Posted by Mike Fahrion on Wed, Aug 18, 2010 @ 06:43 AM
Dear Reader,
Do you remember Metcalfe’s law? Back in 1980 (when much of the country was debating who shot JR and mourning John Lennon), Robert Metcalfe stated that the value of a network is proportionate to the square of the number of connected users of the system. While more a metaphor than an absolute, his statement is grounded in the fact that the number of connections increases at that rate, therefore the value potential increases as well.
Potential.
Ok fellow techies, geeks, nerds and general overachievers. I’m baffled and need your help.
Social networking. Particularly the world of Facebook and Twitter and those that inhabit it.
I don’t get it.
Facebook claims on the order of 500 million users. Cripes! That’s 500,000,000 networked end nodes, all presumably with at least a double digit IQ.
Twitter boasts about 65 million tweets each and every day. 65 million fresh chunks of data posted daily, much of it by living, breathing and – one would suspect - thinking bodies.
All that potential, I can’t find a decent use. Please, please tell me that I’m missing the point because this is driving me friggin’ nuts - and on two separate fronts.
First off, I agree with Metcalfe. Imagine the untold capabilities that should be lurking within - these should be the most powerful tools ever known to mankind. A cloud model database with the world’s largest network of intelligent (some more than others) end-nodes.
Second, hundreds of millions of people are investing time - real time - using these networks. Quick research reveals the average user spends about 6 hours a month. According to my napkin we’re talking about 3 Billion hours of humanity dedicated to this project every month. (The Egyptians built a pyramid in less time and 5,000 years later still have something to show for their efforts).
So we’ve got a colossal network of intelligent end nodes. It may be the biggest investment of manpower in a project in the history of our planet. And Metcalfe’s law predicts unfathomable potential.
Yet I can’t figure out the point.
I can’t even concoct a reasonable conspiracy theory. I’d feel better if someone was making uber-bucks but frankly nobody seems to be making much money either. Lemming mentality doesn’t seem to fit.
The grand result of the largest project of our lifetime?
Virtual farm animals? You know when Cousin Ed is jonesing for a double latte?
When Francis Bacon said “knowledge is power” I don’t think this is what he had in mind. I expected so much more. Am I alone in my quandary? Enlighten me please.
Imagine the potential for a moment - and allow me to take the human element out of it so we can share a rational vision.
Picture every device, every machine, every asset under your care was connected to this pervasive internet that’s rapidly becoming a staple of our world. Data at your fingertips. Sensor data tied to machines, to inventory, allowing you not only to recreate the past, measure the present, but virtually predict the future. A bearing that is about to fail, a wire that is going to overheat, energy costs that will be less expensive in an hour than right now. The gains in productivity, safety, reliability, efficiency – amazing potential. And it can be achieved with today’s technology. It’s happening all around us on an increasing scale.
It’s happening all around us. Somewhere last decade a smart marketer coined the term M2M for “Machine to Machine” communications. Catchy. It describes precisely what our customers do with the equipment that we’ve been building out here in the cornfields of Illinois for nearly 3 decades.
Ethernet Switches loaded with fiber optic ports used to communicate data in a wind turbine back to the controllers and a remote monitoring system.
A bakery integrated temps, scales, level sensors and conveyers over their Ethernet using B&B’s Vlinx Ethernet Serial Servers - increasing productivity and quality.
A coal fired power plant used Zlinx wireless 900MHz long range modems to connect PLCs to the coal conveyors, decreasing down time.
Temporary power generation is a big deal in developing countries and in disaster areas. B&B provided complete panels including our rugged Ethernet switches and serial Modbus to Ethernet Gateways to integrate data systems, enable remote monitoring and control of these portable power plants.
School crossing zone warning signs are connected wirelessly between the school and crosswalks using B&B’s Zlinx wireless radio modems.
The list goes on and on – the power of pervasive connectivity – linking sensors, devices and machines together and into local and wide area networks.
I may not get social networking, but the vision for these pervasive device networks is crystal clear.
Your thoughts?
Happy Connections,
Mike Fahrion
Posted by Mike Fahrion on Wed, Jul 28, 2010 @ 06:45 AM
The Dog Days of Summer - a time "when the sea boiled, wine turned sour, dogs grew mad, and all creatures became languid, causing to man burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies" as described in Brady’s Clavis Calendarium.
Brady wrote that in 1815. Life before air conditioning must have been tough.
The first couple weeks of my own Dog Days have been anything but languid – although “phrensies” may apply. A weekend camping with family and friends, a quick and memorable trip to Israel to meet with some key customers, capped with a week of true R&R on Michigan’s lakeshore – no laptop, no cell service, no email – just sand and surf, meals off the grill or from a cast iron skillet. Beach runs followed by lake swims washing away the smell of campfire smoke and bug spray.
I’m not much of a Luddite, but 5 days without cell service has a dramatic short term effect on your lifestyle. Time of day is described as daytime, nighttime, or “almost sunset,” and just figuring out what day it is required some mental twister. A far cry from the daily regime where my day is planned in 15 minute increments and Outlook reminders are my dictator.
My two weeks out of the office has come to an end. Time to pay the piper.
Hundreds of emails and dozens of voicemails beg for attention, but the signal to noise ratio appears low.
One worthy of sharing is that in my absence the team has launched the new Zlinx Xtreme radio modem and wireless I/O product line. This is our first truly outdoor rated product, one that would withstand even Brady’s definition of Dog Days of summer.
If you’ve been thinking that wireless might be an easy way to grab data, or even just monitor that one contact closure, tank level, flow rate, or virtually any other analog or digital I/O, our new Zlinx Xtreme may be just the thing to scratch your wireless itch.
There are two key parts of the product line.
First is Zlinx Xtreme I/O with two analog inputs, two analog outputs, two digital inputs and two relay outputs. Use a pair of I/O products to do a peer-to-peer wireless I/O application, transparently bringing remote I/O where you need it - right to your controller’s I/O. Or use Modbus mode to bring I/O from one or many locations back to the radio modem, which will pump Modbus I/O data right into the serial port of your controller - completely oblivious to the fact that the data has been delivered wirelessly.
Next is the Zlinx Xtreme radio modem. Not only can the Xtreme modem play the role of a Modbus gateway when used with its I/O sister products, but it’s also a radio modem that can be used in a pair for wire replacement of RS-232, 422 and 485 communications.
Here are the hot points for the Zlinx Xtreme family.
Its IP 67 rated. That means we had it walk the plank of our one meter deep water test chamber. Then we sent it out to a lab for some nasty dust tests that would put the deserts of Israel to shame. On top of that it’s designed and tested for operation from -40 to 74°C. (While there I was talking temp with an engineer that spec’s our product in outdoor environments there. When I somewhat mindlessly mentioned our temp range he got a chuckle out of the “-40” part). So whether your application is outdoors, or even in an indoor environment that’s less than “controlled” – Zlinx Xtreme is ready to take it on.
Shock, vibration and drop tests were all part of the gauntlet of extreme challenges that we put the product (and ourselves) through, each of them leading to design and manufacturing tweaks to get it just right.
Extreme environments are more than mechanical. Remote communications tend to be in less than the friendliest of electrical locations. Welding operations, variable frequency drives, huge pumps – all kinds of interference spewing products that can leave lesser devices twitching under the influence of stray electrons. We designed and tested Xtreme to heavy industrial specifications of EN61000-6-2 for surges and all kinds of electromagnetic interference.
Great products are more than a collection of specs - we spent a great deal of time perfecting ease of use as well. A quick start mode button that can have you up in running in seconds. A built-in USB config port if you need to configure advanced features. Flexible I/O that can be configured to perfectly match your input and output needs.
Just like our indoor line of Zlinx I/O products, we’ve kept the speed and security features that you need to satisfy both the needs of your applications and your nosy IT guy that wants to know everything that’s going on in the wireless world.
If you’ve pondered wireless communications for serial or sensor data before, you owe yourself a look at Zlinx Xtreme. Check it out at http://www.bb-elec.com/product_multi_family.asp?MultiFamilyId=123
Looking for a quick wireless education? Don’t miss this white paper on how to solve monitoring challenges with wireless i/o.
What’s new in your own Dog Days? Hysterics and phrensies, or …?
Happy Connections,
Mike Fahrion
Posted by Mike Fahrion on Wed, Jun 16, 2010 @ 07:53 AM
Dear reader,
A deluge of rain this weekend gave me time to catch up on a bit of drudgery - reviewing my engineering budget. Crunching numbers rates somewhere between balancing the checkbook and an appendectomy on my Saturday to do list.
When I'm slugging away at a wearisome task like this, particularly when sitting home at the kitchen table, a devious portion of my brain is frantically searching for distraction. I had no sooner tallied (and re-tallied) how much I've spent this year on various forms of product testing when I heard a radio headline about testing toilets with "The Big Flush." Clearly distraction-qualified material - off to Google I went.
The Big Flush - 250 students were hired last week to perform The Big Flush at the Penguin's new Pittsburgh hockey arena by simultaneously flushing every toilet in the arena. I'm pleased to report that The Big Flush was a success.
But, funny how distractions work - and here I am over an hour later writing this month's eletter on - product testing - of all things.
Product testing is getting more attention in 2010 than any time that I remember. Boeing's 787 Dreamliner struggled with huge delays as testing uncovered numerous design and technology problems (an engineering project of enormous size and complexity, but hardly Boeing's first).
Ongoing consumer product troubles from China, pet food, milk, toys.
Even the mighty have fallen. More has been written about the manufacturing and quality prowess of Toyota than any other company - yet 2010 found them struggling with fundamental product problems.
And while it's not yet apparent exactly what category it falls in, the BP disaster in the Gulf of Mexico can't be ignored.
There's little glory in product testing. While being the 787 test pilot will impress the ladies, you're not likely to find a mate describing your panache for testing the robustness of an Ethernet Serial Server against the ravages of static shock and electrical surges.
While I don't recommend it as a dating technique, it's the unseen efforts of test engineers that ensure product greatness. According to my spreadsheets, it's also quite an investment. Specialized equipment, annual calibration, scores of engineering hours, lab time, on and on. What exactly am I getting for my money - and - more importantly - how are you benefiting?
The short answer is rugged and reliable products - the result of one heck of a lot of investment in product testing, combined with a long history of communications product design for critical applications.
It rarely comes up in polite conversation, but here's a peek behind the closed lab doors at what it takes to pull that off.
ESD testing - electro-static discharge - we zap every nook and cranny of our products with plus and minus 15,000 volts of ESD. Now, you're not likely to generate that kind of energy even with a herd of fuzzy kittens - but improvements in chip design and our own tricks of the trade have given us the ability to survive serious ESD zaps. ESD can do more than just blow out data ports - it can also send microprocessors off into never-never land, cause destructive latchup of inputs and cause general mayhem.
Surge testing - there are all kinds of nasty causes of surges that are conducted or induced onto data and power lines and we do a lot of testing to ensure that each of our ports not only withstands those surges but also keeps your connected equipment out of harms way.
Isolation - you've heard me soapbox about the benefit of isolating data circuits. There are many tricks to the trade here - particularly since there is a gaping lack of industry standards in this area. Component selection, power supply design, chassis design and printed circuit board layout techniques all play a critical role. Since isolation is only as good as the weakest link, I can tell you without a doubt that I've seen many companies really bugger this up - making bold isolation claims without the design practices to back them up.
Radio Frequency Immunity - even for the casual observer it's not hard to imagine that in this wireless age it's important that electronic equipment be oblivious to all the RF energy zinging through the air. Yet the reality is that it's unlikely to be your iPhone that takes down your electronics, it's more likely to be the variable frequency drive that's controlling that pump or compressor. To prevent you from being a victim of this invisible instigator of communications glitches, we put our products into an RF chamber and bombard them with energy across a broad frequency spectrum. And we rarely stop at the prescribed limit (heck, if a product passes a test you really haven't learned much of anything). We crank the knob up to find just how far we can go.
And don't forget the more mundane - temperature chamber testing, vibration, and the economical but potentially vicious drop tests.
All in, it adds up to quite the spend - time and money. But it's how we know that we've achieved truly rugged and reliable products - stuff that will withstand some seriously tough environments. And, we've got the test specs to prove it.
Need an industrial Ethernet switch that's qualified to sit in an outdoor traffic control panel (including the abusive truck ride to the construction site)? Check out our EIR300 line.
How about RS-232, 422, 485 and Fiber converters that are qualified for installation into electrical substations?
Or a USB isolator that meets the demanding isolation requirements of the medical industry?
Maybe you need an outdoor, wide temp 802.11 access point certified for hazardous locations and tough enough to withstand not just mother nature but wash downs as well.
This testing is serious business - whether it's The Big Flush or bombarding an Ethernet switch with RF energy.
Is there other specialized testing or certification that you require? Any bizarre product tests required for your industry? I'd love to hear about it.
Your comments are welcome.
Happy, reliable connections,
Mike Fahrion
Posted by Mike Fahrion on Wed, May 19, 2010 @ 06:38 AM
Engineering is a tough gig. It requires you to be dogmatically pragmatic, yet pragmatism doesn't breed greatness. Greatness is about creativity and innovation coupled with effective execution. They don't teach you that in Engineering school. Schedule and budget driven projects don't exactly nurture it either.
That's the challenge of engineering. And in this recovering economy where projects are being unleashed on lean teams you had better understand the mental triggers that unleash your "A" game.
When do you do your best work? I've been paying attention, and for me, the pattern is clear.
We all create value on a sliding scale. There are things we each do that are worth $1000 an hour, $10,000, or even more. But are there hours in the day where you're not creating enough value to pull in minimum wage?
The key to success isn't rocket science - maximize the former and eliminate the latter. Duh.
My best work, the $10,000 an hour kind, isn't entirely predictable - but the pattern has been clear for years. So when am I most likely to be worth $10,000 an hour?
- When I'm sweating - not sweating a deadline, but a good run or bike ride. Something that makes the heart pound yet leaves my brain free to connect the dots based on bushels of facts and experiences.
- Early in the morning - emerging daylight is best.
- Listening passively to good music. I like a lot of music, but not all of it works the same way for me. Could be Miles, could be Dvorak. Good music tickles something in my brain that frees the seeds of creativity.
- Performing good music is even better, but that talent takes a lot of time and nurture - my own talent for that art has waned. Rekindling it would be great brain food.
- When I'm outside. Nature trumps Debussy.
- After I've completely cleared my head. This is increasingly difficult to do. A solid week's vacation only works if I leave the laptop and Blackberry behind - a rarity. Hard physical labor combined with fierce concentration does it faster. Swinging my leg over a motocross bike and putting in enough hard laps to make my keyboard-jockey soft hands bleed does it every time.
Have you isolated the triggers that unleash your big dollar thinking? What works for you?
Reaching that state of self-awareness begs follow up questions. If you understand your triggers how do you nurture them? How well do they align with your work environment? What do you do to improve that alignment?
I've got my own answers - frankly some of them still need work (like putting in a motocross track behind the office) - but I'd like to hear yours. Talk back in the comments below and I'll throw in some more of my own.
More often than not the epiphanies that emerge from those deep thoughts aren't complex. In fact, the simpler it is the more likely it is to be effective. It just requires that you stick your head up far enough above the weeds to recognize what may be sitting right in front of you.
One simple fact that whacked us upside the head recently was that - in spite of doing nothing to promote it - we do a heck of a lot of what we call "OEM" business. I was reminded of it again as I worked with three different companies in the last two weeks on communications system designs or troubleshooting and every one of them included products discretely manufactured right here at B&B but under another company's brand. Hands down the hottest product lines for this kind of private-label OEM business lately have been USB converters and isolators. They've been out-pulling serial converters, Ethernet serial servers and Ethernet switches private label jobs by a factor of two lately.
So here's a quick commercial for anyone that needs a communications converter as an accessory or tool to accompany your own product, we can hook you up. We manufacture ourselves, not at some plant that's a 6 week boat-ride away so we pull these off fast, and are even able to do so at ridiculously low quantities.
What will you do today to nurture your own epiphanies? Share your insights.
Happy Connections,
Mike Fahrion
Posted by Mike Fahrion on Thu, Apr 22, 2010 @ 04:00 AM
I owe Chicken Little an apology. For the last week the sky indeed has been falling. Europe has been brought to a crawl as silica-rich ash befuddles the airspace of both travelers and cargo - temporarily bringing people and business to a near standstill.
Here in the Midwest, Iowans scrambled to their storm cellars as a fireball that would have driven even Foxy Loxy deep into her den streaked across the sky in a dramatic meteor shower.
It's a topsy turvy time here on terra firma as well. Tax day came and went, perhaps our last without a national healthcare line item. It's been so balmy in Illinois that I've already squeaked in my first family camping trip. And here at B&B business is ramping up to the point where our engineers are running around like Henny Penny and Goosey Loosey being chased by an ax-wielding farmer.
Not only are we going full beans on new products, but the Custom hotline is ringing off the hook, juggling a full half dozen OEM jobs to put B&B communications expertise behind the label of a number of prominent brands. The factory is cooking with gas too - not just churning out product, but also tuning up their processes - demonstrating major productivity gains through further cellular manufacturing - not to mention putting more and more of their own requests into the engineering team.
Across the board, emails, voicemails and Skypes light up monitors and blinky LED's - each begging for just a little slice of time.
Makes you envy our engineering ancestors. No email. No phones. Product requirements delivered by mule. My great great grandpappy didn't have to deal with virtual worlds, global economies, email, tweets, twits or any of the other challenges to mental stability brought on by our life in the 21st century.
Within some boundaries of reason, frantic is fun. Survival, however, does require a firm grip on some tools of the trade. Regardless of your title, you must be a project manager. You must be a master planner. You must be a czar of time management. And, you had absolutely better love what you do.
Speaking of frantic fun, one special group that knows it better than most is System Integrators. These guys have nowhere to hide. They design, build, install and more often than not provide on-site commissioning and support. If something doesn't work right they don't have the luxury of pointing a finger elsewhere. Their customer holds their plane ticket home hostage until things are working.
I've had a number of great conversations with SI's this spring about what's new in their world. I was specifically on the prowl for feedback for our own products and trends that impact our own roadmap. Here are a few interesting things I learned.
Serial converters just won't go away. Love them or not, feedback from the trenches indicates that the need for serial conversion and isolation is continuing to grow. And the trend seems to be reaching into more and more rough and tumble environments. Frankly, that's just the answer I was looking for as we just launched our toughest line of serial converters yet.
End users are getting over their wireless jitters and getting cozy with the idea of reaching more of their stuff sans wires. IT guys are often brought into the meetings (which makes the plant guys nervous), but demonstrating that standards based security protocols are in place, and that it won't interfere with their IT 802.11 networks is enough to the get nod of approval. Zlinx radio modems and Zlinx wireless I/O have been on the table getting the go-ahead in more and more of those meetings.
No surprise that USB is showing up in more and more places. Medical devices, shop-floor logic controllers, measurement, instrumentation - and so far customers are professing their love and gratitude for our new laptop-saving USB isolator. If you take your laptop into the field, or are using USB in virtually any industrial setting, this $99 investment will do more than anything else to keep the smoke from escaping from your PC.
Power over Ethernet (PoE) is getting a lot more attention, particularly as cameras gain popularity for security and just plain monitoring. Our 5 port EIRP305-T has proved a popular solution for industrial apps requiring PoE.
How frantic is life in your "do-more-with-less" cubedom? What are your tried and true techniques for staying on the sane side of the dotted line?
Comments and feedback are welcome.
Happy Connections,
Mike Fahrion
Posted by Mike Fahrion on Tue, Mar 23, 2010 @ 04:00 AM
Spring!
Two forlorn sticks with little resemblance to arms are all that remain from my final snowman of the season. The kid's sleds are stowed away. Cold rains have washed the salt from the roads, clearing the way to bring Dad's toys out of the garage. Kids are playing in the streets, enjoying the extra hour of Daylight Savings Time (even if my headlights are back on for my drive into work each morning). As far as I'm concerned spring is officially here in Northern Illinois. Never mind last weekend's snow - the power of positive thinking, with an assist from Climate Change®, will overcome.
But as the threat of heavy snows and cold rains fades, the prospect of equipment sizzling thunderstorms rises - it's no coincidence that I had so many calls this week asking what I recommend for surge suppression on a gaggle of RS-485 applications.
- John called from Minnesota with gnawing concerns that their traffic information signs communications may prove to be susceptible to storm damage.
- Bill called about access control systems installed all over the world.
- Barbara called about the network of motion controllers she's planning for a solar farm.
- Alex called about communications to generator-sets in remote Alaskan towns.
Each and every one of them asked what I recommend for surge suppression to protect their network.
Bzzzzzzzt.
Now - understand that B&B happens to build some of the world's gnarliest data line surge protectors right here in our Ottawa, Illinois factory. I designed and tested many of them myself (even if it was in another decade...and not the last one).
You should buy one. You won't need it to protect your network. You need it because your pointy haired boss, or your customer - the one with your office, home and cell phone numbers, expects you to say "yes, of course I've got a surge suppressor in there" - and you can puff your chest and point to this badass surge protector inside your cabinet. Go ahead and attach some wires to it for show.
Never under estimate the value of a good placebo.
Here is the secret - this is why your serial network is going to be rock-solid reliable.
It's because, thanks to your experience, your diligence in studying the B&B web site, or listening to my sage advice - you are going to isolate each and every node of your serial network.
There's a dirty little secret of serial communications, true for each of RS-232, RS-422 and RS-485. Unlike other wired connectivity standards (the plain old telephone system and Ethernet for example), there are no requirements for isolation. (By the way, USB shares this same flaw, so if you're using it for anything more menacing than your speakers and printer, here is your fix).
You'll find plenty of details on why isolation is superior to surge suppression (and many other gems) in the B&B Technical Library, but I'll sum it up for you here.
Surge suppression attempts to divert excess energy to earth ground and away from your precious equipment. So if it suddenly sees a 400 volt spike between its data line and its earth ground line, it will shunt the resulting current off through its ground connection. Therein lies the rub (and this is only rub #1). Surges tend to be the result of a high frequency event with fast rise times. That means that the impedance of your ground connection needs to be tiny - fractions of an ohm and capable of carrying hundreds of amps for a split second. Easy to do at DC. Highly impractical at 10's of MHz. It also means that without that earth ground wire properly installed, a surge suppressor's about as useful as a solar powered flashlight.
That's rub one. Rub two, the lesser known Shakespearian rub-a-dub, is that a surge suppressor requires its ground connection to be zero volts. If you're under the misconception that earth ground is zero volts, banish the thought from your noggin and you'll be on the path to communications reliability nirvana. Think of earth ground like the ocean's elevation. The average elevation of the ocean is "sea level." But pick an instant in time and any one point the ocean's elevation is likely to be many meters above or below sea level. The voltage of your local earth ground behaves precisely the same way.
There you have it - now you know the secret to rock solid reliable communications. But how do you pull it off?
B&B is here to help. Here are your building blocks.
In many cases you need to make a conversion from RS-232 to RS-422 or RS-485. To do so, simply select an isolated converter. Shazam - you've isolated that particular node.
But what if you don't need to make a conversion? Then you simply need an isolated repeater. Install an isolated repeater in front of your existing 232, 422 or 485 device to give it the isolation you wish it was born with.
We've got a family of inline isolated repeaters.
Or, bring out the big guns and use an industrial grade DIN rail or panel mount isolated repeater.
Are you intensely serious about your application's reliability? Then check out this new family of uber-verters designed for the rigors of electrical substations, use them anytime that nothing but the best will do.
http://www.bb-elec.com/product_family.asp?FamilyId=642&s=20090281
And what about that placebo? Frankly, it's easier to go ahead and stick one in your system than trying to explain all of this. And don't forget to hang some wires off of it.
http://www.bb-elec.com/Subcategory.asp?SubCategoryId=94&s=20090281
Finally, don't forget that each and every one of these products was designed with care and built with love right here in Illinois. This isn't just about sunshine and lollipops. It means that when you need a converter we've got it and you can have it tomorrow. And if you need advice or support you know who to call. And if you happen to be in Europe, we keep another large supply of product in our Ireland office, giving you the same service and support. There's nothing wrong with sunshine, lollipops and rainbows, but at the end of the day it's service and support that counts!
Comments and feedback are welcome.
Happy Springtime Connections,
Mike Fahrion
P.S. Let me pre-empt several dozen likely emails extolling the virtues of surge suppression. It does have a place. Once every last node of your network is isolated, consider adding a surge suppressor to the location in your network with the best access to a central grounding system.
Posted by Mike Fahrion on Thu, Mar 18, 2010 @ 11:12 AM
Save Time, Money, and Hassle of Re-Cabling!
ElinxTM Ethernet Extenders, EIS-EXTEND-C, are used in pairs to
extend Ethernet connections up to 8,530 ft (1.6 miles) over existing coaxial cable. These extenders are ideal for converting existing analog video surveillance systems to digital Ethernet cameras.
FEATURES:
- One 10/100BaseTX (TX) Ethernet port with RJ-45 connector
- Auto negotiation of speed and duplex mode on TX port
- Auto MDIX on Ethernet port
- Extender port connector: BNC or F style
- Speeds up to 85 Mbps over coaxial cable
- One DIP switch configures each unit for either local mode or remote mode
- Used as a stand-alone device or with a 19" rack chassis
- Hot-swappable when used in 19" rack chassis
Learn more
Posted by Mike Fahrion on Thu, Mar 11, 2010 @ 03:37 PM
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The new iCube capitalizes on condensing traditional control components into a single, compact unit which:
- Reduces manufacturing costs
- Reduces overall power consumption of the control solutions
- Reduces application development time
This all-in-one control system offers the benefit of a full PLC - all the timers, math and complex functions as most standard PLCs - combined with PID, temperature and process control, on-board I/O, and expandability. The iCube is tightly integrated and well suited for small machine applications. In addition, developed programs are easily transferable and scalable between all three iCube models. |
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FEATURES: |
- 3 solutions in one (HMI, PLC, and open bus connectivity)
- GSM modem for SMS/Data or Ethernet (options)
- 3 built-in I/O options
- 2 communication ports RS232/RS485
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- 20+ Protocols (Modbus, AB DF1, Mitsubishi, GE Fanuc, etc.)
- Micro SD up to 2GB for data logging or program backup
- Class 1 Division 2 , IP65 (NEMA4) CE, cUL, UL
- Configuration software included
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Learn More |
Buy Now | |
Posted by Mike Fahrion on Wed, Mar 03, 2010 @ 12:58 PM
Electrical substations are electrically extreme environments. Products installed in those environments are exposed to extreme electromagnetic fields and surges, and the requirement is not only for the products to survive, but to function without as much as a flipped bit.
We had electrical substations in mind when we designed our new IlinxTM Hardened Serial Converter family - passing rigorous industry specifications including IEC 61850 and IEEE 1613. Whether you're designing an electrical substation or any other harsh environment you can bet these converters will operate reliably no matter what you throw at them.
Features:
- 15 KV ESD
- 10 V/m Radiated RFI
- -40 to 85C° Operating Temperature
- 2g Shock, 30g Vibration
- 2KV Isolation
- 2KV Surge
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Posted by Mike Fahrion on Wed, Feb 24, 2010 @ 07:00 AM
Dear Reader:
In the last two weeks I've spoken with engineers in Asia, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Central America and Arkansas. Lips flapped and ears received, but in every case I can't say that we were communicating effectively. The world may indeed be flat, it's certainly easier than ever to talk with people around the globe, but yeesh - is it hard to really communicate. Here we are in 2010 and communications inefficiency and confusion still reign.
It's wholly illogical that there are thousands of active languages. But it's hard to undo thousands of years of culture and evolution. The left half of my brain accepts that easily, all the while right half imagining what a different world it would be if everyone could communicate easily.
And as ineffective as human language is, you haven't seen Babylon until you've looked at machine level communications. You could learn Mandarin before you'd get a Profibus drive communicating with an Ethernet/IP controller. And it didn't take us eons to generate this chaos - the industry managed to muck this one up in just a few short decades. Throughout the short history of device communications the only surefire way to avoid your own tower of Babel scenario was the rather distasteful prospect of buying every piece of hardware from a single manufacture. And even that would only narrow the number of languages down, maybe to a dozen, still leaving you with your back against the wall more often than you care to think about.
So what are you to do about it? I have good news to report on three fronts (and I'm a bit giddy about the third one if you want to read ahead).
First, the uber-automation companies have gotten the message and there is beginning to be convergence of protocols, perhaps towards a couple dozen popular protocols instead of hundreds. Progress, but doesn't change the fact that there are millions of devices in service, and that we'll never achieve one common language.
The second weapon in your arsenal is our ol' friend Modbus RTU and Modbus TCP. Virtually every manufacturer has had their arm twisted into offering this ubiquitous protocol as a 2nd language - and I've already introduced you to our Vlinx Modbus Gateway that solves the communications conundrums that Modbus leaves you with such as ASCII, RTU and TCP conversion, mismatched baud rates, address conflicts and more.
View Vlinx Modbus Gateway
But what if Modbus isn't on the menu? I've got a new solution.
We've added a "Fieldbus Gateway" to our Vlinx family of conversion products. What exactly is a fieldbus gateway? It's a powerful blue box with three major tricks up its sleeve. In fact, it has so many applications that I can't help but visualize the late pitchman Billy Mays forgoing OxiClean to amp up the Vlinx VFG.
First, it's a protocol translator. It has a library of over one hundred (and growing) different industrial protocols and will let you connect most any mismatched device together, particularly bringing any fieldbus protocol over to any Ethernet based protocol. Bring critical data from controller brand X to HMI brand Y. You name it - if you have still have islands of automation that you'd like to integrate, the translation function of the Vlinx Fieldbus Gateway will make it happen.
Then Billy Mays would have boomed, "But wait, there's more!"
Vlinx Fieldbus Gateway is also a smart datalogger. It will store data - a lot of data - a gargantuan amount if you add in an SD memory card. And it doesn't just store it - you can set it up to email and ftp you, and send email alarms or even text messages when that data goes outside of limits that you set.
"But that's not all!" Billy would bellow - the embedded web server provides a window into your system - allowing you to build a graphical view into your data that you can reach remotely, right from your web browser. You can setup amazing graphing and trending screens to rival any HMI, with complete remote access.
Powerful stuff to be sure. And while you can't have one for three easy payments of $19.95, it's an amazingly affordable solution to your own tower of Babel.
View Vlinx Fieldbus Gateway
Happy Connections,
Mike Fahrion
e-support@bb-elec.com
815-433-5100