Dear Reader,
 Welcome to our May newsletter. This month is named for the Greek goddess Maia who represents fertility. In the northern hemisphere this is the month for growth of new plants of all types. May also has the peculiar property that in a given year, no other month will begin or end on the same day of the week as May. I'll leave that to the mathematically inclined to figure out. And while you're thinking of May think of us at BEI Sensors as well. We just may be able to help you out with your sensor needs. So give us a call sometime.
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| One tough cookie |
 If you have the sort of job that involves molten metal, crushing rock, things that explode, or manhandling big heavy objects, then have we got an encoder for you. The BEI Sensors Model H40 is one of the toughest rotary encoders you can buy for industrial applications.
This workhorse is designed so that all of the encoding elements are suspended in place by an engineered isolation system. This assembly in turn is surrounded by a cast aluminum shell. Shaft torque is transmitted through a dual helix shaft that allows the sensor to float while maintaining rotary position accuracy.
To top it off the housing is designed to meet the strict requirements of an Explosion Proof rating for operation in hazardous environments. We realize this model isn't for just everybody. But when there's a really tough job to do, BEI Sensors has a really tough encoder to match. Click the picture and check out the PDF specification sheet. |
| Creatively Crazy |
 "Have no fear of perfection - you'll never reach it."
"Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings."
"Mistakes are almost always of a sacred nature. Never try to correct them. On the contrary: rationalize them, understand them thoroughly. After that, it will be possible for you to sublimate them"
"There is only one difference between a madman and me. The madman thinks he is sane. I know I am mad."
"What is a television apparatus to man, who has only to shut his eyes to see the most inaccessible regions of the seen and the never seen, who has only to imagine in order to pierce through walls and cause all the planetary Baghdads of his dreams to rise from the dust."
Who hasn't been at least exposed to Salvador Dali's images? Perhaps his most famous painting involves a landscape with melting watches - a comment on the flexibility of time no doubt. Dali, born in 1904 near the foothills of the Pyrenees, showed talent at a very early age. He had his first one-man art show in Barcelona at the age of 21.
His flamboyant and controversial personality variously brought him attention and derision over his lifetime. As a developing artist he caught the attention of Picasso and Miro, well-established artists already at the time. In addition to embracing cubism and dadaism, it was surrealism that brought him squarely into the public eye and for which he is best known.
Despite this, he was formally "kicked out" of the surrealist movement in a mock trial in 1934. He lived until 1989 and was controversial throughout his lifetime. If you want to learn more about the man, his life and his works, just click on the picture above. |
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| Can You Solve It? |
 Potentiometers seem like such simple devices on the surface and they've been around for such a long time, you would think that all the applications problems would have been solved by now. But when you work with high performance pots you sometimes get into some pretty interesting situations and that can lead to a phone call like the one we got a few weeks back.
It seems this fellow was experiencing early failures in his system. He was replacing pots about every six months and they really should have been lasting for years in his application. In fact he had some identical pots he had used on a previous valve position control system that did last for years. We asked him to email us a picture of the potentiometer in its installed place on the valve to see if that would help with the diagnoses - boy did it ever. What had we seen?
A) Our friend was operating a chemical plant that used both high pressure and low pressure steam for some of the processes. The early failures were on the high pressure line which was insulated to cut losses. He had to cut the insulation away from the potentiometer in order to get the picture! It turns out, in his drive to be super-insulated he had built custom high temperature foam enclosures around the valve stem and control box and was operating the sensor at well above it's rated temperature. Once he made a little breathing space for the pot, all was well. |
| Designs to make you think |
 We
work with it every day. Every product,
pattern, web site, kitchen gadget, building
and appliance has an element of design to
it. It has to function properly, take
care of a need, and provide aesthetic appeal.
Fortunately there are several international
design organizations that promote and honor
excellence and utility of design.
If you spend a few minutes poking around the IDSA web site you'll see things as simple as a folding razor, a laundry hamper made of sustainable woven fibers, and a solar powered street light with motion detector. Then there's the portable gasoline powered winch for rescue operations, a freestanding professional style kitchen range and a yes even a better mousetrap!
Click on the picture above then choose a category and browse. [By the way, the device pictured is a portable wireless fitness monitor that keeps track of your daily activity. Pretty clever.] |
THANK YOU
We really appreciate the chance to spend some time with you each month. We're here to help and inform and if we can ever be of assistance, be sure to give us a call or send an email.
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| Spotlight |
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RIGHT SIZED
Here's a good general purpose industrial encoder in a hollow shaft style. Its simple design and low profile means easy installation and operation. For a PDF specification, click the picture.
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