSOL Multiphysics for modeling and simulation.
Check out the COMSOL Learning Center.

Universal Latch Sensor for enhanced security

Southco's Universal Latch Sensor (ULS) is a simple magnet that attaches to an existing latch, and a magnetic sensor that attaches to the inside of an existing door frame. When the door is closed and the latch is engaged, the magnet comes into proximity with the sensor, sending an electronic signal to your security system. This lets you know the door is closed and the latch is secure. The signal from the ULS can be used in a variety of ways, from integrating security systems to turning on existing lights inside an enclosure. Southco also offers a sensor with built-in LEDs that automatically illuminate when the latch is opened.
Learn more.

End-to-end asset tracking now even more efficient

onsemi has launched an end-to-end positioning system that enables the simpler and faster development of more accurate, cost- and power-efficient asset tracking solutions. The system is based on onsemi's RSL15 MCU, the industry's lowest-power Bluetooth 5.2 MCU, and incorporates software algorithms and components provided by Unikie and CoreHW, resulting in a fully integrated solution with components that have been optimized to work together. The new Bluetooth Low Energy solution enables tags to be used for tracking objects or persons with sub-meter accuracy in defined closed spaces. Ideal for various industrial automation applications, including asset tracking, smart retail, and IoT edge nodes.
Learn more.

Great Resources: Flexible circuit design guide

Tech-Etch uses advanced techniques to manufacture flex and rigid-flex circuits to exacting customer specifications. Special processes include selective plating a single circuit with two different finishes, contoured circuits with variable metal thickness, semi-additive and subtractive techniques, open window or cantilevered contact leads, plus SMT for component assembly. Tech-Etch specializes in flexible circuits for medical device, medical implant, diagnostic ultrasound, and patient monitoring applications, in addition to telecommunications, aerospace, semiconductor, and other high-reliability electronic applications.
Learn about flex circuits and get the guide (no registration required).

Ultrasonic leak detector for energy conservation

EXAIR's Ultrasonic Leak Detector (ULD), a hand-held instrument engineered to help locate the source of costly leaks in a compressed air system, has received an upgrade in look and function. Up to 30% of the compressed air generated in industrial plants is wasted through leaks that go undetected. The EXAIR ULD can play a major role to identify and pinpoint these costly leaks, allowing quick repair and cost savings. Testing the various unions, pipes, valves and fittings of a complete installation can be done quickly and effectively at distances up to 20 ft (6.1 m) away.
Learn more.

What can you do with touchless magnetic angle sensors?

Novotechnik has put together a really informative video highlighting real-world applications for their RFC, RFE, and RSA Series touchless magnetic angle sensors. You may be surprised at the variety of off-highway, marine, material handling, and industrial uses. You'll learn how they work (using a Hall effect microprocessor to detect position) and their key advantages, including eliminated wear and tear on these non-mechanical components. We love when manufacturers provide such useful examples.
View the video.

Ultrasonic sensors for packaging and automotive

The new, compact ultrasonic sensors of the HTU200 and DMU200 series from Leuze are particularly suitable for applications in the packaging and automotive industries. They reliably perform difficult detection and measuring tasks by themselves, detecting objects regardless of their surface structure using a reflected acoustic pulse -- even glossy, transparent, or dark surfaces, as well as liquids or granular products. Available in a variety of sizes with operating ranges from 0.1 to 6 m; some models have an IO-Link interface. Leuze has an appropriate solution for every requirement.
Learn more.

Power inductors sample kit

TDK Corporation has a new sample kit available for its extremely compact and reliable CLT32 power inductors for power management of safety-relevant automotive Advanced Driving Assistance Systems/Autonomous Driving (ADAS/AD) applications. Included in the sample kit, part number B82403X1, are inductors with nine different inductance values. These AEC-Q200 certified components are designed with a solid copper coil over-molded with a ferromagnetic plastic compound. The coil ends already function as terminals, which significantly increases reliability.
Learn more.

U.S. scientists celebrate restart of Large Hadron Collider

Early on April 5, the world's most powerful particle accelerator began its second act. After two years of upgrades and repairs, proton beams once again circulated around the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), located at the CERN laboratory near Geneva, Switzerland.

The CMS detector on the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. [Image: CERN]

 

 

With the collider back in action, the more than 1,700 U.S. scientists who work on LHC experiments are prepared to join thousands of their international colleagues to study the highest-energy particle collisions ever achieved in the laboratory.

These collisions -- hundreds of millions of them every second -- hold the promise of leading scientists to new and unexplored realms of physics, and could yield extraordinary insights into the nature of the physical universe.

A highlight of the LHC's first run, which began in 2009, was the discovery of the Higgs boson, the last in the suite of elementary particles that make up scientists' best picture of the universe and how it works. The discovery of the Higgs was announced in July 2012 by two experimental collaborations, ATLAS and CMS. Continuing to measure the properties of the Higgs will be a major focus of LHC Run 2.

"The Higgs discovery was one of the most important scientific achievements of our time," says James Siegrist, the U.S. Department of Energy's Associate Director of Science for High Energy Physics. "With the LHC operational again, at even higher energies, the possibilities for new discoveries are endless, and the United States will be at the forefront of those discoveries."

During the LHC's second run, particles will collide at a staggering 13 teraelectronvolts (TeV), which is 60 percent higher than any accelerator has achieved before. The LHC's four major particle detectors -- ATLAS, CMS, ALICE, and LHCb -- will collect and analyze data from these collisions, allowing them to probe new areas of research that were previously unattainable.

At 17 miles around, the Large Hadron Collider is one of the largest machines ever built. The United States played a vital role in the construction of the LHC and the huge and intricate detectors for its experiments. Seven U.S. Department of Energy national laboratories joined roughly 90 U.S. universities to build key components of the accelerator, detectors, and computing infrastructure, with funding from the DOE Office of Science and the National Science Foundation.

The U.S. contingent was part of an estimated 10,000 people from 113 different countries who helped to design, build, and upgrade the LHC accelerator and its four particle detectors.

"We are on the threshold of an exciting time in particle physics: the LHC will turn on with the highest energy beam ever achieved," says Fleming Crim, National Science Foundation Assistant Director for Mathematical and Physical Sciences. "This energy regime will open the door to new discoveries about our universe that were impossible as recently as two years ago."

In addition to the scientists pushing toward new discoveries on the four main experiments, the U.S. provides a significant portion of the computing and data analysis -- roughly 23 percent for ATLAS and 33 percent for CMS. U.S. scientists on the ALICE experiment developed control and tracking systems for the detector and made significant contributions in software, hardware, and computing support. U.S. scientists also helped improve trigger software for data analysis for the LHCb experiment.

U.S. institutions will continue to make important contributions to the LHC and its experiments, even beyond the second run, which is scheduled to continue through the middle of 2018. Universities and national laboratories are developing new accelerator and detector technology for future upgrades of the LHC and its experiments. This ongoing work encourages a strong partnership between science and industry, and drives technological innovation in the United States.

Source: Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab)

Published April 2015

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