Abstract: A control system for controlling a variable of a device by an end element is disclosed. The control system has as its input a magnetostrictive position sensing probe for measuring the value of the variable of the device at time intervals and a digital controller reading the value from the magnetostrictive position sensing probe and having an output and means for calculating control output from the updated value of the variable during the time interval. The digital controller is close coupled to the magnetostrictive position sensing probe to permit time intervals that are very short, such as 500 microseconds to 1 millisecond.

Abstract: A truck bed extender mountable in a receivable trailer hitch has an elongated support bar and a rack. The rack has a horizontal cross bar that is vertically adjustable on the support bar at the end opposite that where the support bar is secured to the receiver trailer hitch.

Abstract: A method for ballasting a vessel in which a sequence of subsets of ballast tanks, each subset comprising three tanks of the totality of ballast tanks of the vessel, is used to arrive at a final ballast configuration. For each subset in the sequence excepting the last subset, ballast adjustments are repetitively selected and assigned to members of the subset until a selected ballast adjustment will completely fill or completely empty the ballast tank to which the adjustment is assigned. Thereafter, a new subset is selected. In the final subset of the sequence ballast adjustments are repetitively selected and assigned to members of the subset until the total weight of the vessel and ballast, including the ballast assignments, is within a preselected tolerance of a preselected, desired total weight for the vessel and ballast.