Abstract: A mechanism for automatically loading and unloading printed circuit boards from a electrical component insertion machine comprising an elevator for vertically moving and positioning conveyors adjacent a board storage, one of the conveyors being adapted to extract a board from the storage and convey the board to the insertion machine and the other conveyor being adapted to receive the assembled board from the insertion machine and insert the assembled board back into the storage. A conveyor is mounted on the table of the insertion machine and a bridge conveyor transfers the board from the table conveyor to the vertically movable conveyors to transport the boards onto and off from the insertion machine table.

Abstract: A process for determining the electrical characteristics of a material whin a probe is inserted into the material and an electrical pulse is transmitted to generate a reflected wave which will have a shape which will depend on the electrical characteristics of the material. The probe used has coaxial inner and outer conductors, with an exposed one of the inner conductor extending beyond the outer conductor to establish an electric field between the exposed end of the inner conductor and the outer surface of the outer conductor when an electrical pulse reaches the end of the probe.