Volume 8 Issue 7, October 2006
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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Editor's note:

Consider it Calorie Intake Training Camp
It's hard to believe it's that time of year again. Temps are dropping, days are getting shorter, and in certain parts of the country people are beginning to replace the shorts and bathing suits with sweaters and jackets. But, that also means it's time for the annual Calorie Intake Training Camp.
That's right, now that football is in full swing, tailgate parties are popping up everywhere, county fairs are gearing up, and fall festivals are happening every weekend, our sense of smell is nearing critical mass.

Just the thought of all the wonderful foods we only eat this time of year makes you feel your waist expand. The aromas of the corn dogs, funnel cakes, hamburgers, cotton candy, and caramel corn are enough to send us into diabetic comas. If that wasn't enough, now we can easily find deep fried candy bars and cookies. But we can just call it training as we kick off the holiday season.

In just a few days, pumpkins will morph into strange backlit faces and the sweet little children we see playing in our neighborhoods will magically transform into creatures from who knows where. They will come knocking on our doors begging for sugar-laden goodies of which they have been deprived for the last 11 months. But it's just all part of the annual Calorie Intake Training Camp.

As October prepares us for the culinary festivities to come, AutomationDirect is preparing for things to come in industrial control. Our newest catalog has been released and with over 1900 pages, and 6,000 parts, you'll find products for just about any application. Read on for exciting news about our newest product, the C-more Micro-Graphic Operator Interface panel, as well as our usual departments. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I smell pork rinds being fried, plus I need to get one of those caramel apples, and one of those foot long corn dogs, and one of those…

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Dynamite Comes in Small Packages
AutomationDirect has expanded the C-more family of operator interfaces with the C-more Micro-Graphic panels. These small (4.5 x 3.25 inches) yet powerful graphical panels are equipped with a 3-inch screen, have five user-programmable function keys with LED indicators and five backlight colors, and contain 768Kb of project memory. The offering includes both touch ($189) and non-touch ($139) models. C-more Micro panels display both text and bitmap graphics, and offer data entry, recipe handling and alarm capabilities. Optional snap-on keypads in 8-key or 20-key configurations are also available. Both C-more Micro-Graphic panels are configured with downloadable Windows-based programming software, which can be purchased for $25, or you can download it for free from the product website.

You Did It Again
Every year Control Design magazine surveys machine builder and system integrator readers to find which vendors provide the best technology value based on experiences with various products.

In the unaided survey, hardware and software categories were listed. The readers were then asked to name the company they felt provided the best service and support for the products they use. Once again, readers named AutomationDirect as Control Design's Readers' Choice in six of the 54 product categories.

In each of the six categories, on a scale of 1-5, AutomationDirect received scores of 4 or higher. This makes six years in a row that our customers consider AutomationDirect to be among the best in customer service and support in the industrial control industry. As always, we strive to continue the tradition of providing the most practical industrial automation products and the best customer service. With awards such as this, we know we are on the right track.
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Have You Tried Smiley's Island
Many of you, over 5,000, have proven that you have what it takes. Still, several of you haven't. And, you have no one to blame but yourself.

"Smiley's Island" is a fun interactive game in which AutomationDirect's popular mascot, Smiley, is shipwrecked on an uncharted island. Using the tools he has, you help Smiley repair and automate an abandoned hut to protect him from the scorching sun. Dodging cranky crabs and manic monkeys are all part of the job as you answer trivia questions about different areas of industrial control. Top scores are displayed to compare with other players. Plus, when you register, you qualify for weekly prizes.

Trivia questions will be updated periodically, so you'll want to play again and again. To take the voyage, click on "Smiley's Island."

Fresh Off the Presses
AutomationDirect's volume 11 catalog is so fresh off the presses, you just might get ink on your hands. The newest edition offers over 6,000 industrial automation products for a wide range of applications.

In addition to new products, the latest volume (over 1,900 pages) is filled with product descriptions, technical data, photos, and price lists for PLCs, touch panels, AC drives/motors, sensors, pushbuttons, enclosures, and more. For a free copy or more information, visit www.automationdirect.com or call 1-800-633-0405.
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Looking for CAD Drawings?

Our technical support team receives calls every day from customers in need of AutoCAD drawings of our products. Over the past several months, our documentation team has been working feverishly to expand the library of AutoCAD drawings offered by AutomationDirect. In the technical support section of our website, full-scale layered dimensional drawings for our PLC and other automation product lines are available for free download. The product is on a separate layer for easy extraction if required. Other items such as dimensions, text, center/hidden lines and special instructions/warnings are on additional layers.

All files are in "zip" format and can be extracted with an unzip utility such as WinZip. In partnership with ThomasNet, AutoCAD and other format template drawings can also be inserted directly into your CAD drawing. Using the PartSpec® system, there is nothing to download - just select the drawing you would like to use, and the PartSpec system takes care of the direct insert.
For the complete list of AutomationDirect's CAD drawings, click here.

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Gone Fishin'
In our last newsletter, we told you about our little Michigander-turned-Georgia-Peach, Keri Schieber. As a competitive co-angler, Keri entered the final tournament of the 2006 Toyota Women's Bassmaster Tour in fourth place for the season. The tournament was held on Bull Shoals Lake in Theodosia, Missouri in late September and it was a challenge for all the anglers.
The top twelve pros and co-anglers after this event would qualify to fish at the National Championship on Lake Mitchell in Alabama in February 2007.

With low numbers of fish weighed in only one keeper could put you in contention for placing in the money. Keri was able to boat three small keeper spotted bass during the two qualifying days, missing the final six cut off by only three ounces. She was still happy with her final standing of 8th place for the tournament.

It was a tough competition, but we are proud to announce that Keri finished in 3rd place for the season, qualifying her for the National Championship in February.

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More Fuses Mean More Protection
AutomationDirect has extended its line of Edison fuses to include the J, RK1, and RK5 classes of fuses, which includes glass and ceramic fuses to provide fast-acting and time-delay protection for electronic needs including PLC outputs, pilot lights and other control devices. Prices for electronic fuses start at $1.25 (for a pack of 5).
More information on fuses

More Motors with More Power
AutomationDirect has extended their line of Marathon Blue Chip XRI and Black Max vector duty motors to include 575V models. Available in 15-100 hp sizes, Blue Chip XRI motors meet NEMA Premium efficiency levels. Prices start at $765.00.

The Black Max motors' low-inertia design is well-suited for high-performance applications such as machine tools, crane and hoist systems, conveyors, packaging, and converting equipment. The new 575V models are available in sizes ranging from ½ to 30 hp. Prices start at $185.00.
More information on motors
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Control and Monitoring of Wastewater Treatment No Longer a Mess for Rock Hill

The City of Rock Hill, South Carolina needed to improve the aging control and monitoring system used for the city's wastewater treatment facility. Because the current system was difficult to work with and expensive to maintain, the city decided it would make more economical sense to replace it with something that had greater I/O capacity, was easy to update, and would be less expensive to maintain.

The old system was a FoxBoro I/A system with a fixed UNIX operating system. Due to the complexity, each time a button needed to be added to the screen, a service call would be placed and then a technician would schedule an appointment to complete the task. In addition to the inconvenience, the cost would be between $1,500 and $2,000. Also, the current system had no more I/O points available to connect additional equipment. The city needed a new Windows-based system with an open architecture that offered both flexibility and expansion capabilities.

The City of Rock Hill hired INTEWORX.NET to implement the new control and monitoring system for the wastewater treatment facility. Following their recommendations, the city used Think & Do software for the controls, and InduSoft Web Studio to monitor the HMI SCADA part of the new system. These products offered the expandability, flexibility, and ease of use that they needed. Also, the city would have the added feature of remote monitoring with the use of a web browser or mobile PDAs.

Using Think & Do WinPLCs, where local control was required, and AutomationDirect Ethernet 205 remote I/O to gather process information, now the people who need to have an overview of the facilities can check each facility's progress at any given moment, and receive accurate information and status reports.
To read the full details of how INTERWORX.NET helped clean up Rock Hill, SC, and for more application stories, click here.

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(Taken from one of those "www." places)

Top 10 Signs You Are Too Old to Be Trick or Treating:

10. You get winded from knocking on the door.
9. You have to have a kid chew the candy for you.
8. You ask for high fiber candy only.
7. When someone drops a candy bar in your bag, you lose your balance and fall over.
6. People say, "Great Keith Richards mask!" and you're not wearing a mask.
5. When the door opens you yell, "Trick or ..." and can't remember the rest.
4. By the end of the night, you have a bag full of restraining orders.
3. You have to carefully choose a costume that won't dislodge your hairpiece.
2. You're the only Power Ranger in the neighborhood with a walker.
1. You get excited when someone gives you a bran muffin instead of candy.

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