Volume 11 Issue 8, September 2009
We hope you find this issue of our e-mail update of what's new at AutomationDirect informative and, at times, a little amusing.
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We always welcome your comments or suggestions concerning this newsletter.

Editor's note:

Bring on the Fall Festivals

September has quickly rushed past us. It's that time of year when fall festivals are popping up everywhere and, combined with football games, our weekends are packed.

We at AutomationDirect continue to provide award-winning service and bring you new and exciting products to help streamline your industrial applications. With over 8,500 products in our offering, count on AutomationDirect to be the number one value in automation. Be sure to check out our newest product offerings.

In this month's newsletter, you'll learn of the newest products we have available, read the latest company news, and then take a break with the Lighter Side.
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Company News

AutomationTalk Webinar Schedule

Be sure to register for upcoming live Webinars. As we introduce new products, the topic list continues to increase. On September 30th, you don't want to miss our live webinar covering the new Productivity3000. In this supercharged seminar we will cover the best features of this new programmable automation controller and show you where to find more information and how to take advantage of the FREE software.

The schedule of topics for October includes Ethernet communications and a showcase of all of our current industrial components including Enclosures, Disconnects, Wire Track, Push Buttons and Lights. We will show you products we offer to complete a total panel building project. As always, each live webinar includes a question and answer session for viewers. Check out the latest schedule at AutomationTalk.com and sign up for the topic of your choice. Once registered, you will receive an email with schedule and login information.

If you are unable to attend the live webinars, we offer the same topics in recorded format. You will also find recorded seminars that may not have been broadcast. Visit www.automationtalk.com and view the seminar of your choice at your convenience.

Remember, if you have a topic you would like our team to discuss, send it to us. The AutomationTalk staff will look at each suggestion and try to add them to the lineup.

See the complete list of prerecorded seminars at www.automationtalk.com.

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AutomationDirect is on YouTube!

Be sure to check out and subscribe to our new AutomationDirect channel on YouTube. We have begun posting short versions of our tutorial videos on the popular Web site as a convenient way to quickly learn how our products work.
Subscribe today at www.youtube.com/automationdirectvids.

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Additional videos added to Learn site

By now, you know about learn.automationdirect.com. But, how often do you visit the site? Chances are there is more information there now than your last visit. Since August, we have added 13 tutorial videos to help you learn more about the various products offered by AutomationDirect, particularly the CLICK PLC.

Be sure to check http://learn.automationdirect.com for these and several other informative videos.

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The Robots are coming!

AutomationDirect and Forsyth County, Georgia have kicked off the 2009-2010 Robotics season, now in its fifth year. Due to the hard work of the parent mentors, teachers and students, there are now over 40 teams in the county, from Lego League teams in the elementary schools to the FIRST Robotics team at the high school level.

In addition to FIRST, there are teams that participate in the BEST, VEX, and MATE (underwater robots) competitions throughout the school year. One encouraging result of the program and the student demand that it has generated is that Forsyth County has installed an entire Engineering/Robotics Career Pathway in all high schools and is creating two Engineering Career Academies within those schools as well. And to highlight and encourage participation in the Robotics program this year, a FIRST team alumnus (and first-year Animation student at Savannah College of Art and Design) Chris Folea created this new commercial for the local movie theatre.

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Product News

Productivity 3000

The Productivity 3000 Programmable Automation Controller is the newest generation of industrial controllers that combines features and capabilities of a PC-based control system with that of a typical programmable logic controller. Productivity3000 is a modular, rack-based system of up to 115,000 I/O points with local, expansion and remote I/O bases and a full lineup of discrete, analog and specialty I/O modules. The high-performance CPU has 50Mb memory, fast scan times and industry-leading seven communication ports for $599.

TOP 10 Hardware Highlights

• High-performance CPU with 50Mb memory, fast scan time
• Modular rack-based footprint with 36 discrete and analog I/O option modules, up to 115K+ I/O
• Unmatched built-in communications capabilities, including local and remote I/O ports and networking
• Integrated drive communications over Ethernet
• LCD display on CPU and Remote Slave for configuration and diagnostics
• Patent-pending LCD?display on ALL analog modules - Helpful in troubleshooting and reading process values
• Hot-swappable I/O
• No module placement restrictions - any module in any slot, any base
• No power budget limitations
• Optional I/O terminal blocks or easy ZIPLink plug-and-play wiring

and a two-year warranty to boot!

TOP 10 Software Highlights

• Auto set-up and discovery of hardware
• Tag name database programming
• Task management
• Advanced "fill-in-the-blank" instructions
• Seamless Database connectivity
• Graphical HTML-based Help File
• Run-time editing
• Project file and user documentation stored in CPU
• USB data logging on the CPU
• Tag database export to C-more HMI

We want you to see just how productive this new controller can make you. That's why we're offering the programming software for FREE (downloadable online) right now - check out the tools, instruction set and programming/debug environment that will let you configure and program a system in less time than you can imagine. Go to www.automationdirect.com/PACs for an overview, or to www.productivity3000.com for comprehensive details.

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More Pneumatics Products



The NITRA™ line of pneumatic components now includes additional fittings and valves for use with polyurethane and nylon tubing. The ME and MS series fittings include two additional male straight and two male elbows with #10-32 thread. Added sizes include 5/32" and ¼" and are sold in packages of five starting at $4.25. The MEL series includes two additional long male elbow fittings. The 5/32" and ¼" fittings feature #10-32 threads and prices start at $10.00 for a five-pack.

The MSR series fittings are push-to-connect male straight round fittings available in ten sizes ranging from 5/32" to ¼" and 4mm to 6mm. These fittings feature a nickel-plated brass body with an internal hex socket, stainless steel gripping claws and pre-applied Teflon thread sealant. Prices start at $4.00 for a pack of five.

The HVU series of three-way hand valves is available in seven sizes ranging from ¼" to ½" and 6mm to 12mm; the valve blocks upstream pressure when closed and vents downstream pressure. Sold in packs of two, prices start at $12.75. CVU series union check valves have been added ranging from 5/32" to 3/8" and 6mm to 8mm sizes. The check valves allow air flow in one direction and block air flow in the reverse direction. Sold in packages of five, prices start at $28.75.

Stop valves are now available in sizes ranging from 5/32" to ½" and 6mm to 12mm diameters. Designed to block upstream air pressure when the downstream tube is removed, union stop valves are sold in packages of five starting at $26.75. A pneumatic tubing cutter designed for use with 1/8" to ½" and 4mm to 12mm flexible plastic tubing is available for $4.25.

The NITRA pneumatic product line also includes a series of stainless steel, round body, non-repairable cylinders.

The new cylinders feature type 304 stainless steel bodies with double rolled-in construction with high-strength aluminum alloy porting ends. Single and double acting models are available with nose, pivot and double-end mounting options. Certain cylinder models are also available with magnetic pistons for position indication. This series includes bore sizes from 7/16 inch up to 2 inches; depending on bore size, available stroke lengths range from ½ inch to 18 inches. NITRA pneumatic air cylinders are ideal for many applications such as packaging lines, conveyors, material handling and robotics.

Optional mounting brackets, nuts and rod clevis are available. Prices for NITRA non-repairable air cylinders start at $9.50 and are backed by a three-year limited warranty.

The latest addition to The NITRA™ line includes the CPS series of pneumatic position switches and accessories to offer a robust interface between pneumatic actuators and electrical control systems.

The solid-state electronic switches are available in 3-wire DC PNP and NPN normally open and PNP normally closed configurations and can be purchased with an M8 wiring connector or 2-meter cable with wire leads. Five mounting bands with adapters for round body cylinders are available ranging from 5/16" to 2" sizes. Pneumatic cylinder position switches start at $18.75 and are backed with a 3-year warranty.

Check out the full line of NITRA pneumatics

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From Automation NOTEBOOK

Anti-terrorist Barriers Help Protect Facilities

Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the need for perimeter security of potentially threatened facilities has increased dramatically. To accomplish this, several facilities around the globe have been installing devices called anti-terrorist barriers, used as added protection against invasion of potentially dangerous vehicles. Domestically, these anti-terrorist devices can be found at Federal Reserve banks, nuclear power plants, refineries, military bases, and municipal utilities. International installations include US Embassies and consulates.

The US Department of State sets strict standards for these barriers, with only a handful of manufacturers meeting the requirements. Among these strict requirements, the highest criterion for protection against attack by a vehicle is the ability to stop a 15,000 pound truck, traveling at 50 mph, within a 1 meter distance, which is barely over 3 feet.

Intertex Barriers, Inc. of Valencia, California is one of the manufacturers that have met these strict requirements. Intertex Barriers designs and installs deployable road blocking barricades that can stop a speeding truck, laden with explosives, from being delivered into the front lobby of a building. This is accomplished using a control system heavily comprised of products offered by AutomationDirect.

Find out how AutomationDirect products are being used to help secure our citizens and see fascinating photos here.

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The Lighter Side
(from one of those "www." places)

We've all heard the saying, "What goes around, comes around." Here is an interesting quote we ran across recently:

A Short History of Medicine:

2000 B.C. - "Here, eat this root."
1000 B.C. - "That root is heathen, say this prayer."
1850 A.D. - "That prayer is superstition, drink this potion."
1940 A.D. - "That potion is snake oil, swallow this pill."
1985 A.D. - "That pill is ineffective, take this antibiotic."
2000 A.D. - "That antibiotic is artificial. Here, eat this root."

                        ~ Author Unknown