Water Utility Successfully Standardizes Automation Practices
IndustryIssue 44 - 2020Notebook IssueWater/Wastewater

Water Utility Successfully Standardizes Automation Practices

This utility standardized and defined best practices for their applications, improving operations while saving time and money. By David Reagan, Helix Water District ndustrial automation installations come in many shapes and sizes. Applications vary from standalone machines up to large processes, and the operating organization may have just one maintenance person or field an entire…
New Customer Community Forum
Issue 44 - 2020Notebook Issue

New Customer Community Forum

The new AutomationDirect Customer Community is a place where like-minded professionals can engage with each other and share knowledge, offer advice or exchange ideas. Inside the community you’ll find technical forums that are active with thousands of users including hobbyists, engineers and even some of our development partners. There is also a Knowledge Base which…
Automating the Hendrick’s Gin Grand Garnisher
Application StoriesDrivesHMIIssue 44 - 2020Notebook IssueOperator InterfaceProductVariable Speed Drives

Automating the Hendrick’s Gin Grand Garnisher

The Grand Garnisher has been turning heads as it tours the United States and Europe. AutomationDirect hardware and software automation underpins the attractive, steampunk contraption. By Stuart Ostroff, Salmon Studios Picture this: you are in the back garden of the grand duke’s estate, enjoying social hour with great company, a botanical cocktail in your hand….
CLICK PLC and C-more Integral for Emergency Ventilator
Application StoriesCommunicationsHMIIssue 44 - 2020PLCProductProgrammable Control

CLICK PLC and C-more Integral for Emergency Ventilator

Using readily available AutomationDirect parts, an Auburn University team converted a CPAP machine to a high-functioning emergency ventilator in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the threat of ventilator shortages during the COVID-19 crisis, various organizations called on developers to build “emergency ventilators”. A team at Auburn University’s Samuel Ginn College of Engineering went…
Brain Teasers - Issue 44, 2020
Issue 44 - 2020Notebook Issue

Brain Teasers - Issue 44, 2020

The Pallet Puzzle The puzzle factory cranked out 100 of their new giant floor puzzles and placed them on five pallets for shipping.  The shipping clerk didn’t have the count for the individual pallets – but was told that there were 52 puzzles on the first two pallets, 43 on the second and third combined,…
Continuous Flexing Profinet Cable from AutomationDirect
Issue 43 - 2020New ProductNewsPress ReleasesPress Releases

Continuous Flexing Profinet Cable from AutomationDirect

DataMax Extreme® Industrial Profinet cables are a two-pair shielded construction with 22AWG twisted pair conductors and 7/30 stranded tinned copper with color coded high-density polyethylene insulation. Shielded constructions include both a tinned copper braid shield and aluminized polyester foil overall shield. The cable’s outer jacket is pressure extruded Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE) with excellent moisture, chemical,…
ProductivityOpen Industrial Open-source Controller (Arduino-compatible) from AutomationDirect
Issue 43 - 2020NewsPress ReleasesPress Releases

ProductivityOpen Industrial Open-source Controller (Arduino-compatible) from AutomationDirect

The open-source Productivity®Open platform provides all the great features of a standard Arduino plus the added power and reliability of an industrial controller. The processor circuit of the P1AM-100 CPU is designed to mimic the Arduino MKRZero microcontroller. The P1AM-100 is compatible with most available Arduino MKR format shields, and/or the industrially-hardened ProductivityOpen shields, and…