x10 Home Automation - Control Lights, Irrigation, Appliances

Humidity Control

Most people are familiar with the importance of humidity control. After all, nearly every home has a humidifier, a dehumidifier, or an air conditioner. Or all three.

The importance of temperature and humidity control systems reaches far beyond the realm of the home. Scientists, researchers and businesses utilize many different types of humidity control systems for a variety of purposes.

Electrical Testing

Humidity control is of paramount importance when it comes to testing electronic products and components. Often times, a temperature-humidity-bias (THB) test is performed on electrical products within a humidity control chamber. These types of systems are also referred to as environmental chambers.

The purpose of the THB test is to check for moisture induced failures within the electrical product. In order to accomplish this, the product must undergo this test, which uses a constant temperature and an elevated relative humidity. Voltage cycling is sometimes necessary in order to prevent the product from heating up.

Package Testing

Environmental chambers are also used to test the durability of packages as they undergo extreme variations in temperature throughout a specific amount of time. Researchers observe how the package responds to the temperature and humidity variations while it is inside the humidity control chamber. Mechanical fatigue and thermal expansion are specifically monitored. Using these tests, researchers can determine the effectiveness of packaging materials, regardless of where they are being shipped.

Product Reliability

A number of products are also tested within humidity chambers. A process known as humidity cycling, or temperature-humidity cycling, is used to assess how moisture induced swelling effects the reliability of the product. Since these environmental chambers are capable of changing in a quick and cyclical nature, they accelerate the natural process of damage caused by moisture absorption and desorption, making it possible to determine the long term effects of environmental changes.

Other Uses for Environmental Test Chambers

There are numerous additional purposes for a humidity control chamber. Walk-in incubators, for example, require humidity control for proper hatching of specimens. Similarly, photographic storage rooms and crystal growth rooms have a need for humidity control. Pharmaceuticals make use of temperature humidity chambers for proper storage of medication. Even restaurants and food processing plants utilize walk-in freezers that require humidity control.

Types of Environment Test Chambers

Environmental laboratory test chambers can be designed to suit any need an application. They are available in walk-in form as well as in reach-in form. Reach-in humidity control chambers are ideal when space is limited, or when only a smaller item needs to be tested in a humidity controlled environment. The walk in humidity control chambers, on the other hand, can be built to any size necessary.

Walk in humidity control chambers generally create the most ideal environment for testing purposes. In addition, they can be built to include refrigeration, heating, dehumidification, humidification, and even lighting.

Written by: Linda Titus, on behalf of Parameter Generation & Control, Inc. For more information about humidity control, visit: http://www.humiditycontrol.com

MORE ARTICLES:

Smarthome Hires TigerDirect Executive to Lead Home Automation Category: Bruce Matthews Joins Smarthome as Vice President of Marketing to
Smarthome, www.smarthome.com (http://www.smarthome.com), a SmartLabs, Inc., www.smartlabsinc.com (http://www.smartlabsinc.com), company and the world's leading provider of home automation products, has hired Bruce Matthews as vice president of marketing. Matthews joins SmartLabs from TigerDirect, www.tigerdirect.com (http://www.tigerdirect.com), where he was vice president of business development.

Ebay Auction Software: Automated Gold Mining For Auctions On Ebay And Elsewhere Using Software
You may already know how to grab great bargains on eBay and other auction websites because the titles are misspelled. In fact, you may spend a great deal of time hunting around for them, one by one. You may even know of a website or two that offers you a free list of these misspelt auction listings. Do you ever wonder if you're missing out on a bunch of them, just because it's too tedious to plow through them all by hand?

Cyber-Rain Expands Distribution Network, Now Available Through Home Automation Retailer Smarthome
Award-winning sprinkler control system saves users 30-70% on watering bills.

Review Of Forex Killer - Automated Forex Trading Killer Review
We are all feeling the pinch today The word is out, the economy stinks and our "leaders' don't seem to have a clue

Automated Forex software review
For the time being automated trading in forex is the buzzword.

SmartLabs Introduces NetLinc - INSTEON Central Controller: Turns iPhone into a Home Automation Touch Screen
SmartLabs, Inc. announces the release of NetLinc, a plug-in web server that puts the power of controlling an INSTEON home automation network in the palm of your hand. This revolutionary new product allows communication from an iPhone, iPod touch, the internet or any mobile Wi-Fi / web-enabled PDA or cell phone to remotely control and set timers for INSTEON devices.

Windows Macro - Create Macros To Automate Common Tasks
Want to automate and record mouse clicks and keystrokes? Want a program that records macros on Windows OS?

Skylink, Leader in Wireless Automation Products, Announces INSTEON Motion Sensor
Skylink unveils the release of the Skylink INSTEON Wireless Motion Sensor, a battery powered motion detection module for indoor and outdoor applications. It reliably communicates via INSTEON radio frequency (RF) to turn INSTEON compatible devices or scenes on and off. Skylink has assigned Smarthome (www.smarthome.com) as Master Distributor.

Motion Sensor Home Security Cameras
Many security cameras do not record well in the dark. This implies that a slinky presence can get away with any deed as long as the dark provides a shield. This is where a security camera with motion sensor comes in. The motion sensor triggers an automatic response as soon as it picks up a movement in its vicinity. Some of these cameras come equipped with floodlights that power up as soon as a motion is registered, flooding the area with light and catching the culprit in the act. This is further enhanced by the fact that a security camera with motion sensor often offers a connection to a TV or computer monitor. As soon as the sensor is triggered, images of the perimeter can be captured immediately.

Automate, Automate, Automate
The key to running a successful and efficient online business is to automate as much of your work as possible:Automate your order-taking process..

Autonomic Controls Announces Touch Panel Software For Home Theater and Whole-House Audio
Autonomic Controls, the leading provider of media integration software for AMX, Crestron and HAI systems has announced a new product that enables remote access to digital music and video media using UMPC's and touch panels.

Comcast Selects Approva to Automate Controls Monitoring for Oracle E-Business Suite
Approva® Corporation, the leader in continuous controls monitoring, today announced that Comcast Corporation has licensed Approva?s BizRights® CCM Platform and Enterprise Controls Suite to monitor both general computing and user access controls across its enterprise-wide deployment of the Oracle E-Business Suite.

AlterPoint and Compliance Spectrum Partner to Automate Network Compliance Controls across Multiple Regulatory Mandates
AlterPoint, Inc., a leading provider of open network management software, today announced that it has partnered with Compliance Spectrum, a leading provider of governance, risk and compliance (GRC) solutions, to help enterprises ensure the continuous compliance of networks with multiple regulatory mandates. The agreement will pair Compliance Spectrum's in-depth policy controls solution with AlterPoint's automated network governance solution, enabling network stakeholders to proactively reduce compliance exposures and mitigate liability.

Strategic Healthcare Programs (SHP) and Thornberry Ltd Announce Automated Interface between Healthcare Software Programs
Web interface enables SHP clinician-level analysis of NDoc® clinical point of care patient data. New automated web interface speeds the transfer of data from the NDoc clinical system to Strategic Healthcare Programs (SHP) software. Web services technology transfers OASIS assessments with clinician-level detail from NDoc to the SHP database.