Instrumentation & Automation News articles from February 2003

Instrumentation & Automation News archives from February 2003

February Automation Excellence Awards.
February 1, 2003... This month's Automation Excellence Awards, from left to right, go to United Electronic Industries' PowerDNA system that can poll 800 mixed I/O points in less than 1 msec; Tektronix's WCA200A Series wireless communications analyzer; and Danaher...

Keyboard.
February 1, 2003... This vandal-resistant metal keyboard and integrated trackball is built from brushed stainless steel and Zamac with non-flammable keys that cannot be pulled off. It offers high levels of shock and vibration resistance and a service life of at...

Power quality monitor.
February 1, 2003... Meridian Ultra portable power quality analyzer captures and analyzes voltage sags and swells, high-frequency impulses, harmonics, transients and other power distortions for controlling critical real-time processes on the factory floor. AMETEK...

Machine vision camera.
February 1, 2003... The IK-SX1 industrial, machine vision camera utilizes advanced 2/3-inch progressive scan CCD and comes in two versions. One version offers CameraLink 8-bit digital output and the other, utilizes LVDS (RS-644) 8-bit digital output. Designed for...

PC-based toolkit.
February 1, 2003... The Honeywell MC Toolkit is a pocket PC-based tool for configuration of smart field instruments. It can handle multiple communications protocols including Honeywell Digitally Enhanced (DE) and Hart[TM]. The tool not only configures smart field...

It's showtime. (Pool's Reflections).
February 1, 2003... Just as IAN is sporting a new look, so is National Manufacturing Week to be held at McCormick Place in Chicago from March 3-6. Trade shows in general have seen a decline in attendance due to shrinking budgets and the sluggish economy. To...

Circuit breakers for terminal blocks; can reduce downtime. (National Manufacturing Week[R]).
February 1, 2003... The 1180 series thermal circuit breaker designed to plug into industry standard terminal blocks can reduce equipment downtime by replacing the fuses commonly used in DIN-rail terminal block applications. Designed for voltage up to 250 Vac or 65...

Multi-function terminal blocks: mount on standard DIN rail. (Terminal Blocks).
February 1, 2003... This company has expanded their terminal block offering to include a wide range of multi-function terminal blocks. The new products include pluggable connection, 3-wire sensor, multiple level with disconnect feature, sliding link, indicating,...

Spring cage terminal block with removable plugs. (National Manufacturing Week[R]).
February 1, 2003... The ST-COMBI terminal blocks series offers a plug-in contact. A 2.5 mm2 conductor can be plugged into a 5.2 mm wide plug with an IEC rating of 24 A and 500 V. In addition, the contacts in the terminal block and the plug connector are touch...

Spring clamp terminal bocks: CSA hazardous location approval. (National Manufacturing Week[R]).
February 1, 2003... The WKF series of feed-through and ground spring cage terminal blocks are now CSA approved for use in Class I, Zone 1 hazardous locations. Hazardous locations typically found in the oil and gas and petrochemical industries must use elaborate...

NEMA terminal blocks: use in control systems, I/O applications. (Terminal Blocks).
February 1, 2003... Tyco Electronics has upgraded the entire BUCHANAN product line of 500, 600 and 700 series medium duty terminal blocks into one, all-inclusive series, the 900 series. With this upgrade, the company was able to reduce part number counts from over...

25 years of CAGE CLAMP terminal block technology. (Terminal Blocks).
February 1, 2003... 25 Years Of CAGE CLAMP[R] Terminal Block Technology 25 years ago, CAGE CLAMP[R] connection technology was launched. Since then, it has become an industrial standard worldwide. The idea of connecting electrical conductors using a spring instead...

Flat panel monitors: ultra-slim at only 48 mm; weight of 4.5 kg. (National Manufacturing Week[R]).
February 1, 2003... The FPM-3120 and VOP-1150 flat panel monitors, with TFT LCDs sized at 12" and 15" respectively, are designed for industrial applications and offer aluminum-magnesium front panels rated to NEMA4/IP65 with a steel chassis. They are ultra-slim at...

Annunciator: urgent alarms as well as routine status messages. (Displays, Annuciators, Touch Screens).
February 1, 2003... Model PD 141AFO VIGILANTE[R] four-point annunciator handles urgent alarms and routine status messages. It directly handles alarm outputs from meters, alarm relays, logic levels (5 to 28 V) and switches for temperature, pressure, flow, level and...

LED display DPM: multifunction; immunity to shock and vibration. (Displays, Annuciators, Touch Screens).
February 1, 2003... Series OJ2000 0.8" LED display digital panel meter offers a modular, plug-in design that allows the user to change from Vdc input to RTD, Current Loop, Strain Gauge, and True RMS. Single ASIC construction makes the DPM immune to shock and...

Annunciators: array of configurations. (National Manufacturing Week[R]).
February 1, 2003... The AN-6100B Series of Alarm Annunciators come in an array of configurations to suit the alarm needs in power generation, transmission, distribution, petroleum, petrochemical and other process industries. Any matrix of modules in various window...

PLC touch panels: built-in data highway plus interface. (Displays, Annuciators, Touch Screens).
February 1, 2003... EZTouch PLC touch panels come with a built-in Data Highway Plus (DH+) interface, or Ethernet option cards for use with certain EZT touch panels. New Data Highway Plus versions of the EZTouch panels are available in color or monochrome 6-inch...

Trends in industrial LCDs. (Displays, Annuciators, Touch Screens).
February 1, 2003... A new generation of TFT (thin film transistor) LCDs is offering test, measurement, medical diagnostic and imaging, and other non-PC applications a range of rugged, high-performance display modules. These modules achieve outstanding...

Disconnect enclosure for lean manufacturing. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... The A26 Low Profile Disconnect Enclosure is an off-the-shelf enclosure that supports the maximum 60-in. height requirement of the Lean manufacturing doctrine. The enclosure is sized to provide a clear line of sight across the factory floor. It...

Hall sensor: linearizes magnetic fields. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... HAL 855 is a programmable Hall sensor able to linearize magnetic fields measured by the sensor element. Due to the fact that it is not subjected to the rigorous wear and tear of potentiometers, it can replace a vast amount of application...

PCI I/O card for noisy environments. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... The PCI-IDIO-16 is a low-cost PCI utility card with 16 opto-isolated digital inputs and solid-state FET outputs. The non-polarized, optically isolated inputs can be driven by either AC or DC sources ranging from 2.5 to 50 V, allowing smooth...

PDA software for PLC monitoring. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... CIMPLICITY[TM] tm Machine Edition[TM] tm Logic Developer PDA software allows users to interface a Palm[TM] tm handheld device to any GE Fanuc Series 90[TM] tm and VersaMax[TM] tm PLC. With Logic Developer PDA, users can perform PLC monitoring,...

Instrument switches with small footprints. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... Series 20 Cam Switches have a small footprint designed to reduce the space required on power industry control panels. These instrument and control switches can be mounted on 3-in. centers and can be built with up to 12 decks and 12 positions....

System Management Module: monitors critical system elements. (Products News).
February 1, 2003... This System Management Module (SMM) is an intelligent monitoring board that is programmable for full system monitoring capabilities. The stand-alone, platform-independent module is being integrated into this company's standard and custom system...

Signal conditioner module for variable measurement. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... The Model 5D70 is a single-input, dual-output, software-programmable signal conditioner for the input of pressure, force, weight, and other variables measured by conventional DC-excited strain gage transducers. Self-contained in a hard aluminum...

Portable hygrometer: data logging capabilities; detailed analysis and reporting. (ph, Moisture & Humidity Sensors).
February 1, 2003... The PM880 Portable Hygrometer consists of the battery-powered moisture analyzer, moisture probes, battery charger, cables and accessories, and is packaged in a soft carrying case with a handle and shoulder strap. The electronics are protected...

pH/mV/temperature meters: RS-232 communication; compensate for electrode offset. (ph, Moisture & Humidity Sensors).
February 1, 2003... The PHH-860 pH/mV/temperature meters are microprocessor-based portable meters which are able to recognize and compensate for electrode offset and slope. The meters feature RS-232 communication and hold, relative and average functions. Also, an...

ph/ORP sensors: two-wire 4 to 20 mA output. (ph, Moisture & Humidity Sensors).
February 1, 2003... The 2750 pH/ORP sensors feature a self-contained, fully integrated transmitter with built-in pre-amplification which provides signal integrity up to 1000 ft. Suited for a wide range of process applications, the sensors can be used in...

Humidity/temperature meter: hand-held; 0 to 100% RH. (ph, Moisture & Humidity Sensors).
February 1, 2003... The HM70 hand-held humidity and temperature meter is designed for spot-checking humidity measurements. It also supports field checking and calibration of this company's fixed humidity instruments. Depending on the choice of probe, the HM70...

Fiber optic pH sensor: precision optical measurements. (ph, Moisture & Humidity Sensors).
February 1, 2003... This Fiber Optic pH Sensor consists of a fiber optic probe designed to hold immobilized indicator dye materials, a light source, a spectrometer and OOISensors software. The immobilized pH indicator dyes on solid substrates retain their...

Trends in moisture analysis. (ph, Moisture & Humidity Sensors).
February 1, 2003... Here at AMETEK Process Instruments, we are witnessing several trends in the industrial (e.g. natural gas, chemical production, instrument air) part-per-million moisture markets and the semiconductor part-per-billion, and part-per-trillion,...

Data Acquisition Board: samples At 2M samples/sec/channel. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... The DAP 5400a/627 14-bit resolution Data Acquisition Processor Board has been optimized for simultaneous sampling at 2 million samples per second on every channel. Each board has a 128MB data buffer and acquires 2M 14-bit resolution samples per...

Touch monitors: front and rear mounting. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... The 1747L and 17567L Entuitive 17-in. LCD 3000 Series touch monitors allow for easy rear mounting and front mounting applications. The key to the 1767L front mounting unit is that it is actually one product that converts into two products. Both...

Laser sensor for background suppression. (National Manufacturing Week[R]).
February 1, 2003... A low-cost, long-life diffuse background suppression laser sensor is available in a 14 x 35 x 31 mm IP67 plastic housing. Offering true background suppression by triangulation, the Class 2 sensor detects within a range of 5 to 350 mm regardless...

Communications adapter: DeviceNet peripheral capable. (National Manufacturing Week[R]).
February 1, 2003... The Serial to DeviceNet Gateway allows users to connect existing serial ASCII devices to DeviceNet. Whether it is a preferred motion controller, bar-code scanner, or printer, the gateway can communicate with the connected peripheral device just...

Smart camera with spectrograph technology. (National Manufacturing Week[R]).
February 1, 2003... The SpectroCam is suitable for most demanding color applications where small color variations are critical. It uses a built-in spectrograph to split the incoming light into its constituent wavelengths along the x-axis and spatially along the...

Microcontroller for embedded control. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... The R104 Impala Microcontroller is suitable for a wide variety of embedded processing and control applications requiting low-power, high-performance microprocessor control, including manufacturing, automation control, and data logging. The...

Industrial accelerometer with tiaxial vibration. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... The Model 629M06 Tiaxial Industrial Accelerometer provides the convenience of triaxial vibration measurements for monitoring the health of rotating machinery. The 1-1/8 in. cube is handy for portable, data collection yet durable to withstand...

Laser Transmitter: housed in precision packaging. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... The Cylindrical Laser Transmitter is designed for precision machinery and equipment alignment applications. The transmitter is housed in a precision package that can slip in and out of mounting fixtures and provides a visible red laser beam for...

Flexible circuits: now with connectors. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... This company's flexible circuits are now available with high-density connectors from Omnetics Connector Corp. Circuit conductors under 0.003" and connectors with 0.025" pitch allow designers to save space and simplify designs. Minco...

Encoder: enables multiple line-count capability. (National Manufacturing Week[R]).
February 1, 2003... The 35mm ROSE (Reflective Optical Sensing) encoder is designed for use with this company's LO-COG[R] brush-commutated and ELCOM[R] brushless DC motors. Introduced at this year's Design Engineering Show, the encoder provides the capability to...

Motion control configuration tool: helps determine best controller for a specific application. (Motion control: motors, motor controls, drives, encoders).
February 1, 2003... This web-based RMC Configuration Tool helps determine the best motion controller for a specific application. The Tool, accessible via the company's web site, provides informative screens that show all communication, control and interface...

Stepping motor control: in versions for one or two motors. (Motion control: motors, motor controls, drives, encoders).
February 1, 2003... The VXM stepping motor controller uses a single chip microcontroller, preset pulse width modulation, and 4X oversize motor drives for long life and overload tolerance. A single control can accept and execute commands for operating four motors,...

AC Motor Controllers for battery-powered vehicles. (Motion control: motors, motor controls, drives, encoders).
February 1, 2003... Three AC Induction Motor Controllers: Models 1230, 1236 and 1238, designed for 24-80 V battery systems, with 60-800 Arms 2 minute current ratings are targeted for a wide variety of battery powered vehicles. Model 1230 is a lower power...

Integrated motion control for increased performance. (Motion control: motors, motor controls, drives, encoders).
February 1, 2003... Motion control has traditionally been the gateway or barrier to machine productivity, largely because motion applications were too complex. A key trend in the motion industry is seamlessly integrating components--servo drives and motors,...

4-axis motion control: standalone or PC-based. (Motion control: motors, motor controls, drives, encoders).
February 1, 2003... Proteus-SA motion controller boasts 4 simultaneous axes stepper motor control with linear interpolation capability. Limit switches, home switch and alarm switch are available for each axis. The compact (105mmL x 94mmW x 42mmH) controller can...

Wire routing products with overlapping tines. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... A line of wire routing products is designed for organizing and protecting wires inside of electrical and instrument control panels, wiring closets, around offices, plants, and various other outdoor and indoor applications. The products include...

Pushbuttons: various configurations. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... YB Series illuminated, short-body pushbutton switches offer design engineers various configurations, styles, colors, and options. Boasting a maximum depth behind panel of less than 1 in., the units are rated 3 A @ 125 VAC, 3 A @ 250 V, and 3 A...

Pressure transducer: analog and digital output. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... The PDCR 3500 high accuracy analog and digital output pressure transducer offers the capability of digitally enhanced, high accuracy output coupled with high analog bandwidth. The transducer is a 1-in. diameter fluid isolated analog output...

Magnetic switch: ferrous proximity sensor. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... The Magnasphere magnetic switch offers magnetic tamper/defeat resistance, high-voltage contact welding resistance, and is a stand-alone ferrous proximity sensor. It has potential applications in virtually every market sector. It has...

Integrated accelerometer with built-in amplifier. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... The Model 8501 Piezoelectric Accelerometer is a self-contained vibration measuring system with a built-in amplifier within the housing. Designed for the measurement of low level, broadband frequency vibrations, it incorporates a hybrid...

Digital DC ammeters with built-in shunts. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... The DCA-20PC Series covers six ranges from 0-200 A to 0-20 A. Functionally complete DC ammeters include low-loss 20 MV shunts, factory-calibrated scaling circuitry, 3 1/2 digit A/D converters with LED displays, power supply isolation for...

Timer/counter module with hard to find functions. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... ProgramaCube[TM] modules are pre-manufactured without a function assigned. The software function is added after ordering. This means that even hard to find functions, features, and options are available at standard lead times. The KSPU Series...

Electronic cabinets with modular doors. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... Approximately 2 ft. of aisle space can be saved with Double Door modular electronic cabinets. The new door design is useful where space is at a premium, such as in networking and switching sites for telecommunications, banking, and internet...

National Industrial Automation. (National manufacturing week[R]: six events in one).
February 1, 2003... At National Industrial Automation, you'll learn all about the tools and technologies that can help you optimize your production line. You can also . advance your professional education at the AMR-sponsored conference or the ASME-produced Design...

Photoelectric sensors in three sizes. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... The ELF Series of photoelectric sensors is available in three versions: reflex retro-reflective, background suppression, and energetic. The background suppression and energetic diffuse models have detection ranges up to 50 mm and 100 mm,...

Graphics terminal: object-based programming. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... The QTERM-G75 is an Ethernet-enabled graphics terminal with object-based programming. It features a robust list of industrial grade hardware features and options including 640 x 480 lighted graphics LCD display, 10Base-T Ethernet with TCP/IP...

Machine vision system with high-speed power. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... IMPACT[TM] is a high-speed machine vision "micro-system" with the power and flexibility of a large vision system. The system's power comes from its high-speed, dedicated processor and robust, subpixel software algorithms for a broad range of...

Touchscreen technology for bezel configurations. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... Near Field Imaging touchscreen technology components are available to be integrated into a line of bezel configurations and Class 1, Div. 2 rated products. The line extension includes 28 new part numbers. Available in both clear and antiglare...

Industrial Pressure Transducer: digitally compensated technology. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... The Model DCT Industrial Pressure Transducer is a compact, extremely accurate and reliable all-purpose unit designed for general industrial and commercial requirements. It is based on proven micro-machined silicon technology that offers high...

Laser system with absolute positioning. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... The LAS100 laser system features 1-mm resolution with absolute positioning up to 100m. There are no moving parts to wear out. It has integral PLC/NC controls, including SSI, Profibus, CAN, and Interbus. Distances to be measured are bridged by...

Level transmitter for chemical, hydrocarbon industries. (Controllers, Regulators & Transmitters).
February 1, 2003... The SITRANS LC500 level transmitter has been designed for extreme conditions in the chemical and hydrocarbon processing industries in applications such as high-pressure coalescers, fractional distillation columns, catalytic crackers, glycol...

Multi-channel controller for toxic and combustible gas monitoring. (Controllers, Regulators & Transmitters).
February 1, 2003... Model MC600 modular, multi-channel controller monitors toxic and combustible gases. Offering from one to six channels of continuous gas monitoring, the MC600 is compatible with this company's basic hydrocarbon and H2S sensors, all versions of...

Temperature controller with active color PV display. (Controllers, Regulators & Transmitters).
February 1, 2003... The UT351 digital indicating temperature controller with active color PV display allows the controller to change the color of the PV display from green-to-red or from red-to-green based on the status of certain process conditions. An addition...

Pressure controller: uses quartz sensor for precision. (Controllers, Regulators & Transmitters).
February 1, 2003... Model 7250 high-speed digital pressure controller/calibrator uses this company's quartz sensor that provides high precision and stability. It utilizes an active matrix, full-color screen with a 6.4" diagonal viewing area. This display allows...

PID controller: embedded Profibus or DeviceNet communications. (Controllers, Regulators & Transmitters).
February 1, 2003... The HA series controller now offers embedded Profibus or DeviceNet communications and also features a high speed sampling rate of 0.025 seconds, or 40 times per second. The high speed sampling function makes the controller suitable for...

Trends in level measurement and control. (Controllers, Regulators & Transmitters).
February 1, 2003... Water level is one of the most important measurement parameters at large metropolitan aquariums, marine life parks, fish hatcheries and other water venues. The ocean aquarium at Long Beach, California, for example, uses more than 150 ultrasonic...

Brushless servo motor with 16 mm through bore. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... The HO Series motors come with an internally mounted high resolution glass encoder grating. An encoder read head is mounted to the rear of the motor and can be replaced or upgraded in the field. HO motors come with a 16 mm through bore in the...

Power detector: AC and DC voltages. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... The Universal Power Alert (UPA-100) detects and indicates the presence of AC and DC (stored energy) voltage. Features include verification of zero energy, detection of single or three-phase AC voltage (40 to 750 VAC), detection of DC (30 to...

Current signal converters for instrumentation and control. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... A line of current converters converts current signals for industrial instrumentation and control systems and remote data acquisition systems. Rugged versions are available for mobile equipment, military, aerospace, and power generation...

Ethernet Swtich with nine ports. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... The 9-port rugged, fully connectorized Industrial Etherne[TM] Switch has nine 10/100 Mbps 8-pin euro-fast ports to segment network traffic, extend Ethernet connection distance, and convert data packets between different transmission speeds. The...

Electrical Interface Module: ControlNet topology capable. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... The 2C20 EOTec 2000 Electrical Interface Module is designed for ControlNet network topology. The unit allows users to run the ControlNet protocol over a fiber-optic network system, allowing longer distance cable runs and the inherent advantages...

Bus enclosures: in five standard sizes. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... A new line of bus enclosures is designed to accommodate Siemens, Phoenix, Bosch, Murrelectronik, and Weidmuller bus systems. The enclosures come in five standard sizes, all having 0.12-in. Makrolon windows that permit the visual display of bus...

Load cell system: low-profile conditioning. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... A system combination comprises the LBC Series low-profile compression only load button and the TM0-1 12 VDC powered amplifier/conditioner module. The TM0-1 provides dedicated conditioning and several units can be powered from a common power...

Analog input boards: samples channels simultaneously. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... APC341 analog input boards are designed for desktop PCI and AcPC341 for CompactPCI. They have eight 14-bit A/D converters than can sample channels simultaneously. The boards have 16 differential input channels with a [+ or -] 10 Vdc range that...

Measurement gauge: speed laser measurement. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... The Model LS200 LaserSpeed System is a non-contact length and speed laser measurement gauge. It has lasers, optics, and inputs and outputs in one rugged housing. It directly replaces tachometers, encoders, and resolvers while providing accuracy...

Pulse wire sensor for passive electronics. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... These pulse wire sensors can sense rotor positions, serve as revolution counters, and detect speed and rotation. The sensor is contactless and requires no external power to operate. Its permanent magnet design generates high output voltages...

Torque transducer with digital telemetry. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... The Torkdisc family of low-profile, high-stiffness, rotary torque transducers now features Series 5302, which offers the same advantages as all other Torkdisc models. They utilize rugged, strain-gage sensing technology and wireless, digital,...

Power supplies with universal voltage range. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... The Step Power Supply offers a universal AC and DC voltage range, ensuring a reliable and safe operation globally. It can be installed where static voltage drops and transient power failures occur. The generously sized capacitors ensure a power...

Serial device drivers for Ethernet connectivity. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... The SeaLINK family of serial device drivers is designed to connect serial devices directly to an Ethernet network. It uses industry standard TCP/IP protocol allowing almost any host to access serial ports as easily as if the ports where PC...

PCB connector: uses IDC technology. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... Extending its range of compact, 3.5 mm pitch connectors for printed circuit boards, this company is offering versions featuring Insulation Displacement Connection (DC) technology to shorten installation times. The BLIDC 3.5 and BLIDC 3.5 plugs...

Miniature laser sensor with five beam shapes. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... World-Beam[TM] QS18LE Series laser emitters are designed for use as a DC powered "laser pointer" in an industrial housing as well as the emitter half of an opposed mode sensor pair. As a pointer, the unit provides five different beam shapes...

Wireless Ethernet with enhanced features. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... The Model 192E Ethernet product uses unlicensed 2.4 GHz, direct sequence spread spectrum technology, to provide 11 M bps RF data rate. The Model 192E features an industrial panel mount case, with RG-45 10baseT interface, and one watt RF output...

Wireless SLC communications: provide a strong link. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... The Communicator[R] and Watchdog modules have been utilized in multiple material handling applications where safety is the foremost priority. Functioning as a unit, the Communicator[R], Watchdog, and SLC 500 can be programmed to monitor crane...