Abstract: A web and an associated web feeding and handling apparatus for performing a work operation on the web is disclosed. The apparatus feeds the web in a feed direction longitudinally of itself by means of a friction drive. The operation of the drive is controlled by lateral and longitudinal alignment indicia located on the web which insure that the web is properly aligned with the feed direction as the web is initially fed into and then through the apparatus, and to insure that any bowing of the web during the work operation is corrected or compensated for.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for aligning fine pitch electrical components and for solder paste stenciling includes a template for aligning an electrical component and for aligning a solder stencil. The template has a window with shelves on opposite sides. Tape is adhered to the shelves across the window and is used to secure the template to the desired location on the printed circuit board. The template also includes upright tabs that engage notches in the edges of the stencil for aligning the stencil. A two headed vacuum lifting device is used to lift an aligned component and an aligned stencil from the template. With the template removed from the printed circuit board, the stencil is replaced in the aligned position for solder application. The stencil is removed and the electrical component is placed for soldering.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are disclosed for eliminating the chemical energy of fuel remaining in a fuel cell generator when the electrical power output of the fuel cell generator is terminated. During a generator shut down condition, electrically resistive elements are automatically connected across the fuel cell generator terminals in order to draw current, thereby depleting the fuel inventory in the generator. The invention provides a safety function in eliminating the fuel energy, and also provides protection to the fuel cell stack by eliminating overheating.

Abstract: A chassis cover of a host unit, which has a horizontal orientation and a vertical orientation, includes a side cover and a stabilizing stand. The side cover has outer peripheral edges and a cavity. The stand is movable between a closed position and an open position and is coupled to the side cover. The stand fits within the cavity in the side cover to form a substantially contiguous surface when the host unit is in the horizontal orientation and the stand is in the closed position. The stand projects beyond the outer peripheral edges of the side cover in a direction transverse to the depth of the host unit to stabilize the host unit in the vertical orientation resting on the side cover when the stand is in the open position.

Abstract: A method and apparatus allow securing of balls to ball grid array electronic components. A component having a surface with rows and columns of electrical contact solder pads is removed from a printed circuit board for rework. Excess solder is removed from the solder pads and the surface is pressed against a stencil having a pattern of holes corresponding to the component contact pad pattern. Each of the holes is filled with a solder ball. The assembly is heated to melt the at least the solder pads. Where lower melting solder balls are used, the pads and balls both melt. Where high melting temperature solder balls are used, only the solder pads melt. The assembly is cooled to solidify melted solder, the stencil is removed, the component is cleaned and is ready for reuse.

Abstract: A method and apparatus enables the securing of balls to ball grid array electronic components. A component having a surface with rows and columns of electrical contact pads is removed from a printed circuit board for rework. Excess solder is removed from the pads and the surface is pressed against a stencil having a pattern of holes corresponding to the component contact pad pattern. The holes are filled with a paste continuing flux and solder particles. The assembly is heated to melt the solder particles, which agglomerate into generally spherical balls bonded to the contact pads. The assembly is cooled, the stencil is removed, the component is cleaned and is ready for reuse. Preferably, the stencil is formed from a material that bows in one direction when heated, so that when the stencil is held against the pad array surface and heated, bowing forces will very tightly press the stencil against the surface, preventing molten solder from migrating between surface and stencil.

Abstract: An apparatus for supporting a substrate such as a printed circuit board (PCB) having various electronic components installed on one side with that side down so that other components can be installed on the opposite side. An assembly of three perforated plates has deformable, typically rubber-like, pins projecting through the perforations. Springs below the assembly bias the pins to a position extending above the plate. When a PCB is laid on the pins with mounted electronic components downward, the components with pres the pins down distances corresponding to component thickness. The pins provide uniform support while working on the opposite side. The center perforated plate of the three is moved to the side, clamping the pins in position, so that the PCB can be removed and replaced with another identical PCB. Different devices for causing the plate clamping action and devices for indexing PCB position and for maintaining the PCB flat and level are also provided.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for aligning an electronic component with a base member where a pattern of contacts on the component are to be bonded to an identical pattern of contacts on the base member. Templates having indentations along one edge shaped to align with the contact pattern on the component and base member can be positioned in alignment with the base member contact pattern along two sides of the pattern and releasably secured in place, such as by tape. The component is placed over the base member with its contacts aligned with the template. This assures precise alignment of the two contact patterns. The assembly can be heated to the melting point of the solder and cooled to bond all of the contacts together. The templates are removed for reuse. With ball grid array components, the template indentations are preferably partially-circular to align with the edge row of round solder contact pads.

Abstract: A method of making glass in which a first glass composition is fed to a furnace and the densities of such glass is determined. The composition is then changed to produce a second glass which has substantially different properties from the first glass, the change to the composition being such that the desired properties are produced in the second glass while simultaneously maintaining the densities of the second glass substantially equal to that of the second glass. The first glass may be a clear glass while the second glass may be a tinted glass. In such a case, the tinted glass may contain iron and the densities are maintained substantially equal by utilizing the iron to replace calcium oxide in the clear glass composition.

Abstract: A vertically looped ribbon cable having upper and lower lengths connected to one another by a 180.degree. bend for carrying power and control signals is attached at one end to a controller and at its other end to a plotter's tool head. The tool head is mounted to, and can move along the length of a tool head support. A cable support device is provided and includes a trough having an interior channel containing the ribbon cable and mounted to the plotter's frame. A vertically looped cable support strip is also positioned in the trough and has an upper support strip length positioned above and connected by a 180.degree. bend in the support strip to a lower support strip length. During movement of the tool head along the length of the support, one of the upper or lower support strip lengths will increase while the other decreases. The ribbon cable is positioned relative to the support strip so that the upper length of the cable overlies and is vertically supported by the upper support strip length.

Abstract: A tailgate assembly for an open top load carrying container includes a tailgate for assuming the traditional closed and open configuration for dumping material from the container. The tailgate includes a venting aperture selectively closeable by a venting door movable between a closed and an open position, such that a substantial portion of the venting door is disposed within the container in the open position.

Abstract: A kit tools for use in repairing bent leads on fine pitch surface mount electronic components and a method of repairing such bent leads. The kit basically comprises a plate having a precisely flat surface and a template having a plurality of recesses corresponding to the lead pattern on a component to be repaired. The template is secured to the plate surface, such as by tape extending across tabs extending from the template. A means such as a vacuum pen is used to lift and move the component without touching the leads. A variety of probes, tweezers and the like are used to bend leads back to proper positions. The component may be placed directly against the surface when checking and correcting lack of lead coplanarity and linearity. Grossly bent leads may be corrected with the component on the surface, while precise positioning is accomplished with the component in the template, since fine adjustments can be made and the minor non-alignment can be easily observed and corrected.

Abstract: A method and kit for precisely placing fine pitch surface-mount electronic components onto printed circuit boards. An alignment substrate having a pattern of solder pads and holes or transverse edges corresponding to the pattern of solder pads and holes or edges on a printed circuit board is secured to a base by registration pins fastened to the base and inserted into contact with said holes or edges. Generally, the alignment substrate is preferably another circuit board identical with the board to be bonded to the electrical component. A template having a pattern of recesses corresponding to the component lead pattern is secured over the alignment substrate. A component is placed on the template with leads in the recesses. The component is lifted away, a printed circuit board is placed over the template and the component is lower onto the board. The board with component in place can then be removed for soldering.

Abstract: Improved marine VHF radio antennas systems are provided that can be installed on sailboats to position a whip antenna or other radiation unit aloft from the boat deck, even while underway. The antenna system includes an elongated flexible plastic extrusion that internally carries the coaxial cable for the radiation unit and has a longitudinal channel accessed through a side slit. The radiation unit when slideably installed on the boat's backstay is then carried aloft on the backstay as the extrusion is threaded on it via the side slit until the extrusion channel is completely filled by the backstay. The system is completed by electrical connection of the lower end of the coaxial cable to a hand held, battery operated transceiver or other electronic device.

Abstract: An electro-mechanical detection system for measuring the point of impact of a missile such as a sports projectile on a target and for measuring the velocity and force of impact. The detection system is contained in a large plastic envelope, on which a target is displayed and in one embodiment, the detector is a wire or plastic grid that is instrumented to measure changes in stress in the individual grid elements that occur when the missile impacts the target. In another form of this invention, the detector is embedded in an elastomeric mat contained within the plastic envelope with electrical conductors within the mat subject to movement in a magnetic field when the mat compresses in response to the impact of a missile on the target. In either form of the invention, suitable electronic circuitry is used to convert the signals generated at impact to a display.

Abstract: A method and associated apparatus for use in an automated sign generator to produce enhanced special effect graphics and single layer multi-color signs on a vinyl sheet material uses a paint pen carried by the tool head of the generator which in coordinated movement with the vinyl sheet traces the shape of the sign. In one embodiment, the sheet material is cut along a line falling within the painted stripe defining the graphic. The cut graphic having the desired visual special effect is removed from the sheet material along the cut line. The apparatus further includes a guide wheel assembly located between a material deflector and a feed roller for riding along the marginal portions of the sheet material causing it to move along a broken plane path to prevent buckling as it moves relative to the tool head and to prevent smudging of the painted graphic.

Abstract: A sheet material support system includes a floating box having upwardly extending leading edges defining a plane extending parallel to said base in which sheet material is caused to conform to by applying downward pressure to it and causing the sheet material to become tautly drawn over the box upper edges. The system includes a locating block and clamps which allow frames to be located uniformly along X and Y coordinate axes so that successive frames can be loaded in uniform registration in the system.

Abstract: An ink jet printing system has a low aspect ratio cylindrical drum adapted to support a sheet of material to be printed by a computer controlled printing head of a plurality of pigmented inks. The drum is preferably of approximately the same diameter as its axial length, is made up of at least two spoked wheel assemblies consisting of several arcuate wheel segment subassemblies that are joined together and held in place by a corregated skin covered with a fiberglass layup to provide a smooth cylindrical surface onto which the sheet material is spread. A clamping device is provided for tensioning the sheet material as it is rotated past a carriage carrying the printing head and affording two relative movement directions as between the printing head and the sheet to be printed for these differently colored printing inks.

Abstract: A clamping device for holding flexible sheet material and the like includes a longitudinally elongated receiving member having a receiving channel across which the sheet material passes. A wedging member breaks the plane of the surface of the sheet material and forces the material into the receiving channel. The receiving member includes a base that intersects with the lower edge of a lip member and the lower edge of a rear wall member that is parallel to and spaced apart from the lip member. The intersection of the respective inner surfaces of the base, rear wall and lip member define the receiving channel wherein the lip member inner surface is inclined toward the inner surface of the rear wall.