Abstract: An electronic shelf contains a plurality of circuit board assemblies mounted adjacent each other. Each circuit board assembly includes a circuit board with an attached front faceplate having a recessed wall that defines a rearward extending recess between a bottom edge and a top edge of the circuit board. An optical fiber is connected to the circuit board. A bail is mounted adjacent each of the front faceplates, each bail being movable from a seated position to an extended position. The optical fibers are held by an associated bail at an intermediate location along a length of the optical fiber. The optical fibers have a first portion that is contained within the rearward extending recess with the associated bail in its seated position. The first portion of the optical fiber is pulled forwardly from within the recess and away from the associated front faceplate with the associated bail in its extended position.

Abstract: An electronic shelf contains a plurality of circuit board assemblies mounted adjacent each other. Each circuit board assembly includes a circuit board with an attached front faceplate having a recessed wall that defines a rearward extending recess between a bottom edge and a top edge of the circuit board. An optical fiber is connected to the circuit board. A bail is mounted adjacent each of the front faceplates, each bail being movable from a seated position to an extended position. The optical fibers are held by an associated bail at an intermediate location along a length of the optical fiber. The optical fibers have a first portion that is contained within the rearward extending recess with the associated bail in its seated position. The first portion of the optical fiber is pulled forwardly from within the recess and away from the associated front faceplate with the associated bail in its extended position.

Abstract: An apparatus is used to inspect an assembled circuit board having a device assembled to the circuit board by a ball grid array (BGA). The BGA includes a plurality of rows of solder connections. The apparatus has a source of light, which may be a laser. A first deflector is positioned to direct the light into a first side of the BGA, between two adjacent rows of solder connections in the BGA. A second deflector directs any light emitted from a second side of the BGA opposite the first side onto a target. The deflectors may be prisms, mirrors, or optical fibers. The target may be a viewing surface (such as a wall or screen) or a light detector, such as a camera, frame grabber, or photoelectric device. The absence of light on the target while the light is directed into the first side of the BGA indicates the presence of a solder bridge in the BGA.

Abstract: An improved electrical connection between each of a set of metallized areas (16) on a first substrate (11 ) and those on a second substrate (12), via a layer of anisotropically conductive material (22) sandwiched therebetween, is obtained by arraying the metallized areas in concentric rings about each of a plurality of fasteners (28) extending through both substrates and the material. By arraying the metallized areas in concentric rings about each fastener, the anisotropically conductive material in contact with the metallized areas arrayed in each ring will advantageously be subjected to a uniform pressure by the fastener, improving the conductivity of the material.

Abstract: A method for automatically determining the refractive index profile of a lightguide preform.