-------------------------Monitor------------------------ The Newsletter for PC-Based Data Acquisition and Control Issue 124 www.windmill.co.uk November 2008 --------------------ISSN 1472-0221---------------------- Welcome to Monitor. I hope you enjoy the newsletter but if you do want to remove yourself from our mailing list please go to https://www.windmill.co.uk/newsletter.html CONTENTS ======== * Windmill News: Windmill Glossary Update * DAQ News Roundup ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Windmill Glossary Update ________________________________________________________ We've updated our glossary of terms relating to data acquisition and control. We've included links to more in-depth articles for several terms, and added many terms suggested by you, including... Bluetooth Bluetooth was designed as replacement for short-range cables. It allows up to seven devices to be monitored over short distances, typically about 10 meters. Cable Gland Secures an electric cable entering equipment and provides a seal between the external and internal surfaces of the equipment. Crosstalk When one channel's signal causes an undesired effect on another. Fall Time The time a signal takes to change from a specified high value to a specified low value. Usually measured as the time to fall from 90% to 10% of the step height or maximum amplitude, but sometimes over 5 to 95%. Reproducibility The precision with which a measured value can be repeated. Rise Time The time a signal takes to change from a specified low value to a specified high value. Usually measured as the time to rise from 10% to 90% of the step height or maximum amplitude, but sometimes over 5 to 95%. RS422 An EIA (Electronic Industries Association) protocol for serial communications. Each signal line comprises two twisted wires. The voltage-difference between the two lines shows the signal value, rather than the voltage-level. You can connect 10 devices to a single cable. Steady State Error A measure of the accuracy of performance of a control system. In a stable system, the steady state error is the difference between the desired input and the actual input. When the error is large, the resultant output will not match the desired output. Wibree Wibree is a interoperable radio technology for small devices like sports sensors. It was designed by Nokia for applications where ultra low power consumption, small size and low cost were the critical requirements. Wibree has recently been brought into the Bluetooth stable and renamed Ultra Low Power (ULP) Bluetooth. Wi-Fi Wireless Fidelity. A wireless communications network conforming to IEEE 802.11 specifications. ZigBee Wireless communication method commonly used in home automation. For the full glossary go to https://www.windmill.co.uk/glossary.html ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ DAQ News Roundup ________________________________________________________ Welcome to our roundup of the data acquisition and control news. If you would like to receive more timely DAQ news updates then grab our RSS newsfeed at https://www.windmillsoft.com/monitor.xml. Read https://www.windmill.co.uk/newsfeed.php for notes on how to display the news on your own web site, read it via e-mail, mobile phone or in your browser. Sniffing Out a Better Chemical Sensor Marrying a sensor that can distinguish hundreds of different chemical compounds with a pattern-recognition module that mimics the way animals recognise odours, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology have created a new approach for "electronic noses". They expect the detector to be a potent tool for monitoring industrial processes and sniffing out environmental contaminants. Source: NIST http://www.cranfield.ac.uk/ Watching the wine wirelessly Steeped in tradition, Europe's vintners have found themselves hard pressed to compete with the modern processes used to produce New World wines. Now European researchers are offering the continent's winemaking industry the opportunity to improve quality, save water and reduce pesticide use without giving up age-old practices. An automated wireless precision monitoring system that uses sensors to check soil moisture, air temperature and humidity is available. Currently in use in several Italian vineyards, the Vine-Sense system allows vintners to accurately time harvesting, fight pathogenic attacks, cut water consumption and lower the cost of chemical treatments without even having to visit the vineyard. Source: ICT Results http://cordis.europa.eu/ictresults New mini-sensor to detect greenhouse gases The European Union is funding a project called MINIGAS to develop a tiny, super-sensitive and cost effective gas sensor to detect greenhouse gases. The MINIGAS sensor will be less than 2 centimetres in length and at least twice as sensitive as other sensors of its size. The sensor will also be able to detect explosives vapours and chemical agents such as nerve gases, when integrated in security sensor systems. Source: VTT http://www.vtt.fi/whatsnew/2008/281008_monigas.jsp ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ * Copyright Windmill Software Ltd * Reprinting permitted with this notice included * For more articles see https://www.windmill.co.uk We are happy for you to copy and distribute this newsletter, and use extracts from it on your own web site or publication, providing the above notice is included and a link back to our website is in place. An archive of previous issues is at https://www.windmill.co.uk/newsletter.html and an index of articles at https://www.windmill.co.uk/newsletter.html Windmill Software Ltd, PO Box 58, North District Office, Manchester, M8 8QR, UK Telephone: +44 (0)161 834 6688 Facsimile: +44 (0)161 833 2190 E-mail: monitor@windmillsoft.com https://www.windmill.co.uk/ https://www.windmillsoft.com/
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