The Pluses and Pitfalls of USB DAQ
IEN, March 2008
By Jonathan Tucker, Keithley Instruments
With all the benefits of USB come a few hidden hazards, which, if unchecked, can lead to inaccurate measurement results. Being aware of the hazards can help prevent problems.

Best practices for process instrumentation cabling
Intech, March 2008
Proper electrical installation and connectivity of field instrumentation devices glues the entire PAS system together, involves cabling, grounding, cable routing, and mitigation of external influences such as noise and interference.

Three’s a Crowd for Instrumentation Amplifiers
Sensors, February 2008
By Prashanth Holenarsipur, Maxim Integrated Products
This article explains the architectural limitations of conventional three op amp IAs, and introduces an indirect current-feedback circuit topology that provides specific advantages for single-supply operation.

Isolate the noise, not the signal
Plant Engineering, February 2008
By Greg Feliks, Moore Industries
Some engineers think that the need for isolators and signal converters is eroding with the advent of smart instruments, isolated electronics and digital fieldbuses. However, isolators and signal converters can also be used to solve difficult or complex problems.

Safety Instrumented System design is all about the process
Plant Engineering, February 2008
By Charles M. Fialkowski, Siemens Energy & Automation
Designing a single component may be viewed as a relatively simple matter – one that a single person can handle. Designing a large SIS, however, is typically beyond the ability of any single individual. Large systems require a multi-discipline team.

Browse these and more articles and white papers on the Industrial I/O portal.

Omron STI's 2007/2008 Machine Safety Engineering Guide
Omron STI's new 1500+ page 2007-2008 Engineering Guide to Machine and Process Safeguarding is now available. This two-volume set is the most comprehensive machine and process safety product and technical reference guide available in the industry today. In addition to detailing Omron STI's complete family of machine and process safety solutions, the guide contains more than 225 pages of educational resource material.

TURCK upgrades free I/Oassistant configuration software
I/Oassistant is used as a configuration tool when designing TURCK’s BL20 in the panel and BL67 on the machine nodes. It uses FDT/DTM, and will generate a fieldbus I/O map.

UEI releases data acquisition and control catalog
Catalog includes data acquisition and control products based upon PCI, PXI, ISA and Ethernet interfaces.

Remote I/O Videos
This two-part video explains how to use remote I/O with PLCs. Part 1, a 5-minute video, is an introduction; Part 2, an 11-minute video, covers the basics.

Pepperl+Fuchs publishes Intrinsic Safety Specification Guide
This illustrated manual has information on successfully installing, using, maintaining and repairing intrinsic safety systems.

Browse these and more resources and literature on the Industrial I/O portal.

Hands Across the Water
Control Design, March 2008
Trumpf uses Tele-Diagnostics to fix 90% of its machine problems. Sensors embedded in each machine allow technicians to diagnose remotely. Data is transmitted by an analog phone line using the software package PCAnyWhere and through the Internet via WebEx, provided that the customer’s machine has Internet access that is not blocked by a firewall.

A Machine Renaissance
Control Design, March 2008
By Joe Morrissey, Conflex
Conflex, a builder of shrink-wrapping machines, substantially redesigned each machine in its product line and converted to Beckhoff’s DIN-rail-mounted embedded PC and IEC 61131-3-compliant automation and motion control software.

Monitoring System Tracks Worker Efficiency
By TJ Johns, AutomationDirect
BG Industrial Control builds its Greer Monitoring System for textile plants based on AutomationDirect's touch panels, Terminator IO, DirectLOGIC 205 Ethernet-based controllers, and Think & Do Studio PC-based control software.

Automotive Data Acquisition System uses Industrial I/O
By Data Translation
A component manufacturer needed to acquire 24 analog and 8 digital inputs during in-car-testing at speeds up to 160 mph and over rough roads. They use two DT9836-12 data acquisition USB modules in tandem and an industrial notebook computer.

NI software and hardware controls particle accelerator
Using LabVIEW software with R Series reconfigurable PXI I/O hardware, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) developed a motion control system capable of intercepting misguided or unstable particle beams.

Browse these and more application stories on the Industrial I/O portal.

WAGO offers free Industrial Control Seminars
Three-day Industrial Control Seminars focusing on the latest in control technology will be held in Germantown, WI.

Smart Sensor Systems
April 21-24, 2008 Delft, The Netherlands
Recent developments in the field of smart sensor systems are reviewed, including: sensor principles, tandem transducers, smart analog interfaces, modifiers, A/D conversion, busses and digital interfaces, DSPs and microcontrollers. The lectures include case studies and hands-on demonstrations.

FREE Training on Opto 22’s SNAP PAC System
Opto 22 offers FREE SNAP PAC System training classes held at company headquarters in Temecula, California. The four-day, hands-on class provides an overview of Opto 22’s simple answer to complex automation problems.

Smart Sensors Systems Design Web course
The course focuses on measuring methods and techniques to build full intelligent sensor systems, digital sensors, data acquisition and measuring systems with self-adaptation and self-identification possibilities.

Practical Hazardous Areas for Engineers and Technicians
IDC Technologies, UK
This workshop will provide you with a solid grounding in the principles of explosion protection and intrinsic safety

Browse these and more training and seminar opportunities on Industrial I/O portal.

• UEI releases 48-bit Digital Input Board
• Semaphore adds Security Access Control to T-BOX RTUs
• Pentek introduces 7150 200 MHz A/D Converter
• Audon Electronics introduces USB-AD DAQ unit
• Matrikon launches Mobile Equipment Monitor for mining
• ACCES I/O releases USB-AI analog input modules
• Agilent Technologies adds options to Acqiris Digitizers
• Acromag announces PMC I/O modules with FPGAs

Browse these and more Product Announcements on the Industrial I/O portal.

Search Products by keyword, category, manufacturer or release date.

Moore Industries bakes NCS data acquisition system for three years
The NCS has been running since February 2005 in an environmental chamber at temperatures up to 221°F. The only problem so far: Labels are turning brown.

Cooper acquires MTL Instruments Group
Cooper Controls Limited acquired more than 98 percent of the outstanding shares of The MTL Instruments Group.

National Instruments Reports Record Revenue and Net Income
National Instruments reported record quarterly revenue of $205 million, up 13 percent and the company's best revenue growth quarter for 2007.

MCAA makes Three-Year Market Forecast
MCAA says the 2006 total market value for twelve PI&A products is $6.7 billion for the United States and $784 million for Canada. In the U.S., annual growth will be 3.6% with 4.2 % in Canada. Four products are forecasted to grow faster than the average in both regions – Electronic Flow, Pressure, Remote I/O and Electronic Level.

ARC says Ethernet moving downward in the control hierarchy
Industrial Ethernet’s migration into the device or I/O level of the automation network hierarchy signals its continued march downward in the enterprise architecture.

Browse these and more company and organizational news on the Industrial I/O portal.

Using Industrial Wireless Ethernet in Mining Systems
A mine uses a combination of Moxa's AWK-1100 wireless AP/Bridge/AP Client and an industrial Ethernet switch.

Emerson installs Wireless on Norwegian offshore platform
Mesh field network monitors wellhead annular pressure and heat exchanger pressures on the Grane offshore platform.

CitectSCADA monitors St Fergus gas terminal
Process and Control Today, January 2008
TOTAL E&P UK installed a 10,000+ point CitectSCADA system to provide monitoring - with full dual redundancy - of the control and safety systems for the giant St Fergus gas terminal in Scotland.

Semaphore adds ISaGRAF 5 to Kingfisher G30 SCADA System
Kingfisher G30 embeds the ISaGRAF 5 control software environment to provide support both the IEC 61131-3 and IEC 61499 standards.

WESTEC 2008 Exposition and Conference
March 31-April 3, 2008 Los Angeles
The largest annual machine tools and advanced manufacturing event in North America, WESTEC connects manufacturing professionals with the latest technology and applications.

ISA International Instrumentation Symposium
May 5-8, 2008 Pensacola Beach, Florida
The 54th annual ISA International Instrumentation Symposium will include paper sessions, short courses, tutorials, and a student presentation competition.

Automatica 2008
June 10-13, 2008 Munich, Germany
Displays the latest in robots, assembly and handling technology, machine vision and associated technologies in five trade fair halls.

International Manufacturing Technology Show
September 8-13, 2008 Chicago, IL
The largest and longest running manufacturing technology trade show in the United States, IMTS is ranked among the largest trade shows in the world.. IMTS attracts over 90,000 visitors from every level of industry and over 40 countries.

Add an event to our calendar.

Rick Zabel
Vice President, Publisher
Automation.com

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