Wireless Probe

what is that you want is not clear.

do you want some one to develop a wireless DMM for you?

or you have developed one and want some one to buy it?

Shyam

Before posting a topic,kindly clarify the expanded form of abbreviations wherever used.In this case,what is meant by DMM?

DMM generally refers to Digital Multimeter in electronics and DVM is Digital Volt Meter. Right?

Shyam

What is the utility? I have never in 35 years of working with DMM's wished that it didn't have wires. At some point you have to connect it to the circuit with, wires? You can already get a DMM in the probe. No "wires" no remote, it's all in one. We are talking Digital Multi Meter, right?

Well, you can have wires to connect to DMM but you can also read the data on remote wireless display. You can have now wireless probe and have data on unconnected wireless DMM.

These are new tricks of the current world engineers. Earlier we had wires for phone, now no wires for phone. We can now read current and voltage from far point. 21st century is different in many ways. These engineers want every thing remote controlled.

Wireless data acquisition is very common these days. I manufacture some of these things. Devices are generally used for wireless alarms such as harmful gas leak, high voltage, high current, high radiation, Tsunami waves, Weather etc.

Shyam
India

OK wireless telemetry is one thing. Nothing new there. When you say DMM I thing test bench equipment. I guess my point is that there are lots of "good" ideas, and a few of them actually become products that people feel a burning need to let go of their hard earned cash to own. Compare the number of new patents issued each week to the number of new products you see on the market and you will get my point.

Darwin's theory is not only for evolution of living organisms but also true for electronics. Ideas are one thing and making money from ideas another. If you can convince any one to emty out pocket then that is business.

Recetly many new ideas were used. These are wireless ECG, wireless excercise monitoring devices for athlets, wireless control of medical equipments like pacemaker, sugar control and blood pressure control. Many new items will come in industries as no one wants wires now. If you like wires then go ahead. No one stops you from using them. What is your printer comes with zero connectors other than power or even power is wireless. where you will use wires? I have seen HOBO data recorders that go into food package and camera into digestive track. Think of wires. I don't like wires at all.

Shyam
India

How would you measure a potential difference or resistance with out wires ( at least in the probes). You could then send the info to the DMM display via RF, but you still have wires.

I am not criticizing all new ideas! I just don't think there is much demand for this one particular idea. It's just the opinion of someone who uses this type of equipment every day and who has been involved in a lot of good ideas that ultimately had no commercial merit.

It is a great thing today to have remote non-contact measurements. No one wants to be near million volts. Hence, such tools are often of great value.

Another great example was heartbeat transmitter. There is something called dead-man's alarm, which is also remote information transmitter.

RF ID placed in animals help a great deal in tracking them by radio sensing.

Your probe need not be electronic. It can be fiber optic or magnetic, or just field sensing from a distance. You can sense lightning from remote is field sensing.

It is possible to monitor submarine under water from satellite. What one looks at light emitted by the bacteria when sub moves in water? It becomes visible.

Hence, probe or sensing device and measurement device now are two different things.

That does not mean old simple devices, like DMM, Oscilloscopes will disappear.

Shyam
India

I was thinking of the idea, working in the warehouse checking and inspecting goods that it would be nice to have a DMM that is linked to my laptop (Bluetooth or so) Now I had to write down every figue on a sheat of paper and type it in when back on my desk. The same idea poped up in my laundry room: I installed a smoke sensor, knowing that in case of trouble I will be warned, it would be nice that I could have a switching device coupled to this smoke sensor that cuts the power from the apparatus in this room. Doing this wireless would be usefull as this could simplify the complete installation. I know that professional smoke sensing installations do this hard wired, the price for this is exagerated for mass sales through DIY stores.

Dear Gwen,

Exactly said. In green house, cold storage, refineries, wireless sensors have great applications. Maxim www.maxim-ic.com is planning to make 2.4GHz wireless transceiver that will work on Lithium battery for 10 years. This is just wonderful.

Wires are nasty in places there is water, lots of contamination, corrosive media.

It hardly takes time to install wireless sensors. If you have to place a sensor 1km away to get data from such 100 sensors in an circuilar area of 1km you need to lay cables, you will go mad and it will cost huge. I do it in just 1 hour to make it data ready and without any sweat.

I actually manufacture wireless Data Acquisition Systems. I demo these in few minutes if only few sensors are in 1km range. I will require days otherwise. My normal data rate is 10 readings per second with 0.1% accuracy for the analog sensors. I also count frequency and events in 10-digits. Data rate also can be much faster if required.

I can easly move the transmitter to any place. I experimented in a conference room with 450 participants having sensors. All I was to do is to pass on the transmitter like a wireless microphone and their data was coming on the projector screen in just 10 seconds.

I can help any one interested in wireless sensors technology. It is worth using in house. One friend of mine Mr Peter in Australia is making an alarm which comes on when man is badly hurt or can't move to automatically get help. This is called a deadman's alarm. Generally good for old people who live alone and require help in emergency.

There are really no limits. This field is advancing rapidly.