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March 2003
| CimQuest - INGEAR SoloLink Helps Lower the Cost of Communicating to a PLC |
Innovative Product Licensing Yields Major Benefits to OEMs and End Users alike PHOENIXVILLE, Penn., March 15th, 2003 — Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), machine builders and end-users frustrated with having to pay for extra connectivity they don’t require can now turn to INGEAR for it’s new SoloLink™ brand of full-featured, OLE for Process Control (OPC) servers to provide single Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) connectivity at an attractive price of $329 . Based upon customer feedback, INGEAR has developed a unique method to re-license its popular Desktop OPC servers as SoloLink™ OPC servers which offer a solo, point-to-point communication link supported between the host Personal Computer (PC) and a single PLC at an economical price. “INGEAR had many customers indicate that all they wanted to connect up was a single Allen-Bradley™ or Modicon™ PLC,” said Charles Karwoski, president of INGEAR. “In the current economic climate, users are finding it difficult to justify the cost of an OPC server that supports a full arsenal of PLC drivers (i.e.: communication protocol interfaces) and various PLC types when their needs are fairly simple. The driving force for revising the desktop product’s licensing scheme was to accommodate the needs of OEMs, integrators and end-users by providing OPC servers with a single PLC connectivity solution at an extremely affordable price. At the same time it was clear that INGEAR customers wanted the same functionality, performance and flexibility in a product that offered single PLC connectivity at a reduced cost.” When creating SoloLink™, INGEAR maintained all the full-featured benefits of its existing, field-proven Desktop OPC servers and also made it possible to optionally upgrade any SoloLink™ product to a full-featured Desktop version in the future by using cutting-edge, electronic license activation technology. Some of SoloLink’s standard features include the following: · No maximum tag name or group limitations · A wide selection of popular PLC drivers and various PLC types · Works with Wonderware®, RSView32™, Intellution®, Visual Basic™, etc. · Free OPC ActiveX® controls for VB and Visual C++ software programmers · Support of simultaneous, multiple local/remote OPC Data Access Clients The product’s ease of upgradeability in the field offers users benefits such as: · Unlimited point-to-multipoint connectivity to numerous PLCs · Utilizes existing SoloLink™ configuration file · No additional software to buy and install · Local/Remote license activation process SoloLink™ OPC servers are currently available for Allen-Bradley, Modicon, GE Fanuc and OMRON. INGEAR Products Group is a division of CimQuest, Inc., a privately held corporation based in Newark, Del. INGEAR is the world's leading independent brand of cross-platform OPC Server software and its mission is to continually provide innovative and extremely reliable PLC communication solutions and tools for programmers and end-users of ‘shrink-wrapped’ HMI software. INGEAR was the industry’s first Independent Software Vendor (ISV) to innovate PLC data access connectivity for MS-Visual Basic by means of ActiveX® controls (e.g.: 16-bit VBXs and 32-bit OCXs) back in 1993-96. INGEAR today provides feature rich, economical software solutions intended for interfacing MS-Windows-based client applications to PLCs that are used in factory automation; SCADA systems for remote data acquisition and control; manufacturing operations for performance improvement/analysis and shop floor maintenance scheduling. For more specific information about INGEAR, or to download demo versions of (or to purchase) their automation software products, please go to URL: www.plcdriver.com. In order to enhance awareness of INGEAR Products Group as the Industrial Automation’s pioneer ISV developing software that meets both the mobility and economical needs of its customers, INGEAR also offers free OPC ActiveX® controls for MS-Visual Basic.NET™ and embedded MS-Visual C++ software programmers. These royalty free products can be utilized in creating private, license-free, custom Human Machine Interfaces (HMI) targeted for use on either Desktop, Embedded, Tablet or Pocket PCs. For more specific information, please go to URL: www.plcdriver.com/opcactivex.htm |