Epoxy syntactic

A halogen-free, self-extinguishing epoxy syntactic from Vantico's Adhesives Group was developed for rapid reinforcing of fasteners and edge filling in aerospace honeycomb composite structures. The Epocast 1633-A/B epoxy, part of the Araldite family of structural adhesives, is made for ease of use and long-lasting performance. It is qualified for use by Gulfstream; qualification is in progress at other aerospace companies.

Subminiature connectors

WPI Interconnect Products' D-Submin-iatures meet the requirements of MIL-DTL-24308 and are used for military and aerospace applications. These rectangular connectors save space and weight, are reliable, and accommodate a variety of circuits. They are designed for rack-and-panel, cable-to-panel, and cable-to-cable connection, and are available in 9, 15, 25, 37, or 50 contact arrangements, with rear insertion type crimp contacts.

Ground-fault protection

A ground-fault protection system from Leach International is designed for the firm's type H contactor. The system enables the contactor, which is a 3PDT device used in aircraft and military vehicle electrical systems, to interrupt and isolate potentially dangerous ground faults quickly. It reduces the contactor's release time from greater than 20 ms to less than 8 ms, with no degradation in performance.

Flame-retardant tape

Scapa T3605 fire-retardant single-coated adhesive tape meets the requirements of FAR 25.855(d). The product joins, seals, and repairs cargo compartment liners on commercial and private aircraft. It is composed of a white, polyethylene glass cloth coated with a fire-retardant, rubber-based adhesive. The high-count glass fabric ensures no flame penetration and is imprinted with the product's FAR classification to reduce paperwork associated with FAA inspections. Highly conformable to accommodate angles and turns, the tape offers good creep resistance, maintains its seal under load, and offers high adhesion to prevent lifting and curling.

Signal conditioning

Validyne Engineering's MC170-L module case and add-on components transform the firm's MC170 analog signal-conditioning modules into a fully portable, accurate digital data-acquisition package. The MC170-L, with 8- or 16-slot capacity, is suitable for vehicle testing, flight testing, engine test stands, or any portable data-acquisition application. It includes a 16-bit, 200-kHz A/D converter and an adapter cable that connects the unit directly into any laptop computer running Windows 95/98 or NT.

Solid-state relays

Teledyne Relays' FR75-1 and LPD60 solid-state relays offer good reliability, small size, and low weight. The FR75-1 handles currents of 1.0 A and maximum voltages of 60 V dc, and is designed to prevent damage to system components, assemblies, and system wiring. It uses optics to isolate control circuits from load transients and eliminate ground loops and signal ground noise. The dual-output LPD60 handles currents of 250 mA and maximum voltages of 60 V dc. It uses optical isolation to provide good input-to-output isolation with very low EMI.

Rugged, portable PC

Dewetron's DEWE-4000-IPC industrial portable computer features an 18.1-in. TFT display, running at resolutions up to 1280 x 1024; an ATX motherboard that allows the addition of up to eight full-size, full-length PCI cards; and an AGP card video interface with up to 128 MB of VRAM for brilliant moving video and other display-intensive applications. The units are heavily used in military and aerospace applications because of their MIL-STD-810C shock and vibration construction, wide operating temperature specifications, CE Mark, and ISO-9001 and -14001 construction.