Design News for Mechanical and Design Engineers

Today, resistance welding takes many forms across numerous applications in diverse market segments.
While each company must decide the most efficient welding technology for its various operations, the parameters that govern such decisions often change, sometimes rather quickly over short time intervals. This means decision makers must constantly monitor welding processes to ensure the right technology is applied to each application and done so in a cost effective manner.

This web seminar explains a sensorless Brushless Direct Current (BLDC) motor control algorithm, implemented using the dsPIC® digital signal controller (DSC). The algorithm works by the use of a majority function for digitally filtering the back-Electromotive Force (BEMF). Each phase of the motor is filtered to determine when to commutate the motor drive voltages. This control technique excludes the need for discrete, low-pass filtering hardware and off-chip comparators.

Balanced constant current excitation uses a pair of matched constant current sources to excite a single active strain gage. The technique provides enhanced immunity from electrostatic noise pickup and may be employed for dynamic strain measurement applications that require only two wires to the transducer. In this paper, the properties of balanced constant current excitation will be examined and compared against traditional techniques using the Wheatstone bridge or single-ended constant current excitation.

Ordinary 60W incandescent bulbs only convert about 8% of their input energy into usable light. Most of the remaining energy is conveniently radiated out as infrared (73%) or conducted out through the lamp base (19%). In the case of a visible-spectrum HBLED however, there is negligible IP emission - thus the die's excess heat must be removed by conduction, convection or both.

Protective covers for hydraulic hose assemblies are taking on a whole new meaning. They are still being used to protect hoses on mobile construction and mining equipment. However, with the need for higher-pressure systems and more compact machine designs, design engineers are increasingly looking for ways to safely protect machine operators and personnel from catastrophic hydraulic hose failure.

Any loss of power is a loss of money for users. To minimize losses and keep energy consumption in check, power transmission drives must operate at optimum efficiency.This paper compares the efficiency-related characteristics of two belt drives, V-belt drives and synchronous belt drives to show the potential for savings.

See what the latest version of Multisim offers educators. With the release of Multisim 10.1, National Instruments continues to enhance the learning experience with education-specific features, such as measuring real-world data with instruments from the NI ELVIS II educational design and prototyping platform inside the Multisim environment for comparison.

Explore NI ELVIS, an educational design and prototyping platform based on NI LabVIEW. Take the guided tour and see the features that make NI ELVIS a leading teaching platform in areas of circuits, instrumentation, telecommunications, embedded/MCU, and controls.

The new NI ELVIS II educational design and prototyping platform, based on LabVIEW graphical system design software, is used to teach concepts in circuit design, instrumentation, controls, telecommunications, and embedded/MCU theory. Why should you use the NI ELVIS II platform in your classroom and laboratory? Download top 10 reasons that you should adapt this leading educational platform.

This technical white paper describes embedded system development for machine control using a single, automated graphical programming tool chain and Programmable Automation Controllers (PACs).