AutomationNotebook Issue 13
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In this issue, you will find an interesting article, from guest writer Keith Schmitz, regarding alternative energy. We also have information about new products, such as the CLICK PLC, and an article concerning a new format for our 2009 Webinars. Plus, two user solution stories explain interesting ways to use our products.

– TJ Johns
Senior Editor


In this issue of the Automation Notebook…

Automation NotebookIssue 13 – 2009Learning ResourcesNotebook IssueThe Break Room

Brainteaser Answers - Issue 13, 2009

In each issue of the Automation Notebook we feature a section of brainteasers. These are the brainteaser answers from 13, 2009 of the Automation Notebook. The brainteaser questions are repeated in black. The answers to the brainteaser questions are highlighted in red with explanations. You can view the brainteasers from Issue 13, 2009 without the answers here: http://library.automationdirect.com/brainteasers-issue-13-2009/…
Automation NotebookIssue 13 – 2009Learning ResourcesNotebook IssueThe Break Room

Brainteasers - Issue 13, 2009

1. Think Tank  If the area of the floor of a tank is six square feet, and the tank contains 9 inches of water, how much does the water level rise if a 1 foot cube is placed in the tank? How much farther would it rise if another identical cube is added? 2. Close…
Automation NotebookCompany TopicsIssue 13 – 2009Learning ResourcesNewsNotebook IssueProductProgrammable ControlTech Thread

Online Resources Provide A Wealth Of Information

Visit our primary Web site at www.AutomationDirect.com and take advantage of the information and assistance available to you with the click of a mouse, including obtaining quotes and real-time stock checks. If you are a registered user, you can access additional details such as pending orders, processed orders and invoice history. For even more time savings, check…
ApplicationAutomation NotebookAutomationDirect SpotlightIssue 13 – 2009Learning ResourcesNotebook IssueProcess ControlProductProgrammable ControlStudent SpotlightStudent Spotlight

The Future Of Technology - Joe Blakely

Who: Joseph Michael Blakely (Joe) From: Toledo, OH, USA Attending College: University of Washington (Seattle, WA) Major: M. S. in Aeronautics and Astronautics, graduated December 2008 What first got you interested in your area of focus? I have been deeply fascinated by air and space vehicles for as long as I can remember. When I was a young…
ApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookEnergy/UtilitiesHMIIndustryIssue 13 – 2009Learning ResourcesNotebook IssueOperator InterfacePLCProcess ControlProductProgrammable ControlUser Solutions

Ohio Energy Group Finds Alternative Control

The Problem I am a member of a small alternative energy group in Ohio. Many of us generate our own power using wind turbines. These wind turbines vary widely from low power to high power and from homemade to high-tech. Among all of this diversity, we had one common problem – we were looking for…
ApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookEducation/DIYHMIIndustryIssue 13 – 2009Learning ResourcesMachine ToolNotebook IssueOperator InterfacePLCProductProgrammable ControlTest and MeasurementUser Solutions

DL06 PLC Puts Heaters To The Test

Pyromatics Automation Systems of Crystal Lake, IL, was contracted by Durex Industries of Cary, IL, to develop a Life Cycle Test Station for its electric heating elements. After extensive research, Pyromatics chose AutomationDirect as the primary supplier of hardware and software for the project. This test station needed a user-friendly graphical interface to give operators…
Automation NotebookFeature StoryIssue 13 – 2009Learning ResourcesNotebook Issue

Alternative Energy Helps Industrial Controls "Cut the Cord"

Let’s say you want to improve safety on a remote section of highway through a mountain pass via a road condition monitoring system. A small automatic weather station beside the road plus several cameras in key locations could provide a good approximation of road conditions. This information could be posted on dynamic message signs along…
+Tech TopicsAutomation NotebookIssue 13 – 2009Learning ResourcesNotebook IssueTechnology Brief

NEMA or IEC Standards?

Those of us who have worked professionally in the U.S. electrical control industries have a good understanding of, and a certain level of comfort with, NEMA standards; most notably as they pertain to electric motors, motor controllers and enclosures. For the most part, American-based companies require that the electrical components and enclosures used in any…
+Tech TopicsAutomation NotebookFYIIssue 13 – 2009Learning ResourcesNotebook IssueProductProgrammable Control

CLICK™ PLC FAQs

Will the CLICK PLC work with my C-more and C-more Micro graphics panels? Yes. Currently the CLICK PLC driver is available in the C-more Micro panel with firmware version 0201001 or later, so native CLICK addresses are available. The CLICK PLC driver for C-more touch panels is currently under development and scheduled to be available soon. You can communicate…
Automation NotebookIssue 13 – 2009Learning ResourcesNotebook IssuePLC Speaking

Introducing...The Practically Free PLC

PLC Speaking has something new and exciting to talk about. AutomationDirect® and our parent company KOYO Electronics have released a new line of stackable micro brick PLCs – the truly innovative CLICK™ PLC. You get a stand alone CPU/PLC with eight digital inputs and six digital outputs which is easily expandable up to 142 I/O….
+Tech TopicsAutomation NotebookIssue 13 – 2009Learning ResourcesNotebook IssueOperator InterfaceProductProgrammable ControlTechnical ReviewWhy HMI

C-more HMI With Enhanced Allen-Bradley PLC Driver Support (Part Two)

In part one of this two-part article, we discussed the types of Allen-Bradley PLCs that are supported by the AutomationDirect C-more HMI and covered in detail which protocol should be selected for your application. We also covered the various Data Types for Tags that are supported. The latest group of C-more drivers (seen below) supports the A-B…
Automation NotebookAutomationTalkIssue 13 – 2009Learning ResourcesNotebook Issue

Taking Web Seminars To The Next Level

After the economic decline at the beginning of this decade, many companies started looking for ways to cut costs. One such expense was travel – whether sales or training, needs were evaluated and budgets were cut. Web Seminars During this time, many new ways of online training emerged – one being Web-based seminars. Many companies…
+Tech TopicsApplicationBusiness NotesIssue 13 – 2009Learning ResourcesMachine ControlNotebook IssueProcess Control

Applying AutomationDirect Products

I did my thesis work in the ZaP Flow Z-Pinch Lab at the University of Washington. ZaP Flow Z-Pinch Experiment The ZaP Flow Z-Pinch Experiment is a basic plasma physics experiment which investigates the effects of sheared flow on the stability of magnetically confined plasma in a Z-pinch configuration. Possible applications of this technology include…
Automation NotebookCover StoriesIssue 13 – 2009Learning ResourcesNotebook Issue

The Last Crusade

Legendary Oilman, T. Boone Pickens Is On a Quest to Convert How America Propels Its Economy The issue of energy, what it costs, what it is going to take to find more of it, and what it is doing to the planet is a hot topic. So hot that there are a million voices clamoring…