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…
Industrial Ethernet or Fieldbus Network?
Automation NotebookCommunicationsCover StorieseBookIssue 27 – 2013Learning ResourcesNotebook IssueProduct

Industrial Ethernet or Fieldbus Network?

With only about a quarter of the overall installed base of industrial networking using 4-20 mA and other hardwired methods, fieldbus communication systems are becoming the de facto choice for automation. Now the debate is shifting to the question of whether fieldbus-based networks will remain the standard or if it will be supplanted by industrial…
What you need to know about ViewMarq Displays Q&A
+Tech TopicsAutomation NotebookFYIIssue 26 – 2013Learning ResourcesNotebook IssueOperator InterfaceProduct

What you need to know about ViewMarq Displays Q&A

In the FYI article for this issue of Automation Notebook we sat down for a question and answer session with the product manager for our new ViewMarq Displays. Below you will find out what you need to know about AutomationDirect.com’s new ViewMarq Led Message Displays. Q. How many colors are displayed by a ViewMarq LED…
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…
DG Controls
Automation NotebookAutomationDirect SpotlightIssue 25 – 2013Learning ResourcesNotebook IssueProductProgrammable ControlSIDirectSystem Integrators

DG Controls

In this issue of Automation Notebook, we introduce you to Dan Gulley of DG Controls in York, Alabama. With over 30 years of designing and troubleshooting industrial machine controls and system integration, they are experts when it comes to custom control panels and retrofitting equipment. How did you get started in your Controls/Engineering career? My…