See Archive Page for earlier news.

29/9/99

• CErfBoard Family expanded - Intrinsyc (ICS.V) today unveiled a new Windows CE reference platform, the microCErfBoard-SA 1110, based on the new Intel StrongARM SA-1110 processor. Coupled with Intrinsycs embedded Internet software, this latest member of the CErfBoard family provides highly integrated peripheral support for the design of Internet-ready embedded systems. With microCErfBoard-SA 1110, OEMs can accelerate their product design cycles and provide their customers with high-performance systems that have built-in robust enterprise connectivity and remote management capabilities. Here are details on Intel's web site.

• Net alliance - PC Soft International has joined the Embed the Internet (ETI) Alliance, extending its potential in scalable, Internet-ready visualization software for industrial automation, data collection and monitoring applications. Founded by emWare, Inc., the ETI Alliance is comprised of 21 leading microcontroller manufacturers, global network, enterprise application and embedded tools providers.
  This company is also exhibiting at Interkama'99 see Interkama News
• Acquisition - ARC Cores Ltd has agreed to acquire MetaWare Incorporated of Santa Cruz, for an undisclosed sum. MetaWare, an established 20year old supplier of essential software development tools for embedded applications, will become a division of ARC Cores Ltd, and further strengthens ARC's position in the ongoing development of its unique user-configurable 32-bit processor.
• New president - Woodhead Industries, Inc., today announced the appointment of Steve Montgomery to the position of President of the Company's SST subsidiary located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
• Straight tube flow meter - More than a quarter of a million fluid measurement points across the globe depend on Micro Motion's, (part of Fisher-Rosemount, curved-tube technology for perforrnance and reliability. However, some applications require a straight-tube sensor design. In response to customer demand, Micro Motion has developed the new T-Series straight-tube flowmeter. The range incorporates a design featuring the Micro Motion reliability and accuracy that users value most.

• 24 hour information - The measurement solution - burster's motto for its worldwide measurement product marketing characterizes also its internet performance at www.burster.com. They report a great increase in access figures showing that burster meets the information needs of its web visitors successfully.
• United we stand... - Endress + Hauser, has acquired a minority interest in ORSI, a group specialized in process control and production management software. With their complementary products, ORSI and Endress + Hauser are aiming to synergize their development, production, and marketing to offer comprehensive process solutions to a rapidly growing market. ARC director John Moore believes "that this is a great opportunity for both companies as the market moves into the field-based systems era."
  Source: ARCweb.com
• Video pattern generator - The Black Star PVGlOOO video pattern generator is a lowcost solution for testing display monitors of a wide range of resolutions. It can generate 100 video patterns and timing formats which will cover most systems, including MDA, PGA, VGA, SVGA, VESA and XGA. Users can also create systems of their own, ensuring that new formats and nonstandard systems can be covered.
• analysers monitor more gases, analyse more % level samples. - Servomex has announced an advanced new range of four gas analysers for environmental monitoring and the industrial gases industry. Known collectively as the Servomex xentra 4000 series, the new range includes two totally new analysers for industrial gas producers - the xentra 4200C and the xentra 4210C - plus significantly more versatile and cost-effective versions of the successful Servomex xentra 4100 gas purity analyser and the industry-standard xentra 4900 continuous emissions analyser.

• The beer will flow - AlterSys who market the Virgo 2000 (SCADA) product and who are the only Canadian company exhibiting at Interkama this year this year have very generously agreed to sponsor the beer at the ICS social gathering to be held in the centre of Dusseldorf on the Tuesday 19th October. "It looks like it is shaping up into a fantastic evening!" says organiser Jutta Steinhof.
• PLC Suppliers Turn to Unbundled I/O, Software, and Services for Growth - Responding to the commodity nature of PLC hardware and related price declines, PLC suppliers are selling increasing amounts of their I/O and software as unbundled products according to the latest report from ARC Advisory Group, "Worldwide Programmable Logic Controller Outlook: Market Analysis & Forecast Through 2003". They predict a slight overall growth in the global Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) market during the next five years.
• IS features in Intech on-line - The current issue of Intech, the ISA's international journal features many interesting articles. For instance we can find out why intrinsic safety is rapidly gaining popularity and is a safe, simple, and proven European method in these two articles: World preference escalates for intrinsic safety and Intrinsic safety offers more, gives peace of mind.
• Extending CE - Intrinsyc, a company that extends Windows CE for use in robust, distributed embedded systems such as industrial automation, mobile computing and point-of-sale -- will be showcasing its new deviceOPC product, a toolkit designed to create OPC servers for applications running on OPC-compliant Windows CE devices at the ISA-Tech in Philledelphia (US) next month. We'll also be previewing a new remote management system for Internet Devices, which can be used for factory floor applications.
• Tolls to create M&C applications - This month Windmill Software launch the IML Tools. These are for those creating their own measurement, control and analysis applications. Tools can be used directly from Windows applications like Excel or Access, from Javascript running on a web page or when programming in Visual Basic. For more information see http://www.windmill.co.uk/tools.html and read the VB Corner.
  From the September issue of the company email newsletter The Monitor

• Launching in 2000 and beyond - ISA - the international society for measurement and control - have announced their two major shows for year 2000. IMS EXPO 2000 is described as the only event dedicated to integrating manufacturing data into the business process. Visiting Cleveland, Ohio (US) from 13 to 15 June 2000 it gives vendors the opportunity to showcase their products and solutions to manufacturing and IT professionals from around the world. Later in August the ISA EXPO/2000 is the premier exposition and conference for advancing measurement, control and automation. This will be in the wonderful city of New Orleans, 21-24 August 2000. More details of ISA Events. See our Exhibitions Page
• Hydraulic wrench for large tube fittings - Parker Hannifin IPD has released a hydraulic tool for large-size compression tube fittings, providing a time-saving solution for installing high-integrity tubing. The new tool is capable of making tubing joints up to two inches in diameter, typically in less than three minutes. Moreover, its compact power head can allow fittings to be assembled in situ - providing a step function increase in speed compared with conventional bench-based assembly practices.
• Oil/grease in water and soil - Wilks Enterprise has developed a field portable infrared analyzer - the Infracal TOG/TPH Analyzer - and hexane evaporation sampling procedure to remove oil/grease from water or soil samples, with subsequent infrared analysis. Since both the US EPA Method and Infracal sampling procedure utilize hexane evaporation techniques, the data obtained with the Infracal TOG/TPH Analyzer will correlate with the official US EPA Method 1664.
• Introduction to Ethernet - As may be seen from the news section of our Fieldbus Page Ethernet is being more and more considered for industrial applications. The latest newsletter (Control Network) from introduces readers to their "wholehearted embrace" of Industrial Ethernet as a "viable network for industrial environments." It also has an interesting insert called the Extension which provides a technology. This issue is "An Introduction to Ethernet".

• Speakers at InterKama - Sequencia Founder and Chalrman, Michael Saucier, will deliver the plenary session, "Agile Manufacturing in the 21st Century," from 9.31O.3Oam on Wednesday, 20 October. And on Tuesday, 19 October, from 10.45am - 12.l5pm, Ralph Kappelhoff, Vice President of Products, will be presenting the paper "Integration of ERP to the Final Control Elements".
  See more Interkama News

• Lotsa standards! - Just Published is a useful publication from the IEC - International Electrotechnical Commission giving details of the latest new standards, specifications and publications available. It can also be mailee by snail-mail or a mail list can be subscribed to so you can get the news as it happens!

• On-line liquid analyser - Applied Analytics has a new line of process diode array spectrophotometers for on-line applications. The OMA-300-CM utilizes advanced spectroscopic components offering a cost effective solution for on-line applications that otherwise might not be justifiable. The OMA-300-CM uses fiber optics cable to transmit the light from the analyzer to the sample and back instead of bringing the liquid sample into the analyzer.

• Innovative MFA coming - CyboSoft, a division of General Cybernation Group, Inc., will release CyboCon CE, an innovative Model-Free Adaptive (MFA) control instrument for adaptively controlling simple to complex industrial processes, at ISA TECH/1999 (Stand #1105) in Philadelphia. It will be embedded in GE/Total Control's FactoryClient 2000 Industrial CE Platform.
• Asset Optimization Drives Growth in Equipment Health Monitoring Process industry manufacturers are increasingly optimizing asset management as a strategy to improve process efficiency and enhance their return on assets (ROA). This growing need will drive annual growth rates approaching 10 percent for condition monitoring and plant asset management (PAM) systems through the year 2003, according to a new study by the ARC Advisory Group.

• More than just legal - ISA-Analytic's new product, the sample gas cooler 205, corresponds to not only the practical demands but also the legal requirements. Thus they do not affix simply a CE-sign, but guarantee the conformity by means of test-certificate of an external laboratory! Take a look at http://home.t-online.de/home/ISA-Analytik/pk0205a1.htm. Try the extraordinary translation program on the bottom of the page.

• "Spectacular progress for an unique concept" - In 40 years, ELEC has become a must for all the players in the electricity sector. Every two years they come to Paris to meet professionals from the spheres of industry and construction. In December of 2000 the show will have three areas of focus, Electricty, generation, transmission and distribution; Automation; Electricity applications, devided into twelve sections including automation components and systems and measurement control and regulation.

• Large project in Taiwan - A large project to supply a combustible gas detection system has been awarded to Monicon Technology. This included locally installed intelligent gas sensors connected back to a central multi channel rack mounted controller system with the Chinese Petroleum Corporation.

• Round the clock Y2K support - Wonderware Corporation announced today that it will offer free, round-the-clock FactorySuite support coverage for Comprehensive Support subscribers to address any Year 2000 issues that may arise as a result of the millennium changeover. This expanded support coverage will take place from December 15th, 1999 through March 10th, 2000.
• Datalogger for control measurements in the chemical environment - For the measurement of various measured quantities such as pH-value, Redox potentials, conductivity and oxygen content in liquids a wealth of measuring instruments is usually necessary. With the ALMEMO - System developed by Ahlborn this is not the case! Because of the galvanic separation of the in- and outputs of all instruments sensors do not inteerfere with each other. Several ranges can be choosen per input. Temperature, oxygen-saturation and oxygen-concentration are obtained from the oxygen sensors ... and all three values are available for simultanuous evaluation as digital outputs.

• Database software at autumn shows - Automsoft International announces that it will showcase its RAPID Historian database software at major trade shows this October. RAPID Historian is the world’s first true time and batch data archive for the process, manufacturing, and utility industries. This October, industry professionals can see it in action at:
  ISA Tech, Philadelphia (5-7 October) at booth # 1065
  Interkama, Dusseldorf (18-23 October) in hall 7, booth # 7F56
  CIM 99, Birmingham (26-28 October) at booth 1268

• Light detector amplifier module - A new PC board module that easily integrates into PLCS and data acquisition Systems for gathering light measurements by using International Light's input optics, without requiring a radiometer or photometer, is being introduced by International Light, Inc.
• New European director for RTOS vendor - Lynx Real Time Systems has announced the promotion of Albert McCabe to Managing Director Europe, Middle East and Africa, to head up all Lynx activity in the region.
• Camshaft inspection machine - A new end-of-line camshaft inspection machine that features thru-feed bottom loading from a conveyor belt or walking beam and can process up to 150 parts-per-hour with sub-micron accuracy is being introduced by Adcole Corporation.

Splat! Another newsletter - A newsletter about machine control, automation, business and the Universe in general. Dedicated to the proposition that SPLat happens. You can see the full print version, complete with pictures, by downloading the pdf file from http://www.microconsultants.com/splat/news/.

• - Apple Computer Inc has launched the fastest personal computer ever, the Power Mac G4, with a performance of more than one billion operations per second. The new G4, which Apple claims brings the power of a supercomputer to a desktop machine, will be manufactured at Apple's Cork facility and production will commence shortly. Commenting on the news, Kieran Doyle, General Manager, Apple Computer Sales and Marketing said, "The PowerPC G4 Processor redefines high performance for the entire industry. It's a supercomputer on a chip and is quite simply the fastest computer in the world. Independent tests have shown that the Power Mac G4 is up to 100 per cent - 200 per cent faster than the fastest Pentium III-based PC".

• New Horizons in Food Automation - is the title of a two-day conference (October 11th & 12th), sponsored by the Computer Integrated Food Manufacturing Center in the Department of Food Science at Purdue University where it will be held. It will examine the future of food process automation. Speakers from well respected institutions such as the FDA and manufacturers will explain how new automation technologies will be able to improve safety, quality and productivity in the Food, Dairy, Beverage and Pharmaceutical manufacturing industries. It is a must for anyone with an interest in process automation, but especially plant managers and process engineers in the food, beverage, dairy, and pharmaceutical industries involved in setting automation standards for their company. System integrators and equipment manufacturers who work with these industries are also encouraged to attend.