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September 23, 2008
- Cycling with NI
- Compact VoIP test
- Super-fast FPGA
- MEMS vibration
NI’s LabVIEW and DAQ helps cyclists train and perform better
In competitive cycling, the performance of the equipment and the rider’s positioning can have just as big an impact on the outcome of a race as the athlete’s conditioning. In a sport where the outcome may be decided by tenths of a second, it is critical that riders’ gear, and their precise use of it, be impeccably tuned and synchronized for optimum performance.
On that premise, National Instruments merged its LabVIEW graphical programming environment and CompactDAQ hardware with various video and sensory instruments to design and deploy an integrated, real-time monitoring and display system for a wind tunnel that helps cyclists set a new performance standard. Using this technology, Colorado Premier Training has created a unique computer-based wind tunnel testing system to advise professional cyclists and bicycle manufacturers on optimal rider positioning and gear configuration to efficiently overcome wind resistance and maximize pedaling power. The system has already been used by a number of professional cyclists, including Todd Wells, a member of the 2008 Beijing Olympics Mountain Bike USA team.
Watch video of the training system in action.
Colorado Premier Training
National Instruments LabVIEW
National Instruments CompactDAQ
SOURCE: National Instruments
VoIP test in a smaller, tastier package
NetSymphony Corp., a subsidiary of Datameg Corp. based in Raleigh, N.C., is a startup founded in 2007 to deliver products to benefit the VoIP deployment and management life cycle. Their first products include a small network probe capable of performing both active tests with end-to-end measurements and protocol- and packet-level analysis on each active test call. As can be seen in the photograph, the M10P Probe, which NetSymphony claims to be the smallest in the industry, is able to be quickly mailed to a customer to immediately begin generating active VoIP test calls. This probe includes a RJ-45 10/100Base-T interface, and supports both SIP and RTP protocols.
It provides active test and passive packet monitoring capabilities on up to eight endpoints, and automatically begins testing when plugged in, with no configuration required.
The larger M100P Probe is provided with a rack mount chassis, and can monitor up to 100 endpoints. Both probes automatically connect to a Maestro Server when they are plugged into the remote network segment, replicating a customer’s call to measure the end-to-end user experience across networks and administrative boundaries.
NetSymphony
http://www.voipplanet.com/backgrounders/article.php/3773356
SOURCE: VoIPPlanet.com
Field programmable gate arrays show ASICS-like performance
Achronix Semiconductor says that it has begun shipping the world's fastest FPGAs. The Speedster family, with the SPD60 as its initial member, delivers speeds up to 1.5GHz, representing a three-fold increase in performance over existing FPGAs, says the company. This is possible with the company’s picoPIPE acceleration technology that, in the absence of a global clock, uses simple handshake protocols to efficiently control data flow, resulting in significantly improved performance.
The flexibility of FPGAs, as well as their fast time-to-market, has typically been regarded as its main strength, while a lack of speed has been a given. However, more and more applications in networking, telecommunications, test and measurement and encryption require the performance of an ASIC. Achronix has partnered with synthesis vendors to make industry-standard tools and methodologies compatible with the new chips, and designers can use existing Verilog and VHDL designs. The Achronix CAD environment supports Synopsys (formerly Synplicity) Synplify Pro and Mentor Graphics' Precision Synthesis tools for RTL synthesis.
The Speedster can be coupled to serializers/deserializers and supports multiple high-speed interfaces.
Achronix Semiconductor
Read more here.
SOURCE: Electropages.com
MEMS-based industrial vibration sensor wins design award
Analog Devices, Inc. recently landed a Golden Mousetrap Award Best Product Winner in the Test & Measurement category by Design News magazine for the ADXL001 iMEMS high-bandwidth industrial vibration and shock sensor. Introduced in May 2008 and based on Analog Devices' iMEMS Motion Signal Processing technology, the ADXL001 sensor improves monitoring of equipment performance and reduces costly downtime due to unforeseen system failures on the factory floor. System engineers can choose between three dynamic ranges, all featuring a 22kHz resonant frequency. The accelerometer output channel passes through a 100kHz 2-pole Bessel filter, which allows access to the full mechanical performance of the sensor. The part can operate on voltage supplies from 3.3V to 5V and requires no external charge pump circuitry. The ADXL001 also has a unique self diagnostic mode that can verify the proper operation of the device while embedded in the application. At one-third the cost of competing sensors, the ADXL001 allows vibration monitoring to be performed continuously.
For more information, click here.
SOURCE: CentreDaily.com
September 2, 2008
- Intelligent networks
- Keithley’s 8x8 MIMO
- Smart cameras
- Temperature logging
Distributed network infrastructure has steep learning curve
In an article for SensorMag.com, Patrick Esposito of Augusta Systems Inc. writes about how the next generation of networks will move beyond disconnected d device-specific networks and systems and toward a distributed infrastructure, with intelligent functions residing across the entire network, from its edge to its core.
The challenge in doing this, however, lies in the device-centric (as opposed to network-centric) nature of both legacy and emerging edge-asset deployments, Esposito writes. Sensors, actuators, wireless sensor networks, RFID systems, imagery devices, and other edge-of-network systems and devices are often vendor or protocol specific.
Integration of data from these assets requires unique or specialized interfaces and applications, including middleware limited to certain devices, vendors, or protocols.
An enterprise can successfully use Vendor A's sensors and middleware to integrate data into its network, but it then faces a tough task in trying to integrate and correlate sensor and other edge-asset data from other vendors' devices.
The secret, Esposito believes, is in the interface. Device-, vendor-, and protocol-agnostic middleware and other software applications, embedded throughout the network and on network-connected devices, will power the next-generation network.
As an example, he cites Allegheny Power’s efforts to build an intelligent network to help it deliver electric service to more than 1.5 million customers in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, and Virginia. The network included WiFi mesh access points or WiMax base stations, providing a self-healing wireless communications backbone with back-haul capability. Network appliances, equipped with vendor- and protocol-agnostic middleware and software applications, were installed to serve as clients in both WiFi mesh and WiMax deployments and provide the connectivity for non-WiFi and non-WiMax devices to connect into the WiFi mesh or WiMax backbone.
Read the full article here.
SOURCE: SensorMag.com
Keithley’s upgrades MIMO RF test set to 8 channels
Keithley Instruments today announced the introduction of what it believes to be the industry’s first measurement-grade 8x8 MIMO system. The system, which follows up on the 4x4 MIMO test equipment for R&D product development introduced in late 2007, will be used for primary research of next-generation RF MIMO devices and technologies.
MIMO is a growing technology that uses multiple radios for both transmitting and receiving data. In RF communication devices it increases data throughput rates without the need for additional frequency spectrum bandwidth. The new 8x8 MIMO system supports research applications ranging from two channels now up to eight; flexible system configurations with individual system component instruments; phase and amplitude control of the RF carrier; less than ±1 nanosecond signal sampler synchronization; less then 1 nanosecond peak-to-peak signal sampler jitter; and less than 1 degree of peak-to-peak RF-carrier phase jitter.
The equipment supports both current signals (802.11n WiFi, 802.16e Mobile WiMAX Wave 2) and future standards such as 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) and UMB (Ultra Mobile Broadband). The test systems are built on Keithley’s RF signal generator and analyzer platforms.
For more information, go to www.keithley.com.
SOURCE: Developing Telecoms; Keithley
Smart cameras from NI get a four-fold improvement in resolution
The demand for embedded machine vision solutions for manufacturing processes has prompted development of new smart cameras with high resolution and faster processing speed. National Instruments’ new NI Smart Camera products are intended to fulfill this need. The NI 1744 is powered by a 533 MHz PowerPC and has an image sensor that can acquire images up to 1.3 megapixels (1280x1024). Industrial engineers and machine builders can use the camera to inspect objects for smaller defects and make measurements with four times the resolution of previous NI Smart Cameras.
For engineers needing higher performance for pattern matching, optical character recognition and code reading, the NI 1762 Smart Camera offers a 720 MHz Texas Instruments DSP coprocessor alongside the 533 MHz PowerPC, making it possible to run algorithms up to four times faster with no changes to the application software. The NI 1762 contains the same 640x480 resolution image sensor found in the previously released NI Smart Cameras. The NI 1764 is ideal for uses such as high-speed manufacturing line applications that are inspecting large objects or locating and identifying small codes or features.
The new cameras are shipped with NI Vision Builder for Automated Inspection (AI), an interactive software environment for configuring and deploying complete machine vision applications without programming.
For more information, go to http://www.ni.com/smartcamera
SOURCE: National Instruments
Omega temperature data logger boasts big memory
Omega Engineering Inc.’s newest release is a thermocouple temperature data logger with a large, backlit LCD display. The battery powered data logger, which has an optional AC adapter for long term use, features an internal temperature sensor and one external input for thermocouple types J, K, T,E, R, S, B, and N. Wall mountable, the real-time operated device has one of the largest memory capacities—more than 131,000 readings—of any similar data recorder on the market, according to Omega. The non-volatile memory will retain recorded data if AC and battery power are lost. It features a front keypad with lock feature, high speed downloading, programmable start/stop time, and user selectable measurement units. NIST traceable calibration is available for users needing to meet regulatory requirements.
For more information, click here.
SOURCE: Omega Engineering Inc.
August 19, 2008
- USB 3.0 analyzer
- Superconductor AC loss
- Olympic connection
- Mil-aero test reliance
Protocol analyzer is world’s first to incorporate USB 3.0
LeCroy Corp., today announced the launch of its Voyager verification system, the world’s first protocol analyzer exerciser system for testing USB (Universal Serial Bus) 3.0 devices, systems and software.
The Voyager, LeCroy’s sixth-generation verification platform, will help developers bring USB 3.0 products to market in anticipation of the official release of the “SuperSpeed USB” standard within the next year. Data rates for USB 3.0 are up to 10 times faster than USB 2.0.
Based on circuitry developed for LeCroy’s PCI-Express platform, the Voyager provides simultaneous protocol capture of both USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 signaling. It uses the de facto standard CATC Trace display to illustrate USB 3.0 protocol and includes many enhancements to accelerate testing of USB 3.0 links. Advanced triggering, hardware filtering, and Spec View are designed to help developers quickly understand and verify early USB 3.0 protocol behavior. Shipments are expected to begin in September 2008.
Voyager verification system
LeCroy Corp.
SOURCE: BusinessWire
Analysis improves superconducting fault-current limiters
John R. Clem, a physicist at the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Ames Laboratory, has developed a theory that will help build future superconducting alternating-current fault-current limiters for electricity transmission and distribution systems. Clem’s work identifies design strategies that can reduce costs and improve efficiency in a bifilar fault-current limiter, a new and promising type of superconducting fault-current limiter.
“I was able to theoretically confirm that planned design changes to the current bifilar fault-current limiter being developed by Siemens and American Superconductor would decrease AC losses in the system,” said Clem. “My calculations are good news for the future of the device.”
Read more about his discovery.
An abstract to the study “Field and current distributions and ac losses in a bifilar stack of superconducting strips" is available here.
SOURCE: Ames National Laboratory
Agilent stays behind the scene despite Olympic connection
While the world's eyes are on Beijing this month, reports the San Jose Mercury News, most people are unaware of the maker of the scientific equipment that officials are using to test Olympic competitors for banned substances.
Despite promoting its involvement on its own website and its status as Silicon Valley’s 17th-largest company, Agilent’s involvement in this crucial task has escaped mention by popular media. The Olympic goes deeper than that: wireless technologies, such as third-generation (3G) mobile telecommunications, Wi-Fi and wireless device services, in particular, have prompted Agilent to supply TD-SCDMA test solutions as well as signal generators and signal analyzers, many of which were loaned.
http://www.agilent.com/about/newsroom/features/2008aug18_olympicstdscdma.html
A conversation with chief executive William Sullivan.
SOURCES: San Jose Mercury News; Agilent
Military and aerospace companies depend on T&M tools
Courtney E. Howard recently provided some in-depth coverage in Military & Aerospace Electronics on the crucial importance electronic system reliability has for major military endeavors. The quality of these systems can make or break millions of dollars worth of equipment or projects, and, more crucially, mean life or death for warfighters.
The impact is well summed up by this quote from John Barfuss, aerospace & defense program manager at test giant Agilent Technologies Inc. in Palo Alto, Calif.
"If a business person's phone stops working it is an inconvenience but if a soldier's radio quits working, it could leave him in grave danger," continues Barfuss. "If a cellular base station breaks it may cost the provider thousands of dollars. If a satellite payload breaks it could cost millions."
Read the full story here.
SOURCE: Military & Aerospace Electronics
August 5, 2008
- Olympics security
- Wireless RF mess
- HD oscilloscopes
- WiFi DAQ devices
Sensor and RF technologies bolster security at Beijing Olympics
Security technologies the Chinese government has deployed for the Beijing Olympics will reshape the relationship between individuals and the state in profound ways long after the cheering crowds have returned home.
In preparation for any possible disruption of the Olympics, China has organized massive numbers of people, between 500,000 and 1 million, to guard the Beijing Games. As for technology, little information is publicly available about the US$6.5 billion “Grand Beijing Safeguard Sphere,” initiated in 2001 when the city won the right to host the 2008 Olympics and completed this year. It established a video surveillance system across the capital that involves 300,000 closed-circuit television cameras. China is also using well-established technologies like radio frequency identification (RFID) and global positioning systems (GPS) to track the movement of athletes and spectators during the Olympics.
Besides creating the second-largest urban “eyes in the sky” system in the world after London, Beijing spent an additional US$300-400 million dollars on security equipment for the Olympics, according to the Security Industry Association based in the U.S. city of Alexandria, Virg. Heavyweight U.S. companies such as Honeywell, General Electric and International Business Machines are serving the high end of China’s security market.
Read more here
SOURCE: UPI Asia Online
Wireless radio struggles to find a single protocol solution
Test & Measurement World’s Martin Rowe recently looked over the myriad of wireless technology options available to engineers trying to develop wireless sensor networks. Despite their popularity, and because no single technology is suited to all applications writes Rowe, “numerous radios and protocols have appeared, muddying the waters for engineers who need to develop these networks.”
These include ZigBee, WiMAX, Bluetooth, and, of course, well-defined WiFi standard. Why the proliferation? Well, in spite of the ease of implementation for WiFi ICs and systems, it is not the best technology where AC power is not readily available. Farming operations, for example, must look elsewhere because WiFi is such a high-power technology.
Zigbee might be a good choice for those who need a low-power but can put up with low bus speed and powered routers, Rowe concludes, but its inadequacies have prompted the rise of even more specialized solutions.
Read more here
Research and Markets offer new wireless sensor networks report
SOURCE: Test & Measurement World
High definition touch screens transform oscilloscopes
LeCroy Corp. has recently introduced its WavePro 7 Zi series of digital oscilloscopes which integrate performance, speed, and a user interface optimized for analysis to enhance the design, debug and validation process in the 1.5 GHz to 6 GHz bandwidth range. Incorporating an industry-first 15.3”, 16:9 high-definition touch screen display, the WavePro 7 Zi is also equipped with one of most extensive toolboxes in the industry to solve electronic design problems for serial data, embedded, automotive and general-purpose applications within minutes instead of hours. This includes LeCroy’s proprietary X-Stream II architecture, which supports capturing, zooming, measuring and analyzing multiple waveforms at 256 Mpts deep. In addition, TriggerScan and WaveScan—special modes for finding rare events and correlating what caused the problem—shorten the time to debug a new design.
For an in-depth look at the WavePro 7 Zi go here
SOURCE: LeCroy Corp.
A brace of new NI products aims at WiFi DAQ
National Instruments Corp. today announced 10 new Wi-Fi and Ethernet data acquisition (DAQ) devices, extending NI measurement hardware and software platform to wireless remote monitoring applications. The new wireless and Ethernet DAQ devices include built-in signal conditioning and direct sensor connectivity for electrical, physical, mechanical and acoustic signals. Using the IEEE 802.11 standard for wireless networks, the new devices, which can be integrated with NI’s LabVIEW software platform, can stream data on each channel at more than 50 kS/s with 24 bits of resolution. Built-in advanced network authentication methods and 128-bit AES encryption help the new DAQ products meet standards defined for use of wireless networks in U.S. government facilities by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The Wi-Fi and Ethernet DAQ devices are shipped with NI-DAQmx driver software and NI LabVIEW SignalExpress LE.
A demonstration on how to set up the new NI Wi-Fi DAQ devices using LabVIEW is available here
More information on the new Wi-Fi and Ethernet devices
SOURCE: National Instruments Corp.
July 22, 2008
- Developing nations to need measurement tools
- Can China clean up in time? Unlikely, study says
- Field devices for soldiers determine identity quickly
- Agilent releases application note for GPIB, USB, LAN and RS-232
Developing nations to need measurement tools
The world population has topped 6.6 billion people and more than half of them—53%—live in "developing nations," as defined by the United Nations' Human Development Index. Four of these economies—Brazil, Russia, India and China—already rank among the largest in the world. As these nations develop, measurement technologies and solutions will be critical in helping to address the complex technological and resource planning challenges they will face, says Agilent Technologies in a recent editorial at its website.
The economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China are collectively known as BRIC—an acronym first coined by Goldman Sachs. With 42% of the world's population living in a BRIC country, these nations are expected to dominate the world's economies within a matter of years and, individually, may be the biggest in the world by 2050.
As they begin to modernize, says Agilent, the BRIC countries will face challenges quite different than what faced the Western world. Essentially, industrialization will be time-condensed, reducing what once took 200 years to just 30 to 50 years.
As a result, BRIC nations will need to monitor and manage infrastructures, the quality of resources, pollution, traffic control, and public health.
Agilent believes wireless infrastructures will need to be test, deployed and maintained in order for this rapid development to proceed with minimal undesirable impacts. The company is developing laboratories in China and India in response to this perceived need.
More information and a set of relevant link is available here
SOURCE: Agilent Technologies
Can China clean up in time? Unlikely, study says
Image: The bird's nest Olympic stadium shrouded in smog. Credit: Ry Tweedie-Cullen, flickr |
China has begun perhaps the world's most-ambitious pollution-control project this week as government officials frantically try to clean the air of Beijing, one of the world' most-polluted cities. Beijing's environmental authorities have instituted a bewildering array of measures in hopes of cutting pollution ahead of the 2008 Olympics. They're instituting traffic bans, shutting down factories and unleashing cloud seeders as part of the city's $17 billion anti-pollution regimen.
And yet, at least in terms of air quality, one veteran atmospheric chemist says that China's outsized efforts will have little to no impact on the air. Why? Because Beijing's worst air-quality days are often not the result of human activities, but meteorological phenomena—namely, the lack of cold fronts pushing across the city from Mongolia.
"They are trying every conceivable thing and that is the right approach," said Kenneth Rahn, a professor emeritus at the Univ. of Rhode Island, who's been working with Chinese researchers on interpreting air quality data. "But when the air is worst in Beijing, it's the hardest to control."
Since 2005, he's been working from years of independently collected particulate matter readings taken every 30 minutes by a sensor at Tsinghua Univ., which is sometimes called the MIT of China.
He and the Chinese researchers have developed new methods for estimating how much particulate matter comes from metropolitan Beijing versus the areas surrounding it.
A paper on the measurement and analysis methods Rahn developed is under final revision with the Journal of Geophysical Research.
Even using the government's own numbers, Rahn has been able to analyze the impacts of some of the Chinese government's smog abatement schemes. For example, last summer, in what amounts to one of the larger urban science experiments in history, Chinese officials forced drivers with car license plates ending in odd-digits to alternate driving days with even-digit licensed drivers. The system took roughly half the cars off the road per day, but Rahn says that the actual reduction of particulate matter in the city's air was negligible, most likely less than 10%.
Read more here
Kenneth Rahn’s homepage
SOURCE: Wired
Field devices for soldiers determine identity quickly
Biometrics is now in play on the battlefield. U.S. Army field personnel are now in the process of training soldiers in Southwest Asia on the use of its new hand-held interagency identification detection equipment (HIIDE). These portable devices combine iris, fingerprint and face biometrics to help determine an individual's identity. HIIDES are being used to identify Iraqi and Afghani citizens to distinguish friend from foe.
An individual's irises are captured from left to right, all 10 digits are recorded for fingerprints, and their face is captured as if they were having a photo taken. Biographical data such as first and last name, street address, state, zip code, gender and date of birth is also collected to accompany the biometrics. This information is saved to a database called the Biometric Automated Toolset System.
There are several thousand HIIDES in theater, and they have been in the field for over a year, says Alex Radkiewicz, a logistics management specialist in the Business Management Directorate's Commodity Management Division.
Read more here
SOURCE: U.S. Army
RFID’s impact on business grows
Supply Chain Digest has recently published a report on the three ways radio frequency identification tools can impact business processes.
As RFID has entered the automatic identification mainstream, say SCD editors, many companies are looking at how to use the technology in a variety of supply chain operations. It helpful to think of the potential use of RFID in the context of the predominant supply chain auto ID technology: bar codes. From that perspective, any potential use of RFID may be thought of as occupying one of three categories relative to the current or alternative selection of bar coding for the process/application.
1. Basic bar code replacement: In these scenarios, RFID will operate really just like an “electronic bar code.” Individual bar code scans are simply replaced with an RFID read. There are many examples where this type of application makes perfect sense and can deliver significant benefits. Example applications include pallet identification (e.g., in receiving or shipping), reading cartons on a conveyor system, pallet putaway, reading work-in-process totes, etc.
2. Enhanced business process: In these cases, the basic business process remains the same, but the unique advantages of RFID begin to be more leveraged. For example, RFID might be used to simultaneously read all of the cartons on a pallet as it passes through a portal, or read all of the serial numbers virtually at once as a pallet of goods leaves a production cell.
3. Designing of new business processes: In these applications, which are mostly still being envisioned, the underlying business process is fundamentally altered. One good example might be a RFID network in a distribution center that continually monitors all inventory in near real-time.
Today, most RFID deployments fall under scenario 1. A few could be categorized as being in scenario 2. Most scenario 3 applications are still on the drawing boards. But categorizing potential RFID-based applications as falling into which scenario can help companies understand the likely impact on potential return (lowest to highest) and system software work (also lowest to highest).
To read these three points in more detail go here
SOURCE: Supply Chain Digest
July 8, 2008
- Speeding up RF device characterization
- Servers meet EPA scrutiny
- Martin pushes limits of sound with Prism dScope
- Agilent releases application note for GPIB, USB, LAN and RS-232
Speeding up RF device characterization
In a feature article on Planetanalog.com posted today, David Vye, product marketing manager at Ansoft Corp., and Carl Petersen, product manager in high-frequency measurements at National Instruments, shared their thoughts on the marriage of design and test environments in developing radio frequency characterization techniques. Here is an excerpt from the article:
“Today's RF circuit design process is frequently stalled by the inability of the engineer to characterize the electrical performance of the components or interconnects associated with a given design. Successful development efforts depend on accurate characterization of the components and input signals used for design simulation and validation testing. In the past, modeling has been addressed through advancements in measurement technology such as the vector network analyzer, and more recently through electromagnetic simulation.
Both approaches in isolation have certain short comings. For instance, measurement data requires the fabrication of test structures, requiring additional development time and manufacturing costs. While electromagnetic simulation offers a significant speed-up in component modeling, it is not capable of providing response data for structures with unknown physical properties such as a purchased component. Additionally, the system and component developers are often interested in defining the modulation scheme or specifying the budget for individual components to achieve an overall desired system performance. While what-if scenarios are best investigated in the design environment, the same waveforms used in simulation must drive the device under test if correlation between the two is to be achieved.
A practical design flow supports flexible component representation ranging from measured data to electromagnetic simulation as well as a reliable and efficient exchange of model and source data between the simulation and test environments. The need to integrate data flows between advanced design environments and automatic test systems has prompted a new level of integration.”
Petersen and Vye then discuss the complementary tools of Ansoft Designer and National Instrument’s LabVIEW and how they can be used to target the complexity of accurate source and component modeling and design veritification.
The system, they say, closes the loop between virtual prototyping and hardware verification.
To read the specifics of this article, go here
SOURCE: Planetanalog.com
Servers meet EPA scrutiny
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency hopes to introduce its first Energy Star rating for servers by the end of the year. But a more comprehensive system that measures actual workloads will take longer to develop.
The Energy Star program is designed to make it easier for customers to identify the most energy-efficient products on the market. It is already offered for more than 50 kinds of products, including desktop PCs, monitors, ceiling fans and even windows, but the rating system for servers has been much harder to develop. That's partly because servers are used for so many types of work. Server makers say a benchmark test that measures power efficiency using one type of workload, such as file serving, won't provide meaningful results for customers that use the server for a different task, such as online transaction processing.
Though the EPA has gathered input from server makers and others for about a year, they still don’t have a metric that measure the “useful work” a server can perform with a given amount of power.
The EPA hopes to use benchmark tests developed by a nonprofit group called the Standard Performance Evaluation Corp., or SPEC, but so far that group has published only one test for measuring power efficiency, based on a Java workload. It expects to publish several others but has not said when.
Click to learn more
Energy Star,
Standard Performance Evaluation Corp.,
Martin pushes limits of sound with Prism dScope
Loudspeaker manufacturer Martin Audio has invested in two Prism Sound dScope Series III audio analyzers, which are being used to develop new products and test the audio performance of existing products as they pass through the production process.
Originally founded in 1971 to supply world-class touring systems to super groups such as Pink Floyd and Supertramp, Martin Audio is now known for live performance systems across a spectrum of sound reinforcement applications. Recently, the company needed an accurate, repeatable and reliable way of confirming and optimizing its designs in both the digital and analogue realms. The dScope Series III was chosen for its ability to measure acoustic transducers and offer impulse response analysis; quasi-anechoic frequency response; loudspeaker rub and buzz detection; loudspeaker loose particle detection; impedance analysis; and time domain averaging to attenuate the effects of background noise and complete automation support including limit checking and pass/fail results, for QC/verification testing.
Martin Audio’s R&D staff are also using dScope Series III as a flexible analogue and digital signal generator, particularly as a source for power testing amplifiers and for product EMC pre-compliance testing. Martin Audio now plans to extend the use of its dScope Series III to the production line, using the unit’s multi-tone tools for confirmation of frequency response, THD+N and level.
For more about how Martin is using this test device, go here,
Prism Sound,
SOURCE: Prism Sound
Agilent releases application note for GPIB, USB, LAN and RS-232
The newest application notes from Agilent provides a variety of tips and tricks that will help you create flexible test systems that can easily incorporate GPIB, USB, LAN and RS-232 interfaces.
GPIB, says Agilent, has been and will continue to be a popular choice for input/output (I/O) in test equipment. However, with high performance LAN and USB ports built into most current generation PCs, many test-system developers are ready to explore the benefits of using LAN or USB for instrument I/O.
Agilent has been working with other manufacturers to develop T&M-specific standards that enhance LAN and USB for use in test systems. These standards are described within.
Access the PDF here,
SOURCE: Agilent
June 17, 2008
- Metrology data collection goes wireless
- RFID hardware about to make gains
- OEwaves introduces low-phase noise oscillator module
- National Instruments launches toolkit for GPS receiver testing
Metrology data collection goes wireless
By Larry Haftl
The L. S. Starrett Company, a maker of metrology systems and a wide variety of calibration and repair tools, has recently released DataSure, a new wireless metrology data collection system.
DataSure uses radio transmissions to enable shop floor measurement data to be collected quickly, accurately and reliably without the need for cables.
The system uses a mesh network system architecture and proprietary design features to cover thousands of square feet of shop floor and overcome environmental factors such as factory logistics and electrical interference to reliably capture and transmit measurement data.
DataSure interfaces with most major brands of electronic measuring tools and software and installs on PCs that run Windows XP Professional. The system automates data collection, improving speed and accuracy when compared to manual recording. Also, by replacing costly and cumbersome wiring scenarios, DataSure lets users bring the gage to the work for more application flexibility and safety.
The system consists of three elements: miniature radios (end nodes) that connect to the data output ports of electronic tools, a gateway that connects to a PC via the USB or serial port, and signal routers which greatly extend the system range in increments of 100 feet (30 m) each and that can be configured to create the mesh architecture.
The system gathers data from the measuring tool and sends it to the software by the shortest or most robust connection path.
Once data is received, a confirmation signal is sent back to the tool to indicate the data was successfully (or unsuccessfully) received. In the event that the host system is down or busy, readings can be stored at the end node and re-sent until they are safely recorded. Collected data can then be analyzed using Starrett or other software products.
DataSure features include:
• A radio system that works with Starrett, Mitutoyo, Sylvac, CDI, and various other manufacturers’ tools and gages.
• A Gateway that can handle up to 100 tools utilizing the integral virtual multiplexer.
• Each radio’s range is approximately 100 ft (30 m). Adding Routers can increase range in 100-ft increments up to 3,000 ft.
• Users receive confirmation at the tool, indicating successful or unsuccessful transmission, system status, local data storage, etc.
• End Nodes can store readings in the event that the host system is down or busy.
For more details about the DataSure, go here
SOURCE: American Machinist
RFID hardware about to make gains
Innovations to Ease Commercial and Engineering Concerns in RFID Hardware
Superior returns, enhanced privacy, larger memory, as well as more features and form factors are the order of the day in the Asia Pacific radio frequency identification (RFID) tags market, following a rise in end-user awareness about the technology. Companies can enhance their RFID operations through alliances or acquisitions and aim to generate enough volumes to support the tag cost and the technological advances.
New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, “Strategic Assessment: Asia Pacific RFID Innovations and Ideas,” says that the success of the improved RFID tags is heavily dependent on the solving of several commercial and engineering issues. Some of these concerns include development of affordable RFID tags, performance in complex environments, management and validation of the vast amount of data collected, and resolution of social issues regarding protection of personal data and user privacy.
The benefits are still falling short of innovation, however, and the Frost & Sullivan report finds that significant research and commercialization is required to achieve the vision of pervasive, device-to-device communications between basic identification and sensing devices and the data gathering infrastructure.
The report includes research in the following markets: biometrics, smart cards, RFID, security, and more. The report is available by subscription only here
SOURCE: More RFID; Frost & Sullivan
OEwaves introduces low-phase noise oscillator module
The new high performance microwave oscillator module from OEwaves Inc., of Pasadena, Calif., generates reference signals in the X-band with ultra-low phase noise in a package measuring 4.5 x 5.9 x 0.79 inches. The design is based on patented photonic generation of spectrally pure signals at microwave frequencies.
Designed for microwave communication and radar systems the compact optoelectronic oscillator (OEO) offers a typical phase noise performance of -145 dBc/Hz at 10kHz offset from the carrier at 10 GHz. It is available in a variety of features and options, including phase locking to an external reference, an optical output for reference distribution over fiber, and low vibration/acceleration sensitivity.
The product release builds on recent work the company has done for the Air Force Research Laboratory, which contracted OEwaves to build a miniaturized high-performance prototype in the Ka-band with low phase noise for a digital receive/exciter module for an antenna array. This device is being developed using the company’s whispering gallery mode micro-resonator technology in addition to its OEO knowledge set. For more information, go to www.oewaves.com.
SOURCE: PRNewswire; OEwaves Inc.
National Instruments launches toolkit for GPS receiver testing
National Instruments has recently released its GPS Toolkit for LabVIEW, an extension of the graphical system design environment that expands the NI RF PXI platform to include multi-satellite GPS signal simulation. Using NI LabVIEW software to create waveforms that simulate up to 12 satellites (C/A codes in the L1 band), engineers can test receiver characteristics such as sensitivity, time to first fix (TTFF) and position accuracy with the NI PXIe-5672 RF vector signal generator.
The result is a solution for simulating GPS environments which allows for complete control of the simulated receiver position, helping the growth of automated test systems. Engineers can use a combination of simulated and recorded GPS waveforms as well. By recording live GPS signals off the air with an NI PXI-5661 RF vector signal analyzer and an NI PXI-5690 pre-amplifier (low-noise amplifier), users can capture GPS signals with natural impairments that a receiver would observe in the real world. They also can generate both simulated and recorded signals with the NI PXIe-5672 RF vector signal generator, by continuously streaming GPS waveforms from hard disk.
With a 2 TB redundant array of inexpensive disks (RAID), engineers can generate up to 12.5 minutes of non-repeating simulated waveform or 25 hours of continuous recorded GPS signal to test how the receiver responds to a broad range of circumstances.
The GPS Toolkit can be combined with the NI Modulation Toolkit for LabVIEW, NI TestStand test management software and PXI RF modular instrumentation. Because PXI modular instrumentation is purely software-defined, the same PXI system can test wireless devices that use other standards such as RDS, WiFi, GSM, WCDMA, Bluetooth and DVB. For more information go here.
SOURCE: National Instruments
June 3, 2008
- Test and measurement innovator Robert G. Fulks recognized
- HDMI proliferation requires new test procedures
- Design and testing challenges of frequency hopping radios are numerous
- Undiscovered bias perpetuated six decade error
Test and measurement innovator Robert G. Fulks recognized
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has awarded Robert G. Fulks the 2008 IEEE Joseph F. Keithley Award in Instrumentation and Measurement. Fulks, of North Chatham, Mass., is a retired vice president at GenRad Inc. and is being recognized for pioneering developments in automated measurements. The award, sponsored by Keithley Instruments Inc. in memory of the company's founder Joseph F. Keithley, recognizes outstanding contributions in electrical measurement and consists of a bronze medal, a certificate, and an honorarium.
Fulks joined GenRad Inc. in 1959 where he developed the first automatically balancing bridge for precise measurement of capacitance, an important parameter of electronic components. His work has improved the efficiency and reduced the cost of system and component manufacturing. Fulks' accomplishments made a large impact in the field of electronics test measurements and are considered to be the seeds for what are now major segments of the testing sector. Many of these systems were used by major computer companies, as well as the U.S. Navy, to test and repair circuit boards at field repair sites, on ships, and in submarines.
Fulks is also a former chairman of the IEEE committee that developed the popular HPIB (IEEE-488) instrumentation interface standard. He obtained his bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1959.
Criteria considered by the award's IEEE Evaluation Committee include innovation or development, social value, uniqueness of concept, other technical accomplishments, and the quality of the nomination. The award is administered through the Technical Field Awards Council of the IEEE Awards Board and is independent of Keithley Instruments.
IEEE,
Keithley Instruments Inc.,
SOURCE: Keithley Instruments Inc.
HDMI proliferation requires new test procedures
By Martin Rowe
HDMI ports shipped |
Flat-panel TVs now appear everywhere, from homes to supermarkets to airports. Appliances may soon have LCDs that replace knobs and buttons. All of this equipment needs a data interface, and the high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) port is fast becoming the digital video interface of choice.
Market-research firm In-Stat reports that millions of HDMI ports have already shipped, and the number of shipments is expected to increase each year. Because these ports are used in products such as TVs, DVD players, Blu-ray players, set-top boxes, and video games, interoperability among manufacturers is an issue. Consequently, the HDMI Consortium has developed compliance test specifications designed to minimize interoperability problems, and oscilloscope makers Agilent Technologies, LeCroy, and Tektronix have developed hardware and software to automate HDMI physical-layer compliance testing.
HDMI signals now run at speeds up to 3.4 Gbps based on HDMI specification 1.3, which was released in June 2006. The HDMI Compliance Test Specification (CTS) version 1.3b specifies test equipment and physical-layer performance limits for sources (transmitters), sinks (receivers), and cables. “Because HDMI specification 1.3 increased the data rate, the CTS needed to specify higher bandwidth oscilloscopes for compliance testing,” says Faride Akretch, marketing manager for high-speed serial applications at Tektronix.
Because HDMI is a high-speed digital serial port, it falls victim to the usual set of signal-integrity problems: timing jitter, rise and fall time, noise, and signal loss. Source testing includes clock jitter, duty cycle, overshoot, rise and fall time, eye-mask tests, and inter-pair skew. For eye-diagram tests, you need to capture at least 2.6 million unit intervals when testing high-resolution devices.
Just because the HDMI specification version 1.3 specifies a data rate of 3.4 Gbps—double the rate specified by HDMI 1.2—doesn’t mean that a device actually pushes data at that rate. Because most products with HDMI ports are consumer devices, cost is always an issue. HDMI 1.3 was a technology disruption because of its jump in data rate, says Brian Fetz, high-performance oscilloscope product manager at Agilent Technologies. “Engineers must design with inexpensive materials. They are trying to push data across standard FR4 PCB material, and the highest data rate running today is about 2.6 Gbps.”
Even with compliance tests and approved test equipment, HDMI products may not interoperate.
To read the complete article go here.
HDMI Consortium,
HDMI/DVI testing, Tektronix,
SOURCE: Test & Measurement World
Design and testing challenges of frequency hopping radios are numerous
By Winfried Schultz
EMEA Marketing Manager, RF and Video Test, Tektronix
Designers have long sought to improve the performance and resilience of radio communications. With the radio frequency (RF) spectrum becoming more crowded and interference more prevalent in recent years, these efforts have become increasingly critical.
Several techniques are now being utilized, among them are Software Defined Radios (SDRs), which enable software to dynamically control communications parameters such as the frequency band used, modulation type, data rates and frequency hopping schemes.
Military radio applications, which must perform in mission critical environments where malicious signal jamming is common, frequently employ SDR technologies. They can be found in a wide range of footprints, from compact, portable units to vehicle-mounted and shipboard platforms.
Despite the wide variety of SDR applications and footprints, one trait is common among them: frequency hopping. Employed in analog as well as digital radios, frequency hopping is used to improve performance, avoid detection, and mitigate jamming and interference.
Frequency hopped signals and interference sources operate in extremely complex, time varying spectrums. Their erratic behavior can make them difficult to acquire, verify and measure so new tools and methodologies are required.
An integrated, end-to-end test system comprising real-time spectrum analyzer (RTSA), arbitrary waveform generator (AWG), oscilloscope and logic analyzer can be invaluable for testing SDRs. Select instruments from leading test and measurement vendors are able to work in unison—with cross-triggering and time-correlated subsystem views—to verify SDR performance and perform multiple test procedures at the physical and various software layers. These test systems can also be used to understand the complex interactions between SDR subsystems in the frequency and time domains, especially in bursted or frequency hopping signals.
When filtered and amplified, software anomalies can create temporal RF impulse bursts of energy at the RF output. To isolate software and hardware performance, RTSAs can be used to trigger on transients in the frequency domain, capture the events into memory and drive the other test instruments to probe possible error sources. The acquired signals are presented in a time-correlated fashion, helping designers see how anomalies in the digital and analog blocks of an SDR will propagate to the RF output as impulse noise.
The unique ability of the RTSAs to find problems from spectral transients can be used to trigger the other instruments and obtain time-correlated views of vastly different hardware and software functional implementations. For example, the RTSA can capture the signal in the RF and IF portions of the signal paths, and a logic analyzer can capture the digital baseband signal and compare it to the Symbol Table produced by the RTSA.
Furthermore, some RTSAs offer off-line software that can be used to analyze acquired data from the logic analyzer and oscilloscope, allowing hardware and software measurement correlation.
To read the complete article, go here:
SOURCES: Tektronix, Components in Electronics
Undiscovered bias perpetuated six decade error
By Henry Fountain
Every scientist knows about measurement bias, the systematic errors that can creep into data. A simplistic example would be a metal ruler that gives inaccurate readings when it expands in warmer temperatures.
Avoiding measurement bias can be impossible. Nobody’s perfect, after all, and neither is equipment. What’s important is recognizing bias and taking it into account when working with the data.
But it is not always easy to detect bias. A case in point is being reported in Nature, where researchers have uncovered measurement bias in six-decades-old data on global surface temperatures. The problem arises from how British and American ships measured the temperature of surface water.
David W. J. Thompson of Colorado State Univ. and colleagues analyzed global mean surface temperatures from the 1880s to the present, tweaking the data to remove the effects of El Niño and other “weather noise,” as Thompson described it. They discovered a sudden drop of 0.5°F in 1945, but just in data collected at sea, not on land—a hint that the drop might have something to do with the measurements.
At that time, British and American ships did much of the logging of sea temperatures worldwide. On British ships, crews measured the temperature of seawater collected in a bucket. But since about 1939, most American ships had switched to measuring the temperature of seawater as it was drawn through an intake pipe for use as an engine coolant. Because of heat from the engine room, American measurements were generally higher.
After looking more closely at the data, Thompson says, they realized what had happened. Most of the wartime data came from American ships, with just 20% of the readings from British ones. But starting in August 1945, there was an abrupt switch. Nearly half the readings came from British ships. Because those readings are generally colder, Thompson said, that accounts for the sudden temperature drop.
Now that the bias has been recognized, climate researchers will need to take it into account in their models and simulations. But Thompson says the long-term trend, toward higher temperatures, would not be affected.
Click here to learn more
The abstract for the study “A large discontinuity in the mid-twentieth century in observed global-mean surface temperature,” is available here,
SOURCE: The New York Times
May 20, 2008
- Microchip developers begin to pick on embedded instrumentation
- Ultra-low frequency testing produces athletic edge
- WiMedia test cookbook is the first for UWB
- Oil analysis program critical to lubrication management
Microchip developers begin to pick on embedded instrumentation
By Nicolas Mokhoff
As a natural extension of trends in the test and measurement business, the electronics industry is moving toward embedded instrumentation. Leading this movement is Asset InterTech Inc., a company that began as a business unit of Texas Instruments dedicated to the development of IEEE 1149.1 tools.
Instrumentation is being embedded in chips, on circuit boards and in systems for design validation, test and debug. A new standard—IEEE P1687 Internal JTAG (IJTAG)—is currently being developed to control, manage, schedule, analyze and access the instrumentation that is being embedded at the core level of chips. The IJTAG standard will rely on the boundary-scan embedded infrastructure in chips and on boards.
Asset, through its ScanWorks platform, is developing open embedded instrumentation tools based on the preliminary P1687 IJTAG specifications.
"The trajectory of the industry has been moving toward non-intrusive methodologies for more than 15 years, ever since boundary-scan technology came on the scene," says CEO Glenn Woppman. "Embedding instrumentation is the next logical step."
The proliferation of embedded instrumentation in the industry has numerous players, including Intel, which has deployed IBIST throughout the company’s high-end chips and chip sets. Some of Synopsys's DesignWare Verification Library modules can be integrated into Verilog, SystemVerilog, OpenVera and VHDL test benches to generate and respond to bus traffic, check for protocol violations and generate coverage reports that can be incorporated into chip designs. Vitesse Semiconductor has devised a two-channel approach to obtain an eye diagram or other instrumentation plots that validate the performance of high-speed receivers. And Logic Vision's embedded SerDes loop-back solution structurally characterizes the parameters that determine signal eye distortion tolerances, verifying the parameters designers consider during a SerDes core design.
For more information, go here.
Intel IBIST,
Logic Vision,
Synopsys,
Vitesse Semiconductor,
SOURCE: EE Times
Ultra-low frequency testing produces athletic edge
As unlikely as it sounds, professional athletes such as the Boston Red Sox's Manny Ramirez are wearing a mouthpiece to improve performance, sans drugs.
The approach, devised by Dr. Anil Makkar of Pure Power Athletics Group Inc. (Truro, Nova Scotia), uses electronics technology first to relax the muscles of the jaw and then to record the bite, so that a mouthpiece can be created that puts the jaw into the optimal position to maximize performance. The theory is that the same technology that cures migraines caused by a misaligned temporomandibular joint (TMJ) can be used to put the jaw into its optimal position to improve performance by reducing stress, improving metabolic rate and oxygenating the muscles. The “pure power mouthpiece” is the recreational version of an orthodontic TMJ appliance but can be designed to enhance performance for nearly any activity, he said.
So far, the device is proving popular with athletes at all levels. More than 100 professional players in the NFL, NHL, and NBA are using the appliance. In most people, the jaw comes forward and the mouth is more open when in its optimal position, which opens the air passageways for better oxygenation. To determine that position, the practitioner uses two electronic devices, which can be purchased from vendors including Myotronics-Noromed Inc., Kent, Wash.
The first device is an ultralow-frequency transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator (TENS). Applying TENS electrodes to the fifth and seventh cranial nerves in the face—the temporomandibular join muscles that work the jaw and control facial expressions—and pulsing them every six seconds (0.17 Hz) relaxes the muscles into their optimal resting length. A second electronic device, called a computerized mandibular scanner (CMS), performs a real-time, continuous three-dimensional scan of the muscles of the face and jaw. When the optimal occlusal position is achieved, the mandibular scanner records that position as well as the path of closure when the jaw is in the mandibular rest state. An impression can then be taken and a mouthpiece fashioned that instantly puts the jaw in its optimally relaxed position.
After the custom PPM is fabricated, athletes can test their performance improvement with a variety of objective measures. The most striking result, say PPM’s proponents, is that athletes who perform to the point of exhaustion are able to continue by just wearing the mouthpiece.
Click here to learn more.
Pure Power Mouthguard,
Myotronics-Noromed Inc.,
SOURCES: Pure Power Athletics Group Inc.; EE Times
WiMedia test cookbook is the first for UWB
Tektronix Inc., has recently released created the world's first methods of implementation (MOI) for the new ultra-wideband (UWB) WiMedia PHY Test Specification Version 1.2 and released a new version of UWB Analysis software for DSA/DPO70000 series oscilloscopes that provides additional measurements for UWB WiMedia 1.2. With the new WiMedia PHY Test Specification Version 1.2 adding more receiver testing, the Tektronix AWG7102 Arbitrary Waveform Generator and RFXpress signal creation software are the best choices for engineers working with v1.0 and v1.2 and planning for v1.5.
For UWB WiMedia radios using MB-OFDM technology for Certified Wireless USB, next generation Bluetooth, WiNet and Wireless FireWire (IEEE1394) applications, Tektronix UWB Analysis software reads the digital information from the RF waveform to determine the demodulation method on a packet-by-packet basis. By reading the digital information from the RF waveforms, UWB Analysis automatically determines which demodulation method is used, data rates, time frequency coding, the pass/fail test limits, and constellation type that is then displayed. Detection and analysis is done on each packet from the RF content, greatly simplifying setup and speeding analysis and compliance tests.
The Tektronix MOI covers the new v1.2 requirements for receiver testing. RFXpress software running on the AWG7102 provides an efficient way of creating compliant and non-compliant WiMedia waveforms for all bandgroups, data rates and both hopping—time frequency interleaving (TFI) and time frequency interleaving over 2 Bands (TFI2)—and non hopping—fixed frequency interleaving (FFI)—time frequency codes. This enables WiMedia designers and validation engineers to improve the reliability of their designs.
With 20GS/s sampling technology engineers can create signals in bandgroups 1 and 2 that are generated directly from the AWG7102 without the need for an external I/Q modulator. For the higher frequency bandgroups the AWG7102 provides added flexibility by enabling waveform creation through either I/Q modulation or less expensive mixing tools. The AWG7102 arbitrary waveform generator provides comprehensive WiMedia signal generation support for MAC and PHY layers.
In addition, RFXpress has the ability to add impairments like time synchronized Gaussian noise at the WiMedia packet level (pre-amble, PPDU Header and PSDU), create tone nulling and introduce realistic interference to WiMedia waveforms from sources including WiFi (802.11a and MIMO), WiMAX and radar.
http://sev.prnewswire.com/computer-electronics/20080519/AQM00219052008-1.html
Tektronix WiMedia test platform,
SOURCE: PR Newswire, Tektronix
Oil analysis program critical to lubrication management
By Ashley Mayer, Noria Corp.
It's often said that an oil analysis program is a metric of the overall health of a lubrication management program. If this is true, then why is oil analysis seldom used as such? Sure, it gets used, and sometimes well-used, to manage machine health and detect incipient problems on an individual machine-by-machine basis.
Unfortunately, however, it is rarely used to actually measure the health of a lubrication management program as a whole. A more thorough analysis of the plant's oil analysis results is needed, as well as some statistics and metrics that can be generated on a monthly basis. It is important to be able to perform this analysis. If a lubrication excellence program has been initiated at a plant, then capital funds have likely been provided, and if so, sooner or later a cost benefit analysis of the investment must be provided. The useful information generated is going to be a function of the data the laboratory or oil analysis software provides.
Here are some concepts that need to be considered when conducting a statistical analysis of individual oil analysis tests:
• The first step involves grouping machines according to type. From a purely operational viewpoint, it is reasonable to expect that the oils in process pumps are more susceptible to liquid contamination than adhesive wear generation. It is just as reasonable to expect the oils in heavily loaded gearboxes to be more likely to suffer from excessive adhesive wear metal generation than liquid contamination. Averaging machine wear or water contamination out on a plant-wide basis rather than a machine-type basis may show acceptable results for both pumps and gearboxes, but will not highlight the critical differences between the two machine groups. Results must be compared on a machine type-by-type basis, rather than a plant-wide basis.
• The second step is to break machine types into different oil types. This may not be necessary in all plant situations. But just to illustrate its importance, consider a plant using invert emulsions in some fire-resistant hydraulic applications. An invert emulsion is typically about 40 percent water by volume. If monthly water contamination is measured on a hydraulics-wide basis rather than separating oil and invert emulsion categories, the results would obviously be biased.
• The third step is to treat the oil analysis tests that are use- and nonuse-dependent differently. This is a more advanced technique, and will be the subject of a future article.
The third step is advanced, yet it may not need to be applied to obtain quality metrics to measure the health and performance of a lubrication management program. Assuming the results can be imported into some type of data analysis software (like a spreadsheet or database), the following steps must take place:
• Group the oil analysis results by month.
• Group the monthly results by machine type.
If fluids in the same machine group have varying properties, group them separately.
Now that the samples are correctly grouped, for each group you must perform the following:
• Average out the particle counts. This can be achieved by averaging each size category, only the four-, six-, and 14-counts, or simply by averaging the ISO 4406:99 range digits.
• Average the water contamination numbers.
• Average known contaminant indicating elements (silicon and aluminum for dirt, calcium in a limestone or cement environment, etc.).
• Average wear data, such as elemental iron or ferrous density. While useful in themselves (unless use-dependence is considered), these parameters can make a well-performing program look mediocre.
Graph the analyses and prominently display the plots. There is nothing like a steep line on a chart to grab people's attention!
For the full article
Noria Corp.,
SOURCE: Practicing Oil Analysis
May 6, 2008
- New testbed makes short work of RFID tags
- Multifunction DAQ devices expand choices for USB
- MEMS-based vibration sensor offers continuous testing
- Fluke’s EtherScope makes use of new RFC 2544 procedures
New testbed makes short work of RFID tags
Researchers have designed a system capable of simultaneously measuring hundreds of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and rapidly testing new RFID tag prototypes.
“This testbed allows us to measure the signal strength of tags hidden behind other tags and to rapidly test unique antenna configurations and multiple antennas without actually constructing new tags for each experiment,” says Gregory Durgin, an assistant professor in the Georgia Institute of Technology’s School of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
The research, funded by the National Science Foundation and conducted with former graduate student Anil Rohatgi and current graduate student Joshua Griffin, was presented in April at the IEEE International Conference on RFID.
RFID tags are used for applications that include inventory management, package tracking, toll collection, passport identification and airport luggage security. Passive tags include an integrated circuit for storing and processing information, and an antenna that responds to radio waves transmitted from an RFID reader. The tag absorbs some of the radio frequency energy from the reader signal and reflects it back as a return signal delivering information from the tag’s memory, a technique called backscatter.
If several RFID tags are in the vicinity of a reader, the reader usually communicates with the tag transmitting the most powerful signal first and then puts it to ‘‘sleep’’ to prevent it from transmitting repeatedly. Then the reader moves to the next most powerful signal, and so on. This process can be very time-consuming.
“We designed a really inexpensive, simple anti-collision system that transmits multiple unique signals back to us simultaneously without this complicated back and forth process,” says Durgin.
The system includes three parts—a transmitter, receiver and emulator. The emulator simulates the activity of an integrated circuit. The transmitter sends a radio signal to the antenna. By attaching the emulator to an antenna, a unique spread spectrum signal is transmitted to the receiver.
Each antenna signal can then be separated from the others, allowing his team to simultaneously measure the signals from multiple tags. Their experiments have shown they can measure the power strength and phase of up to 256 antennas in the field of view, which is an area in front of the reader of approximately 20 feet by 20 feet.
“To test new signaling schemes and frequencies, we just have to change the emulator’s signal—we don’t have to fabricate a new chip that could cost $100,000 in a silicon foundry,” he adds. “We can also evaluate multiple custom antennas in numerous configurations in realistic tag environments for only a fraction of the time and cost of previous methods.”
Testing multiple configurations is important because RFID readability and antenna power strength can be affected by the relative position and orientation of the tag antenna and the reader.
The researchers designed the testbed for measurements at 915 MHz, a common ultra-high frequency for backscatter RFID applications. They are currently expanding the system to test antennas at higher frequencies—up to 5.7 GHz.
“At higher frequencies, even though the tag is physically stationary, you are electromagnetically lifting the antenna signal off the object and it starts to work better,” he says. “Plus, at higher frequencies, smaller antennas can be constructed, which means more antennas can be placed on a tag to produce more energy for communications.”
The tags usually require a reader to be within a foot of the chip, but operating at higher frequencies could greatly improve the range and reliability of the RFID tags, according to Durgin.
“This testbed is just the beginning of our ability to characterize the performance of different RFID tag antennas in a real channel and push these technologies to higher frequencies, longer read ranges and overall higher reliability,” he adds.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-05/giot-rtm050508.php
SOURCE: Georgia Institute of Technology
Multifunction DAQ devices expand choices for USB
National Instruments has released two new bus-powered M Series data acquisition (DAQ) devices for USB that deliver faster sampling rates and more digital I/O features than previously released bus-powered M Series devices for USB. The NI USB-6212 and USB-6216 are available with 68-pin SCSI mass termination, screw terminals or 50-pin IDC connectivity to provide multiple connectivity options.
The USB-6212 and USB-6216 enhance the NI USB-621x product offering with a 60% improvement in analog sampling rates while maintaining high absolute accuracy of 2.7 mV at ±10 V and 89 µV at ±200 mV. The devices also provide 16 400 kS/s analog inputs and two 250 kS/s analog outputs, both with 16-bit resolution. These light and compact devices deliver high-performance I/O for portable USB applications such as field measurements and laptop-based data acquisition.
The new devices also feature improved digital I/O by providing more channels, 32-bit counters and 32 bidirectional digital lines for screw-terminated devices or 24 bidirectional digital lines for 68-pin devices. The USB-6212 and USB-6216 mass terminated devices deliver 68-pin cabled connectivity to terminal blocks and custom accessories while 50-pin IDC connectors on OEM devices offers easy board mating for integration in embedded systems. Additionally, the USB-6216 provides optional 60 V CAT I isolation for protection against transient voltages, improved noise immunity and ground-loop removal.
These devices are fully RoHS-compliant, demonstrating the NI commitment to eliminating certain hazardous substances from products to benefit the environment.
http://digital.ni.com/worldwide/bwcontent.nsf/web/all/188019CA5852086E8625742D0051AF28
SOURCE: National Instruments
MEMS-based vibration sensor offers continuous testing
Analog Devices Inc. has introduced a high-bandwidth MEMS vibration sensor. Based on the company’s iMEMS Motion Signal Processing technology, the new ADXL001 industrial vibration and shock sensor for the first time allows designers of industrial process control instruments to cost-effectively incorporate high-performance, dependable high-bandwidth vibration monitoring into their applications via an easy-to-use sensor solution.
Vibration analysis is emerging as an important preventive maintenance tool in today’s factory environment. For many industrial operations, however, vibration analysis remains cost-prohibitive or is conducted only periodically. The ADXL001 performs continuous vibration monitoring without interruption and is capable of early detection of motor-bearing vibration and irregularities up to 22 kHz. This helps prevent costly damage. The new iMEMS vibration sensor is available in a 5-mm × 5-mm ceramic package that is small enough to be easily designed into the motor control circuitry or mounted on existing factory equipment at the point of measurement interest.
Available in three full-scale dynamic ranges of ±70 g, ± 250 g and ± 500 g, the new vibration and shock sensors have the sensitivity to work in a wide range of applications. All three g ranges have wide bandwidth (22-kHz resonant frequency) and provide frequency response down to dc. Additionally, the sensors have excellent nonlinearity of 0.2% of full-scale range. The ADXL001 is highly resistant to EMI (electromagnetic interference) and RFI (radio frequency interference), and operates with an extended temperature range of –40°C to +125°C, allowing the part to be used in most hazardous industrial conditions. The ADXL001 functions on a 3.3-V to 5-V supply.
Analog Devices: www.analog.com
Click here to learn more
SOURCE: Business Wire
Fluke’s EtherScope makes use of new RFC 2544 procedures
Fluke Networks announced new capabilities for its EtherScope Network Assistant. Validating LAN performance during installation is made possible by EtherScope's new Service Performance Tool. This tool can be used to demonstrate and document that those network services that are critical for acceptable LAN operation (DHCP, DNS, web) are available and responsive. When teamed with Ethernet performance testing, network installers have a powerful new combination of tools to validate that network infrastructure was correctly installed and configured.
Validation and the resulting documentation provide assurance that the LAN will perform as designed—resulting in robust network operation, fewer trouble tickets and more satisfied users and clients.
These validation results are captured by the EtherScope Network Assistant and turned into easy-to-interpret documentation that thoroughly characterizes LAN and WAN link performance at turn-up. Any performance issues later noted by the customer can be compared against this turn-up documentation. Validation documentation serves as proof of a project successfully completed.
Other new installation tests are provided by the expanded Ethernet performance test suite. Users can now measure and assess end-to-end Ethernet performance using new RFC 2544 procedures and other advanced tests, including jitter and bit errors, with customizable pass/fail criteria. The EtherScope analyzer can now also be paired with a low-cost Gigabit LinkRunner Pro packet reflector for end-to-end testing. The smart LinkRunner Pro packet reflector supports layer 2 and 3 networking at a price that allows installers to instrument multiple links or to equip multiple field technicians.
EtherScope's new battery of installation validation tests costs installers less time on site and helps SIs and VARs save money.
In addition to these new installation-centric features, the EtherScope Network Assistant now offers enhanced troubleshooting with the addition of draft 802.11n access point detection and location.
Fluke Networks: www.flukenetworks.com
http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release.do?id=849263
SOURCE: Marketwire
April 15, 2008
- Oscilloscope market expands
- New class of RFID system
- Tiny MEMS-based shock accelerometers
- R&D wants your innovation
- On-card fingerprint match is secure, speedy
Oscilloscope market expands
The oscilloscope market exceeded $1.2 billion in 2007, driven primarily by constantly evolving technologies in the communications and computer industries. A key driver in the oscilloscope market has been the increased adoption of high-speed serial data bus technologies such as PCI Express 2.0, Serial ATA III, and HDMI 1.3 in the computer and consumer electronics industries. Growing signal complexity and challenges associated with signal integrity and data acquisition have raised the bar in terms of performance requirements for digital oscilloscopes.
The communications industry also provides significant growth potential for the oscilloscope market. The transition from analog to digital RF technology has generated the need for high-performance RF test tools and has fueled the demand for digital as well as PC-based oscilloscopes or digitizers. At the same time, demand for their analog counterparts continues to decline. Unable to keep pace with challenges associated with complex signal analysis, analog scopes have limited capabilities that are driving them toward extinction.
There has been increasing demand among customers for the ability to tailor their test equipment for particular applications. Customers look for a software-based approach to instrumentation that allows them to customize their own solutions, and PC-based oscilloscopes are able to take advantage of the power and versatility of PCs. While the concept of a software-based approach to testing has been around for more than two decades, it has gained prominence over the past few years because of two key technological trends that have helped customers improve throughput while reducing the cost of test: the adoption of high-speed serial buses like PCI Express and the evolution of multicore processors.
http://www.tmworld.com/article/CA6545585.html?industryid=47184
http://www.frost.com/prod/servlet/report-homepage.pag?repid=N2E5-01-00-00-00&ctxst=FcmCtx6&ctxht=FcmCtx7&ctxhl=FcmCtx8&ctxixpLink=FcmCtx9&ctxixpLabel=FcmCtx10
SOURCE: Test & Measurement World; Frost & Sullivan
New class of RFID system
A revolutionary new class of RFID systems, the Mojix STAR system, is being unveiled at RFID Journal LIVE! in Las Vegas, Nevada, April 16 to 18. The EPCglobal GEN 2-compliant Mojix STAR system delivers 100,000 times the indoor receiver sensitivity of previous solutions, 20 times the read range (600 feet), and 100 times the coverage area (up to 250,000 square feet) with non line-of-sight capabilities which extends the utility, scope and value of RFID applications and use cases.
The Mojix STAR system incorporates innovations across iterative signal processing, smart antennas, digital beam forming, and digital packet radio to detect the faintest signals across large distances in noisy RF environments, thus giving the system its high receive sensitivity and range. The system combines these innovations with a distributed architecture that departs fundamentally from traditional RFID system design to free passive RFID from the technical, economic, and regulatory restraints of readers that have to both provide energy to and detect tags. This in turn enables cost-effective wide-area deployments, and allows deployments to be tailored to simultaneously support multiple business processes.
Functioning as a single network element at the enterprise edge, a Mojix STAR system consists of one or more Mojix STAR receivers each managing up to 512 low-cost Mojix eNode transmitters, which are oriented to define the system’s 3-D coverage area. Mojix eNode transmitters provide energy to all passive RFID tags within their specified interrogation spaces, while the centralized, high-sensitivity Mojix STAR receiver processes the resulting tag signals from across the system’s coverage area, including non line-of-sight tag signals. From a system management standpoint, the Mojix STAR receiver provides a single point of control for all its satellite Mojix eNodes, and a single point of integration with enterprise systems.
http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20080414005684&newsLang=en
SOURCE: Business Wire
Tiny MEMS-based shock accelerometers
The Aerospace & Defense division of PCB Piezotronics (PCB) introduced its Series 3991 & 3993, a family of MEMS-based, miniature high amplitude 20,000 g shock accelerometers, which are among the industry’s smallest. These accelerometers are available in both single axis and triaxial configurations and are capable of measuring long duration transient motion, as well as responding to and surviving extremely fast rise times, typical of a high-g shock event. Several configurations are offered to fulfill a variety of installation requirements, and is presented as a drop-in replacement for competitive models. Each style shares the same air-damped acceleration sensing element, which is micromachined from silicon.
This element measures 2.5 mm × 1.7 mm × 0.9 mm incorporating a seismic mass, protective over range stops, and a full-active, piezoresistive Wheatstone bridge, which provides minimal zero shift, low power consumption and DC response capability. Sensors also feature internal stops for large over-shock survivability, and high-strength, low-weight titanium housing, with integral very low-noise integral Kevlar cable.
With 5% damping capability on Model 3991A1020KG, for lower-noise, desirable data fidelity (clean signal) and phase accuracy, quick response, and near-field pyroshock measurement capabilities, models within Series 3991/3993 are intended for aerospace and defense requirements, as well as in product testing applications. Typical applications include fuze/safe and arm applications; penetrator tests; crash/impact testing; metal-to-metal impacts; drop testing; blast loading of structures; and consumer electronic products testing.
PCB Piezotronics, www.pcb.com
http://www.ecnmag.com/article.aspx?id=158532&menuid=342
SOURCE: ECN
R&D wants your innovation
Do you have a new test and measurement product that breaks new technological ground? Do you believe it could have a major impact on the way researchers and other laboratory professionals get the job done? R&D Magazine can help you see how it measures up against other new high-technology products in the annual R&D 100 Awards, which for 45 years has been helping companies boost awareness of their new products as they enter the marketplace. The R&D 100 Awards attracts hundreds of participants each year, and earning an award is a mark of excellence well known to industry, government and academia.
For details, visit our R&D 100 Awards page at: http://www.rdmag.com/awards.aspx
On-card fingerprint match is secure, speedy
A fingerprint identification technology for use in personal identification verification (PIV) cards that offers improved protection from identity theft meets the standardized accuracy criteria for federal identification cards according to researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
Under Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD 12), by this fall most federal employees and contractors will be using federally approved PIV cards to “authenticate” their identity when seeking entrance to federal facilities. In 2006 NIST published a standard for the new credentials that specifies that the cards store a digital representation of key features or “minutiae” of the bearer’s fingerprints for biometric identification.
Under the current standard, a user seeking to enter a biometrically controlled access point would insert his or her PIV smart card into a slot—just like using an ATM card—and place their fingers on a fingerprint scanner. Authentication proceeds in two steps: the cardholder enters a personal identification number to allow the fingerprint minutiae to be read from the card, and the card reader matches the stored minutiae against the newly scanned image of the cardholder’s fingerprints.
In recent tests, NIST researchers assessed the accuracy and security of two variations on this model that, if accepted for government use, would offer improved features. The first allows the biometric data on the card to travel across a secure wireless interface to eliminate the need to insert the card into a reader. The second uses an alternative authentication technique called “match-on-card” in which biometric data from the fingerprint scanner is sent to the PIV smart card for matching by a processor chip embedded in the card. The stored minutiae data never leave the card. The advantage of this, as computer scientist Patrick Grother explains, is that “if your card is lost and then found in the street, your fingerprint template cannot be copied.”
The NIST tests addressed two outstanding questions associated with match-on-cards. The first was whether the smart cards’ electronic “keys” can keep the wireless data transmissions between the fingerprint reader and the cards secure and execute the match operation all within a time budget of 2.5 sec. The second question was whether the “match-on-card” operation will produce as few false acceptance and false rejection decisions as traditional match-off-card schemes where more computational power is available.
The researchers found that 10 cards with a standard 128-byte-long key and seven cards that use a more secure 256-byte key passed the security and timing test using wireless. On the accuracy side, one team met the criteria set by NIST and two others missed narrowly. The computer scientists plan a new round of tests soon to allow wider participation.
http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/techbeat/tb2008_0401.htm#piv1
SOURCE: NIST
April 1, 2008
- MEMS test equipment market beginning to respond to needs
- Electro-explosive devices (EEDs) require test innovation
- New solar cell thickness measurement device debuts
- Keithley exec sounds off on emerging technologies
- High-frequency AC power calibration expands in Europe
MEMS test equipment market beginning to respond to needs
If the micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) test equipment market is to match the pace of the overall MEMS market, it has to develop cost-effective, standardized solutions. This is especially pertinent in a market where expensive customized products vastly outnumber off-the-shelf products.
These are the conclusions from new analysis by Frost & Sullivan, “World MEMS Test Equipment Markets,” which finds that market earned revenues of $56.5 million in 2007 and estimates this to reach $120.2 million in 2014.
Current test equipment is priced as high as $1 million and only performs either electrical testing or mechanical testing. The cost factor and lack of flexibility, says the study, can deter most MEMS device manufacturers from purchasing equipment.
"In today's market, if it costs around 50 cents to manufacture a chip, it costs almost 40 cents to test it," says Sujan Sami, a Frost & Sullivan research analyst. "This has led to the promotion of low-cost test equipment, which is driving the market by compelling test vendors to conduct more intensive research in this area."
The high cost is exacerbated by a lack of understanding on the part of end users. "Most semiconductor industry engineers have a mechanical background or an electrical background, which is sufficient to test any type of semiconductor product," notes Sami. "However, since MEMS consist of both electrical and mechanical components, the testing become complex and not many have the technical training required to perform the tests."
To overcome this issue of customers' ignorance, test vendors have begun to focus on educating end users on the importance of MEMS testing as well as the benefits they are likely to obtain. Once customers recognize the true value of testing, the adoption rates are expected to increase significantly.
For more information: http://www.test&measurement.frost.com
SOURCE: Frost & Sullivan
Electro-explosive devices (EEDs) require test innovation
Product Design & Development, an Advantage Business Media publication, has recently written about testing procedures inaugurated by the U.S. Dept. of Defense to improve the operation of electro-explosive devices (EEDs). EEDs are electrically initiated devices (EIDs) having an explosive or pyrotechnic output and they are activated by an electroexplosive initiator.
Technological advances in telecommunications have produced more powerful radar and transmitter-receiver systems that emanate electromagnetic (EM) energy at high levels At the same time, there is a trend to use more sensitive, low power electronic circuits in the design of EEDs.
In military systems, EIDs can initiate rocket motors, arm and detonate warheads, and ejectchaff and flares. By design, these devices can be susceptible to electromagnetic interference emanating mainly from the high-level EM energy communication devices that can accidentally activate the device and cause an unexpected detonation.
The main problem with EEDs is what may result from the adverse interactions between the EME and the electrical initiators or initiating systems contained within ordnance systems. These hazards are referred to as hazards of electromagnetic radiation to ordnance (HERO) and tests are required to measure the amount of energy developed in the EED circuits in order to insure against spontaneous and unwanted detonation while exercising the device’s electrical system and/or operating strong electrical fields.
The US Department of Defense (DoD) has set forth in its reference document MIL-HDBK-240 all the information that is necessary to carry out HERO testing on EEDs, from the type of equipment to use, to the test procedure and reporting practices.
For more about the test approach, go to:
http://www.pddnet.com/scripts/ShowPR.asp?RID=22041&CommonCount=0
SOURCE: Product Design & Development
New solar cell thickness measurement device debuts
MTI Instruments Inc. a developer in precision measurement solutions and a subsidiary of Mechanical Technology Incorporated, Albany, N.Y., will officially unveil its bew PV1000, a thickness measurement system for the solar cell production industry, at the Photovoltaic Technology Show on April 2, 2008 in Munich, Germany.
Using MTII’s “Push/Pull” capacitance probe technology, each PV-1000 module has up to three pairs of probes for measurement of maximum, minimum and average thickness, as well as total thickness variation (TTV) and wafer bow. If an application needs additional thickness channels, multiple PV-1000 modules can be chained together for unlimited line scans on the wafer.
Wafer saw mark detection and classification is accomplished by adding optional laser sensors to the PV-1000 module. Up to two of MTI’s Microtrak-SA standalone laser heads, saw marks can be classified for orientation and depth simultaneously with wafer thickness scanning. This design feature makes the PV-1000 useful for incoming wafer characterization and sorting.
The interface can transmit data for up to five wafers per second and the digital I/O port allows communication with wafer handling equipment for up to 64 classes of wafer sorting and binning.
http://www.mtiinstruments.com/newsandevents/news.aspx
SOURCE: MTI Instruments Inc.
Keithley exec sounds off on emerging technologies
Linda Rae has been vice president and chief operating officer of Keithley Instruments since 2005. In a recent interview with Test & Measurement World she talked about areas of development focus at Keithley as well as emerging technologies that will benefit from measurement and analysis solutions.
Keithley, she says, has been paying particular attentions to multiple-input multiple-output radio architecture. More and more developers, particularly those who are developing wireless protocols, want the ability to test multiple transmitters and receivers simultaneously, a capability that adds complexity to instruments and data analysis methods.
Other areas, such nanotechnology and semiconductors, are witnessing rapidly shrinking geometries. Very low current and very low measurement, she says, are Keithley strengths, she continues, and her company will continue to focus on instruments that address thermal energy generated during testing by using pulse techniques.
http://www.tmworld.com/article/CA6545475.html?industryid=47184
SOURCE: Test & Measurement World
High-frequency AC power calibration expands in Europe
A new calibration service for high-frequency AC power measurements is now being offered by Yokogawa Europe through its Calibration Centre in Amersfoort, The Netherlands. | |
