♦  The chip-maker, austriamicrosystems is collaborating with Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits (IIS) to develop a new generation of magnetic motion sensing chips based on IIS’ patented HallinOne magnetic sensor technology. The technology allows magnetic fields to be measured vertically and horizontally, providing the magnitude and direction of the magnetic field at any point. It can be integrated with signal processing on one chip.

♦  PLCopen’s motion control working group has launched an initiative to extend its specifications to include fluid power. The initial goal is to optimise the programming and integration of fluid power devices and systems by defining function blocks using PLCopen standardisation methodologies. The group expects to produce a proposed set of function blocks within a year.

♦  Taiwan’s Ethernet Direct Corporation has announced a range of programmable controllers equipped with cellular transceivers that can send real-time data to a monitoring system. As an option, a GPS (global positioning system) function can be included to provide location-tracking information for controllers used in mobile applications.

♦  Hayward Tyler, the British manufacturer of submersible pumps and motors has won a contract from GE-owned VetcoGray Scandinavia to develop a submersible motor for a subsea boosting project. The 2.5MW, four-pole, 6.6kV, 60Hz motor will be designed and delivered within 18 months for integration into a high-pressure subsea pump skid.

♦ The Spanish inductive components specialist Premo has patented a low-consumption DC current transducer which, it says, suffers less thermal drift than Hall sensors and overcomes some problems inherent with shunt resistors. The sensors, based on the flux gate principle, are said to provide good accuracy and linearity. They are available in ratings from 200–700A, and a 1.2kA version has also been developed.