See Archive Page for earlier news.

31/3/03

A professional non-contact voltage detector - Wavetek Meterman Test Tools has introduced a handy pocket-size non-contact AC voltage detector at a suggested retail price of around €10.00. Designed for use by the professional electrician, it offers both visible and audible indicators. This voltage detector provides safe detection of voltages from 70V AC to 440V AC. Approximately the length of a normal pen, the VT201 features a sturdy clip for carrying in a pocket. On detection of a live source, it emits a loud audible 'chirping' accompanied by a bright flashing LED.

Signpost sponsers ISA's website - The Instrumentation Signpost has announced that it is to sponsor the ISA - the Instrumentation, Systems and Automation District 12 website. Designated a district in the year 2000 the European District is holding its annual Distric Leaders Conference in Cervia on Italy's Adriatic coast this weekend.
RGB Colour analyser for white point calibration - Glen Spectra announce the introduction of the new PR-650 RGB Colour Analyser from Photo Research. The PR-650 RGB has been created to provide a spectrally based solution for the white point calibration of CRT's, LCD's and digital projectors. It builds on the established PR-650 spectroradiometer and the acquisition of complete spectral data giving you the distinct advantage over existing filter instruments, since there are no errors due to filter mismatch.

New multi-output vibration sensors gives choice of three signals - The new MTN/1 181 sensor from Monitran contains integral circuitry to provide three different vibration signals which meets the demands of maintenance and building services managers who regularly use vibration monitoring systems to help provide trouble-free utility services for their workplace. This approach eliminates the need for external electronic modules making the MTN/1 181 an attractively priced and competitive unit.
Magnetic Flowmeter Market to Reach €650 Million by 2007 - The worldwide Magnetic Flowmeter market, which totaled nearly €590 million in 2002, is projected to reach €650 million by the end of 2007, expanding at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of just under 2 percent, according to a new study by ARC Advisory Group."The magnetic flowmeter market is facing serious challenges on several fronts, but has stability due to the inherent strengths of the technology. Magnetic flowmeters have no moving parts, a flow path without obstructions, and low maintenance," according to Senior Analyst Paula Hollywood, the author of ARC's Magnetic Flowmeter Worldwide Outlook. Baldor has unveiled ProSPEC, a web-based service designed for engineers who specify electric motors, drives, generators, motion control and gear products.
New portal launched - ProSPEC is a high-end web portal designed for engineers, buyers and other individuals who need up-to-date specifications and technical information about motors, drives, generators, motion control products and gear products from Baldor.

A new feldbus brochure - The latest edition of P1's technical overview brochure covers the complete range of concepts, profiles, test procedures and guidelines for ProfiBus users, integrators and implementers. It provides an excellent introduction to the principles of fieldbus technology as implemented in Profibus, covering communication technology, application and system profiles, device management, product implementation and the certification process. A complete chapter is devoted to PROFInet, P1's modular automation concept for next generation manufacturing systems that embraces industry standards XML, COM DOOM, OPO and OPO DX.

Innovative Product Licensing Yields Major Benefits to OEMs and End Users alike - Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), machine builders and end-users frustrated with having to pay for extra connectivity they don't require can now turn to Ingear for it's new SoloLink brand of full-featured, OLE for Process Control (OPC) servers to provide single Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) connectivity at an attractive price. Based upon customer feedback, INGEAR has developed a unique method to re-license its popular Desktop OPC servers as SoloLink OPC servers which offer a solo, point-to-point communication link supported between the host Personal Computer (PC) and a single PLC at an economical price.
In order to mark the 10 year anniversary of providing feature rich, cost saving PLC connectivity tools and solutions, CimQuest - INGEAR Products Group has kicked off a monthly promotional campaign to give away 5 of the hottest MS-Windows powered Pocket PCs on the planet - the DELL Axim X5 Handheld PC.
Optical technologies highlight - An optimized structure, concentrated into four days, and an unprecedented presence and support by national and international trade and professional organizations: this year the biennial "LASER. World of Photonics" trade fair occupies three halls at the New Munich Trade Fair Centre. Specialists rate the economic situation as decidedly favourable. For example the market for laser sources, which in the year 2001 was worth €1200 million world-wide, is expected to grow to 2000 million by 2004.
Ethernet serial server links factory equipment to the world - The new Vlinx Serial Server from B&B Electronics now makes it possible to Ethernet-enable serial devices and communicate anywhere in the world. Every unused serial port represents an opportunity to capture unused data and put it to work. Furthermore, manufacturers can extend communication and diagnostic data to older equipment without ripping out existing wires or otherwise affecting operation.
Production of vital new chip - Components of Intel's new Centrino chip technology are being manufactured at its facility in Ireland, country manager Colin McHale confirmed this week. He also indicated that the new Fab 24 plant will be involved in Centrino production when it is completed next year. The Centrino chipset family is specifically designed for wireless networking via laptops, locating available connections automatically and offering a range of new features to prolong battery life in wireless systems.

A revolutionary new family of mass flowmeters - A revolutionary new family of Coriolis mass flowmeters that overcomes previous limitations in technology and opens up a wide range of metering opportunities has been launched by Krohne. The new Optimass family promises superb accuracy and repeatability, as well as providing a whole host of innovative new features and benefits for the user. This range is the first of its kind to provide weffed parts in titanium, stainless steel and Hastelloy, allowing material selection to give corrosion resistance for almost any process fluid.

Appointment boosts customer service - Gresham Power, the Salisbury based power supply manufacturer, has appointed Phil Gethen to the position of Product Manager for their Power Supply Business. This is a significant move in Gresham's strategy to add value to all the products offered in Europe by the three group companies, Telkoor, Digital Power and Gresham. Melanie O'Connor, General Manager for Power Products at Gresham comments; "Phil has a very wide brief for developing our product range and customer service. Not only will he be responsible for everything we deliver to our customers, he will also oversee the redevelopment of our in-house manufacturing capabilities and be the technical liaison between our wide spread design facilities."
Connectivity supplier acquired - GE Fanuc Automation North America, (affiliate of GE Industrial Systems), today announced that it has acquired Ramix Inc., a leading supplier of embedded computing connectivity, storage and memory solutions for essential industries ranging from defense and aerospace to telecommunications and medical equipment.
Power supply passes tests - MTL announces that the 9122-IS and 9121-IS FISCO Power Supplies have passed rigorous testing by Emerson Process Management, one of the world's largest control systems suppliers, for integration into the DeltaV digital automation system that is part of the PlantWeb architecture. The Emerson tests insure that MTL fieldbus products fully support PlantWeb functionality. This approval means that Emerson sales offices worldwide can now benefit from the use of the approved MTL fieldbus products in their system proposals and engineering solutions with full support from the Emerson factory.
Simple solution for fast track to market - Based on a completely modular design concept, Advanced Power Conversion have introduced the new APC­MS series of AC/DC switching power supplies to help meet the unacceptably high-risk element of power supply design. Allowing simple configuration to meet custom output voltage and current specifications, these off-the-shelf modules can be rapidly matched to the individual applications thus eliminating long lead times for custom power solutions.
Ruggedized PC cards capable of data rates Up to 921.6 kbps - Quatech, Inc., the industry's fastest-growing manufacturer of serial connectivity products, has expanded its line of high-speed serial PC Cards (or PCMCIA Cards) by offering ruggedized cables on selected models. The permanently attached cable assures reliable communication between the PC Card and an attached serial device in demanding portable-computing environments, such as in-vehicle, off-road, factory, and backpack-based field data collection.

Open Frame PID temperature Controllers reduce Installation Costs - Available from Audon Electronics is a unique range of low-cost open frame temperature/process controllers. There are several controllers in the range for use with either traditional AC loads or with DC Peltier-type heat engines. All controllers feature serial communication ports, PID control, alarms, built-in Solid State Relay output andeasy-to-use programming software. Once programmed, these controllers can operate in stand alone mode or can form part of a larger SCADA system. These controllers make for a lower cost alternative to traditional panel-mount controllers, and their on-board Solid State Relays reduces installation costs.
Never lose data again! - Sixnet's new Datalog Server provides users with the ability to gather time stamped data in remote locations and easily transfer these data records to duplicated central databases, or SCADA systems over an Ethernet, telephone or wireless link. At each remote location a SIXNET SiteTRAK or VersaTRAK IPm Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) collects real-time data and stores it with a time stamp in its protected memory (data is not lost in the event of a power failure).
Precise humidity verification of environmental chambers - Environmental Chambers are widely used for the testing of a huge range of products, such as electronic equipment, pharmaceuticals and food packaging. Historically, wet/dry bulb psychrometers and capacitive relative humidity probes have been used both for the control and validation of such chambers. However, neither is particularly suitable for the highest level of validation of chamber performance. Now, for the first time there exists an alternative in the form of a cooled mirror transmitter from Michell Instruments offering improved measurement capability and a flexibility that can be applied over a wide range of environmental conditions with ease.
Fieldbus safety lnitiative launched - The Fieldbus Foundation has launched a program to develop FF fieldbus technical specifications and guidelines for safety instrumented systems. Known as the Fieldbus Foundation Safety Instrumented Systems (FFSIS) project, the initiative will support the design and end user implementation of safety technology compliant with International Electrotechnical Commission (lEC) standards.

Do you Google? - Google, the leading search engine company, will establish its first operations centre outside the US in Dublin. Serving Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the centre will be responsible for administration, legal and service functions. Google will recruit 200 employees to work in the areas of customer support, information technology, finance, legal and human resources; many positions will require multi-lingual fluency. In announcing the news, Tánaiste Mary Harney said that the investment, which is supported by IDA Ireland, "positions Ireland as a prime location for global Internet services". Google, founded in 1998, is headquartered in Silicon Valley.

Strong demand from refineries, chemical, pharmaceutical industries for management systems - Honeywell Industry Solutions said today that it has received orders totaling approximately $200 million for its Experion PKS(tm), the next-generation business, process and asset management system introduced in April 2002. Deliveries of the system began as scheduled in January 2003.
Optical Spectroscopy - Scanning Spectrometer/Imaging Spectrograph - The Optical Spectroscopy Division of Jobin Yvon introduces its new 750S Scanning Spectrometer and 750I Imaging Spectrograph. With a 750 mm focal length, the 750S and 750I are fully automated, equipped with an auto-calibrating precision wavelength drive system and an auto-calibrating grating system. The motorised slits are continually adjustable from 0 to 2 mm in 2 ”m steps. The kinematically mounted 110 mm x 110 mm gratings are designed for easy interchange. Controlled with RS232 or IEEE-488 interfaces, both instruments are operational with SpectraMax software and LabView VIs.

Appointments in critical industries software company - Verano, provider of software for highly secure management, control and connectivity of critical industrial operations, today announced the appointment of Mark Ott as chief financial officer and Breen Liblong as vice president of software development. From Verano's headquarters in Massachusetts, Ott will manage the company's G&A operations and interact with the financial and investment communities over Verano's next phases of growth. Liblong will oversee the development and expansion of the company's existing core technology products, as well as upcoming products, leading the team from the Calgary office. Both Ott and Liblong will report to Verano's President and CEO, Brian Ahern.
We recently reported the launch of their Linux based product Performux in Europe.
Co-operative team up to launch development kits - Ashling Microsystems and IAR Systems, two world leaders in embedded software development tools, have joined forces to produce ARM development kits. IAR's Embedded Workbench Integrated Development Environment is combined with the emulators and evaluation platforms from Ashling to provide a complete toolset for ARM development.

New country manager for Ireland appointed - ABB has appointed Frank Duggan as Country Manager and President of ABB Ireland. He will assume his new position at the end of the month . In his 18 years with ABB, he has been Country Manager in the Czech Republic and spent long periods of time as Division Manager in Ireland, Thailand and Poland. He is currently global Business Area Manager for Petroleum, Chemical, Consumer & Life Sciences Industries (ATPC) within the ABB Automation Technologies division. He will relocate the Business Area ATPC from Zurich, Switzerland to Ireland, with members of his management team. "The relocation of this US$1.5Billion Business Area (ATPC) to Ireland will provide an excellent base for ABB to further consolidate its position as preferred automation and power technology solution provider," he said.
More about flow - The intrepid Spitzer and Boyes team have come up with another volume in their flow series. "The Consumer Guide to Vortex Shedding and Fluidic Flowmeters" provides the first completely independent guide to the world's vortex shedding and fluidic flowmeters, ranked by performance, by size, and by manufacturer. This guide is indispensable for designers, engineers, owners and end-users of mass flowmeters. Now users can see where their flowmeter ranks, and use this guide to help choose their next vortex shedding and fluidic flowmeter.
This team have already produced guides to Coriolis Mass Flowmeters, Magnetic Flowmeters and Vortex Shedding and Fluidic Flowmeters. Future works are in preparation for Differential Pressure Flow Transmitters and Ultrasonic Flowmeters.

Waterproof graphic display launched- Lascar Electronics has launched (sorry!) the first in a new series of dot matrix graphic displays. With a high contrast supertwist LCD and Epson SED 1530 controller, the DMX 973B combines a practical 100 x 32 pixel display with very low power consumption. LED backlighting ensures excellent visibility under low light conditions. An optional 1P67 rated bezel, the BEZ 900-IP, provides protection against the ingress of water in hostile environments.
New director links bus organization to Chinese standards organization - Modbus Organization, Inc., the newly formed nonprofit organization supporting the popular ModbusTM protocol, has announced the addition to its Board of Directors of Mr. Feng Xiaosheng. Mr. Feng is Chairman of the China TC of Industrial Process Measurement and Control, and Vice President of China Instrumentation Technology & Economy Institute (ITFI).
More on our Fieldbus News Page.

Lower prices in Europe! - National Instruments has announced it is lowering prices by as much as 20 percent on specific product lines, including data acquisition, PXI and signal conditioning as a result of increased efficiencies in its European operations and new product designs using higher performance, lower cost components. Since August 2002, the company has also significantly reduced the price point of its low cost 16-bit data acquisition device, providing a cost savings of 42 percent to European-based customers.
Solutions for Nanotechnology R&D - Keithley Instruments has published literature and technical application tutorials that support engineers and scientists developing nanoscale devices and technology. This literature helps researchers select the appropriate Keithley measuring instruments based on the type of technology or device being characterized. Moreover, these application notes, brochures, and white papers describe techniques for accurate measurements of low-level electrical signals associated with nanoscale devices and materials. Applications include measurements on carbon nanotubes, nanotube-based field emitter displays, nanowires and nanofibers, and nano-opto components, plus characterization of molecular electronics and nanomaterials.

Economical thermocouple scanners - The DP1000 series is an economical thermocouple scanner/meter that handles all the common temperature display applications with simplicity, reliability, accuracy and ease. The DP1000 series is a general purpose meter/scanner offering reliable service at a low price from Omega. The new Digital Panel Meters and Scanners are factory calibrated to accept the three most common thermocouples (types J, K and T). Setup and programming is jumper-free, featuring straight-forward push buttons that allow you to input any parameter from the front panel.
New system provides single, portable control engine and universal programming environment - GE Fanuc Automation has introduced the new PACSystems family of controllers. The innovative PACSystems family features a single control engine and universal programming environment - which provides portability across multiple hardware platforms to deliver a true convergence of control choices. GE Fanuc described the Programmable Automation Controller (PAC) concept and launched the new PACSystems family at National Manufacturing Week in Chicago (early March 2003).
Software provides full support for AutoCAD 2004 - Cyco Software, leading global software company offering Engineering Document Management solutions, has announced that AutoManager Meridian 2003 and AutoManager TeamWork 2003 will have full support for AutoCAD 2004 leveraging investments of customers that invest in this package.
Automation on off-shore platform - Brunei Shell Petroleum has chosen " target="blank">Honeywell's Experion PKSï Process Knowledge System for monitoring, control and safety shutdown operations at their Well Jacket-2 platform off the coast of Brunei. The Experion PKS system is used in industrial plants and mills to control, monitor and integrate complex processes. Through the installation of this system, Brunei Shell Petroleum anticipates some cost savings on initial capital expenditure & subsequently the operational expenditure on the following years.

New test tools catalogue - This colour catalogue showcases the latest XR-Series DMMs plus a comprehensive line-up of specialised DMMs, clamp meters, bench-top meters and test tools. Meterman Test Tools, a leading brand for 'value-for-money' test tools and accessories, has introduced a new, full-colour product catalogue for electricians, electronic and industrial technicians, and field service personnel.