Abstract: An outdrive system for water craft includes in an embodiment use of plastic or other relatively flexible material, e.g., compared to metal, as a housing material, and techniques which enable and/or at least facilitate use of such housing material. Several of those techniques employ a flexible member, such as a belt, to couple power between the input and output of an outdrive, and heat conducting back bending surfaces to urge the belt legs toward each other and to remove heat from the outdrive, an anti-shear stuffer or fence to reduce energy losses such as heat, and lubricant requirements, and/or an eccentric mechanical tensioning device for the belt. The invention also relates to use in a vehicle drive, especially for water craft, of housing materials a substantial part of which are not subject to corrosion, galvanic action and the like.

Abstract: An outdrive system for watercraft includes use of plastic or other relatively flexible material, e.g., compared to metal, especially as a housing material, and techniques which enable and/or at least facilitate use of such housing material. One of those techniques employs a flexible member, such as a belt, to couple power between the input and output of an outdrive and another employs a cooling system to remove heat. The invention also relates to use in a vehicle drive, especially for watercraft, of housing materials that are not subject to corrosion, galvanic action and the like.

Abstract: A metal halide lamp having a vacuum shroud is disclosed. The vacuum shroud substantially eliminates the detrimental catephoresis effects of operating a metal halide lamp from a low frequency alternating current (A.C.) source or direct current (D.C.) sources, reduces the sodium migration losses typically experienced with a metal halide lamp, reduces the photoelectrons contribution to sodium losses for the metal halide lamp, reduces the detrimental effects of the hydrogen and water that may be within the general confines of such a metal halide lamp, and provides a containment function for an inner envelope that may be operated at a relatively high pressure and possibly experience rupturing to cause the dislodgment of the ruptured material to possibly fracture a glass member confining the metal halide lamp.

Abstract: An illumination system for a display device includes a plurality of lenslets which provide partially collimated light with respect to at least one axis of the display. A light box provides uncollimated light to the lenslets. The light box includes a reflector having apertures which transmit light from the light box to the lenslets. The internal surfaces of the light box and the reflector are highly and diffusely reflective and a high percentage of the light reaches the lenslets.

Abstract: A ballast circuit and method of operating gas discharge lamps are disclosed. The ballast circuit generates a relatively low frequency regulated square-wave current which advantageously provides for operating the gas discharge lamps during their run mode. The square-wave current delivered to the electrodes of the gas discharge lamp reduces or substantially eliminates the cataphoresis effects typically created by D.C. and 60 Hz operation of the gas discharge lamp while also reducing or substantially eliminating the detrimental acoustics resonance effects typically created by operating the gas discharge lamps at relatively high frequency of excitations.

Abstract: A metal halide discharge lamp includes an arc tube design having a particular end shape which allows control of the temperature distribution within the arc tube, so that sensitivity of the arc tube performance to orientation is reduced and concentration of the metallic halide components in the arc region is maintained relatively constant. The shaping of the arc tube ends and the use of a low thermal emissivity coating on the arc tube allows maintenance of the metallic halide in the vapor state at a constant level to promote better lumen maintenance and color rendering in a metal halide discharge lamp.

Abstract: Various embodiments of direct current (D.C.) ballasting circuits for low wattage high pressure sodium (HPS) vapor lamps are disclosed. In one ballast embodiment a negative going high voltage pulse is applied directly to the H.P.S. lamp cathode during the starting operation and the ballast circuit preferentially diverts a major portion of the HPS lamp current around a high-voltage transformer during normal operation so as to reduce the resistive heating of the transformer. In a second ballast embodiment, capacitors are arranged into voltage multiplying circuit for generating the high D.C. starting voltage along with diodes that reduce the power dissipation of the ballast circuit.

Abstract: A tristimulus colorimeter employs a multiplexed dual slope integrator digital voltmeter wherein unknown and reference light beams are compared by sequentially applying unknown and reference electrical signals representative of the two respective light beams to the non-inverting and inverting inputs, respectively, of the integrator amplifier. Moreover, a compensating circuit provides for compensation of the colorimeter output signals with respect to reflectance error encountered in the optics portion of the colorimeter with such compensation being provided as a function of the light intensity from the colorimeter light source.

Abstract: A tristimulus colorimeter employs a multiplexed dual slope integrator digital voltmeter wherein unknown and reference light beams are compared by sequentially applying unknown and reference electrical signals representative of the two respective light beams to the non-inverting and inverting inputs, respectively, of the integrator amplifier. Moreover, a compensating circuit provides for compensation of the colorimeter output signals with respect to reflectance error encountered in the optics portion of the colorimeter.

Abstract: A comparison type colorimeter concentrates unknown and reference light beams onto the same surface area portion of a single photosensor and additionally filters the unknown and reference light beams by the same color filters and, preferably, portions thereof. Moreover, an enclosed light source produces light for the colorimeter to eliminate shift in illumination due to dust accumulation on the lamp and/or reflector of the light source.

Abstract: An automatic zeroing circuit normalizes a detector-measuring apparatus to eliminate relatively steady-state DC errors that may develop in response to the temperature or other variable parameter dependency of leakage currents in a transducer, such as dark currents in a photosensitive transistor. Therefore, the outputs from such apparatus are generally insensitive to such variables and errors.

Abstract: A single adjustable control is commonly connected with each of a plurality of feedback channels, which are selectively coupled in an amplifier circuit to provide the latter with different basic gains, to adjust the respective basic gains of the amplifier circuit by corresponding fractional or proportional amounts of respective ranges of permissible gain chain for each channel, thereby simultaneously to correct or to calibrate each channel for different amounts of drift of the like.

Abstract: A relatively viscous light transmissive liquid material, such as glycerine or the like, applied to the solid end portion of a light conducting member enhances the optical coupling with a sample or object having an irregular and/or glossy surface to be optically examined. Moreover, the light probe system has a test end with a tip for substantial abutment with a test area or test point of a sample. The tip provides point or primary illumination of the test point and a further source of general or secondary illumination is provided the sample annularly about the probe tip and test point so that upon illumination of the sample ambient lighting effects are simulated.

Abstract: A viscous light transmissive fluid material, such as glycerine or the like, is applied to the solid end portion of a light conducting member of a light probe for optically coupling the latter with a sample having an irregular glossy surface. The fluid interface substantially reduces specular reflection from the glossy surface of the sample and also provides effective optical coupling between the sample and the light conducting member, both of which may have surface irregularities or may be misaligned with respect to each other.