Abstract: A trailer lamp controller for use in connecting electrical circuits of turn and brake lamps of a towing vehicle to electrical circuits of turn and brake lamps of a towed vehicle, the turn and brake lamps of the towed vehicle being actuated in response to the sensing by the controller of current or voltage present when select towing vehicle turn and brake lamps are actuated.

Abstract: A method of applying discrete areas of a noble metal to individual pads on a flexible printed circuit board comprises the steps of forming a particular pattern of electrically conductive material on a flexible, electrically insulating substrate. The pattern includes individual pads. An aperture is formed through the electrically insulating substrate to expose a portion of the underside of at least one of the individual pads, and then contacting the underside with an electrode, contacting the upper surface of the individual pad with a wire comprised of the noble metal, applying a welding current between the electrode and the wire to weld the wire to the pad and severing the wire to leave a particular amount on the upper surface of the pad.

Abstract: A method of making printed circuit boards having gold dot contacts formed on the terminal pads is disclosed. A first layer of copper is overlayed with a pattern of tin or solder which acts as a resist. The gold dot contacts are resistance welded to the terminal pads. The copper underlayment and its pattern of tin or solder carrying the gold dots is then bonded to an electrically insulating substrate, which can be flexible, to form a composite board which is then etched to form a printed circuit board having gold dot contacts thereon. Other materials than tin or solder can be employed so long as there is a difference in etchability between it and the copper foil.

Abstract: An electrical contact comprises a first end which is hollow and bullet shaped. The first end is formed by rolling sheet material. A second end, which is solid and formed from wire is affixed to the first end at a crimp joint. The joint is formed at a tail or terminus of the first and is rolled about the second end to form a gas tight seal. To complete the connection, a laser weld fuses the edges of the crimp and penetrates into the second end.

Abstract: An apparatus for monitoring the operation of a press provides outputs indicating the total number of hits and the operating speed of the press as well as the total amount of product produced by the press.Specifically, an N-Pulser is driven by a proximity switch coupled to the press so as to fill an accumulator that maintains a running total of the amount of product produced. The N-Pulser includes a gate that has an enabling input coupled to the proximity switch and a signal input coupled to a clock. When the gate is enabled the output of the clock is permitted to pass through the gate to the input of a counter, the counter having been preset to a state determined by the amount of product produced during each cycle of the press. The gate is disabled when the counter has counted to a predetermined, ZERO, state. The output of the gate is in a parallel fashion coupled to the accumulator, so that a specified number of pulses are dumped into the accumulator as a result of each cycle of the press.

Abstract: An apparatus for detecting the retention of non-ejected parts in the cavity of a plastic molding machine and inhibiting the operation of the molding machine in response thereto. The apparatus employs a set of photocells coupled via associated fiber optic cables to a comparator. The retention of a molded part subsequent to the completion of a molding cycle is indicated by the interruption of a light beam generated by at least one of the photocells. The optical signal is processed by the comparator and associated circuitry so as to activate a mold inhibiting relay.