• 21st Solutions - This is the name given to the 1998 Catalogue of Information Technology Reports from Computer Technology Research Corp. Topics include 'Intranets' and the Y2K problem.
  
• Industry leader joins A.R.C.- Dick Caro, Chairman of the Fieldbus Standards Committees, has recently joined Automation Research Corporation (ARC) as Vice President. Dick has been chairman of both the ISA SP50 and the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) SC65C/WG6 Fieldbus committees since 1993. He has led the committee to completion of the operational portions of the Fieldbus standard which are now American National Standards. He still leads the efforts to pass the remaining portion of the standard internationally in the IEC where contention remains over the Data Link Layer.

• Miniature pressure transducers - Accurate to better than 0.25% FS in ranges 5 through 350 bar, the XPM5 is a miniature, flush membrane high stability pressure transducer with an M5 (or 10-32 UNF) thread. The transducer is manufactured from titanium but its main feature is an unique mechanical design which renders the transducer insensitive to tightening torque. Seán Gough has the details.
• Innovative solution in calibration - The new Option 135 Insulation/Continuity Tester module for Wavetek's Model 9100 Multi-Product Calibrator adds this important class of instruments to the 14 other catagories of general purpose electrical test equipment that this instrument calibrates. More details from Ray Clarke.
• Monitoring Leonardo - In an unique blend of priceless artifact and the latest technology, hardware and software donated from National Instruments is protecting the integrity of a rare manuscript by Leonardo da Vinci. The manuscript, owned by a Mr. Bill Gates of Microsoft, is the centrepiece of a special exhibit hosted by Seattle Art Museum.
• Fieldbus Forum at ISATech'97 - "Searching for a unified fieldbus theory" is the title of a report on Jim Pinto's fieldbus forum sent out with the December issue Industrial Controls Intelligence. see also our Fieldbus Page.
• Flow measurement innovation - The McCrometer V-Cone is an innovative device for flow measurement. The design expands the capabilities of differential pressure flow measurement and redefines many limitations associated with traditional flow elements. Their new web-site includes a free flow evaluation form .
• New General manager poached - Colin Arlott, the 37 yer old Chartered Mechanical Engineer and MBA who was with ABB's Stonehouse Facility has been successfully poached by Elsag Bailey UK as General Manager of Elsag Bailey Process Automation at the Workington Fisher & Porter facility. He suceeds David Gill who is assuming responsibility for Systems Business at their Telford business.
  They have also announced the expansion of the Workington plant integrating the sensor business of Bush Beach Engineering with the long time business of Fisher & Porter.
• Vibration at M'TECH'98 - Noise and vibration measurment specialist, Endevco is exhibiting its wide range of instrumentation and transducers at the forthcoming MTECH Show in Birmingham (GB) - 11/12th February.
• Position sensors at show - Also at MTECH'98, Automation Sensors Measurement (ASM) will be showing their range of Cable Actuated Position Sensors and will introduce the new WS10 and WS12 models which cover measurement ranges from 0 - 50 mm up to 0 - 3000 mm. Contact ASM UK.
• Improving purity analysis - Servomex, leaders in the field of gas analysis, has made significent improvements to its Xentra 4100 gas purity analyser. The new 4100B has more measurements, new features important to the air separation industry and an external auto-calibration option facility. Call Karen Wiles +44 1892 652181.
• Calibrator flaw eliminated m- Most multi-function electronic process instrumentation calibrators come with a flaw! When they simulate an RTD/PRT they present a voltage which when divided by the excitation current, results in resistance - but via octive electronics. And this is the difficulty, many modern electronic systems, RTD recorders, scanners and data acqyuisition systems routinely employ pulsed dc excitation - so conventional electronic simulators simply wont work. The new Haven Automation Spec-Cal Eclipse Process Calibrator uses intelligent resistance emulation for generation of resistance solves this problem. Lots more information from Maria Jones.

• Low cost multiprotocol client - Klinkmann's Multiprotocol Client is a low-cost alternative to connect systems with different protocols using standard PC and Win platform - in most applications you may integrate the conversion function in existing PC in the application. They provide a one-hour downloadable pAckage at http://www.klinkmann.com/download.htm.
• Mitsubishi drives ahead - A huge range of new products is being launched at the UK Drives and Controls Show by Mitsubishi. These Include the auto-tuning E500 Series, the on-line auto-tuning (OLAT) vector control A500 drives range, a "startlingly powerful" new FX2-N small PLC family and the highly compact 30-400W MR-C range of Servo Drives. More details from Nick Elliot on +44 171 823 3224.
• SSRs and small PLCs on display - While still at the UK's D&C Show, Crouzet show a range of uprated DC geared motors, a new range of solid state relays and several new small PLC and fieldbus distributed I/O products. More information from Pam Gibson.
• Unique valve education centre in Britain - Fisher-Rosemount Educational Services (UK) is now able to offer an unique training facility for the control valve industry. Three to five day intensive courses in dedicated lecture and demonstration rooms at their Stockport site or alternatively courses tailored to customer requirements.

• Magnetic seminar - A one-day seminar "Magnetic Materials Based on Powder Mettalurgy", is to take place in London 4th Feb 1998. Details from The UK Magnetics Society.
• LTD gauge facilitates management of tanks - Anew level-temperature-density gauge for liquified natural gas providing "unprecidented flexibility for managing storage tanks more cost-effectlively," has been launched by Whessoe Varec.
• Third IEC fieldbus fails - Following a "no" result of the third international ballot on the proposed IEC 61158 fieldbus, the European EN 50 170 remains the only plant-wide, world-wide standard according to a release from Profibus International issued from Karlssruhe in late November.
  (More details on our Fieldbus Page.)
• Measurement News - The January'98 issue of this newsletter from Campbell Scientific headlines their Mid-range logger, which is a portable data-acquisition system offering a neat self-contained packgage complete with power supply and display.

• European subsidiaries for Mercury - Mercury Computer Systems, Inc which manufactures and markets high-performance digital signal processing computer systems which transform sensor data to information in real time, today announced the establishment of subsidiary companies in France and the United Kingdom. These two organizations will provide applications engineering, customer service, and sales support to Mercury customers throughout Europe. This organizational development positions Mercury to better serve the expanding global defense industry.
• Modular control system - The Amot Hawk-I is a cost effective modular control system for industrial and hazardous areas (Zone 2) applications. Designed as a self contained system for local monitoring and control, complete with ModBus communications suitable to form part of a plant control system. More details from SJ Pettitt on +44 1284 762222.
• New venue meets approval - Fieldcomms reports strong support for its move to Telford Exhibition Centre for 1998 (28th to 29th October) with over 65% of the floor space already reserved by current exhibitors.
  see also our Fieldbus page
• ATE & Testability - A.T.E. Solutions Inc has announced its 1998 course schedule. This programme no in operation for 17 years has been upgrading thousands of graduatess in test and testability studies which were perhaps lacking in third third level studies. The Courses are scheduled for Los Angeles (2+7 Feb), New York (13-18 Apl), Minneapolis (15-20 June), Dallas (8-11th Sept) and Anaheim (16-21 Nov).

• Save $40,000 per year per tank! - Whessoe Varec has launched a new level-temperature-density (LTD) gauge for liquefied natural gas providing unprecedented flexibility for managing storage tanks more cost-effectively. Offering a 50% increase in measurement range to 60m - to support the trend towards larger tanks - plus the ability to zoom-in and take as many as 250 readings over any segment, the gauge eliminates the costly techniques adopted by the industry to avoid the potentially catastrophic 'roll over' conditions caused by stratification.
• The orange connection! - A new splash of vibrant colour has hit the IMO Electronic Components catalogue with the launch of the tried and proven IMO 900 series plug and socket connectors in bright orange. Broadening the potential for effective colour coding and ideal for manufactures accustomed to using orange connectors, the new Orange connectors ar in all respects simular to the standard 900 series except for its colour.
• New European MD - Michael Eyre has been appointed Managing Director of Moore Products Co (UK) Ltd based in their European HQ at Yeovil in the UK responsible for operations throughout Europe.
• New license agreement - Wonderware Corporation has just announced thet Gates Rubber Company has signed an enterprise-wide license agreement to use selected software components from their FactorySuite for implimentating plant floor automation applications within its Strategic Information System Plan.

• ISA Transactions - The fourth and final issue of ISA Transactions for 1997 is a collection of articles about measurement and control systems in the Process Industries. Targeted for leading-edge industrial practitioners and applied researchers, ISA Transactions aims to be the respected journal of advances in the science and engineering of process measurement and automation.
• Y2K award - Intellution the supplier of industrial automation software, has received "Year 2000 Certification" from the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA).
• New Mass Opportunity - Micro Motion, part of the Fisher Rosemount Group has created a major new measurement opportunity for the process industries with the launch of the ALTUS 3000 applications platform, an electronics package designed for use with their Coriolis sensors and other electronic flowmeters.

• Large-size fittings to allow high integrity tubing to replace bulky pipework - Parker Hannifin IPD has released a range of compression tube fittings in larger sizes up to two inchs, bringing the advantages of compact, lightweight tubing to a much wider range of industrial fluid processing and instrumentation applications.
• FieldComms at Chicago - FieldComms International has announced that a FieldComms Symposium is to be held during the American National Manufacturing Week in Chicago, 17th to 19th March 1998.
  See our Fieldbus Page
• High-speed counting - This innovative system consists of one transmit and one receive transducer mounted in separate self contained housings, capable of cpounting up to 12000 objects per minute as they pass through its beam, at a range of 0 to over 1m. Manufactured by Migatron Corporation they are marketed in Europe by Ixthus Instrumentation Ltd and Malcolm Read has further details.

• PC Survey - In the first PC User Satisfaction Survey undertaken exclusively in Ireland, Dell, Apple and Compaq have emerged as leaders for reliability and brand loyalty among Irish PC users. The DHL PC User Satisfaction Survey was organised by the Scope Communications Group, and independently audited by Ernst & Young. Respondents, when questioned as to whether they would buy the same brand again, 91% of Dell users, 87% of Apple users and 86% of Compaq users said 'yes', representing the three highest ratings overall. Whereas multinational brands dominated the survey in terms of volume of user responses, three indigenous brands were identified for special analysis - PC Pro, Celtic and Ultra brands.
• Breakthrough - A 3-day course on a breakthrough in industrial process control will be presented for the first time in Europe in Edinburgh, Scotland. "Feedback adjustment for SPC" is the title of the course being organised by Good Decision Ltd and presented by George EP Box and J Stuart Hunter.
• Flow and thermal energy measured without process interruption - The flowmeter Flexus ADM 7805 utilises ultrasonic technology for the accurate flow measurement of liquids in full pipes. This meter can simultaneously measure flow on up to four independent locations. More details from Karsten Frahn of Katronic Technologies.

• Save 50% with ASi bus starter kit - Crouzet has released a new ASi bus starter kit that allows designers to familiarise themselves with the engineering time saving advantages of ASi bus at modest cost.
• High performance rotary valve - Fisher Controls (part of Fisher Rosemount Group), has introduced the posi-Seal Pacgage (PSP) high-performance rotary control valve, which combines the high performance of the Posi-Seal A41 butterfly valve with the operating power of the new Posi-Seal 1035 rack and pinion actuator.
• Sensors show - Details have now been issued on mtec'98, Britain's Sensor and Transducer Conference being held in conjunction with the annual exhibition in Birmingham. Details are available from Kate Turner at Trident Exhibitions Ltd.

The Instrumentation Signpost has interesting pointers for the I&C Professional.