ISC Ultimate Speed Run 2010 canceled

The ISC Speed Run 2010 in Topeka has been canceled due to lack of entries. Rich Zeller of Heartland Park Topeka made this announcement on Tuesday July 27th.

I want to thank the people who signed up we are sory it came to this, but with lack of turnout the plug is being pulled.

Rich Zeller

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Tim Mohr Record RC Long Jump at Big Squid RC Ramp Bash - 176 feet

Here are some others:

Adam Drake 144'


Richard Saxton 137.3'


Gadget show:


The classic house jump with Josh Cyrul:

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Solar And Battery Power Provides Wireless Sensing

The Flexpower system from Banner Engineering combines low-power sensors, long-lasting batteries, solar panels and wireless I/O devices to allow wireless operation of remote applications. The no-wire solution is designed for applications where wired power is either not available or impractical. Power is generated by lithium D cell batteries or a solar connector and rechargeable battery combination that require an average of two hours of sunlight per day to power a 4-20mA loop.

Flexpower is said to provide reliable, autonomous power sufficient to operate a range of sensors and the remote node of Banner's DX80 industrial wireless network. Applications for wireless sensing and control include: agriculture - irrigation control; monitor steam power plant valve temperatures; pump and flow control; perimeter guarding; tank level monitoring; rotating machinery for auto and other industries; landfill leachate pump counting; material handling; automated guided vehicle control; and vehicle detection.

By powering both sensing and communication functions the modules eliminate the need for any wiring to the installation. Banner Engineering offers a range of photoelectric, ultrasonic and temperature/humidity sensors specially adapted for low power consumption. To limit power use, the sensors are powered only when needed. The DX80 wireless network includes up to 56 remote nodes connecting to a central gateway. The gateway provides Modbus connectivity to PLC or other control units.

Frequency hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) technology and time division multiple access (TDMA) control architecture combine to ensure reliable data delivery within the unlicensed industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) band. Additional data radio units can be installed as repeaters to extend transmission range up to 3km per radio hop using 2.4GHz DX80 devices.

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Ilix Launches Cutting Tools Catalogue For 2010

Cutting tool brand Ilix Precision has launched its 2010 catalogue, which features products for drilling, threading and reaming that are now available to UK engineers. Ilix describes itself as a true solid round precision-cutting tool brand with a product range of more than 50,000 items in HSS, HSSE, HSSE-PM, solid carbide and cermet. All products are offered with the latest surface-coating technologies.

The 2010 catalogue has a 20 per cent increased programme range of the latest technology for drilling, threading and reaming. The catalogue is also available in 3D format on Ilix's website. The web catalogue is easy to work with and gives instant access to all the Ilix program and technical data.

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Ilix Cermet Reamers Are Ideal For Dry Machining

Engineers Cutting Tools, the UK agent for Ilix, has introduced Ilix solid-carbide and cermet reamers for the machining of hard metals. The machine reamers 6372C and 6323 allow the production of high-precision holes with good surface finish. Compared with HSS, the solid-carbide qualities enable the increase of cutting parameters and tool life. The quality of the reamers is said to guarantee high performance, even for hard metals with a resistance more than 1200N/mm2.

The Ilix carbide 6372C range of hundredth reamers is from 0.98mm through to 12.05mm in increments of 0.01mm. The reamers are manufactured to a tolerance of +0.000 - +0.004mm. The cermet reamers 6323 have new cutting geometry developed by Ilix. These reamers are said to be ideal for steel machining, having high chemical stability during the cutting process. They offer good wear resistance due to the high hardness and have low material adhesion.

The Ilix cermet reamer is said to be ideal for dry machining. The results are long tool life, good surface quality and accurate hole size. The Ilix cermet reamer range 6323 starts at 3.0mm through to 20.0mm in full and half sizes.

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RFID Transponder Ideal For Medical Applications

Smartrac has expanded its S-Tag product portfolio with an RFID transponder that withstands gamma radiation of up to 45kilogray (kGy) for medical applications where aseptic conditions are compulsory. Sanitising medical equipment with gamma rays is said to offer several benefits. As the irradiation destroys the DNA of any micro-organisms, medical equipment is sanitised reliably. In addition, radiation sterilisation is the only process in which products can be sanitised - including their packaging - as the gamma rays permeate materials and casings such as metal containers easily and without any appreciable increase in temperature.

Compared with heat and chemical sterilisation, irradiation is a fast, easy, effective and environmentally friendly process that leaves no residues on the sanitised objects. The transponder has been developed based on the company's S-Tag product family. Smartrac said its S-Tags are characterised by robustness, high mechanical durability, extended chemical and temperature resistance and compliance with the ISO/IEV 15693 standard.

The new S-Tag has a size of 16mm in diameter and comes with a Fujitsu FRAM chip, which offers low power consumption, good scalability, high-speed writing, long rewriting endurance, long data retention and high-quality communication performance. Due to the ferroelectric characteristics of the chip, the data is in no way affected by the radiation sterilisation process. Optional customer-specific engraving of identification numbers on the tag surface makes the use of additional stickers and barcodes obsolete. Besides medical applications, the S-Tag is also suited for use in aerospace, plant breeding, food irradiation and laundry applications.

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Software Module Provides Clear Production Schedule

Gemba Solutions has released the latest expansion to its real-time production efficiency software suite with the launch of a job sequencing module. This module allows a production machine's workload to be sequenced and its performance against that workload to be monitored. Unlike traditional scheduling or planning software, this module calculates realistic job start and end times based on data relating to the demonstrated performance of the user's assets.

This gives a more accurate picture of the user's actual production schedule rather than one based on theoretical/nominal production rates. The user can pre-load the system with jobs and the software will calculate start times and dates based on actual shift availability, planned downtime and demonstrated OEE levels.

The end times that the system calculates will be compared with the due dates/times that the user has entered into the system. Any jobs that will not meet their due date will be highlighted immediately. This means users will get advanced warning of any potential to miss a deadline and will have the opportunity to re-order the jobs, contact the customer and so on, before the problem occurs.

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Turn-Mill Cell Increases Machining Productivity

Miyano has revealed that IMI Components has installed a 13-axis turn-milling cell with fully integrated gantry loader to reduce machining times on small components for the energy sector. IMI adopted single-cycle turn-milling to replace four separate CNC turning and milling operations on a range of small components destined for the energy and power generation industry. The 13-axis Miyano ABX-64TH3 turn-milling cell with fully integrated gantry loader is on final commissioning trials and has already reduced total machining times on four critical valves.

Such is the level of increased productivity that for one particular component, three parts can now be produced complete in the previous floor-to-floor time total for one part. As an example of the level of complexity involved, one of the parts has some 100 dimensions that have to be maintained. Here, the Miyano has the advantage of being able to apply the 17 driven tools to carry out the cycle in just one operation - well within the tool-carrying capacity of the ABX's 36 driven positions. 'The Miyano machinery can run for up to 19 hours in an unmanned single-cycle operation against our previous methods, which were operator-dependent with the added lead-time restrictions of part buffering between the different machines,' said Adrian Floyd, engineering manager at IMI.

The Miyano has also saved most of the manual deburring required by combining the process in cycle, setting times have also been reduced from half-a-day to around 30mins for a complete changeover as programs and 95 per cent of tools required for all the components are held permanently on the machine's three turrets. Materials processed at IMI Components vary from magnesium alloys through a range of stainless steels and other exotic alloys to aluminium. With market demand escalating for high-precision, high-integrity products this level of production is set to rise further. The selection of the Miyano ABX-64TH3 was made against three other supplies of multi-axis, turn-mill centres.

The inclusion of Stealth technology, enabling the machine to be thermally efficient and high on accuracy and repeatability due to its ability to be tailored or tuned to the working environment and operational demands, was an important factor in the decision. Also high on the agenda was the level of flexibility available from the two spindles and three, 12-position driven tool turrets to provide overlapped cutting operations and reduce cycle times. Indeed, this is qualified by one component that took 19min to produce using the original four operation method that was reduced to six minutes on the Miyano. 'During quotation stages the volume of parts was constantly shifting upwards and we were becoming concerned that with our existing methods the amount of handling involved through the four machining operations and manual deburring, that even with the greatest care and attention we were susceptible to marking or damaging the components,' Floyd said.

By incorporating a programmable gantry into the cell, IMI can now control part handling as well as dipping the component after machining to prevent any staining. The Miyano is fed from its Iemca gantry system that incorporates a buffer magazine able to store up to 190 billets giving up to 19 hours of unattended running. Both machine and gantry have independent control systems with the software interface created once the cell was installed at the plant. However, all machining programs and job set-up sheets were written by Miyano application engineers in Birmingham along with the supply of a full complement of mostly standard tooling.

Prior to shipment, the machine package was proven to achieve production targets and CPK target values at the Miyano showroom. General tolerances on the aluminium components are within 0.02mm with certain specific dimensions maintained within 0.01mm. As sealing faces and 'O'-ring grooves are required, surface finish below 0.8 micron Ra is high on the requirement list and these are generally maintained by the machine and tooling set-up within 0.5 micron Ra. Operations carried out on the four component types include turning and extensive milling and drilling. Boring cycles, the creation of numerous 'O' ring grooves and sealing faces, drilling of deep holes and reaming are required on all the parts.

Thread milling is also performed to produce M4, M6, M8 and M12 threads and there are several off-centre line hole features, ideal for the Y-axis combination movements of the two upper turrets to allow the holes to accurately break into each other from opposed ends of the part. Important in the application development of the components by Miyano engineers was the focus on maintaining a constant chipping pattern of material rather than creating stringy swarf to ensure unmanned security of operation. With the tool load monitoring set to 50 per cent, this also provides an insurance against tool failure.

'Due to the nature of the material and by including some diamond tools in the set-up, we can take advantage of the rigidity of the machine and are expecting two years or more of cutting life before they will need changing,' Floyd said. The inclusion of a Sheffield Discovery CMM in the cell provides a 3D measuring overview of the levels of positional tolerances. Here, the machine gantry loader has been programmed to place aside a regular selection of parts in order to verify if any drift in tolerance or out-of-position is detected. Later, the plan is to integrate automatic offset shift from the control system on the Miyano using direct feedback from the CMM. One important element in the Miyano is confirmed by Floyd in that the inclusion of Stealth technology will enable the machine to compensate to any thermal changes.

Using Stealth, the machine has been tailored within the control software to suit the working environment, accommodate the heat from the motors, swarf and coolant temperature, which will help maintain production consistency and predictability - vital when running in unmanned situations on critical workpieces. The ABX-64TH3 is powered by a 15kW, 4000rev/min motor in the main spindle and 7.5kW, 5000rev/min in the second spindle. Each of the two upper turrets have +/-40mm of travel as cross-feed in the Y-axis while the lower turret is able to position to either spindle and create an overlap situation.

The 36 powered tool positions have 2.2kW, 6000rev/min available for use on both front and back position of the component in its single-cycle capability. The maximum bar size capacity of the ABX machine is 64mm or in the case of IMI, 6in chucks are employed on each spindle with the gantry initially feeding an aluminium billet to spindle one. The part is then machined and the component automatically exchanged into spindle two for the cycle to continue after the gantry has removed the part for dipping in the cleaning tank prior to returning the finished part to the magazine.

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Burkert Discusses Benefits Of Integrated Valves

Decentralised automation systems have become a suitable alternative to control cabinet systems in many process sectors, according to Burkert Fluid Control Systems. This comes as more and more practical solutions are developed that integrate automation functions into the pneumatic actuators of process valves. Food and beverage producers and companies in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics sectors are now in a position to reconcile the commercial necessity of a high degree of automation in their production with the requirements of hygiene and safety.

Thanks to their modular structure, systems based on process valves can be adapted to suit many situations and applications, whereby such optimised solutions are always based on high-quality, tried-and-tested components with a long service life. In the production of food, beverages, medicines and cosmetics, the statutory requirements of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) for food processing and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) for Food and Drug Administration-compliant processes in the pharmaceutical industry set the most stringent standards as regards cleanliness, safety and product quality. In addition, all processes must be constantly monitored and documented.

At the same time, in an increasingly competitive global environment, companies need to make their production processes as efficient and cost effective as possible. Consequently, there is an ever-increasing demand for automation at the process level. In the field of process valves, conventional automation solutions - including control cabinets with valve terminals, input/output (I/O) systems and fieldbus connections - require extensive and costly tube connections and wiring. With this technology, the valves at field level are connected to the control unit in the control cabinet through a large number of extended pneumatic control lines and discrete feedback connections.

In many cases, long control air lines increase the air consumption and have a negative effect on the switching times of the valves. In addition, apart from the high costs for the planning and installation of such solutions, there are also concerns with regard to hygiene. According to HACCP, every additional control air and feedback line within the production plant is a potential source of contamination and risk and must, therefore, be monitored, serviced and cleaned regularly, which is a costly undertaking. The use of intelligent process valves eliminates these problems, as automation functions - pilot valves, electrical and optical position feedback and fieldbus interfaces - are integrated directly into the actuators of the process valves.

This approach, based on the principle of decentralised automation, minimises the number of cables and compressed-air lines. In addition, the concept is flexible and provides a number of further advantages. With integrated intelligent valve systems, the process control system is only in charge of centralised control and status monitoring. At field level, pneumatically operated process valves are used, which can be equipped with all the required automation components: pilot valves with manual actuation, electrical feedback and optical status indication units, fieldbus interfaces and even positioners and process controllers. Plants based on such decentralised automation systems are, therefore, working with complete intelligent valve systems.

By integrating an AS interface as a fieldbus interface, the entire range of advantages of the intelligent valve approach can be fully utilised. All that is required for power supply, feedback and communications is a two-wire connection, interfacing the PLC with up to 62 valves. Each process valve is connected directly to the main compressed-air supply line in the field, reducing the number and length of tube and cable connections, as well as the number of required control cabinets to a minimum. The valve systems are designed according to the EHEDG guidelines for hygienic design and easy cleaning; they feature the high IP protection required by the actual application and are made of detergent-proof materials.

As a result, they are not affected by prolonged use in environments with high levels of humidity or by frequent cleaning cycles with aggressive chemicals. In comparison with conventional automation solutions, the intelligent valve design delivers real progress in terms of improved hygiene. In addition, there are other advantages in respect of reduced electrical wiring and fewer control air lines. Even prior to commissioning, users benefit from the decentralised concept, as it simplifies project planning and enables more flexible solutions, thanks to the easier integration of the process and automation levels. This also applies to the subsequent installation, commissioning and maintenance.

A clearly visible status indicator integrated into the fitting allows the operator to monitor processes and the operating status of valves, not only at a central point at control level but also directly at the fitting itself. With conventional automation by means of control cabinet solutions, the drivers used in the plant must already be equipped with a device for electrical feedback. Valve systems cater for the integration of pilot valves with manual actuation, optical position indicators and other automation functions inside compact, hygienic and easy-to-clean stainless-steel housings. Depending on the application, users can choose between different equipment and configuration options.

The range of available options includes mechanical limit switches, inductive proximity switches and NAMUR initiators as well as mechanical position indicators and self-teaching limit position feedback modules with inductive linear displacement transducers. At the lower end, decentralised automation based on intelligent valve systems starts with a process valve with integrated electrical feedback, simple optical feedback and an integrated pilot valve. Such systems already eliminate valve terminals in control cabinets. Moving up one step in the modular valve programme, users can benefit from the advantages of decentralised automation.

In addition to the electrical feedback and the pilot valve, these solutions include large-size high-performance colour light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for improved optical feedback, facilitating process monitoring at field level, and an optional AS interface serving as a fieldbus interface, whereby all these features are integrated into the valve system. These systems also integrate an analogue displacement transducer, replacing two conventional initiators or micro switches. The limit position is adjusted automatically, rather than manually, through a teach function. Process valves integrating an intelligent valve design require only minimum space and can, therefore, be installed in the pipeline systems of any plant.

As they are made in resistant materials, they are simple to clean and they provide maximum availability thanks to excellent functional safety. This high level of functional safety is mainly a result of the integrated control air supply to the operator chambers, which ensures that the spring chamber of the pneumatic driver is also supplied exclusively with clean control air. Moisture, dust and contaminants in the ambient air cannot enter the drive units. This, in turn, effectively prevents the contamination of the piston seals and the corrosion of the drive springs caused by cleaning solutions entering the housing.

There is also no risk of moisture entering the feedback module or the control head along the spindle extension. While this prolongs the service life of the driver, this design also has a positive effect on the hygiene of the process. As product cannot enter the driver, both the spreading of germs and contamination of the driver by mould are prevented. There is also no risk of fungal spores produced in the spring chamber being ejected into the ambient air at each switching process, which is a common problem with conventional valves. The actuator housing is flushed with control air at each switching process, as some control air is fed through at the pilot valve.

This process takes less than 10ms and ensures that a slight overpressure is built up in the housing, further improving its IP protection and preventing the penetration of humid air, such as in the event of changes in temperature or when rinsing with cold water. An integrated pressure-relief valve ensures that the pressure in the housing is automatically reduced, if, after several switching processes, it reaches a value of approximately 0.5bar.

Through this combination of control air inlet and release, a constant overpressure is maintained inside the housing, while a certain volume of air is regularly replaced. This ensures that no condensate can build up inside the housing. Systems of the above design can be extended to complete control valve systems by combining them with digital electro-pneumatic positioners and process controllers. The control valves, therefore, meet the same stringent hygiene standards as the process valves. Provision for the ventilation of the spring chamber and the flushing of the control housing are, again, included as standard.

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Super-Thermometers Calibrate Thermistors And SPRTs

Electronic test and measurement specialist Fluke has introduced the 1594A/1595A super-thermometers from Hart Scientific for the calibration of SPRTs, PRTs and thermistors. The Fluke 1594A and 1595A super-thermometers are accurate enough for the primary lab, providing accuracy to 0.06ppm (0.000015C), and economical enough for the secondary lab. Fluke said metrologists can feel confident that every measurement made with the super-thermometer falls within expected limits, easy verifiable at any time.

The 1594A and 1595A feature patent-pending ratio self-calibration that enables users to test the accuracy or calibrate the resistance ratio linearity of the super-thermometer's measurement circuit without requiring any external devices or special training. Metrologists can verify accuracy and performance automatically in about 30mins at the touch of a button. Although unlikely, measurement circuit defects would be detected and reported automatically. Users can also calibrate the super-thermometer's internal reference resistors using the resistance calibration function and an external standard resistor.

The super-thermometer assists with the calibration through an easy-to-use setup utility. Once the calibration is complete, the super-thermometer reports the results to the display and provides the option to write the results to a USB memory device. Users can also choose whether or not to adjust the calibration parameters of the internal reference resistor by pressing the password-protected adjust resistor function key. Measurement noise is caused by electrical noise and other random errors that can negatively influence measurement accuracy. Patent-pending designs incorporated into the super-thermometer reduce measurement noise and interference to levels that Fluke claimed are unprecedented for a digital thermometry bridge.

In a typical temperature calibration application, uncertainty due to measurement noise is as low as 0.00002C. Super-thermometers offer speeds as fast as one second per measurement (full accuracy with a two-second sample rate). This means users can complete tests in less time, track temperature changes more accurately and evaluate thermal response in sensors. When measuring fixed-point temperatures that require the highest levels of accuracy and lowest levels of noise, users have complete control to change the measurement speed to meet their requirements.

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Robot Offers Compact Solution For Machine Builders

Fanuc Robotics has launched a robot that can be mounted in a variety of orientations without modification and with an unobtrusive exterior for machine load, assembly and inspection applications. The M-10iA/10S is a six-axes, 10kg-payload robot with a hollow arm to completely remove tooling cabling from the work area. The company said the robot provides a compact solution for machine builders and system integrators needing to reduce space requirements. The arm can be mounted in floor, ceiling and angle orientation - for instance, overhead or an inclined plane - to reduce space required for other operations or peripheral equipment.

The robot's hollow arm has integrated fluidics, signal and electrical cabling throughout, reducing the risk of cable snagging and breakages. By routing cables through to the wrist flange, joint six, full tool rotation is maximised without risk, speeding up programming and ensuring longer cable life. Fanuc Robotics said the high speed and inertia of the M-10iA/10S together with its 1,098mm reach make multi-task applications, such as machine load, assembly and inspection, straightforward. The ability of joint three to flip is particularly useful for inverted mount installations to maximise the work envelope.

The wrist is sealed to IP67, making it suitable for more aggressive environments such as waterjet cutting and casting applications. The M-10iA/10S runs with Fanuc Robotics' R-30iA series intelligent controller, an open-architecture system with integrated intelligent functions including vision and force sensing. Where vision is required the R-30iA controller helps reduce integration time and cost with its integrated iRVision system. No additional hardware, other than a camera, is required to integrate vision with the controller. Control of up to 40 multiple axes is available with the R-30iA controller and when used in multi-arm mode one controller can control four arms and four auxiliary axes groups.

Further reducing the additional control hardware common to any installation, the controller has its own Programmable Machine Controller (PMC). The PMC has an integrated monitor that allows the user to monitor the PMC ladder in a graphic display for all levels and sub-programs that reside in the controller.

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Tool Offers 3D Injection Moulding Flow Simulation

Cimatron CAD/CAM provider Foregone Solutions has announced a partnership with Coretech System that will offer 3D injection moulding flow simulation for medical device manufacturers and more. As a result of this partnership, mould designers can now simulate and analyse the injection moulding process from within CimatronE. This will enable users to ensure optimal placement of injection points, increasing the quality of the manufactured part. Coretech's Moldex3D Explorer analyses tool displays a full 3D visualisation of the moulding process, providing the inner temperature and pressure of the cavity.

CimatronE users will be able to evaluate the welding line, air traps, flow balance, cooling time, the number of gates needed, and the location of the gates. The Moldex3D Explorer add-on is activated with only a few clicks in CimatronE and requires no additional training or CAD conversion. A report generator enables users to provide relevant feedback to their customers. Foregone Solutions also provide the full product Moldex Edesigner and associated modules for the mould designer/manufacturer needing the extra functionality.

Medical applications, where time-to-market is critical, need to get the tool right, and users can see exactly what the plastic will do on the screen. The software can assist in reducing time-to-market through analysing the part before the metal is cut, reducing the distortion and warpage through better understanding of heating and cooling. With this software combination, moulding times can be optimised and material wastage through over-packing can be eliminated. Conformal cooling circuits can be designed and tested before committing to sintering.

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Rocker Switches For Consumer Applications And More

CandK Components has developed two series of rocker switches for household appliances, instrument panels, industrial controls and computers/peripherals. Designated the CG and CL series, the UL- and CSA-approved single-pole power rocker switches feature two-tone and multi-coloured illuminated actuators. The durable rockers are said to be easy to install and offer a casing that can retain markings. The CG series single-pole power rocker switches are available with a two-tone actuator (offered in five colour combinations) or with red, amber or green illuminated actuators.

Additionally, the actuators can be marked. VDE-approved, the bevelled, framed CG series rockers offer easy panel-mount installation. The switch has contact ratings of 16A at 125VAC or 10A at 250VAC and an electrical life of 10,000 make-and-break cycles at full load. The operating temperature for the CG series is -20C to +85C. The CL series single-pole power rocker switch features a positive detent with several models available with illuminated actuators in red, amber and green colour options. The contact ratings for the rocker switches are 16A at 125V, 1/3HP or 10A at 250VAC, 1/2HP. Operating temperature is -20C to +80C. Both series are designed for easy snap-in installation and both have quick-connect terminations.

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QAM Modem IC For Narrowband Applications

CML Microcircuits has launched the CMX7163 wireless data QAM modem IC designed to deliver high spectral efficiency QAM for narrowband applications including Scada and M2M systems. The CMX7163 provides 4/16/64-QAM baseboard modem functions in a single chip, replacing the current need for user-programmed DSP plus codec ICs. This development includes high dynamic range analogue signal capturing, digital baseband filters, auxiliary codecs, clock generator, and I/O functions, all designed to lower total bill-of-materials cost and chip count.

The high level of total integration reduces technical risk and time to market, according to CML Microcircuits. The device is a complete baseband modem system delivering high performance and high spectral efficiency QAM for narrowband applications. These include M2M systems over dedicated channels, digital software defined radio (SDR), high-speed wireless data and Scada systems.

The half-duplex device, which is suitable for 6.25kHz, 12.5kHz and 25kHz bandwidths, operates up to 96kbps in 25kHz bandwidths, featuring channel estimation and equalisation. The device is suitable for interfacing to superheterodyne receivers (for example, CMX992) or direct conversion designs (for example, CMX994) providing performance compatible with regulatory standards such as EN 301 166, EN 300 113 and EN 302 561. The transmitter interface is compatible with the CML Cartesian loop technology (CMX998). The device utilises CML's Firmasic component technology.

On-chip sub-systems are configured by a Function Image data file that is uploaded during device initialisation and defines the device's function and features set. The device's functions and features can be enhanced by subsequent Function Image releases, facilitating in-the-field upgrades. The CMX7163 logical interface provides addressable configuration parameters that ease host driver development. Selectable modulation, symbol rate and FEC suit a range of application requirements without hardware reconfiguration.

Features include: direct I/Q analogue inputs and outputs; automatic DC offset compensation; pulse shape filtering; a Ramdac capability for PA ramping control; and a C-Bus (SPI compatible) serial interface to host the microcontroller. Four auxiliary ADCs and DACs, two programmable system clock outputs, four GPIO and a separate C-Bus (SPI) interface to allow automated control of the radio section. Other features optimised for high-performance modems include carrier sensing, transmit burst timing and automated control of receiver AGC (when using CMX992 or CMX994).

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Immunity Generator For Industrial Applications

Advanced Test Equipment Rentals has announced the availability of the Teseq NSG 3060 6kV conducted immunity generator for residential, commercial and industrial applications. The Teseq NSG 3060 6kV conducted immunity generator meets IEC standards 61000-4-4, 5, 11 and 12, as well as various IEC 61000-4-4. It is said to establish a common and reproducible reference for evaluating the immunity of electrical and electronic equipment when subjected to electrical fast transient/bursts on supply, signal, control and earth ports.

The test method documented in this part of IEC 61000 describes a consistent method to assess the immunity of an equipment or system against a defined phenomenon. IEC 61000-4-5 relates to the immunity requirements, test methods, and range of recommended test levels for equipment to unidirectional surges caused by over-voltages from switching and lightning transients. Several test levels are defined which relate to different environment and installation conditions.

These requirements are developed for and are applicable to electrical and electronic equipment. The object of this standard is to establish a common reference for evaluating the immunity of electrical and electronic equipment when subjected to surges. IEC 61000-4-11 defines the immunity test methods and range of preferred test levels for electrical and electronic equipment connected to low-voltage power supply networks for voltage dips, short interruptions, and voltage variations. This standard applies to electrical and electronic equipment having a rated input current not exceeding 16A per phase, for connection to 50Hz or 60Hz AC networks.

It does not apply to electrical and electronics equipment for connection to 400Hz AC networks. IEC 61000-4-12 relates to the immunity requirements and test methods for electrical and electronic equipment, under operational conditions, to non-repetitive damped oscillatory transients (ring waves) occurring in low-voltage power, control and signal lines supplied by public and non-public networks. The object of this basic standard is to establish the immunity requirements and a common reference for evaluating in a laboratory the performance of electrical and electronic equipment intended for residential, commercial and industrial applications, as well as of equipment intended for power stations and substations, as applicable.

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ISC Ultimate Speed Run August 15,16 2010

The ISC has announced their Ultimate Speed Run for 2010. It will be held at Heartland Park in Topeka Kansas. Softpacks will be allowed:

Soft packs okay at Topeka only!!!!!!
Apparently the Topeka local practice is to run soft packs and our rules were based on what is run locally here. The hard case rule has been in effect for several months so this really shouldn't have been such a late surprise. Maybe we should have alerted y'all to that change better, maybe y'all should have read the rules closer. Whatever, we really want this race to happen so in the interest of racing unity we are withdrawing the requirement for hard cases for this meet only.

Because of the confusion caused by this issue we must bump the signup deadline to July 8th. That gives you two weeks to get signed up. The ball is in your court. At this point in time there is only one entry from anywhere east of the Rockies.

Looking forward to running at Heartland…..I'm signed up, my plane tickets are bought and my room is reserved.

-Gary O.

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Nic Case shooting for 200mph

Here are the latest photos of Nic's new speed demon. This is what he had to say:

Here is the latest on my Streamliner build.
The car is coming along nicely; Area 51 Design Works (Associated) is doing an amazing job with all of their support. I’d imagine this will be a “rock-solid” car – once on-the-way. With all the input of experienced, talented individuals – the possibility of reaching 200mph with an R/C car, is in reach.

On August 15th, at Heartland park dragway -- we will find out if this beast can do it.
The power of a 1521 Neu motor, 12 cell PowerEdge Lipo battery, and the sophisticated power management of a Castle Creations speed controller, will be the propulsion of this wheel driven creation.
The Vulcanized tires are still in the making… The body will be the same CFD developed one as last year. The gears are the finest made – 32 pitch hardened steel, by RW. The radio will be the longest range I know of – the Fasst System from Futaba.

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