Optogenetics is the process by which genetically-programmed neurons or other cells can be activated by subjecting them to light. Among other things, the technology helps scientists understand how the brain works, which could in turn lead to new treatments for brain disorders. Presently, fiber optic cables must be wired into the brains of test animals in order to deliver light to the desired regions. That may be about to change, however, as scientists have created tiny LEDs that can be...

Analog Devices has introduced a low-cost hardware/software product for the engineering education market, with the focus on analog circuit testing. It integrates MatLab software and Analog Discovery Design kits, enabling students to experiment with advanced technologies and build, test, analyze and document real-world, functional analog circuits anytime and anywhere for the price of a textbook.   MatLab and the Data Acquisition Toolbox Support Package for the Analog Discovery...

The C10988MA-01 sensor from Hamamatsu Photonics is an ultra-compact spectrometer built with Micro-Opto-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MOEMS) technology. Measuring only 27.6 x 13 x 16.8 mm and weighing just 9 grams, the device is intended to be used in portable and hand-held devices where a standard mini-spectrometer would be too large and consume too much power.   The new device features an aberration-corrected concave grating with a very short focal length and...

The PicoScope 3207A is a 2 channel USB oscilloscope with 250 MHz bandwidth, 1 GS/s sampling rate, 256 MS buffer memory and a built-in function generator. Basic timebase accuracy is ±2 ppm. Other features include digital triggering for accurate, stable waveform display, and equivalent-time sampling, which boosts the effective sampling rate to 10 GS/s for repetitive signals. The instrument has 512 MS buffer memory and an additional 32k-sample arbitrary waveform generator with 100 MS/s update...

The PicoScope 3207A is a 2 channel USB oscilloscope with 250 MHz bandwidth, 1 GS/s sampling rate, 256 MS buffer memory and a built-in function generator. Basic timebase accuracy is ±2 ppm. Other features include digital triggering for accurate, stable waveform display, and equivalent-time sampling, which boosts the effective sampling rate to 10 GS/s for repetitive signals. The instrument has 512 MS buffer memory and an additional 32k-sample arbitrary waveform generator with 100 MS/s update...

Precision surveying equipment manufacturer Leica Geosystems has launched its first laser distance meter for the consumer market. The Disto D510 meter works together with a smartphone loaded with the free Disto Sketch app and communicates with the smartphone over a Bluetooth link.   According to the manufacturer, the combination of the meter and the app enables users to make and record measurements of real-world objects with high accuracy and speed, especially compared to manual...

Agilent Technologies announced the 34450A 5½ digit bench-top Digital Multimeter (DMM), designed to turbocharge electronic test and measurement applications for industrial and educational use. It is currently the fastest instrument in its class, capable of up to 190 readings per second with 0.015 percent DCV accuracy. Multiple connectivity options, including USB 2.0, serial interface (RS-232) and general-purpose interface bus (GPIB), offer flexibility when transferring data to a PC for...

The new HLSR series of current transducers by LEM provide a cost-effective and technically superior alternative to resistive shunt/optocoupler configurations for insulated current measurements up to 50 A. The parts use open-loop Hall-effect current sensing technology, to measure AC, DC or pulsed currents with nominal values of 10, 20, 32, 40 or 50 A RMS . This technology allows the devices to achieve a response time of only 2.5 µs, with very low gain and offset drift over their...

Tektronix introduces the TBS1000 Series of entry-level oscilloscopes, giving electrical engineers, educators, hobbyist and tinkerers an affordable, full-featured tool for a wide variety of general purpose electronics test applications. Backed by a 5-year warranty, the new oscilloscopes feature 1 GS/s or 500 MS/s sample rates and 3 % DC gain accuracy down to 2 mV.   Compared to the previous TDS1000-EDU Series of oscilloscopes, the TBS1000 Series offers more bandwidth...

A new ultra-thin, flexible oral sensor dubbed ‘tooth tattoo’ jointly developed by Princeton University and Tufts researchers monitors mouth bacteria. Attached temporarily to a tooth, the sensor can measure bacteria levels in the mouth and could one day help dentists fine-tune treatments for patients with chronic periodontitis or provide an indication of the patient's overall health.   The sensor has a relatively simple structure with just three layers: a thin foil with gold...

Teledyne LeCroy introduces two series of High Definition Oscilloscopes (HDO), the HDO4000 and HDO6000. These oscilloscopes acquire waveforms with a vertical resolution of 12-bit and a dynamic range of 72 dB, which results in waveform displays that are cleaner and crisper with 16 times more vertical resolution than traditional 8-bit instruments. Enhanced resolution filtering enables gaining up to three additional bits of resolution for 15-bit vertical resolution.   The new oscilloscopes...

The Public Lab is a collaborative community enabling people to explore and inspect their environment with DIY techniques. During the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill they provided aerial mapping devices using balloons and kites so citizens could obtain contamination data independent of information provided by BP and the US government.   Now the Lab has provided an online manual on how to construct your own visible light spectrometer. A spectrometer identifies materials by measuring their...

National Instruments has introduced the world’s first RF vector signal transceiver (VST), the NI PXIe-5644R. The so-called “first software-designed instrument” combines a vector signal generator and vector signal analyzer with a user-programmable FPGA into a single PXI modular instrument. Built on FPGA technology the device is fully programmable with LabVIEW and easily expands to support multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) configurations or parallel testing in a single PXI chassis.  ...