Even More on Rotary Encoders
Mechatronics Zone 3/5/2013 2 comments This column wraps up our discussion of encoders with information about resolvers, which provide angular data over 360 degrees.
Encoders Know All the Angles
Mechatronics Zone 1/4/2013 8 comments Engineers use rotary encoders to measure the angular position of an attached device or to measure distance indirectly.
A Machinist's Calculator for the Holidays
Mechatronics Zone 12/17/2012 18 comments The Machinist Calc Pro computes speeds and feed rates for milling, turning, and drilling: cutting speed, spindle speed, feed rate (inches/minute), cutting feed, etc.
Engineering Faculty Debates Generalists vs. Specialists
Mechatronics Zone 12/14/2012 24 comments During a recent meeting with engineering-school faculty and alumni, Contributing Technical Editor Jon Titus talked about whether colleges should educate generalists or specialists. What do you think?
An Undersampling Wrapup
Mechatronics Zone 11/27/2012 Post a comment Contributing technical editor Jon Titus wraps up his undersampling columns with sample rates and a plot with extrapolated lines.
Undersampling Shifts Signal Bandwidths
Mechatronics Zone 10/31/2012 3 comments In some cases, you can take advantage of aliasing and use it with a technique called under-sampling or bandwidth sampling.
Undersampling Changes Bandwidths
Mechatronics Zone 10/19/2012 8 comments Before you choose a frequency, you should understand how each upper and lower sampling frequency affects aliasing of signals in the 8MHz bandwidth.
Open-Source Kits Put Robots in Many Hands
Mechatronics Zone 10/11/2012 19 comments Multiplo, a four person startup, sought venture funds via Kickstarter to create and manufacture kits for anyone interested in robotics.
Gesture Sensors Could Help Mechatronics Engineers
Mechatronics Zone 9/20/2012 15 comments A recent announcement from a company specializing in sensors used for gesture detection sparked thoughts about using this type of control in mechatronic devices.
Motor Kits Let BLDC Designs Roll
Mechatronics Zone 9/14/2012 4 comments If your design plans include a brushless DC motor, contributing technical editor Jon Titus recommends starting with a motor drive dev kit.
An Anti-Alias Filter Review
Mechatronics Zone 9/12/2012 9 comments This column describes a filter-selection “gotcha,” and includes references to anti-alias-filter information.
Handbook Can Help Mechatronics Engineers
Mechatronics Zone 9/5/2012 7 comments Contributing technical editor Jon Titus found a free copy of the Electrical Engineering Pocket Handbook, published by the Electrical Apparatus Service Association, particularly useful.
More On Sigma-Delta ADCs
Mechatronics Zone 8/1/2012 Post a comment Analog Devices has a step-by-step online demonstration that shows how a sigma-delta ADC works.
Oversampling Reduces Quantization Errors
Mechatronics Zone 7/27/2012 7 comments No matter how many bits an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) provides, the digital output can only approximate the original signal.
Send Machines, Not People, to Space
Mechatronics Zone 7/10/2012 28 comments If we have an urge to explore outer space, let's leave people on Earth and conduct experiments and gather data at a distance.
Getting to Know Freescale's Mechatronics Robot
Mechatronics Zone 6/29/2012 13 comments In May, we told you about Freescale Semiconductor's two-legged robot (FSLBOT) and controller board that lets engineers, students, and even hobbyists experiment with the robot's four servos and many sensors. Here's an update.
Engineering, Science & Math in a Water Bottle
Mechatronics Zone 5/25/2012 32 comments Designing and filling a new type of water bottle might take less engineering work, but the description will help kids understand how science, math, and engineering influence their lives even through things that seem mundane.
Freescale's Wireless Robot Teaches Sensor Programming
Mechatronics Zone 5/8/2012 17 comments Freescale Semiconductor's two-legged robot (FSLBOT) and controller board lets engineers, students, and even hobbyists experiment with the robot's four servos and many sensors.
March Madness in the World of MCUs
Mechatronics Zone 3/28/2012 10 comments Here are introductions to five products that are of interest to engineers and product designers who use MCUs.
Should We Pay More Attention to Software Ethics?
Mechatronics Zone 3/13/2012 32 comments Companies will always gather information about us, but it's the software that determines what someone does with that information. Programmers should keep that in mind when creating code.
How Many Calculus Classes Do Engineers Need?
Mechatronics Zone 2/10/2012 38 comments Unlike his friends in engineering programs, blogger Jon Titus had little need for calculus except in a few of his college physical-chemistry labs and classes.
What's the Noise in Signal-to-Noise Ratio?
Mechatronics Zone 1/11/2012 7 comments A signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) lets us express the relationship between signal and noise powers and between the root-mean-square (rms) values of signal and noise voltages.
Keep Your Eye on Donut Opportunities
Mechatronics Zone 11/22/2011 7 comments Our mechantronics blogger opines on entrepreneurs who fall lose sight of the overall problem and fix their vision on something unimportant.
Slide Chart Helps Find Screws & Fasteners
Mechatronics Zone 10/25/2011 15 comments Mark Atkins at Great Innovations has come up with a great way to present frequently-used information about screws and metals in a two-sided slide chart.
Is There a Diamond Machine in Your Future?
Mechatronics Zone 10/21/2011 8 comments Researchers at the Sandia Corporation have created complete machines with gears and microscopic transmissions fabricated from microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) systems.
What Would You Do With a 6-V Motor, Two Servos & a Battery?
Mechatronics Zone 10/18/2011 10 comments Someone should start a robotics competition that challenges kids to build something out of a small DC motor, a 2-channel transmitter and servo receiver, two servo motors, and a battery pack.
Interface Chip Simplifies Time-Frequency Measurements
Mechatronics Zone 9/26/2011 1 comment This Universal Sensors and Transducers Interface (USTI) integrated circuit provides 29 measuring modes, as well as digital sensors that operate in the time-and-frequency domains.
Damn the Error Codes
Mechatronics Zone 9/20/2011 14 comments Service manuals often give incomplete error or malfunction information and fail to include information on fixing the problem.
Now You Know What Rime Ice Is
Mechatronics Zone 9/14/2011 10 comments A new sensor uses the optical properties of ice to detect when it builds up on refrigerator coils.
My Mercury Wiring Harness Nightmare
Mechatronics Zone 9/13/2011 8 comments When I attempted to replace a power-window motor on my '96 Mercury I uncovered an amazing nest of wires that controls windows, door locks, and mirror positions.
An Unexpected Failure Mechanism
Mechatronics Zone 8/17/2011 20 comments The most solid part of a device can fail even though we test it thoroughly and don't expect it to fail over the life of a product.
Getting Started With Proximity Sensing
Mechatronics Zone 8/5/2011 7 comments Two-minute development kit review: Engineers who need an optical proximity sensor that accounts for ambient light need this kit.
Gyroscopes Still Seem a Bit Like Magic
Mechatronics Zone 7/22/2011 2 comments Engineers who once found the magic in gyroscope toys will be interested in new sensors that rely on devices that use MEMS to create accelerometers and gyros.
Do Mechatronics Degrees Make Sense?
Mechatronics Zone 7/19/2011 13 comments Twelve colleges have created mechatronics programs, mostly by adding mechatronics classes to a standard mechanical-engineering curriculum.
A Visit to TI's Motor Lab
Mechatronics Zone 7/15/2011 3 comments TI's employees use Kilby Labs to research and develop new ideas that may turn into products.
New Debugger Complements Atmel AVR Studio 5
Mechatronics Zone 7/7/2011 2 comments Atmel now has a new in-circuit debugger and programmer module, the JTAGICE3, which operates with the AVR Studio 5 software and all Atmel 8-bit and 32-bit AVR-family microcontrollers (MCUs).
Using almost 200 light-emitting diodes in the front and back of the new 2014 CTS, Cadillac designers are showing how LEDs can change the character of a vehicle.
We looked at a number of sources to determine this year's greenest cars, from KBB to automotive trade magazines to environmental organizations. These 14 cars emerged as being great at either stretching fuel or reducing carbon footprint.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 3
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
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