“Standard” doesn’t mean “stagnant”
Steve Scheiber, Technical Editor -- Test & Measurement World, 2/1/2007
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Creating a standard has inherent challenges. In the early days of the test industry, test and inspection equipment relied on custom I/O buses. No bus provided a perfect solution, but developers could adjust their features and capabilities to match a specific need. Standard alternatives, such as GPIB and VXI, of necessity represented compromises among the individual requirements of the participants. These standards have subsequently had to evolve to keep pace with technological changes.
Two articles in this issue of the “Machine-Vision & Inspection Test Report” examine aspects of establishing a standard. “New standard improves verification of Data Matrix codes” explores what happens when the conditions that a standard addresses change. The original standards for verifying Data Matrix codes assumed manufacturers were printing black ink on white labels. As direct-part marking has become more common, this assumption no longer makes sense.
“GigE Vision makes strides” looks at factors you must consider when implementing the GigE Vision standard. For all the talk about “plug-and-play,” you still need to make decisions about network interface cards and frame grabbers.
Standards are not panaceas. They are merely tools that can help us do our jobs more easily. Bending them for your situation still requires considering their limitations as well as their advantages.
Contact Steve Scheiber at sscheiber@aol.com
