Control Engineering articles from January 2002

Control Engineering archives from January 2002

Phoenix Contact starts new U.S. production; hires president. (Up Front).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Harrisburg, Pa.--Phoenix Contact Inc. recently named Donald Springer as president and ceo of its new U.S.-based production initiative. This project is part of Phoenix Contact's global expansion strategy, which includes a new plant in China and...

PC-based open control matures, expands. (Up Front).(open control software)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Dedham, Mass.--The total open control software (OCS) market, including "softlogic" and motion control solutions, will likely increase more than 24% per year through 2006, according to a new study, "Open Control Software Worldwide Outlook," by...

'Father of Batch Processing' Thomas Fisher, dies of cancer. (Up Front).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Chandler, Ariz.--Thomas Fisher, World Batch Forum's (WBF) chairman and a leading figure in the development of batch processing standards, died Dec. 6 after a long battle with cancer. He was 60 years old. Mr. Fisher, who had a long career with...

Observers improve resolver conversion in motion systems. (Technology Update).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Resolvers are commonly used in motion-control systems as position sensors. Resolvers work like variable transforms, where the transformation ratio changes with the position of the motor shaft. A resolver works by taking a reference waveform,...

Modular VFD with cell bypass eliminates interruptions. (Online).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... To get closer to uninterrupted operation, or at least achieve five-year run time without a failure, Marathon-Ashland Petroleum (Rockford, Ill.) recently installed an advanced variable-frequency drive (VFD) as part of a multi-year, $85-million...

Hydrogen purity ensures safe steam-turbine operation. (Online).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Hydrogen's high thermal conductivity makes its ideal for cooling and optimizing performance of steam turbine generators, but its purity must be precisely controlled and maintained at a level of 85% in generators' cooling jackets to ensure its...

Linux-based PLC: High performance, community-driven, and free. (Online).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... To try to move the control and automation industry toward public-domain, community-driven, free automation software based on Linux, Curt Wuollet recently launched the Linux PLC project, also known as Puffin PLC. Mr. Wuollet's project aims to...

Back-to-Basics: Power conditioning with a CVT. (Online).(contant voltage transformer)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... To prevent potentially damaging voltage distortions, engineers often condition power by applying a ferro-resistant, voltage regulator, or Contant Voltage Transformer (CVT), to clean up ac line problems and protect downstream electronics,...

Siemens E&A intergrating APACS+, PCS7. (Best Practices).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Spring House, Pa.--Starting with two relatively new platforms after acquiring Moore Process, senior management and engineers at Siemens Energy & Automation have been seeking to integrate the APACS+ and PCS7 control system technologies. APACS+...

Digital networks aid global integration, asset optimization. (News).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Baytown, Tex.--Digital network users in Singapore showed Dec. 4 how to troubleshoot and change setpoints for process equipment in Texas during the Fieldbus Foundation's (FF, Austin, Tex.) Press Day 2001 at the pilot plant at Lee College's...

North American infrared sensor market.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... North American Infrared Sensor Market Unit Shipments, Market Revenue for 1997-2007 The North American infrared sensors market is expected to grow steadily over the next several years from generating revenues of $474.2 million in...

SPS/IPC/Drives 2001 show exceeds expectations. (In Business).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Nuremberg, Germany--SPS/IPC/Drives the growing, "special interest" electrical automation show, just concluded another successful run, Nov. 27-29, 2001, in five exhibition halls at Nuremberg's Exhibition Center. SPS/IPC/Drives focuses on...

Control.com adds engineers at Open Control Laboratory. (In Business).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Westborough, Mass.--Control.com Inc., the global online community for control professionals, has appointed two senior engineers, Dr. Marc Bumble and Terence Creevan, at its Open Control Laboratory an independent testing facility dedicated to...

Rosemount Analytical continues to assist preservation of Civil War sub. (Best Practices).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... North Irvine, Calif.--In 1864, the H.L. Hunley, a Civil War submarine and the first ship capable of maneuvering completely underwater, sank off the coast of South Carolina while returning from its first mission. Now, after over 135 years at the...

Look out, 2002. (Editorial).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Mark Hoske Categorizing automation, control, and instrumentation technologies has become increasingly difficult. Products fit into more than one area Systems and devices incorporate multiple technologies. Discrete, process, and batch...

Controllers Heartbeat of Production: Digital industrial controller capabilities have evolved so much that PLC and DCS monikers no longer apply. (Cover Story).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... This is the first of a two-part series focused on industrial controller capabilities. Part two will appear in the February 2002 issue of Control Engineering. Much of the controller capability information derives from an online questionnaire...

Software standards propel information exchange: Industry standards, OPC and XML, provide software building blocks for interoperability and seamless information exchange.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Engineers needed a better way to move data from I/O devices through controller data tables to their HMI/SCADA (human-machine nterface/supervisory control and data acquisition) software. Traditional methods were limited to moving blocks of bits...

Networks expand across control areas; intelligence moves into field. (Trends in Industrial Networking).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Who's using industrial networks? Everybody, networking touches all areas of control and automation as it evolves beyond simple communication, as fieldbus applications gain ground against hardwiring, as all types of hardware are equipped with...

Industrial network products. (Industrial Networking).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... For an expanded version of this Product Focus article and more product listings, visit www.controleng.com. For more information on industrial network products, circle the following numbers or visit www.conteroleng.com/freeinfo. For more...

Distributed I/O aids intelligent networked measurement. (Industrial Networking).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Austin, Tex.--Engineers can now use National Instruments' Lab View embedded on compact industrial measurement I/O nodes to build real-time distributed monitoring and control systems. Using these nodes, powered by NI's FieldPoint 2000 family of...

Wireless DeviceNet can communicate up to 500 m. (Industrial Networking).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Schaumburg. Ill.--Omron Electronics' Wireless DeviceNet allows users to connect to any DeviceNet-compatible product. Using its one wireless "master" to "N" slave, star and other topologies are possible by allowing a sub-network that can extend...

Operator interface family adds Ethernet/IP. (Industrial Networking).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Milwaukee, Wis.--Rockwell Automation has added EtherNet/IP networking capability to its PanelView operator interfaces to give users real-time control of I/O devices. This will give users a complete EtherNet/IP-for-automation network with...

Fieldbus I/O integrates safety relay. (Industrial Networking).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Harrisburg, Pa.--IB IL 24 Safe 1 module in Phoenix Contact's Inline Fieldbus I/O system allows emergency stop switches, protective doors, light curtains and safety devices to be connected via fieldbus technologies, including DeviceNet,...

Distributed Profibus I/O offers motor control. (Industrial Networking).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Alpharetta, Ga.--Simatic ET 200S distributed Profibus I/O rack from Siemens E&A can be combined with up to 64 modules, each with up to 128 bytes for inputs or outputs. ET 200S features a Profibus interface module, digital and analog electronic...

Opto Terminal is Ethernet-enabled OI. (Industrial Networking).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Temecula, Calif--Opto 22's Opto Terminal-G70 is a graphics-based operator interface for use with the company's Snap Ethernet I/O and Snap Ultimate I/O systems. Opto Terminal is an 8.3 x 6.3-in. mountable display terminal with Ethernet port,...

Environmental monitoring controllers. (Products & Software).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Stamford, Conn.--The new microprocessor-based family of pH/ORP 1/16-DIN panel-mounted controllers is designed for environmental monitoring applications. PHCN-70 features two 3-amp single-pole, double-throw relays for on/off control or alarms,...

Save panel space. (Products & Software).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Woodland Hills, Calif.--X54-3000 Series DIN rail-mounted signal conditioners feature two completely isolated channels to minimize required panel space and cost. The devices snap into a standard 35-mm rail and have 2-piece connectors that allow...

Designed for hazardous duty. (Products & Software).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Los Angeles, Calif.--440 Series intrinsically safe transducers and transmitters of the developer's X-Family of products has been designed specifically for hazardous locations. Three models are available: Series 443, a 5-volt transducer; Series...

Document complex control systems. (Products & Software).(www.e3series.com)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Stroudsburg, Pa.--[E.sup.3].schematic is a comprehensive Microsoft Windows-based software solution for design and documentation of complex electromechanical power and control systems. It is said to provide an encompassing environment based on...

Non-glass pH electrode. (Products & Software).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Greenwood, Ind.--TopHit H CPS 401 non-glass pH electrodes recently introduced to the U.S. market are suitable for obtaining pH measurements in applications where glass breakage cannot be tolerated, such as in food and beverage, pharmaceutical,...

Dime-sized longrange sensor. (Products & Software).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Minneapolis, Minn.--T8 Series ultra-miniature self-contained photoelectric sensors measure just 16.3 mm (0.64-in.) in diameter yet offers a sensing range of 2 m (79-in.) in opposed mode and either 50 mm (2-in.) or 100 mm (4-in.) in diffuse...

Networked PC/104-Plus SBC. (Products & Software).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Arlington, Tex.--PPM-520 PC/104-plus single-board computer (SBC) features a 133 MHz 5x86-compatible AMD-SC520 microcontroller. Also featured are four serial COM ports and a 10/100 baseT Ethernet port. The SBC combines three modules onto a...

Modules extend system range. (Products & Software).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Cleveland, 0.--Three new modules and three mass termination kits for two-slot Model 2700 Multimeter/Data Acquisition system and five-slot Model 2750 Multimeter/Switch system extend the range of available plug-in cards. The modules include 1x32...

High-response motor family unveiled. (Products & Software).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Carlsbad, Calif.--CLD has introduced a new family of tabular linear motors with velocity ripple of [+ or -]1.0%, with enhanced response position control, and minimal outside disturbances. Enhanced performance is achieved by modifying the...

Affordable high-resolution vision. (Products & Software).(www.dvtsensors.com.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Atlanta, Ga.--Legend 544 and 544C SmartImage sensors feature 1,280 x 1,024 pixel high-resolution GCD with Hitachi SH4 Processor. Model 544 is grayscale, while 544C adds color recognition. Microscopic pinholes, stains, streaks, scratches,...

PMO helps users with 21 CFR compliance. (Products & Software).(Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Optimization ()(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Milwaukee, Wis.--Rockwell Automation's Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Optimization (PMO) solution is reported to help companies reduce drug manufacturing costs, increase efficiency, improve time-to-market, and comply with government regulations,...

Easy configuration. (Products & Software).(Emerson Electric)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Eden Prairie, Minn.--Designed for applications with multiple motion axes, Modular Drive System (MDS) is said to be the most easily configured drive system on the market It features an innovative backplane architecture that employs a common...

Comprehensive calibrator. (Products & Software).(Fluke Corp.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Everett, Wa. -- 717 100G low-cost, hand-held, pressure calibrator measures pressure to 100 psig (690 kPa). Used with available Fluke 700 Pxx Pressure Modules, the 717 is ideal for a wide range of gage, differential, absolute, vacuum, and...

Tiny temperature measuring system. (Products & Software).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Wilmington, Mass.--AD7314 is a complete temperature monitoring system in an 8-lead micro-SOIC package. With its bandgap temperature sensor and 10-bit ADC, the chip can monitor and digitize a temperature reading to a resolution of 0.25...