Do-more Designer Gets More Amazing!
+Tech TopicsAutomation NotebookIssue 29 - 2014Learning ResourcesNotebook IssueOnline OnlyPLC SpeakingProductProgrammable Control

Do-more Designer Gets More Amazing!

Do-more Designer is the full-featured programming tool for the Do-more CPUs that can be downloaded for FREE. That’s the entire Do-more programming package, NOT a demo version, for FREE. The software package already includes outstanding features such as a Project Browser, Data View, Trend View, PID View, Debug View, and a built-in simulator that creates…
Switching to Do-more Saves Time
ApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookData System MonitoringEnergy/UtilitiesIndustryIssue 27 – 2013Learning ResourcesNotebook IssuePLCProductProgrammable ControlUser Solutions

Switching to Do-more Saves Time

Almost 14 years ago, I converted the controls in my 80KW hydro electric plant, located in the mountains of western North Carolina, from custom micro-controller cards I developed while at Georgia Tech to the DirectLOGIC DL205 PLC with a D2-260 CPU. In 2013, it was time to make some upgrades to the plant by adding…
Students help Manufacturing Center See AND Do More
ApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookData System MonitoringEducation/DIYFacilitiesIndustryIssue 27 – 2013Learning ResourcesNotebook IssueOperator InterfacePLCProductProgrammable ControlStudent SpotlightTest and Measurement

Students help Manufacturing Center See AND Do More

When the mechatronics students at Catawba Valley Community College (CVCC) in Hickory, North Carolina, went looking for a suitable project to challenge their recently acquired PLC and HMI skills, they didn’t have to go far. The Problem The college’s Manufacturing Solutions Center (MSC) in nearby Conover needed a way to monitor the status of a…
Understanding Encoders | White Paper
Discrete SensingLearning ResourcesProductWhite PapersWhitepapers

Understanding Encoders | White Paper

Encoders are used to determine the position, velocity and direction of a motor shaft or other mechanical motion. They provide information required for the precise control of a variety of applications, such as positioning a rotary table, pick and place, machine assembly, packaging, robotics and more. Regardless of type, all encoders provide a method of orientation detection that’s used as…
AutomationDirect Adds More High-Resolution Encoders
New ProductPress Releases

AutomationDirect Adds More High-Resolution Encoders

Cumming, GA — April 17, 2013 … AutomationDirect has extended its series of Koyo medium duty encoders to include high PPR (Pulses Per Revolution) models. Available in Totem Pole (Push-Pull) or line driver (differential) configurations, the encoders feature a 50mm diameter body with a 35mm depth. Models are constructed with an 8mm diameter solid or hollow shaft and…
PLCs & PACs Simplify Data Acquisition | White Paper
ApplicationData and IIoTData CollectionIIoT and DataLearning ResourcesProductProgrammable ControlWhite PapersWhitepapers

PLCs & PACs Simplify Data Acquisition | White Paper

In today’s competitive market, companies need detailed and timely information about process variables, and production amounts, as well as alarms in real time. In the past, PLCs did not have the capabilities to provide such information, and PACs were not yet widely available. Fortunately, newer PLCs and PACs can perform many data acquisition tasks within…
Illinois Institute of Technology Competes in Hybrid Racing
ApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookAutomationDirect SpotlightEducation/DIYEnergy/UtilitiesIndustryIssue 25 – 2013Learning ResourcesMachine ControlNotebook IssueOperator InterfaceProductProgrammable ControlStudent SpotlightStudent Spotlight

Illinois Institute of Technology Competes in Hybrid Racing

A student team, lead by Donald Ruffatto, from the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) SAE International chapter contacted AutomationDirect in late 2011, asking detailed questions about our Productivity3000 Programmable Automation Controller (PAC). They were planning to use it to control an electric car that they were building for the Formula Hybrid International Competition, hosted by…
Encoders Explained
+Tech TopicsAutomation NotebookDiscrete SensingIssue 25 – 2013Learning ResourcesNotebook IssueProductTechnology Brief

Encoders Explained

What is an Encoder? An encoder (for industrial controls) is a special sensor that captures position information and relays that data to other devices. The position information can be read in many ways (optically, magnetically, capacitively, etc.). There are two basic geometries for encoders: linear and rotary. A linear encoder typically consists of a scale…