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TRaC extends vibration testing with low-frequency test rig | News

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TRaC extends vibration testing with low-frequency test rig

TRaC, the environmental and standards-compliance test house, has extended its capabilities in low-frequency mechanical vibration testing by commissioning a new low-frequency test rig at its Warwick laboratory. The new rig  is one of the few commercially available systems that can apply a wide range of vibration tests, such as the demanding European Naval specifications, to large and/or heavy products and systems.

The test system comprises a vibration platform measuring 1.3 x 1.3m, that can carry a test-piece load of up to 2 tonnes. The system is single-axis; that is, the platform's actuator moves it back-and-forth in one plane or direction, subjecting a unit-under-test (UUT) to vibration over a calibrated frequency range that extends as low as 0.1Hz, and up to 150Hz. UUTs can be subjected to a maximum acceleration of 5g at a frequency of 150Hz, and maximum displacement is 150 mm full-scale.

Movement of the table is under the control of a closed-loop system that employs electro-hydraulic actuators to generate the motion, and a combination of displacement transducers and capacitance-type accelerometers to give high-accuracy feedback in position and acceleration, respectively.  The level of precision of which the control system is capable means that it can apply either sinusoidal or random vibration, or pre-defined profiles of shock and vibration over specified intervals. These scenarios include the marine and sub-sea low-frequency environments that the original specification set out to meet.

Existing test facilities that generate low-frequency mechanical vibration use electromagnetic actuation ("electrodynamic" systems) which creates stray magnetic fields, meaning that UUTs sensitive to such fields cannot be tested. TRaC's electro-hydraulic system completely avoids this limitation, as well as going far beyond the lower frequency limit of electrodynamic systems.

Robust construction also means that TRaC's test platform can carry

Designing for ZigBee - Understand the standards before developing wireless products | News

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Designing for ZigBee - Understand the standards before developing wireless products

In a rapidly advancing world that appears to rely more and more on technology, it is evident that wireless technology is becoming one of the most essential of them all. Wireless devices are now found everywhere, from mobile phones to the headsets used to connect them. They are also found in automotive remote keyfobs, antitheft devices, home alarm systems, and the growing number of wireless modems in homes that provide access to the ubiquitous internet. These are only a few of the products which many have come to take for granted in the 21st century.

With wireless capabilities being incorporated into an increasing number of different types of products, there has been a concurrent growth in the different types of wireless technologies available, each of which may be better suited for different applications.

ZigBee is one of those wireless technologies that have emerged to cater to specific needs. It is a low cost, low power, mesh networking technology that offers dramatically increased battery life and has been developed to support applications in a number of industries including:

  • Home Automation (HA).
  • ZigBee Smart Energy (SE).
  • Telecommunication Applications (TA).
  • Personal, Home, and Hospital Care (PHHC).
  • Commercial Building Automation (CBA).

Essentially, ZigBee is radio device operating in the Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) unlicensed bands (868 MHz, 915 MHz and 2.4 GHz) and is comprised of a radio section based upon the IEEE 802.15.4 specification, with the ZigBee part sitting on top. The mesh network functionality is a type of networking where each node in the network may act as an independent router and allows many different devices to communicate with each other by passing messages through adjacent devices, unlike traditional wireless networks that tend to operate on a one-toone tree structure.

To complement ZigBee, the RF4CE (Radio Frequency for Consumer Electronics)

Can the CB scheme help your wireless product to market? | News

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Can the CB scheme help your wireless product to market?

CB or not CB: that is the question. When you have worked in the telecoms and electronics approvals industry for many years, I think you tend to forget that to some people the compliance and approvals process can appear to be very complex. That's usually because it can be!

Take the manufacturer of a Bluetooth or ZigBee product. These radio modules are now incorporated into thousands of different product types, with a truly global market reach. So when it comes to compliance testing, the manufacturer usually knows that it needs to go through EMC and radio testing, but the safety aspect of the testing can often be overlooked; and when it comes to marketing the product in various countries around the world the proverbial brick wall can be encountered. This can be particularly frustrating as many different countries around the world have varying requirements for the safety testing of products which are to be allowed in their territory.

However, all is not lost!

Enter the "IECEE CB Scheme" for safety. The IECEE CB Scheme is an international system which applies to the safety of electrical and electronic products so that they can be readily accepted in international markets. It is essentially a Passport for safety compliance, and can be used in support of applications for National Marks such as UL or CSA. It provides an excellent conformity assessment platform for manufacturers wanting to trade in global markets and whose products need to demonstrate third party conformity to relevant standards. It consists of 54 member bodies whose aim is to promote mutual recognition of the testing process. It is also possible for some countries which are not part of the CB scheme to accept CB certified reports as a demonstration of compliance.

So how does it

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