A pressure transmitter or pressure sensor is a device that measures pressure in a liquid, fluid, or gas. Pressure transmitters are commonly used to measure pressure inside of industrial machinery in order to alert the user before a catastrophe occurs. They have many different uses, most of which are industrial or automotive in nature. A pressure transmitter is easily recognized as it is a round gauge with various colors that represent different pressure levels. While pressure transmitters are similar to other gauges, they are essential to many of the applications Read More

QWERTY is the most used modern-day layout for a keyboard using the English language. The name comes from the fact that the first six letters on the top row of letters on a keyboard is QWERTY. While QWERTY was designed to reduce clash bar in type writers, there has not been an alternate that was good enough to remove the QWERTY style. Because of that, modern day computers still use QWERTY for their keyboards. The primary reason that QWERTY was developed was to prevent jams. When the type writer was Read More

An ultrasonic flow meter emits an ultrasonic signal through a liquid and receives the echoes that are reflected off of air bubbles and other discontinuities within the liquid in order to determine the liquid’s speed through its container. Ultrasonic flow meters are used in waste water and other applications that involve changes in pressure or chemicals. Ultrasonic flow meters are ideal for many applications because they require little maintenance and can be used from a remote location. How Ultrasonic Flow Meters Work An ultrasonic flow meter has two separate piezoelectric Read More

Fingerprint scanners are biometric security systems designed to use the distinct features of an individual's fingerprints to provide security. Fingerprint scanners are now being used in police stations, security-intensive industries and, most recently, on computer shops as a peripheral device for computers. Biology of a Fingerprint Every person has marks on his fingers. These marks on the fingers are mainly for gripping things as they provide frictional resistance. These marks have a pattern and this pattern is called the fingerprint. The person's fingerprint is determined by his or her genetic Read More

A barcode scanner (which may also be referred to as a barcode reader) is a piece of electronic equipment that can read printed barcodes. Barcodes are used to manage and track a wide variety of items, ranging from grocery store items to cars to insects such as bees. A barcode scanner uses a lens, light source and photo conductor to translate optical impulses to electrical impulses. Main Types of Barcode Scanners Fixed Position: A fixed position barcode scanner is used by distributors and manufacturers. This type of barcode scanner can Read More

The mouse is an extremely popular device. While the majority of mice are connected directly to the computers peripheral input via a cord and the computer’s main power powers it, wireless mice are becoming extremely popular as they give computer users cordless accessibility to their mice and their computer. Wireless Mouse Technology Wireless mice usually work via radio frequencies commonly referred to as RF. RF wireless mice require two components to work properly – a radio transmitter and a radio receiver. RF Transmitter A radio frequency (RF) transmitter is usually Read More

One of the more interesting pieces of technology that has been released for the laptop computer is the fingerprint reader, which makes logging into a computer so much easier. The software that HP laptops use is Bioscrypt’s VeriSoft Access Manager. By sliding one’s finger across a small metallic sensor, the software is able to read the fingerprint and determine whether that person is authorized to use the computer. If they are, the computer automatically loads up. If not, said person will have to punch a password in. Setting Up the Read More

Optical mice are the de facto standard for mice to communicate between the end user and the computer. The optical mouse is a great improvement of the mechanical mouse that was created in the early 1970s. Agilent Technologies introduced the Optical mouse in 1999. The technology uses a tiny camera that takes thousands of pictures per second to determine position and speed. The optical mouse uses a very small light emitting diode more commonly referred to as an LED, which is red in color. This LED bounces light off of Read More

Many people install security features on their computer in order to prevent unauthorized users from accessing the computer when they are away. For example, login identification, file encryption, and even biometric identification are all sufficient methods of keeping intruders out of someone’s personal information. However, some users may wish to go even further by locking their keyboard in order to prevent unauthorized users from entering a password, children from playing with the keyboard, or pets from unknowingly typing when climbing on keys. There are several ways to lock a keyboard Read More

An occupancy sensor is a device that is capable of detecting and/or recording the amount of people in a room or area. Occupancy sensors are most often used to determine how many people are in an area that may restrict the total occupancy or in a system that turns lights/other accessories off when no one is using them. Occupancy sensors are relatively simple and are usually just motion detectors that are used in conjunction with a timing device to record how long people have been away from an area. How Read More