Test & Measurement

April 2017
PSDcast - Robert A. McKeel on Industrial Automation

Robert A. McKee, President and CEO Automation & Controls GE Energy Connections

In this PSDcast, Robert A. McKee, President and CEO Automation & Controls GE Energy Connections, dicsusses the advances in industrial automation and Internet of Things (IoT) ... 
Date:
04/25/2017
PSDcast - Anthony Kongats on supercapacitor advancements and applications

Anthony Kongats, CAP-XX’s CEO

In this PSDcast, Anthony Kongats, CAP-XX's CEO discusses supercapacitor advancements and applications. As supercapacitors shrink, applications grow. CAP-XX's technology is now 600 microns, pushing down to 400 or 200 microns. Almost as thin as paper, prismatic supercapacitors as small as 45 millifarads are now used
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Date:
04/24/2017
PSDcast - On control portion of power systems

Les Crowder of Adesto Technologies

Les Crowder of Adesto discusses why control portion of power systems often requires a CPU that needs boot Flash to operate.  Adesto provides Serial Non-volatile Memory ICs that are optimized for modern applications.  These systems typically need to manipulate small data packets (20 to 200 Bytes) that st
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Date:
04/24/2017
Jason Lomberg joins Power Systems Design (PSD) as North American Editor

Jason Lomberg , North American Editor, PSD

Jason Lomberg joins Power Systems Design (PSD) as North American Editor It is with great pleasure that we are announcing the appointment of Jason Lomberg as North American Editor, PSD. Jason’s background brings a wealth of knowledge and experience relevant to PSD and our market position. Jason spent seven years with
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Date:
04/24/2017
Mouser Unveils FORTE, a Revolutionary New BOM Tool

Easy-to-Use, Robust Tool Takes Selecting and Purchasing to New Levels

– Mouser Electronics, Inc., the New Product Introduction leader that empowers innovation,is pleased to announce FORTE—Mouser’s intelligent BOM tool. FORTEis a comprehensive bill of materials (BOM) management tool designed to increase confidence, save time, and improve order accuracy in specifying and purchasing electronic components. Access over four million part numbers in Mouser’s vast inventory. FORTE, free to anyone wi
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Date:
04/22/2017
Mouser Named Top Global High Service Distributor for 4th Straight Year

Global Distributor Also Takes Top NPI, Customer Growth Awards

Mouser Electronics, Inc., the industry's leading New Product Introduction (NPI) distributor with the widest selection of semiconductors and electronic components,has been honored with the prestigious Global High Service Distributor of the Year Award for the fourth consecutive year by TE Connectivity (TE), a glob
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Date:
04/22/2017
300 W Ac-Dc Power Supply Series Offers High Efficiency in a 3” x 5” Package

300 W Ac-Dc Power Supply Series Offers High Efficiency in a 3” x 5” Package

CUI’s Power Group has announced the expansion of its VOF ac-dc power supply family http://www.cui.com/open-frame-ac-dc-power-supplies with the introduction of a compact 300 W series. The VOF-300 series, available in open frame and metal enclosed packages, is a higher-power addition to CUI’s general purpose ac-dc power supply portfolio currently ranging
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Date:
04/22/2017
NXP and Amazon Work Together to Bring More Alexa Experiences to the Smart Home

Releases industry’s first complete NXP reference platform for Amazon Alexa with far-field technology to simplify development of high performance voice-enabled devices

NXP Semiconductors has announced the release of the NXP reference platform for AmazonAlexa, that integrates Amazon’s far-field voice recognition technology and the Alexa Voice Service (AVS).    Designed to simplify the creation of new voice-control devices, the new NXP reference platform for Amazon A
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Date:
04/16/2017
You can’t have an automated car without reliable communication infrastructure and stable mobile communication connectivity. The next generation mobile communication standard is indispensable. Infineon Technologies AG (FSE: IFX / OTCQX: IFNNY) contributes to introducing the 5G standard into the car and has join
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Date:
04/15/2017
SMT inductors from TT Electronics are robust for demanding  automotive applications

Tiny inductors are industry certified for performance and reliability

TT Electronics, a global provider of engineered electronics for performance critical applications, today launched the HM73E-10 series of SMT miniature power inductors targeted at high reliability applications in the automotive industry. The inductors are ideal for high efficiency DC-DC applications where size is c
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Date:
04/15/2017
60V, 3A Silent Switcher µModule Regulator in 6.25mm x 9mm  BGA Package is CISPR 22 Class B Compliant

60V, 3A Silent Switcher µModule Regulator

Analog Devices, Inc., which recently acquired Linear Technology Corporation, announces the LTM8073, a µModule® (power module) step-down regulator with up to 60V input voltage range (65V abs max). The device can safely operate from unregulated or fluctuating 24V to 48V input supplies in noisy environments su
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Date:
04/15/2017
Bourns Expands Multifuse PPTC Line with Smaller Size Models Offering Extended Operating Current

New MF-RG Resettable Fuse Series Helps Developers Meet Reduced Space, Thermal Requirements While Maximizing Circuit Protection Performance

Bourns, Inc., a leading manufacturer and supplier of electronic components, has announced the expansion of its successful MF-RG Series Multifuse® Polymer Positive Temperature Coefficient (PPTC) Resettable Fuse product line. The eight new MF-RG Series models extend the maximum operating current of the series from 3 A to 11&nbs
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Date:
04/15/2017
Best-in-Class Active OR’ing MOSFET Controller from Diodes Incorporated Supports Power Supplies up to 400V

Best-in-Class Active OR’ing MOSFET Controller from Diodes Incorporated Supports Power Supplies up to 400V

Extending the capability to support redundancy power systems with rail voltages up to 400V, the ZXGD3112N7 active OR’ing MOSFET controller introduced by Diodes Incorporated, builds on a successful design employed in previous 40V and 200V devices. A low turn-off threshold voltage enables very low RDS(on) MOSFETs t
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Date:
04/15/2017
 AMS Technologies Opens Design Center in Krakow, Poland

Some of the thermal specialists at the AMS design center

AMS Technologies, Europe’s leading solution provider and distributor for optical, power and thermal management technologies, has established a design center in Krakow, Poland. In this design center skilled AMS experts will address customer requirements for professional, turnkey solutions in the fields of thermal ma
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Date:
04/13/2017
Yokogawa releases enhanced version of ProSafe®-RS Safety Instrumented System

Easy adoption and use as a fire and gas system

Yokogawa Electric Corporation announces that it will release an enhanced version of the ProSafe®-RS safety instrumented system on April 26. This latest release, R4.03.00, includes an improved engineering function for configuring fire and gas systems (FGS) and new operation faceplates for the FGS operation and
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Date:
04/12/2017
eSOL Launches eMBP Model-Based Parallelizer

Automatic Generation of Parallel Code for Multi- and Many-Core Systems with High Reliability and Performance that Accurately Reflects Design Intentions Using Simulink® Models

eSOL, a leading developer of real-time embedded software solutions, today announced the release of its eMBP model-based parallelizer that supports the development of software for multi- and many-core hardware. Using models designed on the Simulink® model design tool from MathWorks® as its input, eMBP a
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Date:
04/11/2017
Expansion of the Executive Board of Wuerth Elektronik eiSos GmbH & Co. KG

www.we-online.de

Alexander Gerfer (51), CTO of the Wuerth Elektronik eiSos Group, has been appointed to the company’s Executive Board. With immediate effect, together with the CEOs of the Wuerth Elek­tronik eiSos Group, Oliver Konz and Thomas Schrott, he would be co-re­sponsible for the future strategies of one of Europe’s la
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Date:
04/10/2017
Metal film resistors from TT Electronics are ideal for harsh environments

High spec precision AEC-Q200 qualified resistors for voltage measurement in metering and power condition monitoring applications

 TT Electronics, a global provider of engineered electronics for performance critical applications, has launched the WRM-HP range of precision metal film MELF resistors with AEC-Q200 qualification.  Providing a combination of high precision and tolerance to surge conditions, the resistors are ideal
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Date:
04/10/2017
Optimizing power design with configurable modules

Artesyn’s configurable power supply range delivered

Choosing the power supply for a project can be a challenging process. Prototypes cannot be developed without a supply of power, but the exact power requirements may change as the project progresses. It can be wise not to commit to power supply decisions too early. On the other hand, an off-the-shelf PSU that
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Date:
04/08/2017
The state of the power industry

Powerbox GB350 digitally controlled power supply for applications operated under high electromagnetic field

The overall market for AC/DC and DC/DC commercial switch mode power supplies (C-SMPS), which excludes consumers and uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), is estimated to be in a range of 22 to 25 billion US Dollars. This level has been stable for more than five years and from an outsider’s point of view, could be p
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Date:
04/08/2017
Converter and inverter output filtering

Forward converter output filtering

Most modern power conversion topologies use switched-mode techniques for highest efficiency and smallest size and cost. Inevitably, switching noise is produced and output filters are required to minimize EMI and provide reliable operation of the power converter and load. This article looks at some filtering te
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Date:
04/08/2017
Simplifying field-side circuitry

MAX14001 simplified functional diagram

Measuring high voltages (12V to 300V) and currents using a low-voltage microcontroller is a growing requirement in industrial automation equipment. For example, a low- voltage microcontroller system can be used to monitor high-voltage industrial equipment for an unstable AC or DC power supply. This protects eq
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Date:
04/08/2017
 Quasi-resonant flyback controller and integrated power IC CoolSET™ family of 5th generation

Complete fifth generation quasi-resonant controller and CoolSET product portfolio

Infineon Technologies AG introduces the fifth generation of the stand-alone quasi-resonant flyback controller and integrated power IC CoolSET™ family. The latest development in this family of devices offers improved efficiency, faster startup, and better overall performance under varying load conditions. The
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Date:
04/08/2017
The world of LED and other solid-state lighting (SSL) has undergone a massive sea change, one that is still ongoing and growing in ways we can barely imagine. Frankly, the changes in the lighting industry have been taking a little too long to come to fruition as the industry stumbles around getting its act together. Po
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Date:
04/07/2017
Igor and Ellipz create novel intelligent lighting

Igor and Ellipz create novel intelligent lighting

Incorporating Igor technology, Ellipz will provide an intelligent light management solution for the commercial lighting industry. The integrated technology provides a complete PoE and LED package solution to the marketplace. By combining both company’s unique technologies, the Ellipz smart lighting solution ca
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Date:
04/07/2017
Li-ion cell inventor creates fast-charging noncombustible batteries

94-year-old John Goodenough, professor in the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin and co-inventor of the lithium-ion battery

A team of engineers led by 94-year-old John Goodenough, professor in the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin and co-inventor of the lithium-ion battery, has developed the first all-solid-state battery cells. Goodenough’s latest breakthrough, completed with Cockrell School se
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Date:
04/07/2017
RS Pro range bolstered with addition of over 500 test and measurement products The rebranding of ISO-TECH to expand the RS Pro test and measurement range gives customers more choice, performance, value and quality   Oxford, UK, 3 April 2017:   RS Componen

The rebranding of ISO-TECH to expand the RS Pro test and measurement range gives customers more choice, performance, value and quality

RS Components (RS) and Allied Electronics (Allied), the trading brands of Electrocomponents plc (LSE:ECM), the global distributor for engineers, has announced the addition of more than 500 professional, affordable products for the test and measurement market to the RS Pro range. The products
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Date:
04/06/2017
Acquisition of B&R (Bernecker + Rainer Industrie-Elektronik GmbH) will close ABB’s historic gap in machine and factory automation Creating a uniquely comprehensive automation portfolio for customers globally B&R is a proven innovation leader in Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC), Industrial
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Date:
04/06/2017
High Performance 5.1 Megapixel Imaging Solution for High-End Security Camera Applications

High resolution AR0521 delivers high frame rate and improved low-light sensitivity with high dynamic range

ON Semiconductor, driving energy efficient innovations, has unveiled AR0521 CMOS image sensor – the first imaging product based on a 2.2 micrometer (μm) Back Side Illuminated (BSI) pixel technology platform targeted specifically at security and surveillance applications. The AR0521 is a small optical format 1/2.5-inch (7.13mm), 5 megapixel (MP) digital image sensor with an active pixel array of 2592 (H) x 1944
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Date:
04/06/2017
Mouser Electronics to Host Webinar on Bluetooth 5 Developments

Webinar on Bluetooth 5 Developments

Mouser Electronics, Inc., the authorized global distributor with the newest semiconductors and electronic components, will host a webinar on the advancements of the Bluetooth® 5 specification at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time on April 11. Bluetooth 5 is a major improvement to the wireless communication standard, with the primary goal of better addressing Internet of Things (Io
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Date:
04/06/2017
AVX Releases Leadless Bidirectional ESD Suppression Diodes for High-Speed Circuit Protection

Delivering clamping values below 12V & ultralow nominal capacitance values down to 0.3pF in low profile 0201 & 0402 packages, the new GiGuard Series diodes preserve the integrity of high-speed data & communication signals & protect sensitive ICs during ESD events in applications spanning network communications to touchscreens

 AVX Corporation, a leading manufacturer and supplier of passive components and interconnect solutions, has released a new series of bidirectional ESD suppression diodes that combine the latest in transient voltage suppression (TVS) technology with miniature, leadless, and low profile 0201 and 0402 packaging designs to deliver cutting-edge ESD protection in high-speed data and communication circuits. The new GiGuard Series ESD diodes offer cl
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Date:
04/06/2017
New Line of Peltier Modules Features Unique Construction that Delivers High Performance and Longer Life

New Line of Peltier Modules Features Unique Construction that Delivers High Performance and Longer Life

CUI Devices today announced a new line of high performance Peltier modules that boasts superior performance and reliability, thanks to its innovative arcTEC™ structure. This unique construction utilizes a combination of thermally conductive resin between the ceramic and copper on the cold side of the module, high
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Date:
04/06/2017
IP20 versions of ecosine evo passive harmonic filters now available from Schaffner

The attached image shows the new Schaffner IP20 ecosine evo passive harmonic filter

Schaffner, the international leader in the fields of electromagnetic compatibility and power quality, has introduced an IP20 enclosed version of its market leading ecosine evo range of compact modular passive harmonics filters. Designed to meet the most demanding of harmonic mitigation tasks this new generation of f
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Date:
04/06/2017
The world we live in is advancing at an ever increasing pace. More and more people are moving into metro areas and this increased urbanization brings with a rising expectation of convenience and services. It is rapidly becoming apparent to city administrators that smart infrastructure is going to play an increasingly im
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Date:
04/05/2017
Tightening energy efficiency standards

Infographic: The evolution of energy efficiency standards from 2004 through to the latest 2016 US DoE Level VI regulations and the impending EU CoC and Ecodesign requirements (Courtesy of CUI Inc.)

Just when you thought you had it nailed, along comes another set of energy efficiency standards for external power supplies. Yesterday’s standards are no longer good enough and manufacturers cannot afford to be complacent. Meeting energy efficiency standards is not a one-time fix. The pressure on governmen
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Date:
04/05/2017
Teledyne LeCroy’s WaveSurfer 510 Oscilloscope Delivers Value-Packed Debug Punch

MAUI with OneTouch Gesture Control, 32 Mpts Memory, 10 GS/s Sample Rate, and Advanced Debug Tools Maximize Debug Speed and Power

Teledyne LeCroy today introduces the WaveSurfer 510 oscilloscope, providing 1 GHz bandwidth and 10 GS/s sample rate simultaneously on all 4 channels at a price of $12,900. The WaveSurfer 510 combines the MAUI® with OneTouch user interface with powerful waveform processing, in addition to advanced math, measurem
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Date:
04/04/2017
World’s Only 12-Bit High Definition, 1 GHz Oscilloscope Platforms now feature 10x Oversampling

HDO4000A, HDO6000A, HDO8000A and MDA800A oscilloscopes and motor drive analyzers also enhanced by MAUI with OneTouch gesture control and a supercharged PC system

Teledyne LeCroy today introduces the HDO4000A, HDO6000A, HDO8000A, and MDA800A analog and mixed-signal oscilloscopes. These four high-definition oscilloscope product lines range from 200 MHz – 1 GHz bandwidth and utilize 12-bit HD4096 technology. This technology arrived in 2012 and remains unique in the ma
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Date:
04/04/2017
Microsemi’s New Smart Storage I/O Controllers Unlock Flash Performance in Data Center Servers

Latest Storage Controller Platform Delivers Industry-Leading Performance, Power and Security

Microsemi Corporation, a leading provider of semiconductor solutions differentiated by power, security, reliability and performance, today announced the production release of a new generation of storage input/output (I/O) controller products, the SmartROC 3100 and SmartIOC 2100, powered by the company’s Unified S
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Date:
04/04/2017
Tektronix, Inc., a leading worldwide provider of measurement solutions,today announced it will fully outfit the Research and Development (R&D) lab for Raspberry Pi, a low-cost, high performance computer designer with the latest Tektronix high-speed test solutions. Raspberry Pi’s new laboratory will focus on
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Date:
04/04/2017
Improve power conversion testing with these probing tips

Accurately evaluate and measure very small performance increases

Today’s power supply designers and test engineers are generally seeking to find very small incremental improvements that will increase power conversion efficiency, or reduce losses in the design. This requires the ability to accurately evaluate and measure very small performance increases. Sources of loss m
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Date:
04/04/2017
This article is Part One of a mini-series, presenting useful SPICE model blocks to help motor control and power supply designers perform effective simulations.  Brushless DC motors are appearing in more medical equipment these days, and designers in that industry are replacing older technologies and learning ne
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Date:
04/04/2017
Smart City - an unfulfilled dream?

Is a true Smart City an unattainable holy grail?

“It is I, Arthur, son of Uther Pendragon, from the castle of Camelot. King of the Britons, defeater of the Saxons, Sovereign of all England!” - King Arthur, “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” Michael White Productions, 1975. We’ve lived most of our adult life in engineering, or what some call a bu
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Date:
04/04/2017
Driving piezoelectric elements

Innovative Topology Overcomes Conflicting Piezo-Driver Requirements

Piezoelectric elements have traditionally been used primarily in applications in the audio industry, operating in the human audio range (nominally 100 Hz to 18 kHz). However, subsequent improvements in device characteristics have extended their usefulness into markets which demand much-higher performance. For ex
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Date:
04/04/2017
Wuerth Elektronik eiSos Honors Digi-Key with the Global Distribution Award

Keft to Righrt: Tom Busher, Vice President IP&E Digi-Key; Lars Fahrbach, Wuerth Elektronik eiSos; Jena Johnsrud, Marketing Programs Manager Digi-Key; Josh Knott, Product Manager Digi-Key; Joe Haukos, Distribution Manager Americas, Wurth Electronics; Brandon Leichtenberg, Insides Sales Distribution Wuerth Electronics; Nicki Mandery Distribution Marketing, Wuerth Electronics; Jason Simoneau, Director Passives Digi-Key.

This year’s “Global Distribution Award” of the Wuerth Elektronik eiSos Group went to Digi-Key Electronics. Representatives of the American subsidiary of the Group, Wuerth Electronics Midcom Inc., presented the award during a visit to the Digi-Key headquarters in Thief River Falls, Minnesota. Along with ac
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Date:
04/03/2017
 Kionix’s New KXTJ3 Accelerometer

Uncompromising performance and value in a single package

Kionix, a ROHM Group Company, announces the release of the KXTJ3, a new 3-axis accelerometer offering unprecedented value while providing the performance of much a more expensive accelerometer in a tiny, 2mm x 2mm x 0.9mm form factor.   CEO of Kionix Inc,Nader Sadrzadeh states, "The original idea was
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Date:
04/03/2017
D3 Semiconductor Superjunction +FETs™ Push Performance Envelope

New entry into competitive power semiconductor market offers 650V-rated models in a wide variety
of package configurations; claims across-the-board, industry-best FOM

D3 Semiconductor, a company bringing together affiliated semiconductor companies and top-talent experts, announces its inaugural entry into the power semiconductor market with the launch of its +FET™ line of 650V-rated superjunction MOSFETs.  +FET MOSFETs enable high-efficiency solutions for a range of hard-swit
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Date:
04/03/2017
32-Bit SAR ADC with 0.5ppm Linearity Provides 148dB Dynamic Range

32-Bit SAR ADC with 0.5ppm Linearity Provides 148dB Dynamic Range

Analog Devices, Inc., which recently acquired Linear Technology Corporation, announces the LTC2500-32, an ultrahigh precision 32-bit successive approximation register (SAR) analog-to-digital converter (ADC).  The LTC2500-32 is a new and enabling approach for precision measurement applications, blendin
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Date:
04/03/2017
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