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Issue 7, 2006 - AutomationDirect

1. ER BY PH oe Me the 1 value in automation Copyright 2006 AutomationDirect Cumming GA USA All rights reservi For over 12 years superior service low prices and fast delivery to our customers has been our promise For the past 5 years we have been voted tops for service in various product categories by the readers of several industrial magazines e Control Design magazine s Readers Choice Awards 2001 best service of any supplier for PLC Hardware and PLC Software e Control Design magazine s Reader s Choice Awards 2002 best service of any supplier for PLC Hardware and PLC Software e Control Design magazine s Reader s Choice Awards 2003 i best service of any supplier a ET ke for PLC Hardware Operator Interface E ih a and Terminal Blocks received the highest scores of any supplier E a a mi E Bs L k F i F Pate e Control Design magazine s Reader s Choice Awards 2004 best service of any supplier for PLC e Control magazine s Over 5 500 products including Hardware 1 0 System and Terminal Reader s Choice Awards 2005 ric Blocks best service of any supplier for e Operator Interfaces Control magazine s Aa lt Driv s amp Motors Reader s Choice Awards 2004 Control Design magazine s lt Motion Control best service of any supplier for PLC Reader s Choice Awards 2005 sEnclosuresand Wire Diet Hardware PLC Software Operator best se
2. Thomas Szasz After the last of 16 mounting screws has been removed from an access cover it will be discovered that the wrong access cover has been removed DeLa Lastra s Law IDDICTIIOIID DLO6 PLC starting at 199 20 inputs 16 outputs Expandable to 100 1 0 Two communication ports Eight fill in the blank PID loops with autotune Optional LCD display Built in real time clock calendar Nine models available The DLO5 and the DLO6 are a family of micro PLCs designed to fit more applications than any other PLC family in their class Starting with the DLOS at 8 inputs 6 outputs all the way up to the fully expanded 100 1 0 DLOG these PLCs are a standard that can grow with the changing needs of your machine or process control application Both the DLO5 and DLO6 feature Discrete on off control e AC DC sink source and relay I O e Removable terminal blocks standard e Built in high speed I O for simple single axis motion applications Analog control Seven analog I O option cards e PID with auto tune standard e Removable terminal blocks for easy wiring and setup Communication and specialty modules e Two serial communication ports e Modbus master slave Port 2 e Ethernet DeviceNet Profibus option cards e High speed counter pulse output module Learn more about our PLCs at starting at 99 Eight inputs six outputs Expandable to 30 1 0 Two communication port
3. required an immediate response W hen spotted a pay phone parked my car and steoped out into the deluge As approached the telephone it started to ring Water running down my face told the caller there was no one around and that needed to make a call right away You wouldn t be standing in the rain if you had a cellular phone the man replied Look across the parking lot I m the guy in the car waving He was a car phone salesman waiting for potential customers Now that s a Salesman who wants to get ahead Brainteasers 1 The King s new flag The King of Puzlandia has designed a new national flag for his country as shown above He specifies that the flag should be 5 feet high and 7 5 feet wide and that the two colors should have exactly the same area he wants to use the same amount of light and dark blue cloth in each flag How wide must the dark blue stripe be Extra credit The flag makers of the kingdom aren t very good with complex math Can you come up with a ample rule for determining the width of the tripe for any sze flag with this same ratio of haght to width ratio of course 2 Irregular C hess The chessboard factory in Puzlandia has produced some irregular chessboards Can you find a way to cut this chessboard into two pieces and reassemble it into a proper chessboard with the white and black pattern intact It would be easy to cut off the two white square
4. N umber used to specify a storage location in memory Analog Signal with a smooth range of possible values For example a temperature that could vary between 60 and 300 degrees would be analog in nature Backplane Bus in the back of a PLC chassis It isa printed circuit board with sockets that accept various modules Baud rate Speed of serial communications T he number of bits per second transmitted For example RS 232 is normally used with a baud rate of 9600 T his would be about 9600 bits per second It takes about 10 bits in serial to send an ASCII character so that a baud rate of 9600 would transmit about 960 characters per second Binary Base two number system Binary is a system in which ones and zeros are used to represent numbers Binary coded decimal BCD A number system Each decimal number is represented by four binary bits For example the decimal number 967 would be represented by 1001 0110 0111 in BCD Bit Binary digit The smallest element of binary data A bit will be either a zero or a one Byte Eight bits or two nibbles A nibble is 4 bits Central processing unit C PU M icroprocessor portion of the PLC It isthe portion of the PLC that handles the logic C ompare instruction PLC instruction that is used to test numerical values for equal greater than or less than relationships Contact Symbol used in programming PLCs to reoresent inputs T here are normally open and normally closed cont
5. Programming that is done while not attached to the actual device For example a PLC program can be written for a PLC without being attached T he program can then be downloaded to the PLC On delay timer Timer that does not turn on until its time has reached the preset time value Oneshot contact C ontact that is only on for one scan when activated Parity Bit used to help check for data integrity Continued p 26 gt gt 25 Technical Review tunes Ink WAUTOMATIONDIRECT during a data communication e Peer to peer T his is communication that occurs between similar devices For example two PLCs communicating would be peer to peer A PLC communicating to a computer would be device to host PID Proportional integral derivative control Control algorithm that is used to closely control processes such as temperature mixture position and velocity The proportional portion takes care of the magnitude of the error T he integral takes care of small errors over time T he derivative compensates for the rate of error change e PLC Programmable logic controller Programmable controller A special purpose computer Programmed in ladder logic It was also designed so that devices could be easily interfaced with it e PPR Pulses per revolution T his refers to the number of pulses an encoder produces in one revolution e Quadrature Two output channels out of phase with each other by 90 degrees e
6. build season there are 33 regional competitions each supporting an average of 50 Team members and adult mentors working together to put the finishing touches on a practice robot the team refers to as Brutus Automation Not ebook Summer 2006 Issue Seven teams Winners from the regional events are eligible for the N ational competition where they compete against the best teams from around the world FIRST teaches values Itsfun Its exating And thelearninglagsa lifetime The build season is one of the most intense activities these students will ever be part of The challenge of developing a full engineering design in an environment where there is not enough time money resources or materials is similar to real world engineering The only thing that is certain is the six week deadline if you miss it you are out of the competition While building the robots students learn about marketing budgeting design methodology technology and time management all under the supervision of adult mentors who dedicate incredible amounts of time to these students It iS a tremendous enterprise where students experience the real value of teamwork dedication and commitment The FIRST competition is unique in the fact that winning the game is NOT the highest award that can be earned T he highest awards are presented to the teams that do it right those demonstrating cooperative gracious and pro
7. E O TE assumptions lessthan half of the world s 1 0m iiis waste and water treatment jong Is a SY MBS total oil resources would be exhausted b ss urement of how it will perform in an eee yY i ee 2025 EIA forecasts that demand for E p automobile s engine but much of the gasoline that comes from the Crude or Cracking Units does not have enough octane to burn well in cars Gasoline is petroleum products will continue to exceed domestic refinery production over the next ten years further increasing our reliance on imports 3 F MEAM 1 Da OB OU RD j ee ee meu a ie ae bL j Werlet F 20 a ne blended with treated components from asad on SURI lable dat i several processing units Operators of pe ee eee ee a the Blending and Shipping Area care enone raner Spey a Wide Drilled Ei fully combine the components to ensure plans n mn barrels per day of j _ the blend has the correct octane level eco ene e ee poe ae eae vapor pressure rating and other impor ane fol oa Po tant specifications A major portion of A a oe al b FA eet refining involves blending purifying Pca at aaa aaa a i domestic refining capacity to nearly 18 5 2 finetuning or improving products to meet government standards or customer specifications The refining process has come a long way by the time a gallon of gasoline is pumped into a car s tank It contains more than 200 hydrocarbons and additives The P
8. Fuel for Our Oil Addiction PLC Speaking 10 Boxes The latest craze Business Notes 12 Goings On in the Automation Industry User Solutions 14 Improving Factory Workers Efficiency is Allin a Name Feature Story 18 Imagine A Story About Building Robots Building Teams and Building Minds Technology Brief 20 Active RFID on the path to deliver pervasive enterprise efficiency Tech Thread 22 Sensor Trends Technical Review 24 A Guide to Common Automation Terms FYI 28 Sensors Frequently Asked Questions The Break Room 30 You GetWhat You Pay For Getting Ahead and Brainteasers New Product Focus what s New WAUTOMATIONDIRECT High Speed Ethemet Communication Available For DL405 PLCs utomationDirect now offers the H 4 ECOM 100 Ethernet communication module for DiretLO GIC DL405 PLCs The H4 ECOM 100 359 can be inserted into any I O slot of any local D L405 base including expansion bases when using the D L450 CPU and 1 bases to implement master slave Ethernet communication at 10 or 100 Mbit data rates The module supports the industry standard M odbus TCP Client Server protocol in addition to standard IP and IPX protocols This allows a DL405 PLC with an H 4 ECOM 100 module to serve as a client master or as a server Slave on a M odbus TCP Ethernet network The H 4 ECOM 100 module can be configured to actively issue M odbus commands to other nodes or devices on the M
9. Retentive coil A coil that will remain in its last state even though power was removed e Retentive timer Timer that retains the present count even if the input enable signal is lost W hen the input enable is active again the timer begins to count again from where It left off ROM read only memory T his is operating system memory ROM is nonvolatile It is not lost when the power is turned off RS 232 Common serial communications standard T his standard specifies the purpose of each of 25 pins It does not specify connectors or which pins must be used RS 422 Standards for two types of serial communication RS 422 is a balanced serial mode T his means that the transmit and receive lines have their own common instead of sharing one like RS 232 Balanced mode is more noise immune T his allows for higher data transmission rates and longer transmission distances RS 485 Similar to the RS 422 standard Receivers have additional sensitivity which allows for longer distances and more communication drops Includes some extra protection for receiver circuits Scan time Amount of time it takes a 26 programmable controller to evaluate a ladder diagram The PLC continuously scans the ladder diagram T he time it takes to evaluate it once Is the scan time It is typically in the low millisecond range Sequencer Instruction type that is used to program a sequential operation Serial communication Sen
10. STN 256 colors for 745 8 inch for 1 065 Why buy it sacar en ena Does not include features requiring e C more offers over 200 improvements over power terminal Y USB Port B S E Ethernet audio CompactFlash CF e 10 inch for 1 799 our past generation of touch panels i E n a e 12 inch for 2 099 e C more is backed by AUTOMATIONDIRECT S gee eee award winning service voted 1 in at least _ 15 inch for 2 499 one product category 5 years in a row in an Audio line out j Saal ng For amplifiers and ee madee independent magazine survey Control premium features Design C more has one of the lowest costs of ownership when considering initial price ease of use and technical support As compared to list prices for the three largest selling brands of PLC touch panels of a ut ati direct similarly sized units with equivalent features i Teg I more d om lon l com Note Past generation refers only to the previous generation of PLC Touch panels me WAUTOMATIONDIRECT Hapi SSA ee j ey a E pe re a a F sold only by Automationdirect under the name EZTouch These comparisons are not WWWautomationdirect com 1 800 633 0405 speakers Allows wav i 5 e i files to be played when LEJL ALI an event happens 3 T Ta C mor relevant to any other company or their products even if they have similar names or part numbers Feature Sto For Inspiration an Recognition o
11. Square functions 3 Sum instructions The new M ath Boxes may hold the highest value of all the new Instructions The DiretLOGIC PLCs were designed with an accumulator which allowed great flexibility but could become code intensive and difficult to troubleshoot without adding more code to view the values within the equations T hese new math instructions allow the programmer to enter the equation just as they would write it For example A B C D E Within the Communications category there are 25 instructions in the following categories Email for the 100 M Bit ECOM cards M odule Setup for the 100 M Bit ECOM cards N etworking TGPIP T he number one advantage offered by the communica tions Boxes is the N etworking Instructions M any of you are familiar with configuring multiple networking instructions within the DiretLO GIC PLCs and know that if you do not have the scheduling configured just right you will get collisions If more than one network command should be active at any time none of your communications will work and you will get an error The new networking Boxes have a mechanism built in that automatically handles this situation It is a token passing scheme that allows one instruction to execute and then immediately passes the priority to the next and so on The Email option is also very popular H aving the ability to configure your ECOM 100 to send a notification to any email address with imbedded variables
12. amifer llibre Lilirszmoi anil tihers brai sensors alf 6a Starting at gi 13 7 J Starting at tt 159 the 1 value in automation Copyright 2006 AutomationDirect Cumming GA USA All rights reserved Kectangolar Coupee DG Ineromocntal and 30 mm Alben liste j Starting at i Br F j Starting at j 16 P 71 AutomationDirect Allen Bradley Photoeyes Price Part Number l 5 Price Part Number Polarized reflective DC supply S44 NPN PNP output 4 pin Euro micro quick disconnect 1451E 6547 42GRU 9200 QD Clear object detector AC DC 8 supply solid state relay output 4 pin micro quick disconnect _ 1452E 6543 42GRC 9203 QD1 Proximity Sensors 5 mm three wire DC shielded 35 1 02 Plea PD1 AP 1F 871C D1NP5 P3 18 mm three wire NPN DC 20 50 67 shielded with 2 meter cable AK1 AN 1A 2v 872C DHSNN18 E2 18 mm AC shielded with 31 80 2 meter cable VK1 A0 1B 872C A5N18 A2 All pric S list pric sedans nDirect pric E pri Sonapi gt nuen Lee farsa es taken f om Sen or Public atio fle Melee hea gt epte enber 2005 pate cfc oa ie y vary by dea aler and nfigura Eds claims any proprie sai ary interest in the marks and s of other o change withou ice For more information visit our Web site at www automationdirect com sensors WAUTOMATIONDIRECT www automationdirect com 1 800 633 0405 FYI All about Sensors WAUTOMATIONDIRECT Sensors Frequently Ask
13. can be a valuable feature Finally we have the CTRIO category Within the CTRIO category there are 13 instructions which include 6 Prese table instructions 1 Configuration 1 Load Profile 1 Read Error 1 Write to ROM 3 M ode selection The objective of the CTRIO lBoxes is to simplify the control required within the PLC ladder logic once the H igh Speed counter module is set up It is sometimes difficult to manipulate the data in the preset tables after the configuration is set The CT RIO has the capability to do many things but with this capability comes complexity and the Boxes are designed to reduce the intricacies of this process Remember when we talked about the Boxes literally creating the ladder logic and executing it in the background Everything you do with an Box can be done in the basic RLL editor Boxes just make it a little easier for you Check the AutomationD irect Web site for more information and future Webinars focusing on specific Box categories at http automationdirect raindance com iccdocs index shtm 13 User Solutions Manuf act uring WAUTOMATIONDIRECT Improving Factory Workers Efficiency is All in a Name by TJ Johns Senior Editor Smost everyone is aware from a business standpoint we live in a numbers based society In all businesses whether a small company with a dozen employees or a large conglomerate of thousands the focus is on the bottom
14. for smaller and more accurate sensors N ew technologies for the sensing circuitry as well as moldings for the housings are breaking application barriers Sensors are fitting into much tighter areas than ever imagined Advanced Features N ew sensor features is another trend that is gaining momentum Proximity sensors are incorporating status LEDs that are visible 360 degrees around the sensor TheLEDs provide more information than just sensing indication For example a status LED can pulse to indicate a weak detection signal possibly caused by a sensor coming out of adjustment or by a foreign object such as grease covering the sensor surface Advances such as this will be an invaluable feature for end users to help diagnose problems W ell trained maintenance personnel can detect the pulsing LED and take action before a process is shut down unnecessarily Smaller size equals lower cost Sensors are starting to take shape from the inside thus changing their outside dimensions and mounting options Sensor manufacturers are incorporating technologies such as application specific inte grated circuits ASICs to drive down size and cost and to increase ease of use By using ASIC technology a large number of components can be integrated onto a single chip allowing sensors to achieve sensing distances of up to three times that of more common sensors in a package smaller than 8mm in diameter Aut omation No
15. for these sensors is moving from the big rectangular style package to a much more compact style in both miniature rectangular and cylindrical configurations Benefits to machine builders include the ability to locate the sensors closer to their targets to utilize the full strength of the optics W here certain applications demanded installation of a sensing head connected to cables and a separate processing unit the smaller photoelectric sensors can be mounted in tighter and more obscure places In addition the compact size still maintains the high reliability and durability needed for the industrial market Lasers increase precision The use of lasers in sensors is providing great improve ments In precise position detection counting and inspection applications T hese types of sensors are able to detect position changes in distance and thickness of less than a business card T his helps users dramatically reduce process errors and prevent defective products from entering the marketplace Laser technology Is also lowering manufacturing costs and sale prices www automationnotebook com providing inexpensive solutions to sensing needs that could not be met in the past U Itrasonics improve detection Ultrasonic sensors are also becoming smaller and more cot effective U Itrasonic sensors have a great advantage over typical proximity and photoelectric sensors because they have very good sensing ranges while not being affected
16. learn to grow and to become better people A capacity crowd cheering for their favorite robots in an intense all out competition at the national FIRST championships at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta Georgia this year About FIRST T he hardest fun ever Founded by Dean Kamen inventor of the Segway 18 FIRST isa multinational non profit organization that aspires to transform culture by making science math engineering and technology as cool for kids as sports are today D ean Kamen Saw the need in the U S to encourage aementary middle and high school students interested in technology by providing a soorts oriented competition that would combine the excite ment of sports and current technology in a way that would create a union between the school and community We want to show kids that it is more fun to design a video game than it isto play one says D ean FIRST operates three levels of competition FIRST Robotics Competition FRC for high school students FIRST Vex Competition FVC primarily for late middle and early high school students and FIRST Lego League FLL for elementary and middle school students T hese programs are soonsored and assisted by local companies and volunteers AutomationD irect stepped forward to sponsor the team and provide guidance technical help and supplies M ajor corporations who have been involved for many years include Ford GM GE Coca Cola Turner Broadcasting M icrosoft
17. offer N ew Programmers D ecreased learning curve T he parameter style Box makes learning to program a specific device easier and faster Consider an analog module typical setup consists of rungs of ladder code specifying reserved areas of V memory in the PLC for analog module type and location You will need to consult the user manual and identify which V memory locations to write to in the setup code In contrast in configuring an analog module with an IBox you simply need to know in which slot the module is located within the base Experienced Programmers Reduced programming time Experienced programmers can now complete their projects more quickly by not having to key all those rungs of ladder logic or spending time referencing the manual for special relays and V M emory locations dedicated to module configuration Common everyday tasks and some not so easy tasks are now simplified into one instruction to make the overall programming experience more efficient An average rung executing a three tep math equation would take more than 10 seven instructions This can be accomplished in one simple math Box in a fraction of the time Troubleshooting with less code For anyone who has written Relay Ladder Logic RLL code you know that other than a few basic rules and guide lines there is no right or wrong way to program Whether it takes you three rungs or thirty to accomplish a single task if it operates properly then i
18. series is an 18 mm round sensor with sensing ranges from 100 mm to 400 mm in the diffuse model 3 meters in the polarized reflec tive mode and 16 meters in the through beam model Also available is the FG series rectangular sensor with a sensing range of 550 mm in the diffuse model 9 meters in the polarized reflec tive mode and 20 meters in the through beam modal 17 Q Can a sensor be installed in a vibrating environment A Yes A frequency range of 10 to 55 Hz maximum amplitude of 1 mm and duration in any axisfor amaximum of 30 minutes 29 The Break Room Humorous stories and Brainteasers WAUTOMATIONDIRECT You Get What You Pay For popular story within the cruise line industry relates that on April 12 1912 a British citizen Mr Ralph H enderson success fully argued that he shouldnt have to pay the full rate for his outside cabin on his cruise ship Henderson pointed out that the ship was new and its crew was still learning the various service routines of the ship Reluctantly he was given a 10 percent discount by the reservations manager of the H M S Titanic John M Capozzi Why climb the Corporate Ladder W hen You Can Take the Elevator 500 Secrets for Success in Business Villard Books N ew York Getting Ahead an E W Tegart in Reader s D igest tells this story On my way to an appointment during a heavy rain storm received acall on my pager that 30
19. the refinery and product mix desired T he by products or rest of the barrel have many uses and can be sold for further processing Products such as ammonia fertilizer life preservers guitar strings bubblegum and mascara all get their start in a refinery Would you be surprised to learn that Chevron America s second largest oil company soends 40 million a day just looking for this stuff With modern technology petroleum prospecting is considerably more successful than in the past On average one exploratory well drilled a mile or more from existing production has a one in ten chance of striking an oil or gas field or some convergence of the elements A well drilled in an unproven area stands a 1 in 40 chance but drilling is the only way to confirm an oil or gas field s existence Although today s prospectors have extremely sophisticated tools luck is still a factor in the search for petroleum Once crude oil is located a corporation mines and transports the oil and the refinery process begins T here are three basic sepsin the refining process distil lation and separation converting and combining and reforming and treating Distillation and Separation Distillation is the first phase of the refining process and involves pumping the crude oil through pipes into hot furnaces and separating light hydro carbon molecules from heavier ones in downstream distillation towers In Pascagoula the refin
20. to two to the tenth or 1024 Ladder diagram Programmable controller language that uses contacts and coils to define a control sequence LAN See Local area network Leakage current Small amount of current that flows through load powered sensors T he small current is necessary for the operation of the sensor T he small amount of current flow is normally not sensed by the PLC input If the leakage is too great a bleeder resistor must be used to avoid false inputs at the PLC LED light emitting diode A solid state semiconductor that emits red green or yellow light or invisible infrared radiation Line driver A line driver is a differential output driver intended for use with a differential receiver T hese are usually used where long lines and high frequency are required and noise may be a problem Line powered sensor N ormally three wire sensors although four wire sensors also exist The line powered sensor is powered from the power supply A separate wire the third is used for the output line Load Any device that current flows through and produces a voltage drop Load powered sensor A load powered sensor has two wires A small leakage current flows through the sensor even when the output Is off T he current www automationnotebook com iS required to operate the sensor electronics LSB Least significant bit M aster T he master on a network is the device that controls communication traffic T he master of
21. Analog Helper Quick and easy configuration of analog modules including scaling e Math Configure simple or complex equations in one instruction box e Counter I O Setup for tables and error reporting for high speed counter modules e Communications E mail short messages with embedded data through Ethernet communications module quick setup of serial and Ethernet networks Box is compatible with DirectLO GIC D L05 DL06 D 2 250 1 D 2 260 and D 4 450 CPUs that have supporting firmware Firmware upgrades are available for download online Also new e Tabbed views to optimize viewing area e Fully customizable Tool Bars dockable lockable and groupable Tip of the Day for learning new features and shortcuts e Export documentation for use in C more Touch Panels e Window features to customize workspace e and much more ome WAUTOMATIONDIRECT www automationdirect com 1 800 633 0405 Business Notes WAUTOMATIONDIRECT Goinas On in the Aut omat ion ndustry MAPI reports solid manufacturing growth in 2006 predicts slightly slower in 2007 According to arecent press release from M API aleading executive development and business research organization solid growth for the manufacturing sector in 2006 will likely be followed by some deceleration in 2007 According to the M anufacturers Alliance M API Quarterly Industrial O utlook ER 607e first quarter 2006 figures show th
22. Rockwell NASA Kimberly Clark Siemens H oneywell Boeing Bell South and Google All of these companies recognize the importance of getting youth interested in engineering and technology and dedicate incredible amounts of funding and support for this activity W hat is a typical FIRST robotics competion build season like A microcosn of the real engineering experiance plus much more Most teams spend their fall semester fundraising and learning about robotics technology to prepare for the big event For example the Forsyth Alliance an AutomationD irect sponsored team spent 22 weeks twice a week after school learning about transmissions gear boxes torque moments of inertia enbedded programming sensor technology manufac turing techniques pneumatics solenoids compressors elec tronics schematics etc T hey even learned how to print their own T shirts and how to weld T hen they built four different kinds of robots all to prepare for the competition In January of each year FIRST announces the competition It isintentionally different each year to level the playing field between older more experienced teams and new teams they all have to start fresh each time Each team is given several bins of wires motors gears processors sensors metals and NO INSTRUCTONS From the moment of the g announcement the teams have 42 days to design build test and ship a robot capa ble of competing in the game Following the
23. Selecting a device for any application 10 Q What sensor output do need NPN or PNP A This is determined by the device you are connecting the sensor to Most AutomationDirect PLC input modules except the 305 series allow NPN or PNP sensors to be connected This is sometimes determined by what other type of devices are connected to the PLC module 11 Q How do know what size proximity sensor to use A It depends on two factors 1 mounting space and 2 sensing distance Each application has a specific amount of space available for the sensor and a requirement of how close the sensor can be mounted to the sensing object 12 Q What is the difference between a shielded and unshielded sensor A With ashielded sensor only the face of the sensor is exposed On an unshielded sensor the face and a small portion of the sides are exposed T his allows the sensor to detect objects from the side as well as the front With a shielded proximity sensor the face can be mounted flush with metal whereas an unshielded sensor may not be mounted flush with metal as it would always be on 13 Q How do choose between a Normally Open N O and a Normally Closed N C output A Normally open sensors do not pass power to the PLC until an object is detected Normally closed sensors always pass power to the PLC until an object is detected The majority of AutomationD irect sensors offer Normally open outputs however s
24. UERUEE J E A Story About Building Robots Building fone gate SO eared lt roducys TEC waaioves gad aaarcarons if i La a wE Loot Issy 7 Cover Story F Fuel for Our Oil Addi ction New Product Focus High Speed Ethernet Communication Available for DL405 PLCs Technology Brief Active RFID on the path to deliver pervasive enterprise efficiency Feature Story Imagine Teams and Building Minds For over 12 years superior service low prices and fast delivery to our customers has been our promise For the past 7 years our online store has offered quick convenient access to a wealth of information and support tools to help you purchase and use our cost effective automation products te Nobody beets the origna Over 6 000 products including PLCs Operator Interfaces Drives amp Motors Motion Control Enclosures and Wire Duct Sensors e Pushbuttons e Power Supplies e Connection Systems and MORE sf www automationdirect com sori urchase 24 7 online We accept VISA MasterCard Discover American Express I Checks or company purchase orders Your purchases are secure and safe or call us 9 a m 6 p m ET Mon Fri Downloadable full price list on all our products These are purchase prices so you can easily estimate your project costs using our online quote tool You can see firsthand the great prices that we offer on our products b
25. a network usually polls every slave to check if it has something to transmit In a master slave configuration only the active master can place a message on the bus T he slave can reply only if it receives a frame from the master that contains a logical token that explicitly enables the slave to reply M aster control relay MCR H ardwired relay that can be deenergized by any hardwired series connected switch Used to deenergize all devices If one emergency switch is hit it must cause the master control relay to drop power to all devices T here is also a master control relay available in most PLCs The master control relay in the PLC is not sufficient to meet safety requirements Microsecond A microsecond is one millionth 0 000001 of a second Millisecond A millisecond is one thousandth 001 of a second M SB M ost significant bit Network System that is connected to devices or computers for communication purposes N onretentive coil A coil that will turn off upon removal of applied power to the CPU N onretentive timer Timer that loses the time if the input enable signal is lost N onvolatile memory M emory in a controller that does not require power to retain its contents Octal N umber system based on the number 8 utilizing numbers 0 through 7 O ff delay timer T his is a type of timer that is on immediately when it receives its input enable It turns off after it reaches its preset time Off line programming
26. acked by 30 day money back guarantee on almost all products e FREE shipping on orders over 300 e FREE 1 voted tech support FREE manuals PDF downloads We believe in providing the best documentation possible so you have the information to help with your decision FREE demo software Nothing is better than taking software for a test drive before purchasing We even have a FREE fully enabled 100 word version of our NEW DirectSOFT5 PLC programming software Free shipping is available for orders over 300 within the U S and Puerto Rico which are typically shipped via UPS ground service or LTL for heavy items ER BY PH or ON Copyright 2006 AutomationDirect Cumming GA USA All rights reserv Free shipping offer does not apply to motors over 100 Ibs or enclosures over 150 Ibs going to Alaska Hawaii or Puerto Rico the 1 value in automation p F ie h 3 E i i i F ee 7 7 hy ag in various product categories by readers of Control Design FREE technical resources e Technical and application notes e Trouble shooting guides e Tech Forum currently covers over 2 500 topics e AUTOCAD drawings and more FREE Web seminars Live or convenient prerecorded seminars on many topics Account management tools View purchase history invoices pending orders and more 24 7 www automationdirect com recently received a 3 out of 3 stars overall rating from IEN m
27. acts Contacts are also the conductors in electrical devices such as starters C ontactor Special purpose relay that is used to control large electrical current Current sinking Refers to an output device typically an NPN transistor that allows current flow from the load through the output to ground Current sourcing O utput device typically a PN P transistor that allows current flow from the output through the load and then to ground D ata table A consecutive group of user references data of the same size that can be accessed with table read write functions D ebugging Process of finding problems bugs in any system D igital output An output that can have two states on or off T hese are also called discrete outputs D owntime T he time a system is not available for production or operation is called downtime Downtime can be caused by breakdowns in systems EEPROM Electrically erasable programmable read only memory Energize Instruction that causes a bit to bea one This turns an output on Examine off C ontact used in ladder logic It isa normally closed contact T he contact is true or closed if the real world input associated with it IS Off Examine on Contact used in ladder logic programming Called a normally open contact T his type of contact is true or closed if the real world input associated with it is on Firmware A series of instructions contained in read only memory ROM that are use
28. agazine s OnSite WebReviews Call or go online for your FREE 1 900 page catalog WAUTOMATIONDIRECT www automationdirect com 1 800 633 0405 ILIN Pte Aut omation Not ebook Summer 2006 ssue Seven Automation NOTEBOOK Contnbutors Publisher Tina Crowe ManagingEditor Keri Schieber Senior Editor TJ Johns Design Manager Justin Stegall Contributing Writers Jeff Payne Tina Crowe TJ Johns Rick Folea Rusty Ray Lenny Filipkowski Allan Griebenow CONTACTS Automationdirect com Inc 3505 Hutchinson Road Cumming GA 30040 Phone 1 800 633 0405 or 1 770 889 2858 FaX eee 1 770 889 7876 Monday Friday 9 a m to 6 00 p m EST www automationdirect com Copyright 2006 Automationdirect com Incorporated All Rights Reserved No part of this publication shall be copied reproduced or transmitted in any way without the prior written consent of Automationdirect com Incorporated Automationdirect retains the exclusive rights to all information included in this document Your guide to practical products technologies and applications Editors Note Can you believe summer is winding down already It seems like just yesterday we were all suffering from the effects of spring pollen guess tomorrow we ll begin testing the Christmas lights But for now we keep our attention set on today and what it has in store for us The past is filled with regrets and the
29. anced graphics e FTP server client e Improved temperature e Powerful animation e Audio out rating e Pop up windows Memory Data Compatibility e Minimum 10MB standard e Log to USB pes Rai EB EG TELE adeil e CompactFlash slot e Log to Compact Flash card i ene e Supports USB memory devices e Import Export databases e Drivers for most major PLC brands C more s backside shows the power Le Optional 110 VAC power supply Optional Expansion unit Holds 1 Compact Flash card and future module It s totally new _ CompactFlash port e What is it C more is the latest offering in PLC touch panels from AUTOMATIONDIRECT What does it connect to C more connects to most leading brands of PLCs using built in Ethernet or serial A complete touch panel line up communication ports Who makes it 10 100BaseT Ethernet Upload download programs over network FTP data exchange connect to many PLCs connect to standard Ethernet hubs Serial PLC connectivity port Connects to leading PLCs via serial port drivers 1 k in _ tai __ ia Vivid TFT panels C more is designed and manufactured by Cost conscious panels with 65 536 colors Koyo Electronics of Japan a world class manufacturer of reliable and best value 6 inch STN grayscale for 425 e 6 inch for 945 industrial products for over 50 years USB Port A F USB devices such as e 6 inch
30. ascagoula refinery operates three catalytic reformers where they rearrange and change 71 000 million barrels per day N ote this infor mation includes only expansion plans announced to the public additional plans may be under initial consideration or kept confidential Availability of Oil Resources The demand for gasoline may someday lessen if hybrid or other D d P H amp M J J ARUH Tik Died by Type DL205 Micro modular PLCs offer cost effective process monitoring and control Four CPUs offer wide range of power and features Up to 30 4K total memory pye 1 1 E iaa A barrels about 3 million gallons of gaso vehicles less dependent on gasoline hephoaa Up to 16 384 I O line per day to give it the octane rating become more readily available 2a El May ae Over 35 I O communication and specialty that automobiles need Although the best solution to decreased San modules The Energy Information demand will be through the introduc i Administration EIA states that oil tlon of alternate forms of energy 260 CPU with resources are adequate to meet growing because even hybrid vehicles require 1 16 built in PID loops worldwide demand for at least the next refined crude Once alternate forms of ta and D2 250 1 CPU 4 25 years Although the world has energy are developed for economical PID loops allow you to ul produced some 650 billion barrels of oil Widespread use
31. ast your sensor can sense an object reset and sense another object For example if a sensor has a switching frequency of 100 Hz 28 100 cycles per second it can sense a maximum of 100 objects per second Thisisvery critical in many applications such as gear rotation measurement NPN 3 WIRE SENSORS 4 Q Can proximity sensors be connected in series A Yes Let s use as an example three 3 wire NPN sensors such as AutomationD irect s APS4 series where the brown wire is positive the black wire is the output and the blue wire is negative Connect the brown wire BN of each sensor to the positive of a 24 VDC power supply On the first sensor connect the load PLC input POWER module to the brown wire and the other side of the load to the black wire BK Connect the blue wire BU of the first sensor to the black wire of the second sensor Connect the blue wire of the second sensor to the DC black wire of the third sensor Then connect the blue wire of the third sensor to the negative of the power supply The number of proximity sensors connected in series is dependent on the available voltage to ener gize the PLC input or load This voltage is calculated as the sum of voltage drops across each switch subtracted from DC the available power supply voltage In the case of 2 wire sensors connect the positive to the negative of the adja cent sensor as many times as needed staying withi
32. at 21 of the 27 industries tracked in the report had inflation adjusted new orders or production above the level of one year ago Indicating broad based growth In the industrial sector Top industry performers in the first quarter recording year over year double digit growth were mining and oil and gas field machinery 42 communications equipment 27 aerospace products and parts 18 construction machinery 17 navigational measuring electromedical and control instruments 15 semiconductors 15 elec trical equipment 14 and oil and gas well drilling 11 Daniel J Meckstroth Ph D Manufacturers Alliance M API Chief Economist and author of the analysis reoorts that five industries are expected to enjoy double digit growth in 2006 but only one is expected to hit that bench mark in 2007 In 2006 communications equipment should rise by arobust 22 mining and oil and gas field machinery is likely to increase by 17 aircraft and parts growth should jump 15 navigational measuring electromedical and control instruments is expected to gain by 11 and electrical equipment is slated to rise by 10 Following growth of 9 in 2006 computer equipment production is likely to grow by 13 in 2007 T heAlliance expects some deceleration in manufacturing industrial production by 2007 Factors for the retrenchment include higher long term interest rates increased cost of energy for business high gasoline prices for cons
33. by environmental factors such as dust Ultrasonic sensors are being designed so there is almost no dead zone in the detection area Since these sensors operate with sound wave technology they can detect many materials not practical in the past Another advantage of an ultrasonic sensor is that one sensor can be used for many materials without any extra setup or sensing concerns For example an ultrasonic sensor that detects a clear plastic film can also detect a red plastic film T his type of dynamic operational change could be difficult if a standard clear object style photoelectric sensor were used For the future the trend will be to continue to provide smaller more affordable sensors that have the flexbility to fit even more applications in both industrial and commercial environments The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources Albert Einstein 1879 1955 23 Technical Review WAUTOMATIONDIRECT A Guide to Common Automation Terms 7 he glossary below is an excerpt from Jon Stenerson s Fundamentals of Programmable Logic Controllers Sensors and Communications For the complete list go to the Technical Support section of the AutomationD irect Web site 24 Accumulated value Applies to the use of timers and counters T he accumulated value is the present count or time Accuracy T he deviation between the actual position and the theoretical position Address
34. consumers will hope Cie Cot Naisi My do PID control with ease Pess another trillion barrels of proved reserves fully have some relief from high prices at z eee EE j j u l z have yet to be produced Therearean the pumps Loop a Micro PLC Modules DL205 estimated 10 trillion barrels of oil For more information visit a Mea Thermocouple Input 999 2y 974 resources i eae be erg www chevron com The World of n eE omo o cad automate loom redana F2 04THM 4 channel 1769416 6 chame QI assuming tha price OF ol WI Chevron a Loop auto tuning and trend functions are also included in Analog Input 919 480 someday support the increased produc he DirectSOFT5 PLC i k here Module 4 channel re 2v TOFA www eia doe gov Energy Information ZD am the Direc programming package so theres deceit tion costs Resources such as bitumen Administration _ Cee errs rs no need for additional software to implement and test ae 969 f l o i 7 gt nalog Outpu shale oil and oil in existing fields are E aM your process configuration hehe raat aan 269 2v 1 438 awaiting development but may require 1m specialized recovery methods just to E Tk All prices are U S list prices AutomationDirect prices are September 2006 prices Prices and specifications may vary by mineand removethem Combine those dealer Allen Bradley prices are based on US Publication ACIG PLOO1F EN P August 2005 Si expenses with the additional costs needed to refine these r
35. d for the Operating system functions Some manufacturers offer upgrades for PLCs This is often done by replacing a ROM chip Thus the combination of software and hardware lead to it being called firmware Force Refers to changing the state of actual I O by changing the bit status in the PLC In other words a person can force an output on by changing the bit associated with the real world output to a 1 Forcing is normally used to troubleshoot a system Ground Direct connection between equipment chassis and earth ground H exadecimal N umbering system that utilizes base 16 PPPoE Automaton Not ebook Summer 2005 Issue Seven H ysteresis A dead band that is purposely introduced to eliminate false reads in the case of a sensor In an encoder hysteresis would be introduced in the electronics to prevent ambiguities if the system happens to dither on a transition Image table Area used to store the status of input and output bits Instruction set Instructions that are available to program the PLC I O input output U sed to speak about the number of inputs and outputs that are needed for a system or the number of inputs and outputs that a particular programmable logic controller can handle IP rating Rating system established by the IEC that defines the protection offered by electrical enclosures It is similar to the NEMA rating system K Abbreviation for the number 1000 In computer language it is equal
36. d protected Tagged personnel are given convenient access to doors throughout the organization without having to manually present an identification card and they can be automatically identified in the case of an emergency evacuation They are automatically linked to the tagged assets they are responsible for such as their laptop test equipment a vehicle etc Vehicle payloads can be automati cally identified and accounted for prior to being unloaded Containers are automatically located tracked and managed for compliance to inspection regulations Critical data from sensors e g temperature or chemical fumes are automatically transmitted and managed in a real time condition monitoring environment Published business cases show savings from efficiencies ranging Automation Not ebook Summer 2006 Issue Seven from 10 to 44 Fewer assets and strategically applied labor resources are the benefits that are available today Tomorrow s solutions will involve real time data feeding automated resource allocation routines and operations T hat s real business intelligence H ow pervasive will it be Today in the hospitality industry cocktail waitresses wearing active tags are now automatically tracked and measured for their beverage service performance so a critical customer service metric can be managed in real time And they have embraced the solution because they can maximize their tips by hav
37. ding of data one bit at a time T he data is represented by a coding system such as ASCII Slave O n a master slave configured network there iS usually one master and several slaves T he slaves are nodes of the network that can transmit informations to the master only when they are polled called from it The rest of the time a slave never transmits anything Thermocouple A thermocouple is a sensing transducer It changes a temperature to a current T he current can then be measured and converted to a binary equivalent that the PLC can understand T humbwheel D evice used by an operator to enter a number between 0 and 9 Thumbwheels are combined to enter larger numbers T humbwheels typically output BCD numbers to a device Timer Instruction used to accumulate time until a certain value is achieved T he timer then changes its output state UL Underwriters Laboratory O rganization that operates laboratories to investigate systems with respect to safety User memory M emory used to store user information T he user s program timer counter values input output status and so on are all stored in user memory Volatile memory M emory that is lost when power is lost Watchdog timer Timer that can be used for safety For example if there is an event or sequence that must occur within a certain amount of time a watchdog timer can be set to shut the system down in case the time is exceeded Word Length of data in bits tha
38. e Greer M onitoring System is one tool to boost both By installing the system Brian says you can Increase production efficiency and maintain it with www automationnotebook com less effort and labor than ever before W hen asked how GM S helps Greer concludes At the end of the day when they do make their goal their self esteem soars It s pretty incredible To learn more about the Greer M onitoring System and to see multiple examples of actual reports generated by GM S go to BG Industrial Control s website at www bgics com Company Profile BG Industrial Control Located in Placentia California BG Industrial Control was founded by Brian G reer W ith over 25 years of Brian has worked in manufacturing experience maintenance engineering and management in not only his own companies but also many fortune 50 companies H e has an extensive background in weding machining automation and machine control He has designed and built numerous machines as well as converting and upgrad ing them H e has also been trained in ISO 9000 and TPM Tact is the knack of making a point without making an Isaac N ewton 1642 1727 15 Premium features at a value price Display Programming Communications e 65K colors e Built in simulator e Ethernet port e Bright TFT display e Background master screens e Two USB ports e Long life replaceable bulb e Overlapping objects e Send e mail e High resolution e Adv
39. e Pascagoula Refinery converts middle distillate and residuum into primary gasoline fuel to name one by using other processing plants that crack large heavy molecules into smaller lighter ones T he Fluid Catalytic Cracker FCC uses high temperature and other catalysts to crack 63 000 barrels 2 6 million gallons each day of heavy gas oil mostly into gasoline H ydrocracking uses catalysts to react gas oil and hydrogen under high pressure and high temperatures to make both jet fuel and gasoline Chevron is an industry leader in using this technology to cost effectively convert medium heavy weight gas oils There is also cat cracking which is the basic gasoline making process and involves intense heat low pressure and a powdered additive to accelerate the chemical reaction Some refineries also have cokers which use heat and only moderate pres sure for conversion Impurities such as sulfur and nitrogen are present in the various levels of liquids and vapors and must be removed to reduce air pollution when the fuels are used As the products from the Crude U nits feed to other units a process called hydrotreating similar to hydro cracking but milder removes these pollutants Because about 80 percent of the crude oil processed by the Pascagoula refinery is the heavier oil various treating units throughout the refinery work to remove these impuri ties In Chevron s Residuum Desulfurization Unit they use s
40. earch Ltd and author Allan Grieoenow CEO and President AXCESS Inc amp www automationnotebook com Feature Story cont robots as far as the eye could see The competition was intense and the abilities of these world class robots were impressive Even so the Forsyth Alliance and OTTO held their own T he Forsyth Alliance was the only team from Georgia to bring home a major award they ranked in the top third of their division and were one of the top rookie teams present To top it all off the Forsyth Alliance won the Imagery Award for the entire competition the most outstanding visual aesthetic inte gration in the world It was especially gratifying when the team realized that no rookie team had ever won this prestigious award OTTO looking over the carnage he left behind at Nationals As the tired and exhausted team headed home their hearts were filled with pride and their minds were already making plans for next year This was one of the most significant and memorable events of these young kids lives and it was all made possible by the dedicated mentors and the incredible support provided by AutomationD irect T hey can t wait for next year For more information please contact the mentors of the Forsyth Alliance Rick Folea rfolea bellsouth net Lead Engineering M entor Rusty Ray RRay forsyth k12 ga us Lead Team M entor Also visit the following websites Team W ebsite www ForsythAlliance c
41. ears of experience T he best moment came when it was announced that the Forsyth Alliance had won the ROOKIE ALL STAR award the single highest award a rookie team can win T his award celebrates the rookie team exemplifying a strong partnership effort as well as implementing the mission of FIRST to inspire students to learn more about science and technology This honor also rewarded the team with an invitation to the national competition in Atlanta where the Forsyth Alliance would compete against all the top teams in the world At the wh FPRSYTH ji i l d m a ig Everyone knew who OTTO was The packaging of the robot created a unique image and confounded the opponents who referred to OTTO as the Cardboard Stealth Bot of the 40 to 50 teams typically found at aregional there were over 340 teams in the competition The event filled the Georgia Dome and the World Congress Center with competition arenas and pit areas There were Nationals instead h Fedes The entire team image was centered around the AutomationDirect Smiley guy logo which helped the team win the prestigious Imagery Award Continued p 21 gt gt 19 Technology Bref RFID usage grows F WAUTOMATIONDIRECT Active RFID on the path to deliver pervasive enterprise efficiency by Allan Griebenow CEO and President AXCESS Inc With RFID tagging becoming more common thisarticle explo
42. ed Questions by The Tech Team AutomationDirect utomationD irect s Technical Support Team has compiled a list of customer frequently asked questions for many of our products The complete listing can be found on the technical support page of our Web site H ere are some of the more commonly asked questions regarding Our sensors 1 Q How do inductive proximity sensors work A Inductive proximity sensors are used to detect the presence of metallic objects without actually contacting the object Their high speed switching and small size make them indispensable in automation applications Inductive proximity sensors consist of an oscillator driven coil The oscillator creates an electromagnetic field which appears at the active face of the switch If a metal target enters this area the electromagnetic field is reduced and the switch turns on or off Some typical inductive sensor applications are counting metallic objects monitoring the position of elementsin amachine sensing the pres ence of metallic parts such as screws and measuring the rotational speed of axial detecting cams 2 Q What is the difference between inductive and capacitive sensors A The primary difference is sensing material Inductive sensors only detect metallic objects while capacitive sensors will detect materials such as wood paper liquids cardboard etc 3 Q What does switching frequency mean to my application A This is how f
43. er ideal situations the operator will log in or out under ten times per shift If that number is exceeded further evaluation would determine whether the e 3 E E e s E9 T ii ms E A f i fs 2 nl J Aut omation Not ebook Summer 2006 Issue Seven Numbers are important for every business In use over three years the Greer Monitoring System reports 20 increased production efficiency at this California textile plant time was spent waiting for materials repairing mechanical problems or other time spent away from the workstation By reading the daily reports supervisors can address any issues within a working day By implementing the GM S employees understand their importance in the production process and because of this efficiency improves Greer states It s amazing We ve increased efficiency as much as 20 and sustained it with less effort How else are you going to do that He adds From a machinery standpoint you can do it But from a people stand point it s pretty hard to do more With Ethernet based controllers employees can switch to different stations and still monitor daily efficiency with the Greer Monitoring System N umbers are important for business and ultimately the numbers are controlled by the employees If they do not feel like an important part of the process efficiency and productivity suffer It appears th
44. esources and the WER ONL iy 1 F HE 4 wd iJ kh Oo Oo UO OO Web Page http www eia doe gov emeu mer resource html yield is a more costly final product which cannot be produced economically 8 the 1 value in automation i WAU TO MATI O N DI R FCT Copyright 2006 AutomationDirect Cumming GA USA All rights reserv www automationdirect com 1 800 633 0405 PLC Speaking Let s talk PLG WAUTOMATIONDIRECT Iboxes The latestcraze by Jeff Payne AutomationDirect Product Manager PLC 1 0 and PC Controls n our last issue of Automation N otebook we introduced you to DiretSOFT5 version 5 0 the latest version of programming software available for the DiretLOGIC PLCs DirectSOFT5 received an overall facelift including selectable themes configurable toolbars dockable and floatable views HTML help files and a helpful Tip of the D ay feature H owever the most notable improvement to the software is the new Box instruction set Boxes Intelligent Box instructions are parameterized fill in the blank style instructions that allow you to enter various parameters into a control box to configure your code This easy style of programming eliminates the need for potentially lengthy rungs of ladder code Boxes create the ladder code and execute it in the background so you never have to see it H ow can Boxes benefit you Let s look at what the new features
45. f WAUTOMATIONDIRECT Science amp Technology Imagine A Story About Building Robots Building Teams and Building M inds by Rick Folea and Rusty Ray magine a world where kids put engineers and scientists on the same pedestal as rock stars athletes and actors Imagine a world where ordinary people do extra ordinary things and are recognized for their achievements Imagine a world where being gracious professional and cooperative are held in the highest regard Imagine a world where academics are taken from the classroom and put into a fun and engaging sports style venue where hundreds of thousands of people can watch par ticipate and enjoy the thrill of what can be created by an enabled mind You don t have to imagine this it is already happening in a town near you It is the primary mission of a program called FIRST For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology FIRST is an incredible activity where students from elementary school through high school are engaged in a worldwide robotics competition that teaches them about real world engineering and technology while emphasizing community partnership with business helping others and being gracious professional and cooperative at all times This is all made possible by companies who volunteer technical expertise funding and supplies so participants can have the best possible experience in a positive exciting venue that fosters the desire to
46. fessional behavior The teams that dedicate themselves to community outreach helping others get excited about engineering and technology are held in the highest regard as well as teams demonstrating leadership innovation and a winning attitude All are values that the parents want their kids to be exposed to and grow up with W hat is the Forsyth Alliance FIRST motivates youth to pursue engineaing technology careers In August 2005 a local engineer and a high school math teacher got together and started FIRST Robotics Competition team in Forsyth County Georgia so their sons and others would have an opportunity to learn about and enjoy the exciting fields of engineering science and technology in an environment that could not be provided by typical school programs T he team quickly grew to nearly two dozen excited students from around the county There was some concern that high school rivalries might prevent them from working cooperatively but the kids cast ther differences aside and worked well together from day one They even modified schedules meeting times and team organization so everyone could participate Remember Cooperation Teamwork D edication H ow is the Forsyth Alliance doing T he first regional for the 2006 season was held on M arch 16 18 2006 at the Gwinnett Civic Center just north of Atlanta Georgia The team was a bundle of nerves Did they remember everything Will the robot survive the rigors of this ext
47. for Automatic Identification and Data Collection began tagging everything from cars to cows It was the Wal M art mandate in mid 2004 that shifted the RFID industry focus into one recognized for driving business productivity Today passive systems are designed for the high volume controlled passage of goods through the dock door The visibility provided by this labor free identification and box counting Operation helps the consumer package goods provider reduce the number of incidences where products are out of stock etc But the laws of physics related to passive tagging continue to present some issues Tagging certain cases of liquids or anything with a metal content e g barbeque sauce and shampoo or any canned goods impacts the performance of these systems The reliability of tag reads today is roughly around 85 percent which means the real visibility is limited as are other uses It is reasonable to assume there will be improvements in the reliability of the dock door solutions but the physics issues still remain Controlled entry ways with extensive portal reader antenna that have minimal read distances and are intolerant of the environment limit the uses of passive RFID tagging in the enterprise T hese limitations don t affect the wildfire growth of consumer applications such as credit cards cell phones and car key fobs But for the enterprise these systems are limited to the dock door W hat remains is the vas
48. future is pure uncertainty once read an email that put it all into perspective for me It read Today is a gift That is why it is called The Present So make every attempt to make the best of each day This edition of Automation NOTEBOOK contains interesting articles that should inspire and educate readers with new and exciting ways to use industrial control equipment The article on the Forsyth Alliance robotics team will not only inspire budding engineers but also make seasoned engineers swell with pride Be sure to check out the cover story explaining the oil refining process It is quite amazing how much work goes into producing gasoline for your engines Plus in the U ser Solutions section you ll discover a Southern California company s proven way of increasing employee efficiency Our new catalog is nearing completion and should be available soon Of course it will be loaded with the quality products you have come to trust And to be certain it will contain new products that are equally trustworthy But for now peruse the pages of this issue of Automation NOTEBOOK If you ll excuse me need to get my coat and gloves out of Storage have to prepare for caroling N ow turn the page and enjoy TJ Johns Senior Editor editor automationnotebook com www automationnotebook com Table of Contents New Product Focus 4 High Speed Ethernet Communication Available for DL 405 PLCs Cover Story 6
49. grammable preset speeds increase its flexibility We stock such a large inventory that historically over 97 of drives ordered are shipped the same day if order is placed by 5 p m ET with pre approved credit or credit card And if you need it your order can arrive the next day any expedited shipping charges apply Experience the 1 value in automation today GS2 micro AC inverters Allen Bradley Baldor 1336F Plus Il 15H Price Part Number Price Part Number 2109 Q 2 Q AutomationDirect DURAPULSE 4 S i Price Part Number Visit www automationdirect com drives for complete information on all our AC drives AC Drives 5hp 409 GS3 45P0 10000010 GS3 DURAPULSE 1 hp 50 hp 230 VAC and 1 hp 100 hp 460 VAC The DURAPULSE GS3 series builds on the simplicity and flexibility of our GS1 and GS2 series drives and adds sensorless vector control and autotuning as well as optional encoder feedback for even tighter speed control Visit www durapulse com for an in depth look atour most versatile AC drive on 25 320 amp 1209 320 315 eo 2y 10 31 1 11 81 1 J GS3 4050 AutomationDirect prices are from Volume 10 April 2006 prices Allen Bradley prices are from Publication A115 PLO02A EN P August 2005 All prices are U S list prices 25 hp 50 hp Call or go online for your free catalog WAUTOMATIONDIRECT www automationdirect com 1 800 633 0405 Rokr ONL
50. hen tampered with Only active tags can provide automatic notification of a sensor alarming to an out of compliance condition The ROI for active RFID is about the total cost of Ownership and the myriad of savings categories Recent customer case studies for example include a payback RO I on IT asset tagging of 3 months and a payback ROI on payload container management of 2 months And as with passive tags from this point forward the costs will continue to decline Active RFID is the catalyst for driving pervasive enterprise efficiencies based on the delivery of real time and complete business intelligence T he soft ware world has evolved through ERP and CRM systems to providing business intelligence dashboards for executives to make more informed decisions with the data generated by these enterprise solutions RFID dramatically extends the boundary of this data collection machine out to all moving items as well as all static ones in and around the enterprise Data now represented as being displayed in real time will actually be collected processed and presented in real time O perations research models will be able to optimize and allocate resources automatically ultimately automating the enterprise like never before As we move up the RFID enter prise ladder we will eventually look back and wonder what it was like before RFID technology became embedded in our society Reprinted with permision from the publisner at Wise Res
51. hese regions have more and larger petroleum traps In some reservoir rock the oil is more concentrated in pools making it easier to extract while in other reservoirs it is diffused throughout the rock The Middle East is a region that exhibits both favorable characteristics the petroleum traps are large and numerous and the reservoir rock holds the oil in substantial pools T his region s dominance in world oil supply is the clear result O ther regions however also have large oil deposits even if the oil is more difficult to identify and more expensive to produce T he United States with its rich oil history is such a region Cover Story The World of Petroleum WAUTOMATIONDIRECT converted into elemental sulfur The with today s technology According to Crude Oil and Natural Gas Indicators Process Control for Less with Micro PLCs nitrogen is transformed into ammonia EIA s International Energy Outlook Rotary Rigs in Operation Reforming and Treating 2005 world oil consumption is zom a wj The last and most critical step is expected to grow from 29 billion barrels oe The DL205 PLC family is a great choice for applications that blending or reforming of the products P amp yearin 2002 to 44 billion barrels per umm AET e ea combine PID analog and sequential control functions 0 produce oclanerated galine 21 in 2025 Under these growth 07 7 as such as batch control molding oven control and eae
52. ing an optimal area to service Contractor labor used by the US Department of D efense is now automatically accounted for to Support accurate billing saving tax dollars for us all Scientists use of expensive labs is tracked to determine the optimum allocation of equipment so they can do their job better Tagged trade show visitors are automatically given a tailored message specific to their needs as they walk up to an exhibit to enhance their trade show experience In the hospital critical personnel and assets are located as needed to quicken procedures everywhere Including the operating room Is active tagging more expensive than passive tagging Yes but the real cost of RFID is in the total cost of ownership Active tags cost from roughly 10 up to more than 50 each depending on their function The infrastructure can be as minimal as 30 per square foot of coverage An active tag solution will cost less than 1 per month per tag in total And active tags are reusable The ROI for active tagging includes the labor savings from their labor free operation as well as security savings Only active tags can provide protection from asset theft and can wake up and transmit on demand as they move through a doorway called semi active operations T he device also protects against thievery a pervasive problem throughout many organiza tions which can t be solved by passive tags Only active tags can provide an automatic alert w
53. ing process begins when crude oil is distilled in two large Crude Units each with three inner distillation columns Inside the towers the liquids and vapors separate according to weight and boiling point Pascagoula Refinery Process Flow From Grude Oil to Products Cine C olen Aut omation Notebook Summer 2006 ssue Seven The operation involves vacuum distillation which reduces the chance of thermal decomposition which could occur if the mixture is overheated The distillation columns operate at different pressures and include heat pressure much like a vacuum which allows the lighter materials such as propane and butane to vaporize and rise to the top of thecolumn M edium or slightly heavier materials condense in the middle The heaviest materials condense in the lower portion and are called residuum also referred to as the bottom of the barrel because it never really rises The latest electronic technology allows refinery Operators to precisely control the temperatures in the distillation columns which are designed with pipes to remove the byproducts resulting from the distillation process The byproducts from each layer then travel to different plants for further refining Reforming Alkylation Converting and Combining An oil company s competitive edge depends upon how efficiently they can convert the crude oil s middle distillate gas oil and residuum into the highest value products T h
54. ix 1 000 ton reactors where sulfur and nitrogen are removed from the Fluid Catalytic Cracker feed stream The sulfur is converted to hydrogen sulfide and sent to the Sulfur Unit where it is Continued p 8 gt gt www automationnotebook com Whatis oil and where does itcome from Taken directly from the Energy Information Administration Web site htto www ela doe gov According to the most widely accepted theory oil is composed of compressed hydrocarbons and was formed millions of years ago In a process that began when aquatic plant and animal remains were covered by layers of sediment particles of rock and mineral Over millions of years of extreme pres sure and high temperatures these parti cles became the mix of liquid hydrocarbons that we know as oil Different mixes of plant and animal remains as well as pressure heat and time have caused hydrocarbons to appear today in a variety of forms crude oil a liquid natural gas a gas and coal a solid Even diamonds are a form of hydrocarbons T he word petroleum comes from the Latin words petra or rock and oleum oil Oil is found in reservoirs in sedimentary rock Tiny pores in the rock allowed the petroleum to seep in T hese reservoir rocks hold the oil like a sponge confined by other non porous layers that form a trap T he world consists of many regions with different geological features formed as the Earth s crust shifted Some of t
55. line Executives are scrutinizing annual quarterly monthly weekly and even daily reports to determine how productivity is affecting profits Most importantly they are looking for ways to make those numbers climb With multiple display units employees see real time efficiency information The Greer Monitoring System provides information not only for individual items but also daily shift totals Too often concentration on the bottom line has major effects on employee morale Management can focus so intently on daily production numbers that they quite literally forget the names of their employees referring to them only by an employee ID number Imagine this for just a moment You re the department manager of a factory that produces carpet samples You have just reviewed the weekly production reports and discover Employee 2653 had a significantly higher production rate than anyone in the department You want to congratulate Employee 2653 Unsure who this employee is you announce over the warehouse s PA system Would Employee 2653 please reoort to the manager s office Imagine how they both feel when it turns out Employee 2653 is the manager s own son Situations like this cannot help but have negative effects on employee morale When that morale is damaged productivity suffers and employee efficiency dwindles So what can be done to improve both employee efficiency and productivity According to Keith Ayers of Integro Leader
56. mationDirect headquarters in Cumming GA For more information and to register visit www interconnectingautomation com AutomationDirect s growth requires additional technical professionals In recent years AutomationD irect has expanded into new product areas as well as increased its customer base dramatically To support this growth professionals in the areas of Technical Support IT programming and Product Management are needed at the headquarters facility outside Atlanta Georgia The company offers excellent benefits a casual yet productive work environment and competitive compensation including profit sharing To view current open positions requirements and to submit an online application visit www automationdirect com jobs Learmn automationdirect com will offer pre recorded tutonals AutomationD irect s live Web seminars have covered a wide range of subjects including PLC programming HMI and Ethernet networking N ow these and more topics will also be covered by a new learning site where users can view in depth product overviews and tutorials at their own pace and convenience The site http learn automationdirect com will be updated frequently and will offer not only product specific information but also links to additional education on topics of general interest T he site is planned for launch in 4 quarter 2006 www automationnotebook com Summer 2006 Issue Seven PLC Speak ing continued 3
57. n Inc led by the highly respected automation products trainer Doug Bell will begin offering two day classes in AC Drives in the fall of 2006 Topics covered include AC induction motor and variable frequency drive fundamentals VFD power circuit analysis installation requirements and best practices in preventive and corrective maintenance H ands on exercises with drives and motors familiarize the student with real world conditions and performance T he class is being taught by D ave Cavanaugh whose experience includes a 20 year N avy career as an Interior Communications Electrician and Gas Turbine Systems Electrical Technician and 19 years as a Field Service and Technical Support Engineer for Eaton Electrical H is teaching experience includes three years as a Navy instructor on gas turbines Cavanaugh is currently Technical Training M anager for Superior Drives Services Inc with duties that include developing and conducting technical training and assisting with Field Service T he cost for the two day seminar is 649 per person which Includes a discount coupon for a drive purchase from AutomationD irect Logceee2 Aut omation Notebook The tentative schedule for the Drives Training Course includes the following dates and locations e Sept 19 20 2006 Atlanta GA e Nov 14 15 2006 Chicago IL e Feb 6 7 2007 Cleveland OH e March 13 14 2007 Irvine CA e May 15 16 2007 Atlanta GA Classes held at Auto
58. n the voltage restric tions previously mentioned See the diagrams that follow 5 Q What is the smallest AC powered sensor offered by AutomationD irect A The 12mm diameter VM 1 seriesisa 2 wire 20 253 VAC sensor with sensing ranges from 2mm to 4mm an axial or quick disconnect cable and a N O ouput signal 6 Q Does AutomationD irect offer Capacitive type sensors A Yes the CT series 30mm diameter 3 wire sensors with sensing ranges from 2mm to 20 mm metal housing with axial cable metallic and non metallic detection and N O or N C output signal Automation Not ebook Summer 2006 Issue Seven 7 Q Can lI connect only 2 wires of a 4 wire sensor A Four wire sensors are designed for use of at least 3 of the 4 wires Wire usage is based on connecting the sensors power common and either a Normally Open N O or Normally Closed N C output or both The sensor will not operate as a 2 wire device 8 Q What is the minimum distance that two proximity sensors can be installed parallel to each other A When placing sensors parallel to each other always leave a minimum distance equal to the diameter 12mm 18mm or 30mm of the sensors 9 Q DoesAutomationD irect offer sensors that are protected against washdown A Yes the majority of sensors offered have an IP67 rating which is rated for brief intermittent submersion Always check the specifications before
59. odbus TCP network The module can also respond to connected 4 M odbusT CP clients The H4 ECOM 100 allows PLC to PLC or PLC to Modbus TCP device communications through the use of standard Read Write instructions When used with the new DiretSOFT5 PLC programming software and the D L450 CPU communications programming is simplified using fill in the blank Box instructions The H4 ECOM 100 can be configured to serve aS an email client to send specified messages to email addresses T he module ships with N etEdit3 software to configure ECOM modules for networking N etEdit3 can be used to adjust parameters for PLC to PLC communications and to display all identifiers and troubleshooting information for each module on the network Once the initial module configuration has been set by N etEdit3 the H4 ECO M 100 configuration can be viewed from any web browser T he H 4 ECO M 100 module has built in Web pages for configuring the module All you need is your favorite web browser enter the H 4 ECO M 100 sIP address in the address bar for example http 192 168 1 100 T his will bring up the main configuration page with links to other configuration forms such as peer to peer or SM TP Email configuration forms You can configure the module from ladder logic using D irectSO FT 5 new Box instructions with a D 4 450 CPU A child becomes an adult when he realizes that he has a right not only to be right but also to be wrong
60. om FIRST Website www U SFIRST org 21 Tech Thread Sensors WAUTOMATIONDIRECT Sensor Trends by Lenny Filipkowski Product Engineer for Power Distribution and Industrial Control Products AutomationDirect ecause of certain drawbacks of physical contact B style sensors and switches such as limit switches and float switches newer technology non contact style sensors have become prevalent in industry performing well in many applications Proximity photoelectric and ultrasonic sensors can be used in many applications for which they were previously never considered These non contact sensors are available with a variety of output configurations such as normally open and normally closed contacts as well as analog output configura tions An application possibility would be using an inductive proximity sensor with an analog output to replace a traditional limit switch used for monitoring a cable pulley system The analog output would detect when the cable is starting to stretch and send a signal to maintenance personne so actions could be taken to prevent unnecessary or unscheduled shutdowns Conversely a limit switch may only detect when the cable is out of specification or the switch might fail due to the wear and tear of physical contact with the cable 22 T he more recent style of non contact sensors shows that Thin is In Market trends show that shape and size are important Users are looking
61. ome sensors offer Normally closed outputs such as the PKW PMW and CT1 Series 11 Q Why would use a sensor with a quick disconnect cable versus an axial cable A A sensor with a quick discon nect cable allows for easy replacement of the sensor by eliminating the need for rewiring This is important when considering machine or operation downtime associated with replacing a sensor T here is a cost difference versus a sensor with an axial cable since you must purchase a quick disconnect cable separately 14 Q What is the difference between 2 wire 3 wire and 4 wire sensors A A 2 wire sensor allows either an NPN or PNP output based on the wiring configuration A 3 wire sensor the most typical must be specified NPN or PNP when ordering A 4 wire sensor is configured with both a N O and N C output and similar to a 3 wire sensor N PN or PN P must be spec ified when ordering 15 Q Can AC inductive sensors be connected in parallel A Yes by connecting the brown www automationnotebook com BN 1 wire on the first sensor to the load PLC input and connecting the blue BU 3 wire to the BN 1 wire of the second sensor then connect the BU 3 wire of the second sensor to the AC power source Connect the other side of the AC power source to the load PLC input common See the diagram that follows AC INDUCTIVE SENSORS 16 Q Does AutomationD irect offer a 110 VAC photoelectric sensor A Yes the MV
62. remely physical game H ow will they stack up against the other teams D id they have contingencies for mechanisms that might fail So many questions and self doubts can be overwhelming for a young inexperienced rookie team And to make matters worse the Forsyth Alliance robot didn t look like any of the other robots Did they do www automationnotebook com something wrong A quick check of the rule book confirmed that their robot OTTO was within the guidelines While most robots looked like mobile piles of metal gears wheels and structural components the Forsyth Alliance decided to put effort into packaging the robot to present a functional design that was unique and memorable T he result was a large black box that used the AutomationD irect green Smiley guy logo to create an identity that the audience could relate to The name Otto was to honor the team s sponsor O tto mation Direct In addition to packaging the robot the team also built an identity around the Smiley guy logo The team booth uniforms and marketing materials sported the Smiley graphic T he strategy and all the endless hours of hard work paid off Otto was a hit at the regional competition and made it all the way to the semi finals The team won the prestigious IMAGERY Award which recognizes attractiveness in engi neering and outstanding visual aesthetic integration from the machineto team appearance and is usually won by teams with many y
63. reshow industry is jut beginning to climb the ladder of exciting uses and benefits for RFID in the enterprise R has grown increasingly preva lent over the last two years with the endorsement by Wal M art and its key suppliers Passive EPC compliant RFID tags have promised great results from increased efficiencies and visibility within the organization And now Wal M art as well as other consumer pack aged goods and supply chain providers have publicized the benefits from their passive tagging initiatives In the process passive tagging has shown it is limited by the laws of physics in its applications The majority of things have yet to be tagged in the enterprise We are just beginning to climb the ladder of exciting uses and benefits for RFID in the enterprise The origins of RFID put this in perspective RFID became most well known in the retail sector with elec tronic article surveillance EAS tag systems which identified goods leaving the storefront without proper payment One could credit the security industry Sensormatic now part of Tyco in particular Security companies then improved and enhanced RFID in the 1990 s with proximity based access control cards These have gradually taken the place of magnetic stripe cards 20 FID tagging in the enterprise By 2000 RFID was in widespread implementation certainly in the security industry Early in this decade the Auto ID industry also known then as AIDC
64. rogram allows him to easily refine and improve the system Due to customer requests for program changes to the monitoring system Brian felt the need for a more advanced local touch screen I was using EZTouch but with the new C more touch panels can do so much more have a lot of plans for C more on this system he states With the GMS an employee logs into the system on a C more touch panel by entering an employee number and item number The employee then sees his her name on the touch panel instead of an employee number T his seemingly small feature makes a large impact by giving the enployee a sense of responsibility and importance Productivity and efficiency is then monitored showing real time results with the goals and actual soeed in constant view of the employee If the employee changes to another workstation the results automatically move with him her when they log in at the next position T his helps provide accurate daily efficiency reports to show how each employee performed throughout the day compared to their coworkers T hese reports can be pre sented to all employees each morning Employees like to compare each other s production numbers states Greer and it creates a team atmosphere geared to performance Greer adds T here s kind of a peer pressure thing there Along with the number of items produced at each station the GMS also monitors the amount of times the Operator logs in or out Und
65. rvice of any supplier for Operator Sensors Interface and Power Supplies Interface PLC PLC Pushbuttons Control Engineering s Customer software Power Supplies I O e Power Supplies Satisfaction Survey 2004 and M otor Starters e Connection Systems top service rankings in O Products and MORE Operator Interface Hardware and Software and PLC Hardware Software onder ONLI the 1 value in automation WAU TO M ATI O N D R FCT Copyright 2006 AutomationDirect Cumming GA USA All rights reserved www automationdirect com 1 800 633 0405
66. ry there are nine instructions which include the following e 3 Configuration 2 Scaling 2 Filtering o 2 Hi Lo Alarms The Analog Helpers are designed to simplify analog module setup and configuration from initial setup to scaling raw analog values to your engineering units i e Ibs psi flow etc to filtering and monitoring for H i Lo alarm values Within the Math category there are 13 instructions which include the following 4 Data type converters 3 Straight math blocks Continued p 13 gt gt the 1 value in automation Copyright 2006 AutomationDirect Cumming GA USA All rights reserved DirectSOFTS PC DSOFTS is the latest full featured 32 bit Windows based programming software for the entire DirectLOGIC PLC family from AutomationDirect At a new low price of 395 DirectSOFTS5 offers a host of advanced features to make programming and troubleshooting easier than ever Plus the new PC DS100 is a FREE version of DirectSOFT5 available online only for download which allows you to program and run a project size of up to 100 words It s perfect for smaller applications New I Box instructions simplify complex tasks Ibox instructions are programming blocks that perform tasks that in the past may have required multiple lines of ladder logic e Memory Helper simple setup for moving data e Discrete Helper Preconfigured On Off timer One shot and Push On Push Off instructions e
67. s Four fill in the blank PID loops with autotune Eight models available Relay Out ia AC In or DC In i DC Out or DC In Out Current In Thermocouple Combo Voltage In Out Combo Current In Out High Speed Counter DLOG Integrated 1 0 Inputs Total program data memory __ _ 14 8K Integrated communication ports __ 2 Integrated networking port _________ YES ASCII in out ___ Integrated real time clock __________ Price with AC Power Supply DC inputs DC outputs ______ 199 ADC inputs relay outputs 229 AC inputs relay outputs 259 All prices are U S list prices AutomationDirect prices are from April 2006 prices Allen Bradley prices are from Publication ACIG PLOO1F EN P September 2005 Allen Bradley Micrologix 1000 Installation Instructions Manual 176151 MicroLogix 1200 Programmable Controllers Bulletin 1762 Controllers and Expansion I O User Manual Publication 1762 UM001B EN P November 2000 MicroLogix 1500 Programmable Controllers Bulletin 1764 Publication 1764 UM001A US P April 2000 Call or go online to request your FREE 1 750 page catalog www automationdirect com plcs WR ONL iy EA eR BY PH oe Me the 1 value in automation Copyright 2006 AutomationDirect Cumming GA USA All rights reservi _ YAUTOMATIONDIRECT www automationdirec
68. s and move them but that would require cutting the board into three pieces 3 Cubes Find cubes of whole numbers whose digits add up to the value of their cube root For example 512 is the cube of 8 and 5 1 2 8 1 is another rather trivial example T here are four others Thetrouble with facts is that there are so many of them Samuel M cC hord Crothers Good judgment comes from experi ence and experience comes from bad judgment Barry LePatner Please visit www automationnotebook com for answers to brainteasers a 5 GS1 mini AC inverters e E9 1 4 hp 10 hp 115 VAC 230 VAC 460 VAC Input 230 VAC 460 VAC Output The GS2 series adds PID control dynamic braking and additional built in discrete and analog I O Simple programming Simple communications Two year warranty 10 hp ORDER TODAY om ie a INSTALL TOMORROW Check out our low prices on drives Whether you need an AC drive for a new installation or system maintenance check out the GS and DURAPULSE series of variable frequency drives In addition to getting a high quality product manufactured for durability and ease of use you also get the great prices and superior service you ve come to expect from AUTOMATIONDIRECT Y4 hp 2 hp 115 VAC 230 VAC Inpugaes0 VAC Output The GS1 series offers simple Voltz per Hertz cc purpose applications Built in I O and pro
69. ship Institute The answer is through personal responsibility 14 Responsible employees know they are accountable for producing results By taking ownership of their job they continually look for ways to improve performance and consistently work to the best of their ability Brian Greer president of BG Industrial Control in Placentia CA has developed a way to help employees gain that sense of personal responsibility According to Greer Studies have shown that when people spend a large portion of their time at work they must have a sense of belonging of being part of a team When you combine this with subtly monitoring the employees they are more productive O ver the last three years the Greer M onitoring System GM S has been used in textile rental plants in California to monitor employee efficiency and productivity Using AutomationDirect s touch panels Terminator lO DirecttLOGIC 205 Ethernet based controllers and Think amp Do Studio PC based control software the Greer M onitoring System provides real time feedback of each employee s efficiency on a daily basis At the end of the day you want them to know how they did that day You don t want them to wait until the end of the week to get an efficiency report says Greer T hey know how they are doing now Using Think amp Do s Human M achine Interface HMI development tool Brian adapts the GM S to each customer s needs Brian says this flexible p
70. t balance of the enterprise which includes assets personnel vehicles payloads and sensor monitoring which is now ripe for tagging Bringing handheld solutions to those items offers only marginal bene fits over bar coding as labor costs remain high Areas of productivity improvement in the enterprise include automatic inventorying automatic location determination automatic tracking automatic condition monitoring and automatic theft protection These require a flexible and sometimes invisible infrastructure and tags which can autonomously transmit on demand Indeed the real promise for enterprise productivity remains in labor free Operations as well as delivering real time business intelligence on virtually all enterprise assets including people Extensive tagging throughout the enterprise requires power onboard the tag and a flexible infrastructure Both are characteristics of semi active and active RFID tag operations It s now apparent from these tagging trends and documented benefits that literally everything in the enterprise will be tagged some with passive tags the rest with active tags Today the labor free tagging of assets means critical and costly items such as hospital equipment are automatically located counted and protected Active tagging means the securing of intellectual property and customer lists on corporate laptops All valuable assets in the corporation can be dynamically located counted an
71. t a microprocessor can handle For example a word for a 16 bit computer would be 16 bits long or two bytes A 32 bit computer would have a 32 bit word mw Small amp Smart kd Ulti traso Onicy ens Ors Check out our miniature ultrasonic sensors which include four models of rectangular through beam units Measuring only 30 mmx 20 mm these sensors are designed for limited spaceapplications The low price of a UHZ series through beam pair 159 makes it a competitive alternative to similarly priced but less accurate sensors wy 159 Al UBI Series Sound wave technology sensors are ideal Maximum sensing distance of for applications in which the sensing 300 mm object is made of clear or transparent materials or has varying surface color Fast response time of 1 msec 150 Hz switching frequency Wide sensing range not affected by environmental factors such as dust Complete electrical protection from short circuit overvoltage 18 30 VDC input supply voltage and reverse polarity Normally open and normally closed output configurations IP67 protection rated AutomationDirect carries a wide range of sensors at low everyday prices Poqmiar IX maki MMinialmen Anak ipai A IZ 1K J9 3 4 5 mom A 12 08 30 mim Starting at 35 Itnand meral a uUbcr l Lamencr amd niommectal rectangular Cahancad MI series Starting at Start ing a at j Starting at i 33 39 Ad Pier optic
72. t com 1 800 633 0405 Cover Sto The World of Petroleum WAUTOMATIONDIRECT Fuel for Our Oil Addiction by Tina Crowe Automation Notebook Publisher s there any doubt we live in an oil based economy With so much ongoing discussion about the price of oil increasing refinery costs and Chevron Pascagoula Refinery in Pascagoula MS concerns of availability going forward this is one subject that has been discussed at some length In fact it is hard to tune out even if one grows tired of hearing it Even though hurricane Katrina s damaging effects have been repaired and most refinery operations are back to full production the refining and processing of crude oil continues to be a hot topic of interest especially when you examine the refinery process and realize that America supplies only 40 percent of its own oil An oil refinery such as Chevron s Pascagoula Mississippi factory can process crude oil at the rate of 330 000 barrels per day According to Chevron that isan amount equivalent to the size of a football field covered to a depth of 41 feet Modern refineries can trans form just over half of every 42 gallon barrel of crude oil into gasoline a remarkable technological improvement over years ago when only 11 gallons of gasoline could be produced from one 6 barrel The yield of gasoline from crude is dependent upon many factors including the quality of the crude efficiency of
73. t ebook Summer 2006 Issue Seven ASIC technology is also providing a more precise sensor Sensor manufacturers do not have to rely on special machines to calibrate a trimming resistor in order for each sensor to be within specification The ASIC technology allows the sensors to be calibrated digitally via programming devices A sensor that incorporates ASIC technology can be manufactured at a reduced cost by lowering the number of components needed to control the sensor and reducing the labor required to assemble the units which equates to less cost for the end user Since the sensors can be assembled more quickly sensor manufacturers can benefit from lower inventory overhead Common production methods such as gaskets glue and epoxies are no longer the best choices Designs are now relying on such techniques as overmolding and ultrasonic welding This type of fabrication provides the tight seals and rugged packaging needed in industrial environments W ith more functionality in a smaller package consumers typically using 30 mm sensors can now use 18 mm sensors and 18 mm sensors can be replaced with 12 mm units The 12 mm sensors have become one of the most popular sizes and the 8 mm inductive proximity sensors having up to 3 mm shielded and 4 mm unshielded sensing distances are starting to take an increased market share Photoelectric fits right in Photoelectric sensors are also becoming much smaller in size The trend
74. t is programmed correctly H owever If you didn t write the code it can sometimes be very difficult to follow No two people have the same thought process there fore no two people will write code in exactly the same way Boxes simplify the troubleshooting process by shortening the amount of code in a program It also displays pertinent information within the box itself such as the physical location of a module within the system the memory locations feeding the box and where the result is stored You can even read a math equation in its native text The advantages offered by the IBox instructions are unique to each aspect of the project in learning program ming and troubleshooting but they each have one common bond efficiency Efficiency is the ability to do something well or to achieve a desired result without wasted energy or effort T his is what you gain when you use the new Box instructions Instructions overview N ow let s take a closer look at the Box instructions T he new Boxes are sub divided into 6 groups M emory Discrete H elper Analog H elper M ath Communications CTRIO Within the M emory category we have two Boxes M OVEW moves single word data o MOVED moves double word data W ithin the D iscrete H elper category there are four OFFDTMR an off delay timer ONDTMR an on delay timer ON ESH OT a one shot execution PON OFF a push on push off coil Within the Analog Helper catego
75. umers and a growing trade imbalance among others M anufacturing industrial production grew 3 9 in 2005 and should grow 4 6 in 2006 before decelerating to 2 5 growth in 2007 12 Costs are important Meckstroth explained M anufacturing is relatively energy intensive and the run up in energy prices and other commodities will encourage conser vation and reduce the growth rate of manufactured products Equally important are interest rates and housing prices Spending for motor vehicles housing and other big ticket items are expected to fall this year and next Capital equipment spending cannot compensate for all the moderation in consumer durables next year For more information about industry trends and M API visit http www mapi net Firmware subscription service helps keep installed products up to date AutomationD irect now offers email notification of updates to the firmware of its products T he user can subscribe and receive updates for as many product groups as desired Product groups include all DiretLOGIC PLC families and the C more touch panels O nce notified the user can visit the AutomationDirect Web site and download the updated firmware To subscribe to the service only a valid email address is required and it is not shared with any third party Visit http notify automationdirect com firmware New AC Drives trainingclass offered by Interconnecting Automation Inc Interconnecting Automatio

Issue 7, 2006 - AutomationDirect

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