Articles and News

Version 2.0 of the Matrikon OPC UA Embedded Software Development Kit (SDK) has been certified by the OPC Foundation’s Independent test labs to be compliant with the Embedded OPC Server profile.

By Tony Armstrong, Linear Technology Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) can be powered via energy harvesting. Here’s how to design a nanopower device that works with very low levels of power and current.

Big data storage and fast processing capabilities need to become one hybrid system.

Immediate access to secure, end-to-end networking service now widely available.

PROFIBUS is number one but PROFINET and EtherNet/IP are catching up.

Interview with Christopher Di Biase, Principal Consultant, Rockwell Automation.

Netilities graphical software tool is useful for engineering, monitoring and troubleshooting PROFINET installations.

By Bill Lydon, Editor The Internet of Things (IoT) definition as promoted by major industrial automation suppliers and computer industry suppliers is “IP to the edge.” IP to the edge means using Internet Protocol over wired or wireless Ethernet to communicate with end devices. This concept may not be common sense engineering and sound design for industrial automation systems.

Wireless Control Foundation: Continuous and Discrete Control for the Process Industry, aims to improve wireless control planning, commissioning and troubleshooting.

MEDUSA development platform for battery-free wireless sensors and actuators allows developers to design components driven by RF energy harvesting

Wireless technology for process instrumentation has the potential to bridge key gaps in a variety of industrial applications, including asset management solutions, monitoring, and noncritical alarming

Up to 2014, there was only limited interest in thermoelectric energy harvesting in general and its use in automotive applications in particular. IDTech predicts thermoelectric energy harvesting will be on production hybrid electric on-road vehicles from 2018.

The guide lists 130 providers of nearly 300 Sercos-enabled products and serves as a guide for all mechanical engineers, systems integrators and control unit manufacturers who use the high-performance Sercos automation bus.

By Bill Lydon, Editor The goal of the Internet of Things (IoT) is to massively instrument the world with intelligent sensors and actuators (analog/digital) that communicate over both wired and wireless networks and leverage the Internet Protocol (IP). .

By Kepware Technologies Repete implemented Kepware’s KEPServerEX communications platform to address the diverse protocol environments of its growing international customer base.

Molex plant floors consist of hundreds of different machines from a variety of vendors, with each speaking its own language or “protocol.” An OPC server connected them all.

By Rainer Schmidt, Harting PROFINET is an independent, proprietary system, which is primarily used for communication between PROFINET components. If PROFINET wants to seamlessly communicate right into the SAP level, it runs into the structured cabling which the IT infrastructure of the company uses.

Testing tool verifies the correct implementation of the Sercos Internet Protocol Services (S-IPS).

This specification describes the mapping of the Sercos information model to OPC UA so that functions and data of Sercos devices are made available and accessible via OPC UA.

The SIG will proliferate adoption of EtherNet/IP in the process industries, and integrate field devices with industrial control systems and related diagnostic services.