Abstract: Algorithms are set forth for positioning critical test signal pins in a short-wire board test fixture so as to efficiently minimize ground bounce. The board test fixture interfaces a test system to a circuit board under test. Critical signals are those signals susceptible to ground bounce. The test signal pins connect a ground plane in the board test fixture to pin cards interfaced to the board test system. Each pin card has a first column of test signal pins and a set of first ground pins. Moreover, each pin card has a second column comprising a set of second ground pins. In order to minimize ground bounce, no more than fifteen second ground pins per pin card are inactive. No more than two consecutive second ground pins per pin card are inactive. Any critical test signals are assigned within three pins of an exclusive first ground pin. Finally, any ordinary test signals are assigned more than four pins from any critical test signals.

Abstract: A camera data back incorporates a message receiver or personal pager. The data back comprises a housing with a front and back face, a message receiver within the housing, and means within the housing for placing data onto an image recording media through the back face. The received message is displayed to the camera user by a display on the front face of the housing. An electronic controller is electrically connected to the data placing means, the message receiver, and the display, for controlling the data placing means in order to place data onto the image recording media, and for controlling the display to display the messages received by the message receiver.

Abstract: An adherent layer comprising elemental titanium, optionally in combination with another metal such as copper, is deposited on a substrate, preferably of alumina or aluminum nitride, and serves as a base for a further conductive coating which may be applied by electroless or electrolytic deposition. The adherent layer is applied by contacting the substrate with a mixture of the elemental metal(s) and a substantially anhydrous salt composition, preferably an equimolar mixture of potassium chloride and sodium chloride; heating at a temperature and for a time sufficient to melt said salt composition; and removing said salt composition, preferably by water washing.

Abstract: A driver circuit for use in a circuit board tester performs both functional and in-circuit tests on a given device under test (DUT). The tester provides a control signal representative of a command for the driver circuit to provide test signals to the DUT. The driver circuit incorporates two stages: a pre-driver stage and a driver stage. The pre-driver stage consists of an amplifier connected to fast switching transistors with the ability to move in and out of saturation rapidly. The amplifier receives control signals and the switching transistors provide actuation signals to the driver stage. The driver stage comprises two emitter follower transistors that operate exclusively in an unsaturated state. The driver stage provides test signals to the DUT in response to the actuation signals from the two switching transistors of the pre-driver stage. Additionally, the driver circuit may be programmed to change the output voltage amplitudes of the test signals.

Abstract: A camera accessory for adapting a camera for macro photography including an adaptor for attaching the accessory to the lens of the camera, an adjustable bellows formed of translucent material for admitting diffused lights to all sides of the subject, and an extension bellows also formed of translucent material for larger subjects or subjects to be photographed at a greater distance from the lens.

Abstract: A pair or more of three-piece brackets (20) are provided for mounting the longitudinal edges of a window blind headrail (11). Each bracket includes a frame (21) with apertures (22) for mounting to a window frame top or ceiling (15). The frame (20) includes spaced depending apertured tabs (24, 25) through which a slidable tongue (30) is positioned. The distal ends (41) of an arrow spring (40) are confined by tangs (31) on tongue (30) and the other spring end (42) abuts and is confined by a notch (39) in tab (25). A top front lip (12) of the headrail (11) is tilted and positioned on the tongue (30) and then pushed inwardly to move the tongue (30) and compress spring (40) which allows the top rear lip (14) of the headrail (11) to rotate and clear a lip portion (25b) of tab (25) to a position within the lip portion (25b). Release of the pushing force releases the spring energy, forcing the tongue (30) back so that the headrail (11) is clamped between tongue (30) and tab (25).

Abstract: A driver circuit (10) for selecting particular values of backmatch impedance (Z) for a functional or in-circuit test system. The test system (100) generates the backmatch impedance select signals (32A), the control signals (32B), and the drive data (32C). A decode circuit (200) receives the backmatch impedance select signal and the control signals from the test system for activating one or more of a plurality of individual drivers. Each of the plurality of drivers has a three state control input (202A), a data input (212), and an output (214). Each output of the drivers is connected to an impedance (Z). Hence, a plurality of impedances are provided which are commonly tied together and connected to the transmission line (70). The test system connects one or more of the drivers together. When one driver is selected, that particular value of backmatch impedance is connected to the transmission line.

Abstract: A tilt wand (40)-to-tilt shaft (30) detachable connection in a venetian blind (10) having a series of tiltable slats (14) depending from a blind headrail (11) is provided by a U-shaped stiff wire or link (20). In one embodiment the distal free ends (22) of the U-shaped link (20) are ramp (25) snap-connected into bores (32) or a transverse through-aperture in the tilt shaft (30) which transmits wand torque through gearing (18, 19) to a blind ladder-tilting drum (17) in the headrail. The other bight end (21) of the link extends through a wand tip eye (41). Upon axial downward stress on the wand the ramped distal ends (22) of the link (20) will pull out of the bores (32) permitting disengagement of the link (20) and wand (40) from the tilt shaft (30) before any damage can be done to the gearing. In another embodiment distal end (52) of a link (50) is fixed in the tilt shaft (30) and a bight portion (53) of the link engaged to and disengageable from an open semi-eye (61) on the wand tip.

Abstract: A TFEL device for producing a high brightness output comprises a substrate supporting a laminar thin film stack including a front electrode layer and a rear electrode layer sandwiching an electroluminescent laminate comprising an electroluminescent layer sandwiched by a pair of insulating layers. A thin film insulating layer is grown by evaporation on the glass substrate and produces a surface having a degree of roughness which is replicated by the remaining thin film layers. The surface contour at the interfaces between each of the thin film layers is convoluted which reduces internal light reflection and provides more light output at the front of the panel.

Abstract: An apparatus for preventing damage to the output stage of a driver circuit for use in an overdrive/functional tester, while the output stage is providing logic high or logic low signals, is shown to include a first sensor for sensing the current in the output stage, a second sensor for sensing the voltage in the output stage, a multiplier for multiplying the sensed current with the sensed voltage to determine the power dissipated in the output stage, a filter to account for thermal/time characteristics in the determined power dissipated and a comparator for comparing the filtered power with a power reference value and for generating an indication signal reflective of such comparison.

Abstract: An electrode configuration for reducing contact density in matrix-addressed display panels includes a first set of electrodes having termination points for connection to external driving electronics situated near the edge of a supporting substrate, and a second set of electrodes alternately interleaved among said first set having termination points spaced inwardly from the substrate's edge. An insulating film covers the termination points of the second plurality of electrodes and bond pads placed atop the insulating film are connected to the electrodes by leads. This insulates the second plurality of electrodes from a possible short circuit caused by random or one-on-one interconnects that bridge areas in the gaps between the electrodes.

Abstract: A driver circuit for use in a circuit board tester which tester can perform both functional and in-circuit tests on a given device under test (DUT). The tester provides a test signal representative of a command for the driver circuit to provide logic high or logic low signals to a given device under test (DUT). The driver includes an output stage for providing desired logic high and logic low signals in response to the test signal; and switch circuitry, connected between the tester and the output stage, for preventing the test signal from reaching the output stage in response to a second control signal. The driver circuit is also shown to include an amplifier which, during operation of the driver circuit, receives feedback from the output stage. In addition, the driver circuit includes another output stage which provides a feedback signal when the driver circuit is in tri-state (deactivated).

Abstract: A TFEL device having improved contrast includes a laminate having a phosphor layer sandwiched between front and rear insulating layers placed upon a substrate supporting a set of front transparent electrodes. The rear set of electrodes are transparent or semitransparent so as not to reflect ambient light toward the viewer. The TFEL laminate is contained within a cavity created by an enclosure secured to the substrate by an adhesive. Darkly dyed filler material is injected into the cavity whose rear inside wall may have a dark coating. The semitransparent electrodes may be made of gold or may be made of transparent indium tin oxide having narrow aluminum bus bars for improved conductivity.

Abstract: Metallized plastic sheet film products improved by being perforated through their surfaces are disclosed. These sheet products can be incorporated into improved strength composites since their perforations permit glue through and prevent delamination and shear previously observed with metallized plastic sheet film products. In addition, the perforations can be used to adjust the conductivity/resistance of the electrically conductive sheet films.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing pulse signals from a driver circuit in an in-circuit overdrive/functional tester to a probe, which tester provides a control signal representative of a command for the driver circuit to provide logic signals, includes adjusting the transition time of the logic signals so that the transition time is equal to twice the time it takes the pulse signal to travel from the driver circuit to the end of the probe and back. The method or apparatus for adjusting the rise time of the control signal can include adjusting the slew rate of the control signal. Pulse signals produced by such a method or apparatus have clean edges, have slew rates which are twice as fast as the slew rates of the driver signals and have zero propagation delay when measured at the fifty percent point.

Abstract: A turner device for T-handles, especially for the types of T-handles employed in soft drink dispenser machines. The T-handle herein is in the form of a crank, having an eccentrically mounted rotatable handle and being provided with a principal hollow body in the form of a channel, but having a retainer plate. A spring is provided for receiving the base or shaft of the T-handle and for correctly positioning the same. The body of the T-handle is designed to releasably receive the top or T-bar of the handle such that the user of the device may conveniently rotate the handle by simply use of thumb and finger pressure on the handle so as to rotate the T-bar turner device and hence the T-handle releasably contained therein.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for the efficient generation of a wiring map of the connectivity between two sets of terminals at different locations which have established communication links between respective terminals at the two locations. A single at a first location uniquely identifies each of the terminals, by code, frequency, sequence of connection or the like, and is transmitted to a respective termimal at the second location via a respective communication link. The terminals at the second location are sampled and the presence of the transmitted signal correlated to the identity of the first terminal. The correlation may be direct, as by unique terminal identifier, or by a comparision of data bases stored by computers. First and second data bases, each relating the terminal locations to the transmitted information, respectively, are correlated to create a third data base used to generate a map of the linked terminals.

Abstract: An apparatus and method, using a computer, for the efficient generation of a wiring map of the connectivity between two sets of terminals at different locations which have established communication links between respective terminals at the two locations. A single at a first location uniquely identifies each of the terminals, by code, frequency, sequence of connection or the like, and is transmitted to a respective terminal at the second location via a respective communication link. The terminals at the second location are sampled and the presence of the transmitted signal correlated to the identity of the first terminal. The correlation may be direct, as by unique terminal identifier, or by a comparison of data bases stored by computers. The computer-based correlation is used to generate a map of the limited terminals.

Abstract: A highly efficient, AC-excited, blue light-emitting phosphor for solid-state thin-film electro-luminescent (TFEL) devices is comprised of strontium sulphide (SrS) host material doped with cerium fluoride (CeF.sub.3) acting as an emitter providing a source of photons. The blue SrS:CeF.sub.3 phosphor is about one hundred times brighter than the brightest zinc sulphide/thulium fluoride (ZnS:TmF.sub.3) blue phosphor heretofore known. To increase brightness level, at some loss of energy efficiency, electron-injection layers of zinc sulfide (ZnS) are placed on either side of the SrS:CeF.sub.3 layer in the TFEL device.

Abstract: A TFEL panel includes orthogonally disposed sets of scanning and data electrodes. The scanning electrodes are strobed with a preconditioning voltage and data is provided to selected data electrodes simultaneously with the line by line strobing of the scanning electrodes. A refresh pulse is applied to the screen once per frame of data at times which vary from frame to frame. This may be accomplished either by varying the time of occurrence of the refresh pulse within each frame or by holding the time of occurrence of the refresh pulse constant and varying the strobing sequence of the scanning electrodes. This technique prevents certain portions of the screen from generating a latent image due to charge accumulation which would otherwise result from the timing asymmetry between the scanning of certain electrodes and the fixed timing of the refresh pulse.