Design News - January 9, 2006

Cover Story

Late last October, the California Public Utilities Commission approved plans fora 4,500-acre sun farm that will begin harvesting solar energy in late 2008. By 2012, this first of two huge energy farms could be supplying 500 MW daily, enough power to keep the electric meters spinning on a quarter million homes.

Departments

Calamities
The Case of the Critical Key
Cool Software Tricks
Exporting Deformed Shapes
Designer's Corner
High gas prices? Try this
Expo
Open-loop operation
Miniature vacuum gauge
Grounding device
Digital Display
Solenoid valve
Gage
DirectIndustry.com
Linear guide systems
Platen heaters
Scara robots
Bus technology
Spring connection system
Positioners
Temperature recording label
Cylinders
Selector valve
Linear stepper motor stages
Motorized pulleys
DC-DC converters
High flow valves
Transducer
Manifold system
Motor reverser
Viscosity control systems
Meter, mix, and dispense system
Sensors
Expansion boards
New parametric searches to website
Linear drive slowdown
Alignment kit
Stock lifters
Stepping actuator
MOSFET
High flow volume booster
Potentiometers
Plugging joint
Flow meter
DirectIndustry's Product Watch
Mounting option
Miniature slide switch
Rolling bearings
Flash
Moving Lens in Digital Camera
Charging Personal Media Players
Measuring Temperature Accurately in Blood Tester
Lighting an HMI
Amplifying in Class D Audio
Gadget Freak
Craig Was a Diehard Dashboard DIYer
Green Scene
Say Goodbye to the Famous Harley Roar
EU Ready to Ban More Chemicals
Toyota Struggling to Meet Hybrid Demand
Mail
Readers Sound Off
My View
Wanted: A Better Mousetrap
Rant
Corporate Responsibility in a Global Economy
Rarely Asked Questions
It's easy to drive an EE to drink—but what drives one to poetry?
The Sports Page
Miniature Golf
Trend Watch
Copperhill Technologies VisualSizera
Parker Motion Sizer
Motors - Sizing Up the Field
High Bandwidth Server Boards for Telecom and Beyond
Motorola's Avantellis 3000 Servers
Danaher Motioneering
Mercury Computer's TSA-200 Blade Server
SBS Technologies' Telum ASLP10 Advanced Mezzanine Card
Weblog
Resolve to Exercise Yearly

Feature

Green Engineering
Design News Engineer of the Year
Slack Variable
Slack Variable Episode III: BREAK-IN AT THE EPA!!!

«2006 Archive Table of Contents

Design News Partner Zones

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First, let's define "no-compromise." In an ideal configuration, this lamp would use a high-brightness LED (HBLED) that is built into a small, integrated package and is able to produce a large quantity of focused light, operate with a high level of reliability and generate no audible noise. Is this difficult? Yes, but it is possible.
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Design Engineers' Portal for Sensing and Machine Safety
Whatever industry you're in, or whatever product you manufacture, the right sensors to automate your plant, and to improve your overall efficiency, quality and safety are a must. You'll find Banner Engineering to be an amazing resource of products, training and people with expertise.