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 MEDER electronic Inc. - New Environmentally Sound Aluminum Sensor & Actuator Pair MK27/M27
The all new aluminum MK27 is a magnetically activated Reed Sensor supplied as a set with its mating M27 actuator magnet. The sensor and the magnet are supplied in a robust aluminum housing, which is designed for screw fastening. Additionally, the cable, unlike other standard sensors is insulated with a metal jacket, providing an additional security feature.
The sensor is typically mounted to the fixed surface, while the actuating magnet is mounted on the moving surface. Introduction or removal of the magnetic field determines the closing and opening of the Reed Switch. The robust aluminum housing protects the magnet and sensor from extreme environmental conditions as well as against vandalism or sabotage.
The MK27 Reed Sensor & M27 Actuator Magnet are particularly suitable for use in alarm systems, position and end position sensing, door and window control, commercial vehicles, engineering, mining, forestry, construction and agricultural machinery. These reed sensors are RoHS compliant. Call 1-800-870-5385 for samples today!
About MEDER electronic Inc.: MEDER electronic is a private company offering a complete line of Magnetic Reed Switches, Reed Sensors and Magnets, Reed Relays and Opto-couplers worldwide. MEDER leads the way in designing and manufacturing customer specific switching and sensing solutions for products driven by all major market segments including, but not limited to, Test & Measurement, Medical, Security, Household, Automotive, Industrial, Marine, Navigation, Farm/Lawn Equipment and Telecommunications.
 Crouzet's New 150 Watt Brushless DC Motor Features High Speed and Torque Capabilities
Crouzet, a company of Custom Sensors & Technologies (CST), Inc., has introduced the second generation 150 Watt Brushless DC Motor. The three-stage planetary gearbox is durable enough to withstand high loads without operation interruption and its 150 watt power offers expanded capabilities for applications requiring high speed and high torque.
The Model 80199701 gear motor delivers thousands of hours of life without service, provides variable speeds and torques, and maintains a smooth, quiet operation. Part of the 801997 family, the robust motor expands Crouzet's output torque from 25 Nm up to 120 Nm. The motor handles high side loads with 1000 N radial and 200 N axial, and lends itself to controllability and long life.
The standard motor package includes a protection index rating of IP20 that can be easily upgraded to IP54. Measuring 81 mm in diameter by 229 mm in length, the compact motor incorporates a shaft extension on the rear of the motor, allowing for encoder or brake. It can operate with voltages from 6 to 75 VDC, is available with one, two or three stage gearboxes, and uses hall sensors and industry-standard eight-wire connection scheme.
"The use of this brushless dc motors is a logical choice where long life is a concern," says Jim McNamara, Crouzet's Applications engineer. "That combined with the long life gear motor, makes it an excellent solution for many applications. Other benefits include reduced noise, increased efficiency and the elimination of brush dust."
The Model 80199701 Gear motor is suitable for a wide variety of applications in the medical, commercial and industrial markets. Pricing is from $200 with delivery in 10 to 12 weeks.
Avago Technologies Introduces Multi-Channel, High-Speed Digital Isolator Family with Industry-Leading High-Voltage Insulation
Avago Technologies, a supplier of analog interface components for communications, industrial and consumer applications, has released a family of digital isolators that deliver robust insulation performance. The new ACML-74x0 family is based on patented magnetic coupler technology that enables low power consumption at high data rates of 100 MBaud. The CMOS digital isolators feature thick, multi-layer insulation that is robust to very high voltage transient and working voltage, providing the reinforced insulation required for the harsh operation environments facing test and measurement, medical imaging and industrial applications.
The ACML-74x0 family’s robust insulation is UL recognized at 5.6 kVRMS for 1 minute enabling existing equipment to rate to higher voltages or provide greater safety margins in high voltage environments. During data transmission, the devices send low current pulses across the isolation barrier, maintaining low electromagnetic interference (EMI) emissions even at high data rates. This low EMI performance also provides end-applications with stronger ability to pass regulatory testing. The isolators integrate a quad-channel structure, and offer uni- or bi-directional configurations, to provide PCB savings.
The ACML-7400 device offers an all-in-one channel configuration, the ACML-7410 offers a bi-directional 3/1 channel configuration, and the ACML-7420 offers a bi-directional 2/2 channel configuration. The ACML-74x0 isolators are all available in 16-pin SOIC wide-body packages, and are priced starting at $6.48 each in 1,000 piece quantities. Samples and production quantities are available now through the Avago direct sales channel and via worldwide distribution partners.
 Eco-Friendly Eco-Mag Cuts Filtration Costs, Reduces Environmental Impact
Magnetic Products, Inc. (MPI), a provider of both magnetic and non-magnetic material handling solutions, has introduced the Eco-Mag.
The Eco-Mag is a high-intensity magnetic filter that improves filtration efficiency over conventional systems. It uses high-power neodymium Rare Earth magnets to remove ferrous and para-magnetic contamination from fluids and is particularly effective with machine tool oils, coolants and hydraulic fluid machinery systems.
The environmentally friendly Eco-Mag does not use filter consumables. Furthermore, removed contamination can be recycled, eliminating disposal costs. The high filtration efficiency provided by the Eco-Mag means lubricants and coolants last longer.
Any industry that uses fluids can benefit from installation of the Eco-Mag filter system.
 Richardson RFPD Selected as Sole Distributor for ATC Ultra-Broadband Inductors
Richardson RFPD, Inc. has been selected by American Technical Ceramics (ATC) as the global exclusive distributor for the new 506WLC series of Ultra-Broadband Inductors.
This select group of inductors has been engineered with a powdered iron ferrite core and gold plated terminations to provide reliable and repeatable ultra-broadband performance beyond 40 GHz. These inductors are well suited for many applications, including use in trans-impedance amplifiers, ultra-broadband DC coupling networks, and broadband test equipment.
Characteristic of the 506WLC inductors is their distinctive pyramid shape, which allows the copper wire to be tightly wrapped around its core and, thus, provide maximum inductance within the overall dimensions of the product. Their shape also makes these parts easy to handle during hand soldering operations. Additionally, these passive components have been carefully manufactured to provide ultra low insertion loss, flat frequency response and an excellent match over multiple octaves of frequency spectrum.
 Electromagnetic Simulator Accelerates the Design Optimization of Custom Transformers
Electromagnetic simulation software is a key tool in the design optimization of power transformers for Kolektor Etra, the Slovenia based electrical equipment manufacturer. The Opera-3D software package is being used for a diverse range of design related tasks, from the detailed characterization of design aspects such as eddy current losses by quantifying stray magnetic flux, to comparing the efficiencies of different construction and geometry ideas for transformers. In a recent analysis of magnetic shield placement in a three-phase power transformer, the company was able to reduce total eddy current losses by as much as 30 percent, leading to a substantial reduction in transformer price and weight, and reduced long-term operating costs for the transformer operator.
Kolektor Etra manufactures a wide range of power and generator transformers with ratings up to 500 MVA and voltages up to 420 kV, as well as distribution transformers rated up to 3150 kVA. The company has been in existence for 78 years, and in addition to its long-term domestic markets, it now sells extensively in mainland Europe and Scandinavia.
Before investing in Opera-3D, Kolektor Etra used some free finite element software to perform tasks such as flux density and other electro-magnetic calculations. However, the lack of any 3D modeling capabilities meant that the company found it difficult to optimize their design in cases of unsymmetrical geometry, such as winding exits, core clamping structures, etc. It therefore took the decision to move to a professional finite element package that offered 3D modeling.
After evaluating electromagnetic design software from several vendors, Kolektor Etra chose Opera-3D from the Vector Fields Software product line of Cobham Technical Services. Aside from its powerful 3D electromagnetic modeling capabilities, the principal reasons for the choice were that the software provides a simple means of calculating eddy current losses and has an intuitive user interface. Kolektor Etra was also impressed by Cobham's technical support.
Like most power transformer manufacturers, Kolektor Etra is under constant pressure to improve product efficiency by optimizing insulation design and reducing electrical losses, which involves a host of design trade-offs such as insulating distances, insulation thickness, choice of electromagnetic shields, and the placement and geometry of internal and external structural elements. These issues are compounded by the desire to create ever more compact designs, in order to save on materials.
According to Andrej Jurman, Head of Kolektor Etra's electrical design department, "We use 3D Opera models to optimize the insulation design of transformer winding exit structures, and also make use of 2D models for designing the insulation between windings. But perhaps the most significant benefit is that we can now calculate and estimate the value of eddy current losses caused by stray magnetic flux. Although it is almost impossible to obtain the exact results (mostly because of the unknown magnetizing curves of ferromagnetic materials and consequently an unknown value of surface impedance), our engineers now have a very powerful means of evaluating and comparing the performance of different design concepts."
Kolektor Etra recently conducted some research into eddy current losses due to stray magnetic fields that occur in the conductive structural parts of a three-phase oil-filled power transformer, particularly in the tank walls. After constructing a three dimensional geometric model, Kolektor Etra used Opera and a time harmonic 3D model at power supply frequency to investigate the effect of different configurations of magnetic screening shield and the shape of core clamping structures on performance. Analysis showed that the stray flux losses which are part of transformer short circuit losses were significantly reduced by approximately 30 percent.
As Andrej Jurman points out, "Gaining a clear picture of the effect of design changes can provide significant cost-savings, which is why we regard the Opera electromagnetic field simulator as such a useful tool. Although the losses caused by stray fields are very hard to separate out from measured short circuit losses in a transformer accurately, modeling enables us to see the shape of stray flux and the places with the highest local loss generation visually. In this way we can evaluate and improve the efficiency of our designs and perform certain measurements. Because a large proportion of our transformer products are one-off designs, we do not model every transformer in detail - but our simulation results heavily influence our general design strategy, helping to maximize the efficiency of every product we make and providing us with a tool for continuous optimization."
Comsol Introduces the Microfluidics Module
Comsol, Inc. has released the Microfluidics Module. Based on COMSOL Multiphysics, the Microfluidics Module brings easy-to-use tools for the study of microfluidic devices and rarefied gas flows. The module is designed for researchers, engineers and experimentalists in the fields of microfluidics and vacuum science. Target application areas include lab-on-chip devices, digital microfluidics, biosensors, electrokinetic and magnetokinetic devices, inkjet technology and vacuum system design. The module is accompanied by a suite of tutorial and industrially relevant models that serve as both instructional examples and as a foundation for future work.
“The simulation of microfluidic devices frequently requires multiple physical effects to be incorporated,” said Dr. James Ransley, developer of the Microfluidics Module with COMSOL, Inc. “The Microfluidics Module offers a range of tools to deal with single- and multi-phase flows, transport and chemical reactions, flow in porous media and rarefied flows. Thanks to the single user-interface in COMSOL for modeling all physics, these phenomena can be seamlessly coupled with thermal and electromagnetic effects.”
The Microfluidics Module includes interfaces for single-phase flow.
With these interfaces users can simulate such applications as compressible gas flows at low pressures, non-Newtonian flows (for example blood flow), and laminar and creeping flows that typically occur in lab-on-a-chip systems.
A particular strength in this module is its modeling interfaces for executing two-phase flow simulations using the level set, phase field, and moving mesh methods. A variety of important fluid-interface effects are included such as surface tension forces, capillary forces and Marangoni effects.
These flow simulation tools and the multiphysics capabilities of Comsol make it easy to set up coupled electrokinetic and magnetohydrodynamic models for the simulation of electrophoresis, magnetophoresis, dielectrophoresis, electroosmosis and electrowetting effects that are used alone or in combinations in both existing and emerging passive electronic display technologies for their basic function.
“We strongly believe that the Microfluidics Module will offer a very attractive set of tools for our electronic display customers,” said Dr. Ransley. Chemical diffusion for multiple dilute species is also included in the module, enabling the simulation of processes occurring in lab-on-chip devices and biosensors.
The Microfluidics Module comes with a new free molecular flow interface that uses the fast angular coefficient method and allows for simulations where the molecular mean free path is much longer than the geometric dimensions. Combined with COMSOL's LiveLink interfaces for industry-standard CAD packages, this tool enables users to run quick parametric studies of chamber geometries and pump configurations.
"The Microfludics Module combines proven and robust multiphysics solvers with the easy-to-use user interface of COMSOL together with a range of solutions targeted at microfluidics applications," said Dr. Ransley. "The net result is a product with unprecedented ease of use which can handle arbitrarily complicated industrial and academic problems."
 austriamicrosystems Introduces AS5410 Absolute Linear Position Sensor IC as First Product of 3D Hall Platform
austriamicrosystems, a global designer and manufacturer of high performance analog ICs, has introduced the AS5410 linear position sensor, the first product of a fully-featured 3D Hall platform. The 3D Hall sensor solution senses absolute position in automotive and industrial applications and provides highest resolution position information.
The AS5410 allows absolute position sensing of a simple two-pole magnet immediately after starting up the device without the need for a prior reference run within the application. Position sensing is possible over large mechanical travel distances even with very small magnets: a travel distance of 40 mm does not pose a problem for a small, 4 mm by 4 mm by 3 mm sized NeFeB magnet, for example. Moreover, the 3D Hall solution’s output remains stable even when the device is subject to external stray magnetic fields. This feature is the result of a special differential measurement technique including several 3D Hall sensor elements. Programming the internal EEPROM of the AS5410 allows converting a wide range of geometries including curved movements, non-linear scales, and tilted chip/magnet geometries into a linear output signal. In order to achieve a perfectly linearized output (up to 0.5 percent accuracy), the AS5410 linear position sensor provides an internal linearization table with 33 base points. With four preset basic operating modes which are selectable via SPI, the austriamicrosystems AS5410 3D Hall encoder offers quick and easy configuration. All signal conditioning is on chip, including compensation for temperature effects.
“The AS5410’s unique differential architecture makes it perfect for use in position sensing applications that include not only dust, dirt and moisture but also unwanted magnetic fields,” said Bernd Gessner, senior VP and general manager business unit Automotive at austriamicrosystems. “The unique AS54xx family of 3D Hall magnetic encoder ICs is a fundamental addition to our current magnetic sensor product portfolio with a focus on both the automotive and industrial markets.”
A portfolio of 3D Hall encoder products is being developed to operate up to 150°C and from a supply up to 18 V.
The AS5410 3D Hall sensor is sampling now. Production quantities will be available in Q3. Pricing starts at $ 3.75 in 1,000 piece quantities.
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