A transducer is a component that converts one type of energy to another for information transfer. Transducers are central to the operation of many electronic devices and can be separated into three categories.

Sensors for Measuring

A sensor is a type of transducer that measures one form of energy and reports it in another, usually a digital or electrical signal such as an analog voltage or current output. The output can be run to a measuring device such as a frequency meter or data logger to measure the incoming energy.

The incoming signal can be from any form of energy including mechanical, magnetic, acoustic or others. Users can make precise measurements of these energies rather than trying to judge them subjectively. Examples of sensors include tachometers, pH probes and photoresistors, thermocouples and transformers.

Sensors can be used to do more than just activate a needle on a gauge. A microphone is a sensor that converts acoustic energy into electrical signals. These signals are transmitted or recorded and turned back into acoustic energy by an actuator.

Actuators for Action

An actuator is a transducer that converts an input, typical electrical, into an output, typically non-electrical. It can be used to convert input signals generated by device controls into actions. The user pushes a button or turns a dial, and the input is translated into concrete tasks.

A very simple example of an actuator is a light bulb. Electrical energy is converted to visible light. Switching the current on and off causes the same change in the light, and current can be varied to dim or brighten the light.

A loudspeaker or transmitter is another common example of an actuator. Electrical signals generated by a microphone sensor are translated into acoustic energy by a loudspeaker or radio waves by a transmitter.

Sensors and Actuators Working Together

Often, electrical or digital signals are intermediaries in a device and both types of transducers are used. A microphone sensor and a loudspeaker actuator are both needed for a public address system or bullhorn. A camera sensor transmits a signal to a CRT actuator, converting visible light to a signal then back to visible light.

Since most modern devices, even very simple ones, are likely to contain a number of transducers it is important to use efficient ones. An inefficient transducer makes an inefficient device and a series of inefficient components multiplies inefficiency geometrically. Typically, a given type of component has a limit to how efficient it can be.

Going back to the example of the light bulb, incandescent bulbs are fundamentally inefficient converters thus the current movements to find more efficient transducers such as fluorescent or LCD bulbs to generate visible light. Devices that incorporate inefficient components may benefit from a redesign that replaces low efficiency elements with high efficiency alternatives.

Software for fundraising has evolved along with the internet to allow charities to reach donors much more easily and to facilitate the donation process. In addition to the traditional methods, online fundraising increases a charity’s exposure and earning power into new demographics as a cost-effective business model.

Software for fundraising empowers a charitable organization to accept payments online via credit cards first and foremost; but there are many more tools to improve donations. For example, donor management software and integration with customer relations management (CRM) software allows an organization to do more than just accept payments, it allows a closer relationship between donor and charity. With the rise of social networking through the internet, software for fundraising can now tap into viral marketing and social networks to better expose a charity’s cause and truly build a community. 

Payment Options Beyond Simple Donations

The cornerstone of online fundraising is to accept payments online via credit cards and PayPal. Yet, there is a vast untapped potential if a charitable organization is only utilizing their online resources in such a manner. Software for fundraising, at the basic level, should allow for recurring payments, integration of tax documentation, and accounting transparency.

Going outside the box, other options include offering merchandise and premium content in exchange for donations. Returning a tangible product or service not only attracts donors, it also perpetuates a charity’s message above and beyond a single donator. Effective systems will account for sales tax, shipping arrangements, and bulk discounts for an easy plug-and-play arrangement to supplement any charity

Customer Relationship Management

A charity should be more than just a vehicle to accept donations and dispense needed services. Building a relationship between donors and a charity is as important as the relationship between the organization and the recipients. Software for fundraising should provide marketing tools to manage campaigns to reach and connect with donors and supply the required financial analysis to determine a return on investment for these campaigns.

Being able to better connect with and manage each donor really gives a charity a personal face to put forward. Outreach and sales tools should be able to pinpoint leads that will be truly interested in getting involved with a given organization. Keeping an entire online fundraising team on message will enable a unified effort to spread an organization’s cause and good works. Finally, effective software for fundraising will pull this all together with forecasting tools to keep everyone accountable and on goal.

Building Social Communities

A key aspect of online fundraising is social networking. The internet provides limitless avenues to build communities across physical boundaries and national borders. Maintaining a presence on the internet with an interactive, informative website will attract a steady stream of attention. Disseminating news through an online medium will keep your cause in the minds of donors and potential donors. These networking tools will also spawn secondary contacts as by their very nature they move on their own accord through donors.

Ultimately, effective software for fundraising should focus on making payments easier, providing more options for giving, and better promoting a sense of community between donors, charities, and recipients.

Now more than ever, businesses are looking for creative ways to save money and raise profits. And in today's economy, utility bills are among of the highest expenses the average business shoulders. Organizations use KWH meters to monitor energy use in order to share the cost with other entities or to find areas of energy waste.

Home Business Deductions

Taxpayers operating home businesses can deduct utilities from their annual taxes. The amount that can be deducted is proportional to the size of the office. A 200 square foot office in a 2,000 square foot home would allow 10% of annual utility bills to be deducted on the owner's income tax. However there are many cases where the office uses a disproportionate amount of power.

A west facing home office might require a portable air conditioner to keep it comfortable during hot afternoons. Copiers, fax machines and other equipment means more electrical equipment is in the office than anywhere else in the house, raising electrical use. Home businesses such as laser engraving or carpentry may use equipment with very high energy demands.

A KWH meter allows the business owner to document the power used by the home office and deduct the actual amount used rather than a percentage of the total.

Passing Energy Costs to Tenants

Any time an office landlord is sharing energy costs among tenants, the problem of dividing up utility bills arises. The situation could be a homeowner renting out a spare room or a building with hundreds of commercial offices. In the past, individual KWH meters were expensive and difficult to install so owners used strategies such as adjusting rental fees to cover utilities or dividing up total energy costs by square footage.

The problem with these policies is they give no incentive to conserve. An energy-gobbling tenant pays the same as the one who struggles to reduce power consumption. Modern KWH meters are inexpensive and simple to use. Utility bills can be calculated for each tenant, allowing fair pricing and encouraging individual responsibility for energy use.

Conservation on an Industrial Scale

KWH meters aren't meant just for computers and other small electronics. Large manufacturing operations use far more energy than standard office environments and find that conservation leads to significant cost reductions.

KWH meters allow a manufacturing facility to determine what operations are using the greatest amount of power. Attention can be directed at the most energy-hungry processes since small changes there will have the largest impact on energy consumption. Plants with multiple divisions can monitor each division separately, leaving it to managers to find ways to cut power consumption to lower levels.

As changes are made, the meters demonstrate whether they are having an effect or not. When employees and managers see tangible proof of their efforts, they are motivated to conserve more. Departments can be rewarded for conservation efforts, saving money and improving morale.