Computer Controlled This logic board automatic tester is designed to test the computerized coin changer modules that are used in vending machines. It allows low-skill level field service personnel to test the modules easily. The computer-controlled tester uses a unique packaging scheme. The in-circuit test is performed with spring-loaded probes that are attached to […]
Downhole Tool Oil field downhole 3D seismic sensor with 24 bit resolution We developed a custom downhole tool for seismic sensing. The tool is lowered into an oil well to listen for seismic vibrations. The operator can gather seismic data and visualize the oil field near the tool. The drill bit can then be steered […]
Mirror Image The meter module works by measuring the rotational velocity of the electric meter’s Eddy current disk using a miniature laser beam source and optical detector. This information is converted into accumulated power consumption information which represents a “mirror image” of the electrical meter’s dials. . Low Cost The current design is embodied on […]
Voicebell This patented programmable doorbell system includes a doorbell control for connection in series with an existing doorbell pushbutton in a residential doorbell circuit. It utilizes a digital record/playback circuit to record an audible announcement by the occupant and store the recorded announcement as digital signals. An audible announcement is generated from the stored digital […]
J&J Glove Printer This large Surgical Glove company expanded its production capacity in the 1980s. They introduced a unique system involving thermocouples, ceramic pieces with drilled holes, batteries, radios, and innovative circuitry, all under the guidance of David Banks and Fred Beckhusen of Micro Technology Services Inc. (MTSI). https://mitsi.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Glove-printer-longer-movie.mp4 3D Glove Models Thermocouples, which are […]
For want of a flat washer, a telephone exchange died A manufacturer of rack mount telephone switching equipment had a design flaw in their gear that caused a fire in a telecom facility. They had attached the backplane connectors with a #4-40 screw and a single tooth lock washer without a flat washer underneath. Compounding […]
Laser Scanner Wand This innovative barcode reader goes in series with your keyboard. An inexpensive laser scanner wand is powered by the PC. Epic Data The product was designed for Lockheed Martin to use in their MRP system at three plants in California, the LM F-35 plant in Fort Worth and in Huntsville Alabama. […]
Epic Data This custom terminal was developed for Epic Data for Lockheed Martin.It has an Intel Pentium, touchscreen, a custom integrated bar code reader and badge reader. Sylogist Epic Data was acquired by Sylogist. “Epic Data was a very well-recognized software development, hardware design and support organization. Over the past three decades Epic Data has […]
Compaq Computer Corp The Automated System Marginer was developed for Compaq Computer Corporation. Four new stations recently went on line in their personal computer manufacturing and reliability analysis laboratories. Microsoft Windows is the operating system and user interface. The multi-tasking ability of Windows and ease of use were key reasons for the choice. […]
Dual SCSI Host Bus Adapter for EISA Interphase Corporation’s E/SCSI 4810 Barracuda is the intelligent, high-performance SCSI (Small Com- puter System Interface) host bus adapter for 32-bit EISA (Extended Industry Standard Architecture) sys- tems requiring high data throughput and multiple drive storage. The 4810 may be configured with one or two full function, fully independent […]
Parole Monitoring A Dallas based company pioneered the newest alternative to prison sentences by using electronic monitoring at the home. Electronic probation is one solution to the overcrowding and expense of prison. The data from the monitoring devices was captured in a variety of computers using both MS-DOS and Unix operating systems. Different file […]
Automotive Burglar Alarm MTSI was asked to perform a technical audit of a new generation automotive burglar alarm for the Ford Taurus automobile. The client was behind schedule after a year of development, and could not meet their customers requirements. The client had already promised the Ford Motor Company that the new product would […]
Reverse Engineering Due to the deregulation of the telephone industry, our client had successfully reverse-engineered many of the cards originally produced by Western Electric for a SLC-96 T1 telephone system. However, several cards were extremely difficult to reverse engineer as they had many full-custom ICs, including a microprocessor, EPROM memory, and a pair of gate […]
Krug Life Sciences The MTSI manufacturing department built the electronic portion of the Krug Life Sciences platform for use on the International Space Station Alpha. The two circuit cards and electronic circuits provide the digital and analog data collection interface to service the medical experiments on board the space station. Shuttle Flights Approximately 250 hardware […]
Z-80 Bug I discovered a real “bug” in the Z-80. Back in 1975, I was staring at a PDP-11 programming card late one night, (I have dozens of old programming cards from various CPUs) and noticed there is no documented addressing mode for 47, which is -@PC, or -(PC). They thought it was useless. It […]
HP-35 The HP-35 calculator was a huge sales success in 1972, the year I graduated from high school. There is a lot of information online today about this marvelous machine, but very little about how it was manufactured, or how it was tested. I wish I had know back then what I know today, because […]
A Whole New Concept for Medication Management After researching the market for suitable pill timers, a start-up company decided to produce a multi-prescription pill timer that could remind the owner to take different pills at different times of the day. The design had to ensure compliance with a physician’s treatment program, keep track of up […]
Flying High MTSI designed and made an all-digital fly-by-wire gauge for the tailplane of this Trainer jet for BAE a British multinational defense, security, and aerospace company. Digital Gauge The all-digital fly-by-wire gauge for the tailplane by MTSI represents a groundbreaking advancement in aviation technology. MTSI, known for its cutting-edge solutions, has once again […]
The Need Existing bowling alley pin fall detectors used moving mirrors and light beams to detect the pin fall data. The beams had to be adjusted to detect different types of bowling pins such as candle pins, duck pins, etc. Accuracy was not as high as with new technology, which measured the actual pin dimensions […]
Micro processor Long ago, Casablanca Fan Company came up with a very innovative idea to control a lamp and fan. They interrupted the power line for a brief moment as it crossed through zero volts. Since AC has an up-and-down cycle, this gave them two controls. A TMS-1000 4-bit microprocessor was used to detect the […]