Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition

The Industrial Automation Group of Advantech introduces the
PCA-6190, a single board computer supporting Intel’s LGA 755 socket for Pentium 4 and Celeron D processors with speeds of up to 3.8/3.06 GHz and a front size bus speed of 800/533 MHz.

The PCA-6190 is built on Intel’s long-life 915GV chipset with Hyper-Threading (HT) technology. The PCA-6190 has a maximum memory capacity of 4 GB of dual channel DDRII 400/533 SDRAM, which offers a greater memory bandwidth of up to 8.5 GB/s. The LGA 775 Pentium 4 processor features up to 2 MB of L2 cache which significantly increases processing performance. The onboard integrated VGA controller, along with the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900, is equipped to share up to 128 MB memory and offers an effective graphics solution with superior 3D performance. It’s also enhanced to support dual VGA display with optional DVI connector design.

Other features of the PCA-6190 include: four serial-ATA device support, eight USB 2.0 ports, two PCI-Express x1 for LAN chips, 14-pin general purpose I/O interface as 8-bit programmable digital I/O, AC-97 interface audio output, and CMOS automatic backup and restore to prevent accidental data loss of the BIOS.

Source and more info: automation

Texas Instruments Inc. (TI) and Altera Corp. announced the availability of a PCI-SIG-compliant solution that aims to reduce the cost and accelerate the development of PCI Express-based systems. According to the press release, the solution suits video cards, data acquisition, test and network equipment, and various embedded applications. This offering includes TI’s XIO1100 PCI Express x1 PHY chip, Altera’s Cyclone II FPGAs and PCI Express x1 MegaCore intellectual property (IP) function.

TI and Altera began partnering in early 2005 to develop this PCI Express solution. It was approved by PCI SIG, the industry forum for developing PCI Express specifications and performing interoperability.

This solution builds upon TI’s and Altera’s existing portfolios of PCI Express offerings. TI offers the XIO1100 along with PCI Express-compliant products targeted for applications such as PC add-in cards, communications, storage, industrial, test equipment, servers and other embedded system applications. Altera provides FPGA solutions for a variety of x1, x4 and x8 PCI Express applications, including configurable PCI Express IP cores and development boards for endpoint, bridge, switch and root complex functionality.

Source and more info: eetasia

InduSoft Web Studio v6.1 SP1 offers an advantage that few other HMI/SCADA software systems can claim: It runs on various configurations of Windows platform, from powerful redundant workstations using the latest Intel processors and Windows server software, to simple handheld PDAs and ’smart phones’ that use Windows CE/Windows Mobile technology. It also runs on diskless embedded processors and Panel PCs, and supports web-based applications. The same InduSoft Web Studio HMI display can run on a desktop PC, a panel PC, and a handheld device.

InduSoft Web Studio software is running in the diskless PDA, supporting Visual Basic scripts and database access programs.

For OEMs, machine builders, systems integrators and end users, InduSoft Web Studio simplifies the HMI/SCADA development process.

By using a single development tool, engineers can generate operator displays, Visual Basic scripts, trends, alarm, logs, and other functions that can run on desktop computers, panel-mounted displays and handheld devices, and be accessed from web-based PCs and handhelds.

No other tools are required to make applications run in all these environments.

InduSoft’s laboratory certification tests prove that the software runs on a wide variety of industrial computers from a host of vendors, including Advantech, Arista, Bosch-Rexroth, Maple, Woodhead and many others.

Source and more info: manufacturingtalk

BOASTING Modbus and web enabled features, Datataker’s DT80 is ready for modern process monitoring projects.

Datataker connects to any SCADA system with Modbus, one of the world’s most commonly used industrial protocols.

Local and remote communications capability is included with USB, Ethernet and RS232 modem dial-in and dial-out functions.

The DT80 connects to local PCs, modems, LAN, WAN or even over the web.

It is the world’s first data logger with USB Flash Drive support – allowing these low cost ‘memory sticks’ to unload and control or reprogram multiple loggers.

The DT80 is a robust, stand alone and low power device that adapts to data acquisition needs.

Up to five million data points are stored internally, with user control available for multiple data files, overwrite modes, alarm histories and automatically archived event records.

Universal analogue channels can automatically range based on the signal level. These channels are isolated and over voltage protected, providing reliable measurements in harsh conditions.

Supported measurement and sensor types include temperature, voltage, current, 4-20mA loops, resistance, bridges, strain gauges and frequency - in engineering units of a customer’s choice. Switchable excitation and triggering simplify wiring and installation.

Source and more info: ferret

Suited for monitoring inventory tanks, lift stations, SCADA equipment, and data loggers, RT12_4444_9T_W20 wireless RTU allows monitoring and control of 4 high resolution analog and 4 discrete inputs and outputs. It can serve as standard Modbus Slave RTU in radio based SCADA system and is plug-and-play compatible with SCADA/DCS Modbus software packages and process controllers. Optional configuration features such as polling rates, SLAVE id number, I/O addressing, and alarms are changeable.

Source and more info: thomasnet

CimQuest INGEAR leading developer of OPC Servers, and PLC ActiveX driver software announces the release of NET.ABLink a managed code driver assembly for Visual Studio .NET programmers.

Programmers can develop highly customized SCADA/MMI applications using Visual Basic or C# for the Microsoft .NET framework using INGEAR’s NET.ABLink managed code assembly. NET.ABLink supports Ethernet communications to Allen-Bradley MicroLogix, SLC and MicroLogix family of programmable logic controllers.

“The problem Visual Studio .NET programmers face when interfacing to OPC Servers is the complexity and the amount of code required to read/write data values from a PLC. With NET.ABlink we’ve eliminated all of the complexity by offering Visual Studio programmers an easy-to-use driver for PLC communication that is run-time free. INGEAR NET.ABLink also has many of the elements found in OPC Servers, such as Quality Codes, Time Stamps , Data Change Events, as well as Group Operations and SynchIO/AsyncIO Operations. Not only does NET.ABLink make PLC communication easy for the programmer, it also eliminates recurring purchases of Allen-Bradley OPC Server software” said INGEAR President Charles Karwoski.

INGEAR.NET.ABLink is part of a growing family of managed code PLC drivers developed by CimQuest INGEAR specifically for Microsoft’s .NET Framework which also includes INGEAR.NET.Logix for Allen-Bradley ControlLogix processors.

Source and more info: automation

National Instruments is extending its offering for industrial applications with new PCI data acquisition (DAQ) and motion control devices. The NI PCI-6230 isolated M Series DAQ board features analog and digital I/O lines with built-in digital isolation for direct connectivity to industrial sensors. The NI PCI-7390 position (pulse) command motion controller with built-in isolation offers direct connectivity to popular motion drives, including Yaskawa Sigma II, Mitsubishi MR-J2S and Panasonic Minas A, and provides advanced synchronization capabilities with NI vision and DAQ hardware.

“Isolation circuitry reduces common problems engineers may run into, including ground loops and common-mode voltage limitations,” said Dave Lohbeck, NI Compliance Engineering manager. “The high transient withstand capability of isolated circuit technology guards against voltage spikes, thus helping protect the hardware, engineer and measured data. With the new NI product offerings of the PCI-6230 and the PCI-7390, engineers can safely obtain measurements and control actuators or motors in most environments.”

The PCI-6230 M Series DAQ board features eight 16-bit analog inputs with a 250 kS/s sampling rate, four 16-bit analog outputs with a 500 kS/s maximum output rate, six digital inputs and four digital outputs. The board uses digital isolation technology based on chip-scale transformers for increased signal bandwidth and features 1,950 VDC/ 1,400 Vrms of channel-to-bus isolation withstand for up to 5 s and 60 VDC continuous bank isolation. In addition, the NI-STC 2 system timing controller, NI-PGIA 2 amplifiers and NI-MCal self-calibration circuitry work together to improve performance and accuracy while keeping costs low.

Source and more info: automation

Citect has launched CitectSCADA V6.1, which it says is packed with features to boost system performance, save configuration time and enhance visualisation.

Citect global director of SCADA Stephen Flannigan says V6.1 is a result of the company listening to and delivering on the expressed needs of its customers.

“This new release will improve system performance while making project development and maintenance easier,” Flannigan says.

“With the release of V6.1 our customers will see further improvement in performance as we now support the new multi-core PCs.

“The support for these PCs, combined with the new .NET based CitectSCADA Runtime Manager, offers better performance, more stability and greater diagnostic capabilities,” he says.

The new release also provides visualisation enhancements for the design of intuitive operator interfaces.

“These enhancements will both enhance the usability of CitectSCADA and save time in training for those users who are already familiar with the Windows XP environment.

Source and more info: ferret

InduSoft Web Studio v6.1 SP1 offers an advantage that few other HMI/SCADA software systems can claim: It runs on various configurations of Windows platform, from powerful redundant workstations using the latest Intel processors and Windows server software, to simple handheld PDAs and “smart phones” that use Windows CE/Windows Mobile technology. It also runs on diskless embedded processors and Panel PCs, and supports web-based applications.

For OEMs, machine builders, systems integrators and end users, InduSoft Web Studio simplifies the HMI/SCADA development process. By using a single development tool, engineers can generate operator displays, Visual Basic scripts, trends, alarm, logs, and other functions that can run on desktop computers, panel-mounted displays and handheld devices, and be accessed from web-based PCs and handhelds. No other tools are required to make applications run in all these environments.

InduSoft’s laboratory certification tests prove that the software runs on a wide variety of industrial computers from a host of vendors, including Advantech, Arista, Bosch-Rexroth, Maple, Woodhead and many others. In fact, InduSoft Web Studio HMI/SCADA software is offered by many industrial control vendors under license from InduSoft, often under private labels. See the accompanying release for a complete list of Windows CE certified hardware vendors.

InduSoft Web Studio 6.1 SP1 provides Visual Basic (VB) scripting that can be ported to Windows CE devices such as PDAs or viewed on Web browsers. To our knowledge, no other HMI/SCADA software allows Visual Basic scripts to be executed in a handheld device or a diskless panel PC.

Source and more info: automation

Atmel Corp has announced what it claims is the “industry’s fastest” commercially-available, monolithic 12-bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC) with a clock frequency of 500Msps.

The AT84AS001TP will allow system designers to accurately digitize signals with frequencies up to 250MHz at sampling rates that could not have been achieved before with 12-bit resolution.

With current commercial offerings for 12-bit ADCs limited to 250Msps, designers are forced to use several down-conversion hardware stages before entering the analog signals into the ADC, and to interleave several ADCs to get high data rates. Providing a major step forward in sampling rate without compromise on performance, the converter will set a new standard, allowing simpler system architectures while offering the possibility to sample wider bandwidth signals. This will benefit many applications including telecommunications infrastructure, high IF broadband digital receivers, test and measurement equipment, high-speed data acquisition, and defense radar and communications systems.

Thanks to its 0.5dB band flatness from DC to 250MHz, the converter provides an impressive 62dBc SNR, 75dBc SFDR and 10 ENOB at 500Msps over the first Nyquist zone with two-tone inter-modulation distortion (IMD) limited to -70dB. This high level of performance is achieved while dissipating a very moderate 2.3W with 3.3V and 5V power supplies. The required analog input signal amplitude is only 1.1Vpp, and can be AC or DC coupled. An integrated three-wire serial interface offers convenient software control of the ADC gain and offset.

Source and more info: nikkeibp