Resources for Innovative Scientific Instrumentation

• a Director experienced in the development of a wide variety of instruments over many years;
• a highly skilled Electronics Design Engineer with previous scientific instrument development experience and with broad skills using sophisticated tools;
• a close working relationship with an outstanding Mechanical Prototyping Lab.
• a close working relationship with prototype pc board makers and component suppliers.

Click on the image for a larger view.
 

Ken Ratzlaff, Rob Young, Jeff Worth

• Oscilloscopes, high speed, utility, and mixed-signal;
• Waveform generators and Arbitrary waveform generators;
• Logic Analyzers and Network Analyzers;
• Handheld instruments and tools;
• Temperature chamber  for testing hardware under different temperatures

A sample of the test equipment in the Instrumentation Design Lab.  Sampling of IDL test equipment - 2.

• Desktop computers with network storage and support;
• CAD software:  Autodesk Fusion, schematic capture, board layout, drawing, mechanical 3d design;
• Integrated development systems for multiple micro-controllers; compilers and cross-compilers;
• GUI design on multiple plattforms like .net and Matlab;
• Multiple licenses for FPGA development systems;
• Development systems for Ethernet controllers, USB controllers, and other communication tools.

Development system application for the SATRA board.  Testing an FPGA-based radar board for navigation.

• A wide array of component stocks;
• Solder stations and Reflow Soldering Oven
• FDM and SLA 3D printers
• Fabrication tools of all sorts

RSome of the stocks held by the IDL.  A sampling of fabrication tools.

No, we don't actually use antiques in our design work, but we have accumulated some of the first microcomputers used in research laboratories, most pre-dating the Apple ][. They are housed in our IDL museum.

MITS Altair 8800 microcomputer  Wire-wrapped DAQ board for the early IBM PC.