We have a lot of great material crammed in this issue of NOTEBOOK. In addition to information about new products, our cover story explains how machine builders and their customers benefit from connecting machines to IT systems. We have an awesome User Solution story explaining how adding a variable frequency drive improved a mill/drill machine and more all packed in to this issue of the AutomationNotebook.
– TJ Johns Senior Editor
In this issue of the Automation Notebook…
The Productivity2000 is AutomationDirect’s newest addition to the Productivity line of industrial controllers. The Productivity2000 is a modular, rack-based system with a full lineup of discrete, analog and specialty I/O modules. The high-performance CPU has 50Mb of user memory, fast scan times and five communication ports for $255. The P2-550 CPU features a 4 line…
This issue of Automation Notebook gives you snapshots of some of our latest products. Some of those new products include: additions to the access control barriers, new miniature circuit breakers and supplementary protectors, as well as, harsh-duty photoelectric sensors, three-phase soft starters and much more.
+Tech TopicsApplicationCommunicationsCover StoriesData and IIoTData CollectionIIoT and DataIssue 33 - 2015Learning ResourcesMachine ControlNotebook IssueOperator InterfaceProductProgrammable Control
Linking Machines to IT Systems
Once upon a time, individual machines were stranded on an island, or just linked to other machines using a few discrete I/O and dry contact relays. Then came machine-to-machine data links such as a proprietary PLC-based network. Today, and certainly in the future, machines are being linked to IT systems.
Automation Cookbook is a collection of short video chapters covering a wide variety of automation application topics. Each chapter starts with a “U can do it!” overview, which explains the capabilities and usefulness of a specific automation task. There is a group of “Tech Tips” videos in each chapter, where we detail technical nuggets and…
+Tech TopicsAutomation NotebookIssue 33 - 2015Learning ResourcesNotebook IssueProductProgrammable ControlTechnology Brief
What is Productivity2000?
It’s not just the low price, but the incredible built-in features that make our Productivity2000 a must-have controller. As the newest programmable logic controller from AutomationDirect, the Productivity2000 (P2000), is built around a compact modular form factor that allows both fit and functionality in a small space. But, what is Productivity2000? In this introduction we…
AgricultureApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookAutomationDirect SpotlightDrivesEducation/DIYIndustryIssue 33 - 2015Learning ResourcesMotorsNotebook IssueProcess ControlProductStudent SpotlightStudent Spotlight
Pulp Processor Speeds Production of Healthy Supplement
Students at Penn State have been working on a Baobab pulp processor in conjunction with the residents of villages in Benin, Malawi, South Africa, and Madagascar. Native to Africa, “Baobab” is the common name for the Adansonia tree and the fruit that it bears. There has been quite a bit of hype surrounding the health…
AC Motors and ControlsApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookDrivesEducation/DIYEnclosures & AccessoriesIndustryIssue 33 - 2015Learning ResourcesMachine ControlMachine ToolMotorsNotebook IssueProductUser SolutionsVariable Speed Drives
Converting a Mill/Drill and Installing a VFD
Several years ago I purchased a Wadkin lathe made in England in late 1964. It is equipped with a very special motor that is 220V, three-phase and 50Hz. Because of the special design of the motor, it has a long extended shaft that carries the four sheave pulley, and because I do not have three-phase…
ApplicationApplication StoriesAutomationDirect SpotlightEducation/DIYEntertainmentIndustryIssue 33 - 2015Machine ControlNotebook IssuePneumaticsPneumaticsProductStudent SpotlightStudent Spotlight
Shier Terror Haunts West Coast
Scott Shier, with his namesake organization, Shier Terror, presented a pneumatics seminar in May, 2015, at the West Coast Haunters Convention in Portland, Oregon. His intent was to expose a group of fifteen “Home Haunter” students to the capabilities of pneumatic systems as they are often used in haunted houses. ‘Haunting’ with Pneumatics West Coast…
This is one of the most popular sections of Automation Notebook; The Break Room. This popular spot is often the first place many of our customers turn to when they receive the latest issue. Once you read it, you’ll agree. Take a few minutes to warm up the deep recesses of your mind. Once you’ve…
Each issue of the Automation Notebook features a section we call, “The Break Room”. We know you successfully answered everything without having to ask your friends for any help (wink, wink). But, just in case you want to make sure we didn’t miss anything, below are the brainteaser answers from Issue 33, 2015 of Automation…