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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.

Raytheon's aircraft warning system will alert pilots to cyber attacks

How can an airplane be hacked? The answer, say experts, may be to confuse the pilot.

"Taking control over an airplane isn't as easy as flying a drone; an attack is more likely going to be simulating malfunctions so a pilot loses trust in his or her aircraft," says Mike Worden, a Raytheon engineering fellow and the company's principal investigator for cyber hardening projects.

Raytheon is working on a company-funded research and development project to provide commercial and military pilots with a cyber-attack warning system within the next year. The company is developing two products: a software-only technology and a hardware-deployable module. Software will provide a quick-and-easy fix should the need arise, while the hardware is designed to give airlines and the military a resilient, persistent solution for aircraft cyber protection.

A denial-of-service cyber attack against an aircraft could be catastrophic. [Image courtesy: Raytheon]

 

 

"Think of it as the cyber equivalent of a missile warning system," Worden says. "When an enemy missile locks onto an aircraft, the pilot gets alerted so he or she can take evasive action, popping off flares and chaff to avoid getting shot down. With a cyber warning system, pilots will also be able to tell if anything on the aircraft has been hacked and performing actions that it shouldn't."

Worden has assembled a team of cyber vulnerability experts and engineers led by Greg Ladd, an engineering fellow and cyber mitigation principal investigator, to prevent the five Ds of non-kinetic warfare: denial, disruption, degradation, destruction, and deception.

"The team has developed software that looks for anomalies on the aircraft buses -- the communication systems that control, monitor, and transfer data between different electronic components in the aircraft -- and remote terminals, which could be any device connected to the buses, such as annunciators, flaps, lights, and landing gear," Ladd says.

Those current systems are often based on 1970s technology, according to Worden, designed before the need for cyber defenses.

"In today's Internet of Things, we think about cyber threats a lot," he says. "The consequences of a compromised aircraft could be catastrophic."

According to Worden, the greatest cyber security threat facing aircraft is introduction of malware through the supply chain, since aircraft parts are manufactured all over the world.

"Malicious code could remain dormant until specific conditions are met before it's triggered, such as, for example, reaching an altitude of 10,000 feet on its 30th flight," Worden said. "Talk like this gets pilots hyperventilating, and I can tell you I get a little more nervous when I hit turbulence these days."

Worden says that a single compromised component or "bad actor" could take advantage of the entire system. The exploit could deceive the pilot into thinking the aircraft was doing something that it shouldn't, such as losing fuel or having an engine fire, or it could actually take control of it remotely.

The cyber warning system would detect if a component aboard is "misbehaving" or suddenly appears when it shouldn't an issue alert.

During military operations, a cyber attack on an aircraft could trick pilots into not trusting their instruments and aircraft. If they don't trust their aircraft, then their mission fails.

"Today, our system lets pilots know of cyber intrusions, allowing them time to react and switch over to alternate systems," Ladd says. "It lets them know, 'My engine really isn't on fire; it's a cyber issue.'"

Both Worden and Ladd say that the Oct. 2016 distributed denial of service cyber attacks against the internet provider Dyn, which blocked major websites from users across Europe and North America, annoyed and inconvenienced many across the globe, but they weren't life threatening.

"Nobody died during the recent DDOS attacks -- at worst, you weren't able to stream a movie or post where you ate dinner that night," Worden says. "A denial-of-service attack on aircraft could quickly turn into a tragedy. The pilot needs to be notified, because immediate action is warranted. That's the scenario that we're looking to protect against."

Source: Raytheon

Published February 2017

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