Motors & Drives Information

According to Kevin Delaney, vice president for systems integration at the company's advanced development center in New Berlin, WI, Smart Trac(TM) is the first motor drive with softlogic(a) that fully complies with industry software standards(b) for programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and industrial PCs. Software for the drive was programmed utilizing MicroSoft's popular Windows NT(R) operating system and is equally easy to use.

The Windows-based programming for Smart Trac was developed by MagneTek and Xycom Automation, a leading supplier of industrial software in which MagneTek has an equity position.

"The user now can have a much less complicated system because programming for Smart Trac drives, PLCs and PCs all look and feel the same," Delany says. "In fact, users can actually eliminate PLCs and PCs in their systems, since Smart Trac itself performs PLC and PC functions."

Users expected to benefit most from Smart Trac are those with manufacturing processes that incorporate many dedicated, remotely controlled drive units. Initial installations have been on film, foil and paper converting lines. Potential applications include papermaking, automobile, textile, printing, metalworking and many other industrial processes requiring coordinated automation control.

MagneTek manufactures electric motors, drives, power supplies, and lighting products for a wide range of commercial and industrial applications. The company reported sales of $1.2 billion for its fiscal year ended June 31, 1998.

(a) "user friendly" software programmed for control systems. (b) IEC1131-3 ----------------------------------------------------------------------

The foregoing announcement contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties which, in many cases, are beyond the control of the company. These include but are not limited to economic conditions in general, business conditions in electrical and electronic equipment markets, competitive factors such as pricing and technology, and the risk that the company's ultimate costs of doing business exceed present estimates. Further information on factors which could affect MagneTek's financial results is presented in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

# posted by Medical Information : 3:37 AM  0 Comments

American Superconductor Corporation (Nasdaq:AMSC) announced today the signing of a contract with the U.S. Navy's Office of Naval Research (ONR) to design a high temperature superconducting (HTS) motor for naval ship propulsion systems.

Under the ONR contract, American Superconductor will design a 25,000-horsepower HTS ship propulsion motor for future Navy ships. The basic motor design is a variant on the design being employed for industrial HTS motors, which have been under development for the last decade. The company will also develop and demonstrate key motor components under the program.

The application of HTS technology to ship propulsion is expected to yield inherently quieter motors that have much higher power density; that is, they are expected to be approximately one-fifth the size and weight of conventional motors of the same horsepower rating. A conventional 25,000-hp ship propulsion motor is about the size of a city bus - the HTS model is expected to be about the size of a sport utility vehicle.

"We are excited to start the transfer of our successes in the development of commercial HTS motors to Navy applications," stated Greg Yurek, president and CEO of American Superconductor. "The much higher power density of HTS motors will make them a natural for ship applications. We believe the market for HTS ship propulsion motors for both commercial and defense applications will add significantly to the addressable market for HTS motors, which is already over $1 billion per year based on industrial motor applications."

Design, development and testing of 1,000- and 5,000-hp HTS motors for industrial applications is currently proceeding under a $21 million U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) program being carried out at Reliance Electric, a business unit of Rockwell International (NYSE:ROK), in collaboration with American Superconductor. American Superconductor recently shipped HTS coils for the world's first 1,000-hp motor to Reliance Electric, and is currently manufacturing HTS wire for the first 5,000-hp motor under the DOE program.

This first contract for HTS ship propulsion motors has a value of $2 million, of which the company expects to recognize approximately $1.5 million over the next 12 months. The remainder will be directed to parallel development efforts at the ONR, the Naval Research Laboratory and the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory. The company believes this contract will be the first in a multiyear, multimillion dollar effort to design, develop, manufacture and test HTS motors for incorporation into all-electric ship drives for the next generation of Navy ship propulsion systems.

American Superconductor

American Superconductor Corporation, headquartered in Westborough, Mass., was founded in 1987 and is an industry leader in developing, manufacturing and marketing products utilizing superconducting materials for electric power applications. The company's products are designed to improve power quality and reliability, conserve electricity and reduce operating costs for electric utilities and their customers. Products are sold directly or integrated into the advanced electric power equipment of major suppliers to electric utilities and industrial users of power. For more information, please see www.amsuper.com.

Certain statements in this press release, including statements containing the words "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "will" and similar expressions, constitute forward looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. There are a number of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include the uncertainties that : the company will be able to obtain the anticipated funding from corporate and government contracts; the company will be able to successfully develop and manufacture commercial products; a robust market will develop for the company's products; and the company will secure anticipated orders. Additionally such factors include: the risk that strategic alliances and other contracts may be terminated; the risk that certain technologies utilized by the company will infringe intellectual property rights of others; the competition encountered by the company, including several large Japanese companies; the amount and timing of the company's future cash requirements and the availability of satisfactory financing sources. Reference is made to these and other factors discussed in the "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation" section of the company's periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

# posted by Medical Information : 3:36 AM  0 Comments

Top companies develop cross-functional marketing systems and processes to strengthen branding, communicate product and service benefits to customers and to create customer loyalty.

&uot;World-class companies have started to leverage technology as a key component of their cross-functional marketing strategy with the ultimate goal of increasing corporate recognition, improving customer loyalty and growing corporate revenue,&uot; said Chris Bogan, President and CEO of Best Practices, LLC, a leader in the field of benchmarking and process improvement. Best Practices, LLC and GTE will host the Winter Meeting of the Global Benchmarking Council (GBC), March 1-3 at the Omni Dallas Park West and GTE Solutions Center in Dallas, TX. &uot;This session will provide an insightful review of world-class marketing and branding strategies that are both cross-functional and customer focused. Increasingly, companies are required to create marketing strategies that incorporate the needs and ideas of multiple functional departments to drive customer interaction and loyalty,&uot; Bogan said.

Hewlett-Packard is recognized throughout the world - and it did not create this brand familiarity through a silo-focused marketing campaign. Indeed, HP employs a cross-functional strategy to create a common brand that drives customer loyalty. Join GBC members and guests of the Global Benchmarking Council in Dallas, as an expert from Hewlett-Packard shares the strategy for &uot;Integrating IT, Sales and Marketing on a United Product Front.&uot;

Embedded in every great sales and marketing strategy is a systematic approach to managing the customer relationship. Lucent Technologies realizes the important connections between world-class sales, marketing and customer management. Join an expert from Lucent Technologies as he shares how Lucent markets its products and services to the customer through an advanced customer relationship management (CRM) system.

Drawn by discussions of Creating Profit with Cutting-Edge Sales Technology, Driving Growth through Marketing Excellence and Best Practices Benchmarking, Global Benchmarking Council members and guests will gather in Dallas, TX to trade insights and implementation solutions through detailed presentations, success sharing, management roundtables, knowledge exchanges and informal conversations. This quarter, members and guests will also examine actual benchmarking case studies from leading companies in the areas of customer service and call center excellence. Attendees will participate in interactive presentations from Hewlett-Packard, Lucent Technologies, GTE, Prudential, Georgia-Pacific and Best Practices, LLC as well as share in the collective experience of member organizations including Cisco Systems, Dell, Pfizer, AT&, Johnson &Johnson, Sprint, USAA, Lucent, DuPont, Bell Atlantic, General Motors, GTE and Pfizer Pharmaceuticals.

The Global Benchmarking Council (GBC) was launched in 1998 by Best Practices, LLC, a Chapel Hill, NC research firm, in collaboration with founding members such as GTE, Sprint, DuPont, and AT&. Membership in the GBC is crafted to transform colleagues into partners and friends. The council's size fosters substantive knowledge sharing. In addition to a year-round network of fellow corporate innovators and benchmarking thought leaders and attendance at quarterly council meetings, GBC members enjoy numerous benefits: preferential discounts on the Best Practices Online Database(c) and Best Practices Benchmarking Reports(c), invitations to participate in leading-edge benchmarking studies, free of charge, and monthly Best Practice Spotlights. Online resources include a library of data resources, a comprehensive directory to facilitate benchmarking between members, and research links, as well as electronic meeting reports and speaker presentations - all housed on a customized Select Page. To join or to receive more information about the benefits of membership in the Global Benchmarking Council, please visit the GBC website at or call Rachel Porter at 919-403-0251 Ext. 225.

# posted by Medical Information : 3:33 AM  0 Comments

Motors and Generators

American Superconductor Corporation (Nasdaq:AMSC) and Rockwell Automation, an operating unit of Rockwell International Corporation (NYSE: ROK), announced today the successful operation of the world's first 1,000 horsepower (hp) high temperature superconducting (HTS) motor. This new motor was designed to utilize HTS wires instead of copper wires on the rotating shaft of the motor. American Superconductor studies indicate the key benefits of using HTS wires are significant reductions in size and manufacturing costs of industrial and ship propulsion motors and increases in electrical efficiency.

"The successful demonstration of the 1,000-hp HTS motor is a significant engineering achievement," stated Joseph D. Swann, president, power systems, Rockwell Automation. "Through our participation in this project, Rockwell Automation hopes to further the development of this important energy-saving technology, paving the way for ground-breaking research and development that will contribute to the commercial success of superconductivity."

Industry experts estimate that the current market for industrial motors with power ratings of at least 1,000 horsepower is approximately $1 billion per year worldwide. The market for electric generators over 30 megawatts, which involve the same fundamental technology as motors, is approximately $2 billion per year worldwide.

Large motors are the workhorses of industry. Today, conventional motors utilize approximately 25 percent of all electric power generated in industrialized countries. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that higher efficiency HTS motors could save U.S. industry billions of dollars per year in electrical operating costs. These gains in operating efficiency also mean more power available for the new digital applications of electricity.

"Our HTS wires not only operate with higher electrical efficiency, they are able to carry more than 100 times the power of copper wires with the same dimensions," said Greg Yurek, chief executive of American Superconductor. "The higher power density of HTS wires is the basis for disrupting the global industrial motor business - making it increasingly profitable through reductions in motor manufacturing costs by 25 to 40 percent. These reductions are achieved through the implementation of innovative designs and reductions by up to a factor of three in the size of industrial motors - all made possible by HTS technology."

The 1,000-hp motor follows demonstrations over the last decade of a series of HTS motors with ever increasing power ratings. Success of the 1,000-hp motor depended on the development of higher performance HTS wire and the creation of new designs for components of the motor.

The 1,000-hp HTS motor was developed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Superconductivity Partnership Initiative. The intention of the DOE program is the promotion of advanced high efficiency motors based on superconducting technologies.

"Superconducting power technologies can help address concerns about the reliability of the electric grid," said Energy Secretary Bill Richardson. "DOE's support for these types of projects promotes our mission of efficient, environmentally-friendly energy solutions."

American Superconductor has more recently focused on the design and development of HTS motors that fully leverage the higher power density of HTS wires. The company has already tested key components for its new, patented design for ultra-compact HTS motors. It believes these motors will be much less expensive to manufacture compared with conventional motors that use only copper wires and will be more energy efficient as well. American Superconductor expects to have its first 5,000-hp HTS ultra-compact motor ready for testing in the Spring of 2001. It has already let contracts for manufacture of certain components of this motor, which it sees as the market entry point for HTS motors. The company is also working under a U.S. Navy contract on design concepts for 33,000-hp ship propulsion motors.

Technical Background

Superconductors are materials that carry large quantities of electricity with zero electrical resistance when cooled to very low, or cryogenic temperatures. While superconductors have been known for decades, the only commercial application until recently was in medical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) devices. These devices utilize low temperature superconductor (LTS) wires. In 1986, two IBM scientists discovered a new family of superconductor materials that still require cooling to cryogenic temperatures, but that operate at 5 to 20 times higher temperatures than the old LTS materials. The new materials, which are ceramic compounds, have become known as high temperature superconductors (HTS). The lower cost of cooling these new materials significantly enhanced the commercial economics of superconductor applications, and created the possibility of using high power density superconducting wires in electric power applications, such as power cables, motors and generators. American Superconductor has over 200 patents, patent applications and licenses related to the manufacture of HTS wires and the applications of superconductors to electric power applications.

# posted by Medical Information : 3:33 AM  0 Comments

Plextor(R) Corp., a leading developer and manufacturer of high-performance CD-related equipment and software, today announced the immediate availability of the 3-in-1 PlexWriter(TM) 16/10/40A drive.

The new internal drive features an E-IDE (ATAPI-4) interface and Plug & Play compatibility, making installation faster and easier than ever before, and enabling end-users to begin copying and sharing files with drag-and-drop simplicity within minutes of opening the box.

The PlexWriter 16/10/40A drive features 16X CD-recording, 10X CD-rewriting, and 40X max CD-playback, making it among the fastest CD-RW drives available on the market today. The 10X-rewrite speed leaps over conventional 4X CD-RW speeds, enabling the PlexWriter to rewrite an entire 650MB disc in approximately six minutes.

The PlexWriter 16/10/40A also features BURN-Proof(TM) (buffer underrun-proof) technology, which ensures fault-tolerant CD burning. BURN-Proof prevents errors from occurring when data flow to the drive is interrupted during the recording process due to slow source-drive performance, PC configuration problems, or when running other applications. By allowing users to surf the Web, download files, and utilize other applications while a CD records in the background, this error-reducing technology makes CD-recording more practical than ever before.

"With 40X max playback speed, the PlexWriter 16/10/40A qualifies as a full-time replacement for an existing CD-ROM or CD-R drive," said Howard Wing, vice president of sales and marketing for Plextor. "This high-speed drive provides both professionals and power-users with the ideal solution for such advanced applications as recording audio CDs, archiving small and large data files, or creating multimedia productions."

PlexWriter 16/10/40A Drive

Based on an award-winning platform, the versatile 3-in-1 PlexWriter 16/10/40A lets users write, rewrite, and read compact discs at a variety of speeds. It records CD-R discs at 16X (2.4 MB/sec), 12X (1.8 MB/sec), 8X (1.2 MB/sec), or 4X (600 KB/sec) speeds. The Plextor drive plays back both CD-R and CD-ROM discs at speeds ranging from 4X (600 KB/sec) to 40X (6.0 MB/sec). CD-RW media can be recorded at 10X (1.5 MB/sec), 8X (1.2 MB/sec), 4X (600 KB/sec), or 2X (300 KB/sec), and read back at 32X max (4.8 MB/sec). The PlexWriter 16/10/40A also extracts audio CDs at 40x (6 MB/sec).

The internal PlexWriter 16/10/40A drive with E-IDE (ATAPI-4) Interface includes a data buffer capacity of 2 MB. Average random access time is a very fast 140ms and burst transfer rates are 16.6 MB/second (PIO Mode 4/DMA Mode 2). The drive supports a wide variety of writing modes, including Track-at-Once, Disc-at-Once, Session-at-Once, Multisession, and variable/fixed packet writing.

Complete Suite of Software Included

The internal PlexWriter 16/10/40A is Windows 95/98/2000/NT/ME Plug & Play compatible. The retail package for the PlexWriter 16/10/40A includes several valuable software applications for an enhanced "out-of-the-box" customer experience. Plextor Manager 2000(TM) is a comprehensive suite of 32-bit software utilities that allows users to control audio management, playback, recording, and drive settings:

Music Video Producer 2000 (MVP2000(TM)) handles playback of music and video files. This CD-DA and digital A/V player can be used to create a digital jukebox and customized playlists for MP3, WMA, WAV files and CD audio tracks. Once the user has created individual playlists, recording an audio CD from the playlist is as simple as a mouse click. The resulting audio or CD TEXT discs can be played on home, car, portable, or PC CD players. A link to the Internet CDDB database from MVP 2000 supplies album, song, and artist information during playback for most commercially available CDs.

DiscDupe 2000(TM) allows users to backup CDs directly to the PlexWriter 16/10/40A with "bit-by-bit" accuracy using the Session-at-Once recording method. Audio Capture 2000(TM) allows users to capture audio tracks from the CD to the hard disk as WAV files or to encode tracks as Windows Media Audio (WMA) files. A track selection window shows at a glance all necessary information about the source disc. Single or multiple tracks can be extracted at once. Audio Capture 2000 supports sampling rates of 44 kHz, 22 kHz, and 11 kHz, 8-bit or 16-bit resolution, and stereo or monaural sound for WAV and 64kbit or 128kbit rates for WMA files. With CDDB support in Audio Capture 2000, WMA files are encoded with song, artist, and album information as part of the file.

AudioFS(TM) displays audio CDs to operating systems and applications as WAV files. It eliminates the need to store large files on a hard disk, allowing applications to access the tracks from the audio CD directly through AudioFS. AudioFS allows easy drag and drop of audio tracks to a hard disk for a simple and quick audio extraction to WAV format. It also allows fast and easy encoding of WAV files to a number of compression formats, such as MP3, WMA, and Real Audio, with third party software.

# posted by Medical Information : 3:32 AM  0 Comments

Baldor Electric Company, the leading manufacturer of electric motors in North America, based in Fort Smith, Arkansas has chosen Commerce Bank (Nasdaq:CBSH), headquartered in Missouri, to provide state-of-the-art lockbox remittance processing and payment imaging services.

Corporations utilize lockbox services to facilitate the collection of customer payments. Lockbox services benefit business in the following ways: improved cash forecasting, lower payment processing costs and accelerated receivables collection allowing for increased cash flow. Commerce Bank offers image lockbox services, enabling customers the ability to view online images of payments processed on a same-day basis. "By accessing digital images of their lockbox payments and remittance documentation through our internet-based information reporting service, Commerce Bank customers are now able to research accounts receivable payment activity without delay," commented Kevin H. Connelly, Senior Vice President and Manager of Treasury Services.

"We needed a bank that would not only tailor a cash management program to fit our needs and provide excellent customer service, but also do both at a competitive price. Their personal service and advanced technologies made the migration painless and the relationship a very positive one," commented Tracy Long, Manager of Treasury & Investor Development at Baldor.

Baldor markets, designs and manufactures electric motors and drives. They have more than 80 years of experience in the industrial motor business and are currently the market share leader in North America. Thirty years ago, Baldor was categorized amongst the "others" when looking at top companies in their industry. Today, they are number one and have further achieved a number one ranking for brand preference in the country. Baldor has accomplished this substantial growth largely due to their emphasis on customers and their needs. They do business the way the customer wants, including providing local training.

"Baldor and Commerce share a number of core values. Like Baldor, Commerce has a significant local presence and decision-making capabilities within each of our markets," commented Kevin Barth, President Commerce Bank, Kansas City. "Additionally, we pride ourselves on our disciplined approach to asking our customers what their needs are, listening and creating a solution specifically to meet those needs."

# posted by Medical Information : 3:28 AM  0 Comments

SatCon Technology Corporation(R) (Nasdaq NM: SATC), a leader in critical powering solutions, announced today that it was selected by the U. S. Department of Energy to develop an optimized hybrid electric vehicle drive train. The drive train consists of a motor controller and a traction motor that drives the wheels in a hybrid electric or electric automobile. The objective of the program is to incorporate SatCon's new motor and electronic control technologies into an advanced electric drive train for hybrid electric vehicles that will operate more efficiently over the full vehicle speed range.

"The drivetrain will build off the work we have been doing for the Department of Energy under our $10 million advanced integrated power module, or AIPM, program," said David Eisenhaure, SatCon's president and chief executive officer. "Basically, we will take a 35 kilowatt AIPM module and combine it with a new high efficiency motor to construct an advanced, low cost motor drive for use with hybrid electric cars. The AIPM module is currently in its fourth generation, or production prototype phase, and is being integrated for upcoming reliability and environmental testing."

"This is a continuation of our work in developing advanced motors and electronics for next generation hybrid electric vehicles," concluded Eisenhaure. "We recently announced some $1.5 million in new work for the Army to develop other components for hybrid electric vehicles and we are continuing to develop auxiliary motors for fuel cell cars for one of the major U.S. automakers. Hybrid electric cars that use fuel cells and clean turbines have been receiving considerable notice by the major auto makers recently, as the need to develop low cost, environmentally cleaner cars continues. We think that developing lower cost electronics like our advanced integrated power modules can be enablers for hybrid electric cars and the future hydrogen economy."

About SatCon Technology Corporation

SatCon Technology Corporation manufactures and sells power and energy management products for digital power markets. SatCon has three business units: SatCon Power Systems manufactures and sells power systems for distributed power generation, power quality and factory automation, including inverter electronics from 5 kilowatts to 5 megawatts. SatCon Electronics manufactures and sells power chip components; power switches; RF devices; amplifiers; telecommunications electronics; and hybrid microcircuits for industrial, medical, and aerospace applications. SatCon Applied Technology develops advanced technology in digital power electronics, high-efficiency machines and control systems with the strategy of transitioning those technologies into products. For further information, please visit the SatCon website at www.satcon.com.

Statements made in this document that are not historical facts or that apply prospectively are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. The important factors that could cause SatCon Technology Corporation's ("the company's") actual circumstances, or results, to differ materially from those implied by such forward-looking statements include the ability to successfully develop the motor and controller components, to successfully integrate them, to receive additional funding for further development of the system, the company's ability to manufacture motors, power conversion electronics and control products; developments in the company's business and industry; market conditions; and the inability to gain customer acceptance of the company's products, particularly within the digital power marketplace. Additional information concerning factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements is contained from time to time in the company's filings including, but not limited to, the 10-K and 10-Q. Copies of those filings are available from the company and the Securities and Exchange Commission.

# posted by Medical Information : 3:26 AM  0 Comments

ValueClick Media Welcomes Catherine McConville and Nine Others

to Fuel Growth and Expand Market Share in Digital Media Sales

ValueClick, Inc. (Nasdaq:VCLK), a leading company offering advertisers and direct marketers innovative media and technology solutions to achieve their multi-channel marketing goals of acquiring, retaining, and growing customer relationships, today announced that Catherine McConville has joined its media division as Director of Western Sales. McConville's primary responsibilities are to lead the Western region's sales development with substantial revenue growth and to identify new market opportunities.

McConville, former Director of Sales at SkyGo, Inc., a prominent provider of mobile marketing, comes to ValueClick Media with over twenty years of sales and business development experience. At SkyGo, McConville was responsible for 95% of its wireless ad sales as well as the structure of its sales territories and goals. Prior to SkyGo McConville has held prominent sales positions for companies such as Ziff Davis, where she signed 90% of accounts within her territory during the first year of the publication's launch; Individual.com, where she led the Western region's sales development with a 59% growth in revenue; and UN/Miller Freeman, where she achieved the highest month in ad sales and profit for the magazine's history.

"I am confident that Catherine will be extremely successful increasing sales of ValueClick Media's solutions for advertisers seeking online reach and results," stated James Zarley, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ValueClick Media. "Our positioning, matched with Catherine's vast experience in sales, will ensure deeper and broader penetration in the San Francisco Bay Area and Pacific Northwest Region. We are certainly excited to have her on board."

In addition to the appointment of Catherine, Bill Todd and Dan Desmet of ValueClick Media have been promoted to lead sales efforts for the East Coast Sales Team. Nine new account executives have also been hired to increase market share and continue to provide high levels of customer service. The account executive roles have been designed to expand major account sales through customized media solutions and to manage campaign sales, development, execution and results analysis.

About ValueClick, Inc.

ValueClick, Inc. offers direct marketers and advertisers innovative media and technology solutions to achieve their multi-channel marketing goals of acquiring, retaining, and growing customer relationships. ValueClick, Inc. has offices worldwide and drives measurable results to clients such as General Motors, eBay, and McCann Erickson. For more information, please visit www.valueclick.com.

This release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including trends in online advertising spending and estimates of future online performance-based advertising. Actual results may differ materially from the results predicted and reported results should not be considered an indication of future performance. Important factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements are detailed under "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission made from time to time by ValueClick, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 22, 2002, recent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K. Other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements include the risk that market demand for online advertising, and performance-based online advertising in particular, will not grow as rapidly as predicted. ValueClick undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

# posted by Medical Information : 3:24 AM  0 Comments

International Rectifier, IR(R) (NYSE:IRF) today launches the first iNTERO(TM) Programmable isolated-intelligent power module (PI-IPM), a device that integrates, in a single housing, the power stage with the embedded driver board (EDB) containing a programmable DSP on board. The PI-IPM is the most integrated power module available on the market and provides a fully integrated, flexible, high performance solution for three phase, AC induction and brushless DC industrial and servo motors up to 15kW, used in a wide variety of applications such as conveyor systems, pumps, HVAC systems and elevators. The PI-IPM limits the time, cost and risk of designing the motor drive power stage and associated controls and peripherals.

The PIIPM50P12B004 is rated at 1200V and 50A and includes all power semiconductors for a three-phase inverter power stage as well as a programmable 40 Mips DSP, current sensing, isolation, gate driver and power stage protection for direct interface with the motor drive host and the input stage.

The new module includes an asynchronous 2.5 Mbps serial port compatible with the scalable coherent interface/IEEE 1596-1992 (SCI), service provider interface (SPI) and controller area network (CAN) as well as a Joint Action Test Group (JTAG) IEEE 1149.1 standard port for DSP interfacing and an isolated serial port input with strobe signal for quadrature encoders or SPI communication. A basic instruction set is provided and a development tool is available.

A proven integrated solution eliminates financial and schedule risks associated with development of complex power systems, and provides a known cost from the start. The iNTERO PI-IPM greatly simplifies supply chain logistics by replacing 130 components with a single device. The PI-IPM also eliminates system costs such as separate packaging, cables and the cost of matching logic circuits with the power stage.

Dr. Francesco Vallone, International Rectifier Product Marketing Manager, said, "When using the iNTERO PI-IPM in their hardware designs, system designers can focus on control strategies and software development to manage motor characteristics, accelerating time-to-market. The PI-IPM facilitates the transition to variable speed motors with electronic drive with a limited investment in hardware design and makes it easy to upgrade the performance of an existing electronic drive."

The PI-IPM is designed for the high performance required for servo drives. The PI-IPM provides a very accurate current feedback loop in a high efficiency, highly rugged design with low noise in a package that is up to 50% smaller than traditional designs. The current feedback loop has a bandwidth of 5kHz and provides low torque at low speed without unwanted shaft trembling or noise.

The new module includes leading non-punch through (NPT) IGBT and advanced diode technology for reduced current-tail effects, ultra-low power losses up to 20kHz, a square safe operating area, 10 microsecond short-circuit capability and low conductive noise. Switching frequencies up to 20kHz can be implemented by combining the reduced current-tail effects from the IGBT with a gate driver IC that allows deadtime as low as 500 ns, or ten times faster than opto-couplers.

Careful design considerations have been implemented to limit noise and reduce the size of EMI filters, including separate turn-on and turn-off gate drive output for IGBT di/dt control. Noise is further reduced by the reduction of connectors and cables due to the integrated configuration and the compact outline that allows placing the power module close to the motor. Low noise and low power losses allow stacking the control section on top of the power stage.

The PI-IPM offers one of the most rugged designs in the market by incorporating rugged IGBT technology, under-voltage and over-voltage shutdown protection on all three phase inputs and the DC bus, shoot-through protection, matched propagation delay between the input and output signal, full protection from line-to-line and ground-fault failures and the ability to detect loss of isolation in the motor winding or connecting cable before forced system shutdown.

# posted by Medical Information : 3:27 AM  0 Comments

Rockwell Scientific Company LLC (RSC) will receive $1.5 million in an agreement with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory to develop a high efficiency, high temperature, compact motor drive for use in aircraft and spacecraft.

A major program objective is to develop a silicon carbide (SiC)-based switched reluctance motor drive to be demonstrated in fault tolerant electric actuators for operation at 200 degrees C. High temperature SiC switches, packaging, control electronics, and motors are key components needed for advanced motor drives that can operate in harsh environments with minimal cooling. These configurations could significantly reduce the size and weight of power electronics as well as operating costs.

Rockwell Scientific will lead a program team that includes technical participation from the University of Kentucky, Boeing, and Rockwell Automation. The program will develop, produce, and test modular high power density, high temperature SiC power modules, high temperature control electronics, and high temperature switched reluctance motors for a wide range of applications in power distribution and conversion systems for aircraft (military and commercial) and spacecraft. Integration of thermal management with devices, controls, and motors will also be considered in component designs and packages. Ground demonstrations will be performed on these components operating in a high temperature aircraft power subsystem.

In addition to benefiting military systems, the resulting technology will have commercial applications in the medical, automotive, electric utility, aircraft, and oil exploration industries. Examples of product applications include hybrid-electric cars, power generators, aircraft ignition systems, and deep well instrumentation.

# posted by Medical Information : 3:22 AM  0 Comments

The agreement calls for Siemens to provide a comprehensive solution combining remote outsourcing, R/3 consulting, server systems and ongoing support -- all under a single contract.

Under the agreement, Siemens will implement and operate an enterprise-wide information management system from one of its off-site data centers. Continental General Tire will enjoy the benefits of R/3 -- such as integrated functionality and a clear view of business performance across the company -- without the need for heavy internal investments. The outsourcing operation will be fully transparent to end-users.

The new system will support over 2,000 Continental General Tire users. The first phase, comprising the Human Resource, Financial/Controlling and Materials Management modules of R/3, is scheduled to go live in October 1998.

"Continental General Tire's commitment to quality, value and performance is reinforced with the implementation of this enterprise-wide system," said John Curry, senior vice president, Finance & Controlling of Continental General Tire. "SAP R/3 will allow Continental to create more efficient linkages with its customers, save on material costs, improve forecasting and provide employees with higher reliability/integrity of accessed information."

Eventually, the R/3 system will integrate manufacturing, customer service, order entry and finance. This advanced technology will enable Continental to provide excellent customer service for its passenger and light truck,commercial and off-road divisions.

"Siemens outsourcing allows Continental General Tire to enjoy the business benefits of R/3 without the day-to-day headaches of maintaining a complex enterprise system," added Ed Blechschmidt, president and CEO of Siemens Nixdorf Information Systems Inc. "Many companies still running in a legacy environment would like to take advantage of SAP R/3, but are reluctant to make the transition because they lack the expertise in-house. For companies like these, Siemens outsourcing provides a comprehensive and extremely cost-effective solution."

"We're in this together," Curry added. "This is a partnership with Siemens focusing on its area of expertise so we can focus on ours -- engineering and manufacturing the world's best tires. Their range of competencies and critical mass as a world player will help us meet our ambitious goals in the years ahead."

The project brings together the specialized expertise of several organizations within Siemens. SAP consultants from the Business Solutions Group will migrate the information infrastructure from a legacy systems mainframe environment to the client/server world of R/3.

The Open Enterprise Computing Division will provide five RM600 server systems to run the new enterprise system. Siemens Business Services will manage the outsourcing services, operate the data center and provide ongoing support for the R/3 software, servers and networks.

As a Global SAP Partner, Siemens has performed more than 1,300 R/3 implementations, making it one of the world's most experienced providers of R/3 consulting services. Siemens servers running R/3 have set the price/performance record for Windows NT and UNIX, certified by SAP for 5,000 users. Siemens is itself the world's largest user of SAP software, and has a partnership with SAP spanning 23 years.

Siemens Business Services (SBS), focused on state-of-the-art outsourcing services, is a worldwide organization with a staff of 11,000. Operating off-site and transparently, SBS offers a broad range of integrated services including running the corporate data center, network management, help desk services, server management, security management and user administration.

SBS also offers advantages as a partner with a strong worldwide presence: access to specialized expertise, the ability to negotiate better deals with third parties and a seamless support system for companies doing business in the global marketplace.

About Continental General Tire

Continental General Tire Inc., based in Charlotte, N.C., manufactures and distributes tires under the Continental, General and private label brands in North America. Its parent company, Continental AG, headquartered in Hannover, Germany, is a global leader in the manufacture of passenger, truck and commercial tires, automotive systems and various industrial products.

# posted by Medical Information : 3:21 AM  0 Comments

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (President and CEO: Tamotsu Nomakuchi) today introduced a super high reliability Dual-In-Line Package Intelligent Power Module (DIP-IPM) targeted for motor inverter drives of Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) applications or auxiliary machines. This DIP-IPM product is the first of its kind in the world.

Traditional DIP-IPMs are mainly used for inverter drives in home appliances such as room air conditioners, washing machines and refrigerators. The super high reliability DIP-IPM is also suitable for automobile applications, thus contributing to the miniaturization of automobile inverter drive systems.

The increased use of energy-saving air conditioners in green automobiles (HEV, FCEV) is in response to environmental concerns. To meet this need, smaller and more reliable IPMs are required in the inverter drives for them and other auxiliary motors. The application of DIP-IPMs in electric automobiles is expected to contribute to the miniaturization of inverter drive systems in other auxiliary motors as well.

There are three main features for this application:

1. High Reliability with Reduced Mounting Surface Area

Development of high quality IPMs should improve product performance in harsh environmental conditions. Failure probability has been greatly minimized through quality control management. The temperature cycle capability has been improved considerably by employing the new structure power chips (IGBT/2, FWD/3, HVIC/4, LVIC/5). By using the new IPM, the mounting surface area of the device and its interface circuit is reduced by about 40 percent, compared with traditional IPMs with the same 30A/600V rating. This results in considerable space savings.

2. Simplified Circuit Design by High Active Drive Logic

The start up sequence of the control supply is required as a countermeasure against possible malfunctions during the control supply power on-and-off period in a traditional IPM system. With the high active drive logic, this requirement is no longer necessary. Furthermore, the new approach offers a versatile interface compatible to 3V class MCU or DSP.

3. Reduction of malfunctioning by EMI/6 Noise Reduction

By optimizing the switching speed, EMI noise in the new DIP-IPM has been reduced by about 10db in comparison with traditional products.

# posted by Medical Information : 2:13 AM  0 Comments

International Rectifier, IR(r), (NYSE:IRF) today introduces a pair of 600V, 50A non-punch-through (NPT) discrete IGBTs for motor drive applications. The new IGBTs feature a "square" reverse bias safe operating area (RBSOA) and 10 microsecond short-circuit capability, which improves motor drive ruggedness and reliability. A square RBSOA means that the current rating does not degrade at higher voltage. IR's new IGBTs are ideal for hard-starting motor drive applications with high in-rush currents up to 6kW. Typical applications span from vacuum systems to switch reluctance (SR) drives and UPS systems.

IR's thin silicon NPT technology offers lower turn-off energy losses, allowing operation at high frequencies without any increase in conduction losses and reduced thermal resistance. The new devices can operate up to 175 degrees Celsius junction temperature, achieving a maximum current rating of 50A.

Mor Hezi, International Rectifier Marketing Manager for the Consumer and Industrial Business Unit, said, "Higher frequency operation expands motor speed range and improves torque control at lower speed while reducing audible noise. Now IR's new higher current-rated IGBTs are available in smaller packages for better board layout in high performance motor drives for lower system costs."

# posted by Medical Information : 2:09 AM  0 Comments

A Reliable, Autoloading, Streaming Half-Inch Tape Drive

HP's NEWEST HALF-INCH TAPE DRIVE, the HP 7980A (Fig. 1), is an autoloading, reel-to-reel, horizaontally mounted, streaming drive that reads and writes in two standard nin-track formats: 6250 GCR and 1600 PE. This maintains compatibility with previous drives and tapes, and important feature because half-inch tape is still a significant standard in the computer industry for backing up, archiving, and interchanging computer data.

The HP 7980A provides computer system users with a reliable, low-cost, backup device for large amounts of online disc memory. It does this with higher performance and reliability and lower cost than its predecessor, the HP 7978B, which it replaces. IT reads and writes at 125 inches per second, roughly 60 percent faster than the HP 7978B. The HP 7980A can rewind a 2400-foot tape in less than 90 seconds, reducing overall data transfer times significantly. The HP 7980A is 40 percent more reliable, a result of the increased use of VLSI components to reduce parts counts even further than was achieved on the HP 7978B. The monthly maintenance cost of the HP 7980A is half that of the HP 7978B. Horizontally mounted in a standard-width rack cabinit, the HP 7980A is 8.75 inches high, a third the size of the HP 7978B. This saves valuable floor space and allows better use of rack cabinets.

The horizontal mounting means that the user normally cannot access the tape path to load the tape manually. Hence, an autoloading feature was designed into the HP 7980A. The operator simply places the tape reel in the door opening and closes the door. The autoloading sequence starts automatically once the door is closed, leaving the operator free to do other tasks while waiting for the tape to load nominal time of half a minute. There is no need for an EZ-LOAD cartridge around the tape reel, which is required for autoloading on the HP 7976A Tape Drive. The HP 7976A autoloads only 10.5-inch tape reels; the HP 7980A autoloads all standard half-inch tape reels from six to 10.5 inches in diameter. The earlier HP 7978A/B Tape Drive must be loaded manually and cannot autoload tapes.

In addition, the HP 7980A supports the use of 3600-foot half-inch tape, under certain guidelines, which the HP 7978B doesn't. This increase data capacity by 50 percent over standard-length tape reels.

The HP 7980A was developed and released in 40 percent less time than the previous tape drive. This was mainly a result of two factors. The first was keeping together an experienced core group of engineers from the HP 7978A/B development team to architect and design the HP 7980A drive. The second was concentrating on a core system development of the HP 7980A, that is, having a well-defined product and not adding additional features and configurations along the way. Such added features tend to prolong development cycles. This does not mean that these additional features are not eventually added, but they are worked on according to need after the core or base system is released.

Tape Path

The HP 7980A is a totally integrated tape drive, simultaneously incorporating a small form factor, an autoload feature, design-for-assembly concepts, low cost, and high reliability. The major design objective established to accomplish these goals was design simplication.

The HP 7980A has a very simple tape path as shown in Fig. 2. There are only two rolling elements: the speed sensor and teh buffer arm roller. There is only one additional fixed tape guide. The oxide side of the tape contacts only the tape cleaner, the magnetic tape head, and the tape displacement unit. The tape displacement unit, located between the tape head and the tape cleaner, contacts the oxide side of the tape only during respositioning and while the tape is stopped. The tape displacement unit pushes the tape off the very smooth surfaces of the head and the tape cleaner to prevent the tape's sticking to these smooth surfaces during high temperature and humidity conditions.

The buffer arm assembly (buffer arm, spring, and roller) helps take up slack in the tape during servo starts and stops. It also establishes the tension on the tape. The buffer arm roller and fixed guide, along with the speed sensor, guide the tape in a precise manner over the head. The speed sensor measures the velocity of the tape and feeds it back to the servo system.

The half-inch tape reel is centered, seated, and locked by the supply hub. The autoload blower forces air through the door. The louvers in the door direct the air onto the tape reel to lift the end of the tape. The tape end is then carried by the air flow around the buffer arm roller and the fixed guide. If then goes over the tape cleaner and the magnetic tape head. The tape is finally sucked onto the take-up reel after passing around the speed sensor.j

The drive motors are located directly beneath and are attached to the supply and take-up hubs. The blower is located between the two drive motors.

# posted by Medical Information : 6:11 AM  0 Comments

Displays, races and "hands-on" test drives of electric vehicles will take center stage at the first annual Alameda International Electric Vehicle Exposition on Oct. 24 and 25.

Expo tickets, which can be purchased at the gate, are $5 for adults, and $2 for children 12 and under.

"This expo will show the public firsthand that electric vehicles are fun and practical to drive, and available today in a variety of sizes and styles," explains John Huetter, director of CALSTART's Alameda Project Hatchery. -0-

WHAT:  The Alameda International Electric Vehicle Exposition, the
      largest showcase of electric vehicles for the public in the
      United States.

      Vehicles available for test-driving are the Chrysler Epic;
      Toyota RAV4 EV; Honda EV Plus; EV1 and S-10 Pickup from General
      Motors; Nissan Altra EV; Ford Ranger EV; Electric Motorbike
      Lectra; S-Lemna and Neighborhood personal electric vehicles;
      and Wu's Ltd. scooter. Both the Epic and the Altra EV are being
      introduced to the Bay Area market.

WHO:   Organized by the Alameda Bureau of Electricity and CALSTART.

WHEN:  Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 24 and 25, 1998, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
      (Media preview day, Friday, Oct. 23, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.)

WHERE: Alameda Point (former Alameda Naval Air Station)

# posted by Medical Information : 6:09 AM  0 Comments

International Rectifier, IR(r) (NYSE:IRF), will be showcasing its latest motion control devices and digital technologies, including IR's exclusive iMOTION(tm) integrated design platform, in Booth 13 at the Motor & Drive Systems tradeshow on February 3 to 4, 2004, in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

On Tuesday, February 3, Alberto Guerra, Director, Integrated Power Module, Consumer and Industrial Business Unit, will present a keynote speech entitled, "Integrated Packaging Technology for Appliance and Light Industrial Advanced Motor Drives."

The two-day conference will be held at the Sheraton Suites Cypress Creek in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and is organized by e-Drive magazine, produced by Webcom Communications Corp.

About International Rectifier

# posted by Medical Information : 6:07 AM  0 Comments