In this jam-packed edition, read about ways customers are using the new C-more panel to gather information remotely using Ethernet. Also An article detailing how the University of Arizona is using automation that would make even Shakespeare proud. To understand how important technology is in regards to the environment, read the cover story on coastline reconstruction after Hurricane Katrina.
– TJ Johns
Senior Editor
In this issue of the Automation Notebook…
In each issue of the Automation Notebook we feature a section of brainteasers. These are the brainteaser answers from Issue 6, 2006 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 6, 2006 without the answers here: http://library.automationdirect.com/brainteasers-issue-6-2006/…
1. Light Weight The AutomationDirect DL05 PLC weighs 4.5 ounces plus half its own weight. How much does it weigh? 2. A Puzzling Journey I’ve been warned about a journey I must take in the next few years. The details are very sketchy, but I’m told that the whole trip can be mapped out using a…
+Tech TopicsAutomation NotebookFYIIssue 6 – 2006Learning ResourcesNotebook IssueProductProgrammable Control
PLC Tips from the Tech Team
AutomationDirect’s Technical Support Team receives a vast array of inquiries on programming and installation of our DirectLOGIC PLCs. We asked the team to provide some Tips and Techniques to help make programming and installation easier for our users. Here are some of the topics that come up regularly. Regular Topics Locating problem code: Having trouble locating a…
+Tech TopicsAutomation NotebookEnclosures & AccessoriesIssue 6 – 2006Learning ResourcesNotebook IssueProductTechnical ReviewTerminal Blocks & Wiring
A Condensed Guide to Automation Control System Part 4: Build, Launch & Maintain
In Part 3 (Fall 2005 Issue 5), we covered how to design our automated control system and the importance of documenting the design. We discussed the various types of documents that would be typical for an automated control system design, why and how we would use these documents, and finally the tools that can be…
+Tech TopicsAutomation NotebookIssue 6 – 2006Learning ResourcesNotebook IssueOperator InterfaceProductTech Thread
Answers To Questions About Our New C-more Operator Panel
AutomationDirect’s new operator panel is packed with lots of features. We’ve compiled a list of questions and answers that address some of these features: Q: Can I use the serial port on my laptop or desktop computer to upload/download programs via the serial port on a C-more panel? A: The C-more panel is designed to communicate with a computer via…
ApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookIndustryIssue 6 – 2006Learning ResourcesMachine ControlMotorsNotebook IssueOperator InterfacePackagingPLCProductProgrammable ControlUser SolutionsVariable Speed Drives
System Integrator Slashes Retrofit Price While Adding Value
Box Making Machine Retrofit Project in Ravenna, OH CorrTech, Inc. is an industrial machinery services company that focuses on the corrugated paper and container industry. One of their customers, Smurfit Stone Enterprises in Ravenna, Ohio, recently requested the retrofit of a heavy-duty box-making machine built in the US circa 1970. The S&S ZLR Flexo Folder…
ApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookAutomationDirect SpotlightEntertainmentIndustryIssue 6 – 2006Learning ResourcesMachine ControlNotebook IssuePLCProductProgrammable ControlStudent Spotlight
DL205 Performs in Theatrics
Theatrical automation is a newly emerging field of technology. Through the use of automation, the University Of Arizona School Of Theatre Arts is enhancing the overall theatrical experience. Students Nathan Cross and Phillip Toussaint are using various types of AutomationDirect equipment to automate scenery. According to Nathan, the use of motors and computer control gives…
+Tech TopicsAutomation NotebookIssue 6 – 2006Learning ResourcesNotebook IssuePLC SpeakingProductProgrammable Control
The Latest In PLC Ladder Logic
Developed in the early 1990s to program DirectLOGIC PLCs, DirectSOFT programming software was one of the first Windows®-based ladder logic software packages on the market. Over the years, it has seen several major enhancements and improvements, but this year DirectSOFT is receiving the most dramatic makeover of its existence. DirectSOFT5 As users became more comfortable with the features…
FIRST Robotics Team Sponsored By AutomationDirect Hits The Ground Running The Forsyth Alliance is a team of Atlanta area high school students, sponsored by AutomationDirect, participating in the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) organization’s 15th Annual Robotics competition. They spent the fall months of 2005 building the previous year’s game robot to…
We have added several exciting products since our last edition of the Automation Notebook. Here are some highlights about some of those new products including: SureServo, Thin-FInger Wire Duct, Sensor Line Extended, Communication Modules for DL05 & DL06, Relay Line Expanded, 22mm Metal Pushbuttons Offered Without Contact Blocks, DirectSoft5 Launch. SureServo™ Now Shipping AutomationDirect has released the SureServo family of fully digital AC…
Automation NotebookCompany TopicsFeature StoryIssue 6 – 2006Learning ResourcesNotebook IssueOperator InterfaceProduct
It Takes Teamwork to Launch Products
In the early 1990s, many automation suppliers thought that using a direct catalog channel to offer automation products was too risky to attempt. There were concerns such as getting customers to buy from a company they couldn’t physically see, assisting them in selecting products, technical support, return and warranty issues and so on. Because of…
+Tech TopicsAutomation NotebookElectrical PowerEnergy/UtilitiesIndustryIssue 6 – 2006Learning ResourcesNotebook IssueProductTechnology Brief
Dealing with Low-voltage Power Issues
Voltage Dip and Power Failure Voltage dip and power failure – these are two events that can cause everything in a manufacturing and processing facility to go dim. When a machine or processing line goes down due to a power failure, it can cost a company thousands of dollars in as little as an hour….
AutomationDirect has released its totally new and radically improved operator touch panel line, C-more, manufactured by parent company Koyo Electronics, part of the multi-billion dollar Seiko group. C-more touch panels are programmed using C-more programming software and provide power and flexibility through a vast set of features. The panel displays are available in either grayscale (15 shades of gray)…
ApplicationApplication StoriesCover StoriesIndustryIssue 6 – 2006Machine ControlNotebook IssuePLCProcess ControlProductProgrammable ControlWater/Wastewater
Dredging Up The...FUTURE
People around the world are aware of the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina along the coast of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. What started around the southeastern Bahamas on August 23, 2005 as Tropical Depression number 12, quickly became the fourth hurricane of the season just 48 hours later. When her catastrophic winds finally subsided,…