This turnkey, confocal MetaMorph ICS microscope is described as the first of its kind in the imaging industry. It has the capability to obtain high resolution images in multiple dimensions to support researchers in their exploration of live cell and functional imaging without the limitations inherent in other high-speed imaging technologies.

This unique microscope combines Molecular Devices’s MetaMorph software, which is described as the industry standard automation and image analysis package, with the VT-Infinity(3) 2D-array laser confocal scanner from VisiTech International.

This combination is designed to meet the growing demand for imaging rapid changes within cells and then analysing these changes in multiple dimensions.

The microscope has matched micro-lens and pinhole arrays to achieve optimum performance and a single, double-sided galvanometer mirror to scan the sample, de-scan the fluorescent light returned from the sample, and re-scan that fluorescent light into the camera to create multi-dimensional, confocal images in real-time.

This capability is especially useful in such areas as cardiac research.

For example, after a heart attack, researchers want to know how the cardiac muscle contracts to determine if there is damage to the muscle.

Using calcium imaging with the MetaMorph ICS, the reaction of cardiac muscle cells can be analysed in real-time, giving researchers important clues as to how the cardiac muscle works.

This new microscope can be used in multiple imaging applications, including protein localisation, protein-protein interactions, gene expression, intra-cellular ion waves, calcium puffs and sparks, FRET, co-localization, tissue section morphology and 3D reconstruction.

‘We are very excited to introduce this innovative microscope, a first of its kind in the imaging industry,’ said Andy Boorn, president of MDS Analytical Technologies.

‘We’ve combined the speed, resolution, and sensitivity of the multi-dimensional, confocal imaging technology with the methods and applications in our MetaMorph software to produce a powerful new solution for researchers to advance their analysis with live cell and functional imaging’.

The ALLTEC Laser Business Unit has introduced the ALLTEC LF050, a novel 5W continuous wave fiber laser marking system for marking and coding smallest parts with highest resolution and accuracy. The innovative system has been primarily designed for marking electronic components. Molded housings of discrete and integrated components as well as circuit boards have to be marked precisely, with high quality and in the shortest of time.

The LF050 is also suitable for marking foils, films, bags and composite packagings used in the packaging industries.

Product manager for the ALLTEC Laser Business Unit, Manfred Suddendorf, said: ‘With ALLTEC LF050 we are supporting our customers in the electronics and components industry, with a system that allows them to continue their drive towards marking ever smaller components.

The system can achieve character heights below 150 micron with line widths well below 30 micron.

Our novel hardware and software integration concept delivers a system that is especially easy to integrate into production environments such as component handling and testing lines, while offering reliable, essentially maintenance-free operation’.

Thanks to its wavelength that is 10 times shorter than that of a CO2 laser marker, its high beam quality and the use of the superior galvanometer scanning technology the system marks with high resolution, fast, precise and with excellent legibility.

An efficient, air-cooled laser source (50,000h estimated maintenance-free operation) LF050 works reliably and is easy to maintain.

Finally, the world wide unique mechanical integration concept with it’s dovetail joint, the integrated fine height adjustment, a 5m detachable fiber conduit and its small and compact system design ensures that LF050 integrates easily, flexibly and quickly into any production environment.

Marking speeds are up to 800 characters/s and line speeds up to 10m/s (depends on the used specifications and application).

The LF050 applies a variety of contents (expiry and manufacturer dates, lot and line numbers, ID matrix and bar codes, graphics, individual data, etc) in the shortest of time and in uncompromising quality - both on moving (’on-the-fly’ marking) and non moving products and components.

Finally, the high accuracy marking field correction option that ensures the calibration of the system, enables that all codes - as small as they might be - will be applied exactly where they should be applied.

This is especially important in the semiconductor industry with it’s components that are ever shrinking in size.

Additional advantages of the ALLTEC LF050 are the choice of many languages available on the user interface (e g, English, Chinese, German, and more than ten more) and the overall flexibility of the already proven Windows-based Smart Graph software, which also provides multiple password-protected security levels.

The new fast steering mirrors offer two-axis high bandwidth tip/tilt motion with microradian resolution over large angular ranges. Used in precision scanning, tracking, pointing, image stabilisation and beam stabilisation applications, fast steering mirrors improve the performance of optical systems in semiconductor inspection, lithography, and memory repair, laser-to-fibre coupling, free-space optical communications, marking and micro-machining, bio-medical instrumentation, and imaging and display systems.

Based on proven aerospace technology, the new fast steering mirrors utilise a patented flexure suspension for start-up friction-free rotation around a single pivot point, located on or near the surface of the mirror.

The unique concept allows for up to ( 50 mrad angular range, large sized optics with up to 100 mm diameter, and angular noise as low as 1 ærad RMS.

Four voice coil actuators work as push-pull pairs to deliver fast rotations with an angular acceleration of up to 8.000 rad/sý.

Integrated control electronics provide position readout and external control voltage input for up to 3 kHz closed loop control.

Equipped with an external position-sensing detector, an FSM can quickly lock onto the detector for rapid laser beam control and stabilisation.

Compared to dual XY galvanometric scanners, the Newport Fast steering mirrors offer a far more compact package.

They eliminate the need to displace the beam to accommodate a second galvanometer, or to compensate for polarisation rotation due to an extra reflection.

They also enable larger apertures, improved efficiency, and lower wave front distortion than typical dual XY galvanometers.

The RTCa 5 communicates with the intelliSCAN a via a revolutionary scan head communication protocol. Among other features iDRIVE a offers simultaneous real-time monitoring of multiple galvanometer parameters and operational status.

This capability is indispensable for processes requiring monitoring and traceability on-site or by a remote control centre.

A programmer can simulate the scanning process by comparing the actual scanned position with the programmed position for a given speed.

Process development time is significantly reduced as optimisation of scan head settings occurs without manually inspecting the processed material.

Another control feature of iDRIVE a is proportional laser pulsing where speed feedback from the galvanometer is used to modulate the laser, ensuring consistent energy deposition and eliminating burn-in effects.

Multiple tunings are stored on the intelliSCAN a electronics.

These are derived from mathematical models and are selectable for each vector.

Optimised tunings specific to process requirements enable faster and more precise positioning.

The scan head’s digital control consumes significantly less power, resulting in better temperature stability during highly dynamic operation.

Start with the news release Zigbee products clear the cable clutter from IDC - Intelligent Distributed Controls, which we summarised at the time by saying “IDC’s family of ZigBee products is designed around the company’s ZB108 OEM module, which features a complete system-on-chip (SoC)”. A couple of weeks before, we featured the news release Data logging protects 13 tonne chain from Renold Chain: “Smartlink consists of a strain gauge linked to a microprocessor which collects data about the stresses and forces the chain is exposed to during the lowering and raising of the barrier”.

In January 2008, we covered the news from Murex Welding Products concerning its Transtig AC/DC 253iS - take a look at Cutting the cost of industrial welding which says: “The Transtig AC/DC 253iS is state of the art welding package offering excellent welding characteristics and performance in both AC and DC modes”.

Take a look also at the news release from Renold Chain, Chain diagnostics cover more applications, as well as Remote controller takes on maritime duties from Bosch Rexroth - Electric Drives and Controls, and Software suits demanding thermal analysis from Cedip Infrared Systems.

Industrial Dynamics Int’l of Torrance, CA has announced the development of a new laser coding system called the Lasetec Phase II. The unit is designed to permanently mark HOPE, PET, paper, inked cardboard, glass laminates and coated metals, plus other materials. According to the company, the Lasetec provides “crisp clean letters and exceptional clarity in package printing.” The system can choose font styles and print size with no requirement to change parts.

It can be installed on existing production lines, and utilizes a [CO.sub.2] gas laser which requires charging only every few years. The steered beam system includes one laser, two galvanometers with mirrors and associated optics.

Putting the ECG data acquisition subsystem into a Component Monitoring System parameter module mandates high-density packaging and low power consumption, and was only possible by implementing major elements of the circuit in a large mixed analog-digital ASIC.

Nearly everyone is familiar with one of the most important medical parameters-the electrocardiogram, or ECG. The electrical voltages created by the heart have been well-known to the medical community for nearly a century. In the beginning the ECG was measured by sensitive galvanometers with the patient’s hands and feet placed in vessels filled with saline solution. Improvements in the assessment of diagnostic ECG signals have been closely related to the evolution of electronics, great strides being made when amplifying devices such as vacuum tubes and later transistors became available. Today, low-noise operational amplifier circuits are state-of-the-art for ECG signal processing.

Physiologically, the polarization and depolarization of the heart’s muscle mass creates a three-dimensional electrical field that changes with time. As a result, voltages can be measured on the surface of the body that represent the pumping cycle of the myocardium. A strong effort has been made to standardize the points at which the voltages should be measured. The most widely used are three differential voltages: From right arm (RA) to left arm (IA), from LA to left leg (LL), and from LL to RA. These voltages are known as ECG leads I, II, and III. The right leg electrode (RL) acts as the neutral pole in this system.

ECG Signal Characteristics

The amplitude of the ECG signal as measured on the skin ranges from 0.1 mV to 5 mV. The frequency extends from 0.05 Hz to 130 Hz. Physiological signals like the ECG differ from artificial signals in that they are not reproducible from one time segment to another. They are more statistical in nature and have larger variations in signal characteristics than, say, a signal generator output. This places additional requirements on the measurement system, especially the analog input stages. Although the average amplitude is only around 1 mV, there are large dc offset voltages because of electrochemical processes between the electrode attached to the patient and the patient’s skin. These can be as high as +/-500 mV. Also, the contact resistance between an electrode and the body surface can vary widely and reach values around I Mil. In addition, the system must be capable of detecting that an electrode has fallen off the patient. Perhaps the largest constraint is the presence of 60-Hz or 50-Hz power line noise. The human body acts like the midpoint of a capacitive divider between one or more power lines and ground. Thus, common-mode voltages as high as 20V p-p can be superimposed on the body. Eliminating this source of noise is one of the major tasks of an ECG amplifier. Fortunately, the ECG signals are differential signals while the power line voltages are common-mode, so the noise can be reduced with differential amplifiers.

Another requirement results from artificial pace pulses used to stimulate the heartbeat of some patients. Pacemaker devices are implanted into the chest, generating small pulses up to 1V p-p at frequencies in the kilohertz range. Pace pulses are superimposed on the ECG signal and have to be detected to differentiate them from the peak value of the ECG signal, called the QRS complex. This is important because the heartrate measurement is based on this QRS signal, and an incorrect interpretation would result in an incorrect value.

In emergencies when the heart stops beating ventricular fibrillation), a commonly used procedure is to apply a voltage pulse of about 5 kV p-p with a 5-ms duration to synchronize the neural stimulus of the heart’s muscle mass and bring it back to normal operating conditions. Because of the high voltages needed to defibrillate a patient, the inputs of the ECG circuit must be protected. Other sources of noise are electrosurgery devices, which are used in operating rooms as electronic scalpels. These devices contain high-frequency currents in the megahertz range. The high current density at the tip of the electrode coagulates the protein, thereby stopping bleeding. The ECG module must provide additional filtering against this high-frequency noise.

Integrated Solution

The design goals for the Component Monitoring System ECG module included reduced cost, reduced size, minimum power consumption, and increased reliability arid functionality compared to the current patient monitor generation.

The target size was a single-width parameter module. This module measures only 99.6 mm by 36 mm by 97.5 mm (3.9 in by 1.4 in by 3.8 in). It was therefore obvious that we would have to use surface mount technology to meet the size objective. In addition, it soon became apparent that a large percentage of the electronic circuit would have to be integrated in silicon if the entire device was to fit into a single-width module. This and the need for cost reduction on such a high-volume parameter module as the ECG module clearly indicated that an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) would be the appropriate solution.

The class 4 workstation features an adjustable Zaxis rack and pinion linear motion guide and a large 16″ x 16″ worktable allowing easy access to oversized parts. The laser is supported by a heavy-duty steel stand with locking wheels.

The system includes Unitek’s LM45 Q-switched, pulsed Nd:YAG laser maker. Using high speed X-Y galvanometers, the laser beam is directed to the work surface through a flat field lens, producing a marking area up to 8 inches square. Laser spot diameters as small as 0.002 inch produce clean, crisp, high-constant marks over the entire marking area. The LM45 is capable of directly and permanently marking metals, plastics, semiconductors, ceramics and more.

The system comprises the LM45, Q-switched Nd:YAG laser marker integrated with an ergonomically designed MW workstation, both from Unitek Miyachi Lasers.

Using high-speed X-Y galvanometers, the laser beam is directed to the work surface through a flat field lens, producing a 7.5in sq marking area.

Laser spot diameters down to 0.002in produce clean, crisp, high- contrast marks over the entire area.

The LM45 can directly and permanently mark a wide range of materials, including metals, plastics, semiconductors and ceramics.

The system includes a built-in fume extractor and optical readers to form a fully self-contained unit, which can handle the entire laser marking process for any application.

MY SCHOOL had a pile of old equipment in the physics lab. Galvanometers with bent needles, a Rontgen tube burnt out from high- energy X-rays used to make informal portraits of the insides of pupils’ heads, and the splendid Van de Graaff generator. Its plaintive screaming summoned static electricity out of thin air on lost schoolday afternoons. Static is the enemy of radio producers. It lurks between stations, corrupts our hard drives, crackles on recordings. Our job is to create order out of the mess. Which is why we love stories. We despise the news precisely because it frolics in the disorder of senseless acts.

All around us at work is noise. Real noise from the constant refurbishment at Broadcasting House, and the tiring metaphorical noise from people such as authors’ agents. At the bottom of the heap is pure noise itself, static. Yet, sitting in my office now, at nearly midnight, with the radio tuned to nothing but static, I feel free for the first time in months. Through static, I hear beyond my tiny life.

The producer’s day is full of judgements that are meant to be the foghorn by which we navigate through the mist, on potential contributors, on redundant sentences, on music. I am enjoying the static, which falls indiscriminately on me like snow now. Producers are the pushers of the addictive powdery stuff of stories. But we have fallen under their spell and have become enslaved. Maybe static is a tropical rainstorm washing away the filth of words, which cling and insinuate and have compromised us so. Long live static.