AutomationDirect now carries a line of Molded Case Circuit Breakers (MCCBs) that offers UL489 listed performance for branch circuit overcurrent protection and disconnecting means. The circuit breakers’ small size saves panel space, compared to standard breakers or comparable fusible devices. The breakers are manufactured under license from Eaton Electrical, Inc., the manufacturer of Cutler-Hammer products….
+Tech TopicsAC Motors and ControlsApplicationAutomation NotebookCover StoriesEnergy/UtilitiesIndustryIssue 4 – 2005Learning ResourcesManufacturingNotebook IssueProductVariable Speed Drives
AC Drives Focused on Energy Conservation
Today, energy conservation and cost-cutting solutions have become a major focus in the manufacturing sector. Energy costs continue to increase and the extreme growth in China is contributing to rising costs in other areas of goods, including steel and coal. Managers of manufacturing facilities are faced with many questions regarding energy conservation and efficiency. They…
In each issue of the Automation Notebook we feature a section of brainteasers. These are the brainteaser answers from Issue 2, 2004 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 2, 2004 without the answers here: http://library.automationdirect.com/brainteasers-issue-2-2004/…
1. O T T F F _ What’s the next letter in sequence? (They are all letters.) 2. Two old friends meet after a long separation. They swap stories, talk about jobs, families, etc. The first man says “I have three children now.” Second man asks, “Really? What are their ages?” First: “I’ll give you clues and you try to…
+Tech TopicsAutomation NotebookFYIIssue 2 – 2004Learning ResourcesNotebook IssueProductProgrammable Control
Implementing a PLC Calibration Routine to Ensure Accurate Instrument Readings
Why Calibrate? Many applications call for a means to take accurate analog measurements. Force, pressure, electrical current, lengths, positions and other analog values that are measured must be done so with a degree of accuracy. Factory and lab personnel use calibration procedures to ensure that equipment is reading accurately. If the readings are not as…
+Tech TopicsAutomation NotebookElectrical PowerIssue 2 – 2004Learning ResourcesNotebook IssueProductTechnical Review
Common Questions About Control Transformers
What Is A Control Transformer? A control transformer is an isolation transformer designed to provide a high degree of secondary voltage stability (regulation) during a brief period of overload condition (also known as ‘inrush current’). Control transformers are also known as machine tool transformers, industrial control transformers, or control power transformers. How Do I Select…
+Tech TopicsAutomation NotebookIssue 2 – 2004Learning ResourcesNotebook IssueProductProgrammable ControlTech Thread
Using Indirect Addressing in a PLC to Scale a Non-linear Analog Input Signal
Indirect addressing, or pointer addressing as it is called with Koyo PLCs, is an addressing mode found in many processors’ instruction sets that specifies a register that contains the effective address. Accessing the operand requires two memory accesses – one to fetch the effective address and another to read or write the actual operand. Indirect…
Application StoriesAutomation NotebookEnergy/UtilitiesIndustryIssue 2 – 2004Learning ResourcesNotebook IssuePLCProductProgrammable ControlUser SolutionsWater/Wastewater
Ever Wonder How AutomationDirect Customers Are Applying Their Products?
Check out some of the application stories we’ve collected and you’ll see that AutomationDirect products are used in a wide variety of applications across many different industries. — Jump to Application Spotlight D2-250 PLC PID Loops Control Pumps In Residential Water System We used PID loops in the D2-250 CPU to control three pumps and…
+Tech TopicsAutomation NotebookIssue 2 – 2004Learning ResourcesNotebook IssuePLC SpeakingProductProgrammable Control
PLC Technology and Application Tips
Over the past ten years, AutomationDirect, formerly PLCDirect, has provided PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) products in many shapes, sizes, and I/O counts, and with a wide variety of features. Since PLCs were the products on which this company was founded, it is only natural to devote a column on the subject of PLCs in the…
Automation NotebookBusiness NotesCompany TopicsIssue 2 – 2004Learning ResourcesNewsNotebook IssueProductVariable Speed Drives
Business Notes – Issue 2, 2004
RFID Will Affect Many Manufacturers And Packagers Radio frequency identification (RFID) has become one of the most visible issues in manufacturing and packaging in recent months. At its simplest, RFID is a generic term for technologies that use radio waves to automatically identify products to which a special tag has been affixed. To identify or…