New products

40 IEEE Instrumentation & Measurement Magazine August 2009 Spectrum Analyzers in a Smaller, More Affordable Package Aeroflex unveils its new 3250 Series of spectrum analyzers designed to offer impressive RF and microwave capabilities, exceptional connectivity and many ease-ofuse features in a smaller package and with a lower price tag than ever before available. With RF frequency ranges spanning 1 kHz to 26.6 GHz, the 3250 Series is ideal for wireless design, research, development and production test engineers in numerous applications including military communications, satellite test, radar and portable mobile radio (PMR) test. The 3250 Series is comprised of four spectrum analyzer models, each measuring a frequency range beginning at 1 KHz, with the 3251 ranging up to 3 GHz, the 3252 to 8 GHz, the 3253 to 13.2 GHz and the 3254 to 26.5 GHz. All models have a Windows XP operating system, remote control capabilities via LAN, GPIB and RS-232C as well as a 7” touch panel screen, making them easy to operate with exceptional connectivity. The display gives the user ample viewing area so data can be seen easily, even in split-screen mode or with multiple windows open. Three traces can be displayed per window and as many as nine markers can be selected with a marker table viewable in an alternate window. The 3250 Series includes digital demodulation capabilities for the analysis of 802.11a, b and g wireless networks, enabling engineers to analyze the transmitter c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s o f a w i r e l e s s d e v i c e . A l s o a v a i l a b l e a r e optional measurement personalities including GSM/EDGE, WCDMA, WiMAX and WLAN as well as EMC pre-compliance test. Built-in functions can simplify the evaluation of many common measurements and the 3250 Series offers several, including: channel and multi-channel power, pulsed measurement, gated sweep, occupied bandwidth, spectrum emission mask, TOI measurement, total harmonic distortion, AM/FM and digital demodulation analysis, X-dB down and phase noise measurement. All the performance of a larger bench-top instrument has been designed into these easily portable, compact and effi cient spectrum analyzers that range from just 24 lbs. (11 kg.) to 29 lbs. (13 kg). Find more information on the Company’s web site: www. aerofl ex.com.

allows nutritionists and biochemists to simultaneously collect data from instruments while reanalysing previously collected data. Applications include the diagnosis of inborn errors of metabolism, monitoring of dietary and follow-up treatment, the nutritional assessment of pre-surgery and trauma patients, and follow-up treatment of these patients.
The 6300 offers performance equal to dedicated systems. Amino-acids are derivatized with ninhydrin in a microvolume tubular reactor set at an ideal 135C. This patented 100 V1 reactor is packed with diamond dust to optimize the reaction, and the small volume ensures greater quantitative accuracy than can be achieved with larger capacity reactors in which diffusion and consequent loss of resolution may occur.
An in-line conductivity sensor ensures complete filling of the metering loop through which sample flows, and allows reliable and precise sample delivery to the column.
The stainless-steel analytical columns are prepacked with spherical ion-exchange resin--a lithium buffer form for physiological analyses, and a sodium buffer form for hydrolyzate analyses. High-pressure operation up to 3000 p.s.i, permits fast, accurate analyses.
The manufacturer offers buffers, reagents and standards specially formulated for the system. In addition, Beckman provides extensive aftersales support with user training programmes and applications assistance from the company's research scientists and technical library.
For more information contact Beckman Instruments, Inc., 2500  An interchangeable pipetting toolthe P200Lis a syringe device which pipettes liquids with a volume range 10-20 microlitres with microlitre increments. The P200L's liquid level sensing system, which uses disposable plastic tips to eliminate carryover, finds the meniscus of sample liquids, avoiding tip over-immersion and therefore eliminating contamination. The sensing system functions with aqueous and non-aqueous liquids and verifies tip pick-up by the tool. The P200L can cope with a range of depths, from those of microtitre plate wells to test-tubes.
The Biomek 1000 PC-based control software has also been upgraded for use with the new Biomek Sideloader (SL) which automatically loads labware onto the workstation. The SL provides several hours of totally unattended operation for many applications, including dilution work and routine assays such as ELISA and receptor binding. An additional software enhancement means that the normal operation of Biomek can be interrupted to run an external program to organize files, transfer data, perform calculations and switch external devices.
Further information from Beckman, Progress Road, Sands Industrial Estate, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, UK.

Gas analysis
The Bioquad gas analysis system from Spectramass, which is designed for the monitoring of fermentation and other biological processes, has been attracting a good deal ofinterest since its introduction last year.
New options include a more flexible, spread-sheet-compatible software 0309-1902/89 $3.00 ( 1989 Taylor & Francis Ltd. package for data logging and data manipulation, making the gas analysis data more readily available for combination with other process measurements.
Improvements to membrane probe technology now permit the easy analysis of dissolved gases and volatile components present within a fermentation broth, and the new design now permits the multiplexing of probes so that any combination of membrane probes, inlet and exhaust gas streams can be handled by one Bioquad control unit. Electroporation of micro-organisms requires very high electrical field strengths, and for this the Transfector 100 is ideal. High voltage electric pulses enhance the transformation frequencies of intact microbial cells, providing a highly efficient means of transforming most popular strains of E. coli, Streptococcus lactis and many other microorganisms, including Grampositives.
A wider range of capacitance settings, ranging from 50 to 3150 F in 50 xF increments, is available with the Transfector 300. This gives thee researcher the ability to fine-tune pulse lengths to optimize transformation efficiencies.
The main feature of these systems is a graphic pulse analyser, the Optimizor, which monitors chamber conditions during electro cell fusion and electroporation to a very high level of accuracy. A liquid crystal display shows a graphic trace of the pulse going into the chamber, together with measurements and parameters. In this way the exact chamber field strengths are indicated instantaneously, so that optimal experimental conditions may be established.
Safety has been a prime consideration in the design of BTX systems. Safety features include full protection against operator shock and short circuit, which is an essential safeguard as very high voltages are used. An isolator guards against accidental exposure to the electrodes during operation.
A choice of nine different chambers, both disposable and re-usable, are offered, in 14 sizes ranging from a 20 tl microslide to a 75 ml production chamber.
High-performance, high-resolution capillary GC Since its launch in 1983, the HP 5890A has proved a highly successful gas chromatograph.
Hewlett-Packard have launched a new series II version, which represents the state of the art in analytical GC technology.
Chromatographic performance is increased by the facility for oncolumn capillary injection. The oncolumn capillary inlet option is compatible with the HP 7673A automatic injector and sampler and allows automated methodologies using oncolumn capillary injection to be developed, without compromising on flexibility or ease of use.
Electronic pressure control of the oncolumn inlet means that column head pressure, as well as inlet temperature, may be defined from the keyboard. This gives increased retention time reproducibility and the ability to separate complex mixtures.
Pressure programming of the column head provides more accurate results, as compounds are analysed at lower temperatures and therefore with less thermal degradation. Analyses are faster, and cryogenic cooling reduces. the time between sample runs.
The oven temperature range on the Series II has been extended to 450C. With the on-column inlet, this allows high boiling-point compounds to be analysed with ease. Such applications as the analysis of C-120 in waxes, and of steroids and triglycerides in biosamples, may be performed automatically, as may petroleum applications wht,,'e higher temperatures are required for accurate characterization of heavy fractions.
The capacity of the HP 5890 Series II is doubled by the use of two valvedriver channels, which reduce the cost of valve configurations. Additional heated zones provide increased flexibility. The new companies intend to make rapid bacterial cell counting as widespread in routine quality control in production areas as it is in qualityassurance laboratories, which is timely in view of the current public interest in bacterial infection. A rapid assay of microbiological conditions is an almost essential requirement for anyone with a responsibility for standards of any ingestible product or service, where the mere hint of contamination leads to the media demanding instant confirmation or denial. With Bio-Orbit's luminescence method of counting bacteria, the results can be verified within minutes (as opposed to hours or days required with incubation on culture plates) which means that process or product contamination may be determined at an early stage of production, avoiding subsequent wastage and possible damaging speculation of a bacterial outbreak incident. The company was formed to fill a gap in the market for simple, high-performance units across many industries. Small centrifuges are required by pathology laboratories, general practitioners, veterinary practices, food processing businesses, petro-chemical and chemical works, marine and electronic industries. Centrilab offer a range of UK-manufactured centrifuges which are ideal for industrial use as a simple laboratory tool. An agreement has been reached with JS Pathology PLC who offer a leasing service on Centrilab centrifuges as part of their drug-testing service.
Covering such a wide range of industries, Centrilab's first design has been developed with customizing in mind so that, for example, special heads can be readily supplied to suit many sizes and types of sample tube. grated, factory-wide control system based on micro-level computing, but providing the same processing benefits normally associated with systems served by midrange or mainframe computers.

More information from
The MXL is designed for the realtime production process control of a plant's batch, discrete and continuous processing operations. The basic system consists of an operator station, a field control unit and a communication bus that can manage everything from raw materials, advanced batch-sequence and production-process control to shipping.
As orders come in to a plant, the MXL determines how many products or activities must be initiated. It tracks inventory to ensure that enough resources are available and indicates when supplies are low. The MXL is capable of memorizing a number of pre-set recipes or production processes and will aid in determining when maintenance checks or clean-up procedures should start. Finally, when the product is completed, the MXL will track packing (where each package should be shipped, and which shipment will contain which packages).
Ready-to-use application packages Data reduction and reporting routines include internal and external standards and normalized per cent with multi-level calibration.
Real-time plotting is possible while data are being acquired. The package also contains many options for expanding and comparing stored chromatograms; and results summaries for multiple analyses may be produced for comparing and identifying trends.
PeakPro also offers full compliance with GLP/GMP guidelines. All data are protected from being changed or purged except by authorized users, and any such activity creates an automatic entry in the system log. Furthermore, full documentation of all analyses is provided. Test results, summary reports, system suitability and audit trail reports are easily called on screen or printed on command.
Although the basic PeakPro package is an economical solution for smaller laboratories, the modular design of its hardware and software means that the system can grow with the needs of the laboratory- Close monitoring of the concentration of metals and impurity levels in plating solutions is essential to achieve and maintain optimum process efficiency, cost-effectiveness and end-product quality. All 15 analyses employ potentiometric titration, a field in which Radiometer has long offered a wide range of instruments and ancillary equipment.
The procedures determine cadmium, chromium, copper, gold, lead, nickel, silver, tin and zinc in plating solutions and also sulphuric acid and aluminium together in anodizing solutions. Other analyses within the 15 are aimed at controlling boric acid, chloride and cyanide levels in the plating baths. Once installed, the system needs little maintenance, and it is easily upgraded to adapt to changing conditions.
The system acts as a real-time distributed data-base, providing data to management and maintenance services. FIP uses a 'broadcasting' topology, in which each device connected is a potential consumer of information broadcast on the bus. It can be up to 2000 m in length and can support as many as 256 stations. FIP was developed by a non profitmaking consortiuum of French companies, and has been tested in sites which include hydro-electric power stations, oil refineries and manufacturing plants. Details  Multi-channel pipettes A range of multi-channel pipettes that take the 'hit-and-miss' out of volume setting was recently launched by Flow Laboratories. The pipettes feature a preset volume control and digital display, which make incorrect setting virtually impossible. The pipettes have a colour-coded thumb button which is used to dial-in the required dispense volume-the volume is then displayed in an integral window.
The pipettes are available with four-, eight-and 12-channels. All models in the range are lightweight, reducing operator fatigue and feature individually replaceable tip cones, keep- Factor, C-Reactive protein and Alpha antitrypsin studies. The laboratory is a reference unit for the Royal Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases; samples are also received from two busy clinics each month, and, often in emergency situations where a 'STAT' method is demanded of the Array, the laboratory copes with regular C-Reactive protein estimations on leukaemic patients and those undergoing marrow transplant operations.
As the Royal United is a district general hospital covering a wide area and providing a service for no less than 28 outlying hospitals and about 500 local GPs, the workload is substantial for the 4.5 staff working in the only Immunology Department in the district. The laboratory found Beckman's support on Array very effective, with back-up information LIMS interfacing Beckman's IDAS (Instrument Data Acquisition System) was designed for the Beckman CALS Lab Manager, but it is fully compatible with other systems and permits the interfacing of a laboratory computer to practically every laboratory instrument with RS-232 output. Complete twoday communication between instrument and host is achieved through the use of a special Laboratory Interface Language (LIL) and Digimetry MK5 instrument coupler.
The microprocessor-controlled instrument coupler provides a number ofvital interactive communication functions. An operator can use the keypad and function keys on the MK5 to select instruments, select tests and enter sample identification, or, as data is collected to review, accept and process it before transmitting it to the host computer for storage and processing.
An advantage of the IDAS system over custom software packages is its flexibility: IDAS applications are readily moved between supported computer systems so it should continue to perform effectively despite operating system changes. Systems. It is an IBM compatible software system which utilizes a U-Micro DIO card to set up the equipment included in any system. The instruments involved typically include an autosampler, PSA vapour generator and a fluorescence detector. The menu-driven software sets up and controls these instruments and continually checks their performance. The output derived from the fluorescence detector is on a continuous flow basis and the measurements are collected as peak height or peak areas or even time sliced integration on the peak plateau.
For many techniques in analytical chemistry, such as flow-injection analysis and electrothermal vaporization, a transient signal is produced in contrast to the continuous level.
The PSA TouchStone software has been extended to handle these signals and to control the PSA 40.630 12-Port Teflon rotary valve assembly. With this unit, which is plugcompatible with the PSA hydride generator, the user is able to switch from hydride generation sample introduction to flow-injection principles. This is accomplished in a simple fashion by setting up the method template. The sample is withdrawn from the autosampler into the loop of the Teflon valve, after a predefined time the sample is fed into the sample input stream, the transient signal monitored, and after a set period the valve is returned for the next sample. Buehler have introduced a mounting press for sample preparation applications. The Simplimet 3 is an automatic electro-hydraulic mounting press that brings fast production of quality mounted samples to the microstructural analysis laboratory. All Simplimet 3 presses incorporate a number of state-of-the-art features, including corrosion and impact resistant reaction-injection-moulded cabinetry, a reliable electrohydraulic system for applying and maintaining selected pressure, electronic touch-pad switches for selection and automatic control of all moulding cycle parameters, includ-ing temperature, pressure and time, and digital LED parameter read-outs and bar graphs. In addition, the Simplimet 3 mounting press accoim.,todates a range ofmould sizes from 25mm to 1-1/2in and incorporates a water-cooled mould-cooling unit to produce cool mounts in seven to nine minutes. Further information from Buehler UK Ltd, PO Box 150, Binns Close, Coventry CV4 9XJ, UK. Tel.: 0203 471411.

Solvector
As a further step in increasing Cavendish's expertise and range of products available in the field of solvent vapour detection, a new version of the Solvector has recently been launched. This can operate as a continuous-reading instrument or with the GC attachment to give a specific response to one solvent. This is an advance over the other photoionization detection systems available and is priced competively. Details from Cavendish Apfllied Technolog7 Ltd, Unit 24, Clifton Road, Cambridge CB1 4ZD, UK.
PC-based chromatography workstation Compatible with gas or liquid chromatographs from any manufacturer, the new HP 3365 ChemStation is a personal computer functioning as a fully featured chromatography workstation. The MS-DOS based analytical software, which includes data reduction algorithms for precise quantitative results, will run on the HP Vectra PC or any other PC/AT compatible. Used with the HP Vectra, it is the only single-vendor system of its kind.
The software uses Microsoft (R) Windows Presentation Manager to provide a mouse-driven, graphical environment with multitasking capabilities and multiple windows. Pull-down menus, dialogue boxes and icons simplify operation, and as the software runs under MS-DOS, results may be ported to wordprocessors, spreadsheets and other standard office packages.
Many such tasks can be performed simultaneously through the use of MS-Windows, which also allow several chromatograms to be displayed and compared on screen. Windows may be enlarged, reduced, overlapped or moved.
The HP 3365 ChemStation may be connected directly to the HP 5890 Series II GC for full instrument control and data acquisition. It is fully multitasking, and can operate The HP 3365 chromatographic ChemStation from Hewlett-Packard. The workstation runs on the HP Vectra PC and can control single or multiple chromatographic instruments. With it is the HP 5890 Series H gas chromatograph. several GCs simultaneously. It may also be connected, via the HP 35900C dual-channel interface, to any other manufacturer's liquid or gas chromatograph for single or multiple instrument data acquisition.
As a PC-based system, the HP 3365 is compatible with all standard inter-faces. It may be linked to other PCs and can share such peripherals as printers and data storage devices, saving both space and cost.
The ChemStation can be networked to laboratory data systems. It is fully compatible with HP 1000 and HP 3000 minicomputers, as well as IBM and DEC systems. It may also be linked into HP LABSAM and other commercially available LIMS systems.