07 Jun 2006  

A new range of instrumentation is now available from Greenlee, a Textron company. The economically priced XLfiberTOOLS are designed to enable technicians to perform installation and maintenance measurements on fibre optic cabling networks. The instrument range comprises a power meter and two dual-wavelength sources and a visual fault finder. All of the products are rugged and splash-proof and easy to operate and intended for use in all environments. The instruments have only three buttons to control all functions, the visual fault finder has just a power on/off switch and a modulation on/off switch. All of the products feature an important Greenlee characteristic, excellent value for money.

The 560XL power meter provides power measurements in dBm’s and loss measurements in dB’s with 0.01dB resolution and 0.25dB accuracy over the range -3dBm to -60dBm. Calibration is at four wavelengths between 850nm and 1550nm with a measurement data storage and recall feature to increase operational efficiency. The instrument has a long battery life with a user selectable auto shut-off period. With a price of only £265, the XL560 represents an outstanding price/performance ratio.

The 570XL dual wavelength LED source has a calibrated output of -13dBm at 850nm and -20dBm at 1300nm with a stability of 0.05dB over a one hour period. The output may be CW or modulated at 1 kHz, 2 kHz or 270 kHz through an FC, SC or ST connector interface. Up to 80 hours of operation can be provided from 2 standard AA size 1.5V batteries with a user selectable auto shut-off. The price - £405.

The 580XL laser source has outputs at 1310nm and 1550nm with minimum output levels of -8dBm and a one hour stability of 0.05dB. It shares many of the features of the LED source and is priced at £580.

The model 170XL visual fault finder is a small lightweight device using a 635nm diode laser with a 1mW output as its visible source. It has the ability to find discontinuities in cables over a 3 km distance with a selectable modulated output to increase viewing contrast. An easy-to-use quick interface fits all 2.5mm connectors and an ergonomic rotary switch allows one-handed operation. Priced at £204, the 170XL is an economic and useful addition to any technician’s armoury.

For more information contact Adrian Harrison on 01582 764334 Fax: 01582 712084 or email

06 Jun 2006  

A family of fibre cable loss sets has been introduced by Tempo, a US manufacturer of fibre optic test instrumentation. The Tempo 525 series is a rugged and dependable line of smart cable acceptance testing instruments designed for telecoms and datacoms high count cabling. The test sets provide the user with the easiest method of field testing of installed fibre optic cable.

The range of features available in the four instrument series include automated, one button, bi-directional testing and optical return loss measurements with models for multi-mode or single-mode operation. Pass/fail thresholds can be set by the user and communication by messaging is possible between units in a test setup. The power meter element of the products has a wide dynamic range and is calibrated at seven widely used wavelengths between 850nm and 1625nm and has a resolution of 0.01dB with an absolute accuracy of 0.25dB. Two course wavelengths are provided on each model, 850nm and 1300nm on the multi-mode version, 1310nm and 1550nm on the single mode instrument. Information is displayed on a large backlit LCD screen with a sealed membrane permitting use in the harshest environments. An internal memory can store up to 1500 measurement records which can be downloaded to a database manager which can organise certification reports for printing. The software to facilitate the handling of test data is supplied with each instrument. An internal NiMH battery is capable of 8 hours of operation when fully charged. The Tempo 525 smart optical test set is delivered in a sturdy, field useable transit case which also contains an AC power adapter/battery charger, fibre cable connector adapters, an RS-232 data transfer cable, connector cleaning swabs and a reel of connector cleaner.

For more information contact Adrian Harrison on 01582 764334 or email

For more information on Fibre Optic products click here

04 Oct 2006  

NorPix launches StreamPix 4, a multi-camera digital video recording software program with the ability to view, control and acquire multiple cameras from a single interface. The user interface of StreamPix 4 provides a complete management console for cameras, simplifying the setup, control and acquisition from any number and type of cameras, both locally and remotely connected.

StreamPix 4 can support an infinite number of cameras. The number of cameras supported is limited by a condition wherein the combined data rate of the cameras exceeds the PCI bus bandwidth or processor capabilities of the computer.

StreamPix supports a wide range of cameras and grabbers, including GigE, camera link, USB2 and IEEE 1394. In addition we provide a wide variety of features such as a VCR like user interface, Bayer conversion, export to various file formats, GPS or time stamping and many more.

For more information, please contact us 

Description: A type of microscopy that uses fluorescence to image biological samples

Recommended Product: Lasos DPSS

A valuable research tool, especially in biomedical applications, is the fluorescence microscope. The fluorescence microscope uses a light source to illuminate the sample. This light causes fluorescence within the specimen - ie it absorbs the light and reemits it at a different wavelength (colour). This effect can either occur naturally, or can be enhanced by adding a fluorescent dye to the sample. By collecting this emitted light, fantastic and often beautiful images can be obtained.

This technique is often combined with Confocal Microscopy. In this technique an aperture is placed in the light path of the microscope. This produces a very narrow depth of field enabling high resolution images to be obtained in the x-y plane of the sample. By altering the height of the samples a series of "slices" can be obtained. Subsequent recombination of the slices produces a 3D image.

Helium Neon, Argon Ion, Argon Krypton and Diode Pumped Solid State lasers are used in this field, some examples of which are given below:

Description: An extension to NIR spectroscopy, to enable analysis of the contents of an heterogeneous object

Recommended Product: Opotek Opolette

The HySPEC system from Opotek utilises a tunable OPO laser system as its source, rather than a broadband white-light source and a series of filters. In this arrangement, the tunable OPO laser system scans through the NIR wavelength range, and the light is delivered to the target via fibre-optic bundles. The reflected light is then collected via an IR camera and the hyperspectral cube recorded.

Systems that use a broadband white-light source have limitations such as generating heat which can damage the sample, are slow to gather data, and have a limited spectral range and field of view (FOV).

Replacing the light source with a tunable OPO laser source provides several advantages: Macro & micro field of view Higher spectral resolution Wider spectral range Flexible system design Faster Data Acquisition No thermal effects The tunable OPO laser system offers a wide, continuous tuning range (UV-VIS-NIR) with a short pulse width, high peak power and low average power.

The system works in a fast scan mode such that:

The data is normalized and calibrated in real time for every frame The signal collected in a single frame is sufficient to analyze the data and there is no need for averaging Therefore, the system can acquire high-resolution, calibrated data in a few seconds The Hyspec system is designed to have a wavelength range of 440 – 700nm & 850 – 1700nm with a field of view of up to 20cm wide. Furthermore it has a spectral resolution of <1.5nm over the entire wavelength range, operating at a speed of 10 wavelengths per second. The short 5-ns pulse widths, rapid wavelength tunability, high peak power, and low average power enables high-sensitivity spectral imaging measurements to be made on samples (including human subjects) that would not be able to withstand the high intensities of conventional incandescent light sources.

Nowadays ever faster production processes require very high frame rates during visualization and testing in many sectors. At the same time, increasing miniaturization calls for highly flexible components, which can be integrated even in the smallest available space.

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18 Aug 2003

Lambda is pleased to introduce the new Pro Ultra LED controller from Schott, regulated constant current and variable intensity controller for machine vision applications.  

New feature of the Pro Ultra Controller is the auto-recognition of the lighthead. Depending on the respective LED-number and -color the operating voltage is selected and the maximum current limited. All standard lighthead are being operated with the same 24-volt power supply, which is delivered with the unit.

The light intensity can be continuously adjusted via the single-knob button, which also allows operation in overdrive mode up to 150 % light intensity. A front panel display indicates operating parameter and temperature conditions of the light head. If the user is alerted about high temperatures, he can adjust the light intensity and choose suitable cooling to optimize the lifetime of the lighthead.

The Pro Ultra Controller can be externally triggered with frequencies up to 100 Hz to further extend lifetime of the lighthead. It features a heavy-duty, grounded metal industrial housing with mounting holes on both sides of the unit.

For further information about this release, please contact Clive Phillips or Mark Bambrick on 01582 764334 or email

14 May 2004  

Stanford Research Systems have added to their extensive range of signal recovery products with the introduction of the SR240A and SR445A preamplifiers. The two products have almost identical specifications but differ in their physical presentation, the SR240 is a single width NIM module, the SR445A is a standalone laboratory bench instrument.

Both units have four independent channels each with a gain of 5x which may be cascaded to provide up to 624x gain. The rise/fall times of the amplifiers is 1ns, the input noise is a very low 6.4nV/ÖHz and the input and output impedance is 50ohms. The input impedance of channel one of the bench mounted model may be increased to 500ohms by a front panel switch. This can improve the sensitivity to signals from current and charge output devices such as photomultiplier tubes. Additionally, this unit has separate offset adjustments on each channel enabling the user to rapidly null DC errors. Input protection is provided against a ±50v signal for 1µs, recovery time from a 10x overload is 3ns. An output clamp of ±1.6v is installed with an output overload detection of ±1.3v. The input range specified is ±200mV with an output of 1v.

The fast rise time, low noise and excellent DC accuracy of the two amplifiers make them ideal instruments for use with photomultipliers and photodiodes. The SR240A is useful for amplifying small signals to levels that can be processed by other boxcar systems. The SR445A can be used to improve the sensitivity of oscilloscopes, photon counters, boxcar averages, spectrum analysers and other high frequency test equipment.

The Stanford SR240A and SR445A are exclusive distributed in the UK by the company’s UK representative Lambda Photometrics.

For more information contact Wing Ng or Preetesh Mistry at Lambda Photometrics Ltd on: 01582 764334 or email

25 May 2004  

De-Palletising of Cast Gearbox Housings

Gearbox housings are frequently delivered from a castings producer on pallets with little regard for their position or orientation. In a robotic unpacking and placing process the pick and place arm needs to recognise the correct place on the casting to position its grippers. A complete 3D profile scan of the part is required to determine both the position and orientation of the casting to place the robotic arm accurately. Faunhofer IPA of Stuttgart has added the 3D Ranger Scanning system from the Swedish company Integrated Vision Products to its pick and place robot to carry out processes of this type.

The IVP system utilises a low power laser which is scanned over the target area or, alternatively, the pallet holding the part may be moved through the beam. In either case a detector acquires the reflected signal from the casing's surface. The system can scan the part at rates of hundreds or thousands of scans per second quickly building up an accurate 3D profile of the part under examination. This can be compared to an ideal stored image of the part in the correct orientation with respect to the robot arm and instructions are fed to the robot to change the grabbing mechanisms to the correct position for picking up and placing correctly.

Further developments of the system include the selection and picking of parts from a randomly filled bin using the same technology.

Inspection and Control Adhesives

Adhesives are being used more widely in the automotive industry replacing rivets or screws for the fixing of many components. When the process is automated it is often difficult to dispense the correct amount of adhesive consistently or to form a continuous line of the substance due to changes in the delivery nozzle caused by residuals left there. Using 3D imaging, the IVP Range M50 vision inspection system can accurately measure the presence and both the height and width of the adhesive bead at high speeds to control the pump system delivering the material ensuring that the process continues within set limits.

The IVP 3D systems are able to detect parts presence, or monitor and measure complex parts at scan rates of several thousand scans per second for inspection and control in a wide range of applications.

For further information about this release, please contact Clive Phillips or Mark Bambrick on 01582 764334 or email