Notes from the Editor

Cool Video

Here’s a fun weekend activity: base jumping. Even if you’ve seen videos of base jumping before (basically a human flying squirrel), check out how this guy just … barely … misses.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFQc7VRJowk

I don’t think he meant to be that close. Listen to his opinion of the run at the end of the video.

Cool App – Underwater Flashlight

One of our engineers, Tim Dykes, is an avid scuba diver. Turns out that water filters (by absorption) sunlight making colors change or even disappear with increasing depth. Even clear water absorbs (red the most, which is why water looks blue-ish) and murky or sea water obviously absorbs more.

Current underwater lamps put out about a few thousand lumens (say 2000) and are quite expensive (say 2.5 k$). That wasn’t good enough or cost effective enough for Tim! So, he’s taken on his own personal extracurricular project to develop a 10000 lumen lamp that costs much less. Here's a link to the initial efforts. Updates will be posted as they happen.

Thanks for reading!

Jim Campbell
jac@viewpointusa.com

Part 4: Architecture Design for the Data Logger App

Last month’s issue of this newsletter described more of the LabVIEW Action Engines for the Data Logger application we are building in this ongoing series to show good practices for LabVIEW app development and preparation for the Certified LabVIEW Developer (CLD) exam.

The architecture being developed here can be used by many types of applications, not just data logging. The ultimate goal is to have a LabVIEW Project that you can download and run.

This month’s issue starts to outline the framework and show how the Action Engines (aka Functional Globals) will be included in the app. Read on...

Blast into History

German test pilot Helmut Schenck literally catapulted himself into history on Jan. 13, 1942. During a test of new impulse jet engines, he became the first person to use his ejection seat effectively during an emergency. Schenck was piloting his aircraft with engines off while other aircraft towed him into the sky. As the time neared to start engines, he found his flight controls unresponsive. Schenck released the towlines, jettisoned his canopy and activated his compressed gas powered ejection seat.

http://webs.lanset.com/aeolusaero/Articles/ A_Brief_History_of_American_Egress_Systems--25_May_04.pdf

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About Viewpoint Systems
We are consultants, designers, and builders of custom automated product test platforms for design validation, reliability, manufacturing and data management.

Viewpoint is dedicated to increasing the competitive advantage of our regional product design and manufacturing community in a global economy.

Newsletter Staff:
Editor-In-Chief: James Campbell
Associate Editor: Sunny Teumim