AutomationDirect now offers the H4-ECOM100 Ethernet communication module for DirectLOGIC DL405 PLCs. The H4-ECOM100 can be inserted into any I/O slot of any local DL405 base, including expansion bases when using the DL450 CPU and -1 bases, to implement master/slave Ethernet communication at 10 or 100 Mbit data rates. The module supports the industry standard Modbus TCP…
+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…
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…
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,…
ApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookEnergy/UtilitiesFacilitiesIndustryIssue 3 – 2005Learning ResourcesNotebook IssuePLCProcess ControlProductProgrammable ControlUser Solutions
Controlling Nature's Way of Cooling
When conventional air conditioning systems were no longer adequate to cool General Tool Company’s (GTC) facility in Cincinnati, OH, the company began looking for an alternative solution. A roof mist sprinkling system from Sprinkool™ Systems International, Inc. in Killen, AL, would provide evaporative cooling of the roof and ceiling zone of the plant to reduce…
+Tech TopicsAutomation NotebookIssue 3 – 2005Learning ResourcesNotebook IssuePLC SpeakingProductProgrammable Control
PLC Technology and Application Tips
Although the North American market for automation and controls has seen nowhere near the growth it did 15-20 years ago, programmable logic controllers (PLCs) are still the preferred controller choice for industrial applications. What has changed for PLCs are the expectations and desired functionality of their specifiers and users. In this edition of PLC Speaking,…
+Tech TopicsAutomation NotebookCommunicationsIssue 5 – 2005Learning ResourcesNotebook IssuePLC SpeakingProductProgrammable Control
The Evolutionary PLC: Past, Present and Future
Everyone knows there’s only one constant in the technology world and that’s change – inevitable change. This is highly evident in the evolution of PLCs and their varied applications. Let’s take a look at yesterday’s focus and more importantly, today’s and beyond. Preparing and equipping users to meet the challenges of technological change head-on is…
ApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookFeature StoryIssue 5 – 2005Learning ResourcesMachine ControlNotebook IssuePLCProductProgrammable Control
2005 DARPA Grand Challenge
“After preliminary testing of our vehicle, and the subsequent breaking of a couple of welds, we’ve come to a few conclusions. First, our steering actuator has a lot more power than we really need! Second, we never should have attempted to test the steering system without the use of the encoder feedback. And third, we…