Volume 9 Issue 4, June 2007
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:

Keep those systems running.

With summer's arrival, it seems everyone is making plans for family vacations and weekend get-aways. While you are on the beach, in the mountains, on the lake, or catching a show on Broadway, how do you know everything is running smoothly back at the workplace?

By using quality industrial control products from AutomationDirect, you can take that much-needed R & R and focus on more important things like family, friends, and that next big fish.

With over 6,000 industrial control products, AutomationDirect keeps your applications running smoothly. Plus, we have many new products coming down the pike.

In this month's newsletter, you'll learn the latest company news, find helpful application information, and then take a break with the Lighter Side.

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AutomationDirect's new shipping policies for Canadian customers make it easier than ever to order direct from the U.S.

Free standard ground shipping is now available for orders totaling over $300 U.S. (except for items which require LTL shipping. Those items always incur shipping charges; however, their value is used to calculate if an order is over $300 total.)

All other shipping services (such as expedited and LTL), and shipping on orders under $300, are calculated based on order weight, and are charged at the carrier's published rates. (To determine if an item requires LTL shipping, check the "Availability" column of the printed price list.)

Read the Shipping Options document for complete details, guidelines and any restrictions.

Also, now save on brokerage fees when shipping standard ground to Canada!
You can choose to allow AutomationDirect to nominate a broker for your shipment for parts shipping via standard ground.
This can save you a bundle on brokerage fees:

• Orders under $17 U.S. are duty, tax and brokerage-free, pay only
  applicable shipping charges
• Orders from $17 to $34 U.S. incur a flat $6 brokerage fee, plus
  applicable duties, taxes and shipping charges
• Orders over $34 U.S. incur a flat $10 brokerage fee, plus applicable
  duties, taxes and shipping charges

When using this option, all brokerage, duties, taxes and applicable shipping charges are calculated when you place your order, so there are no surprises when the shipment arrives.

Certain items cannot be brokered through AutomationDirect, including drop-ship items from any location other than our Cumming, GA warehouse, and any items that must be shipped LTL freight. Read the Shipping Options document for complete details, guidelines and restrictions.

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AutomationDirect Adds Disconnect Enclosures

AutomationDirect announces the addition of disconnect enclosures from Hubbell/Wiegmann. The NEMA rated cabinets range in size from 20"x21"x8" wall-mountable to 84"x197"x18" heavy duty free-standing units. A full line of adapter plates and accessories is also available. The full line of disconnect enclosures meets NEMA standards for performance and protection of the electrical equipment installed within them.

The NEMA 12 rated SDN 12 Series single-door wall mount disconnect enclosures are constructed of 14 gauge steel bodies and doors with plasma welded seams. The poured-in-place polyurethane seamless gaskets provide watertight and dustproof seals. SDN 12 enclosures are equipped with a ground stud in the door and collar studs for mounting optional subpanels. Enclosures with or without padlocking, defeater handle and latching systems are available. Prices for the SDN 12 Series start at $280.

The NEMA 12-rated ABN12 Series single-door wall mount flanged disconnect enclosure is designed to house Allen-Bradley 1494F flange-mounted disconnect switches and Bulletin 1494D flange-mounted operators for circuit breakers. These enclosures have pre-drilled holes in the bodies and doors for mounting disconnect switches, operating mechanisms and door hardware. Prices for the ABN12 series start at $295.

NEMA 4X single-door wall mount enclosures are also available. The SSN4X series is constructed of 14 gauge 304 stainless steel bodies and doors with continuously welded seams. Stainless steel door clamps, in conjunction with closed-cell neoprene and poured-in-place polyurethane gaskets, provide for a watertight seal. Additional door hardware is not required. Prices for the SSN4X series start at $890.

The WAX and WACPX heavy duty NEMA 12 floor-mount disconnects enclosures are available in "Right Flange" and "Center Post" models. Both models, constructed of 10 gauge steel, are equipped with mechanical interlocks to prevent the slave door from opening before the master door. These enclosure doors have closed-cell neoprene gaskets. Universal cutouts provide mounting for most disconnects operators by using operator adapters. Prices start at $1,850.

The heavy duty NEMA 12 freestanding WAXM series is constructed of 10 gauge steel. Equipped with mechanical interlocks, slave doors can only be opened after the master door. The doors can be closed in any order. These freestanding enclosures are also equipped with body stiffeners for added rigidity and the center post is removable for easy panel installation. Prices for freestanding units start at $1,410.

See the full line of disconnect enclosures, subpanels, and accessories

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Enhanced Recipe Functions added to C-more touch panels

The new version of C-more software introduces the concept of Multiple Source Recipes and ‘Recipe Sheets'. With Multiple Source Recipes, a Recipe object will still load a single set of values or tags into the predefined group of PLC tags. With the enhancements, you can now organize your sets of recipe data into Recipe Sheets within a Recipe Database. (These functions are available in version 1.30 build 07.21 and higher.)

The Recipe Sheets resemble those of many spreadsheet editors where you can import and export (or even ‘drag and drop') your recipe data to and from MS Excel® to and from the Recipe Sheet. The top row contains the list of PLC tags that will be written to when a recipe from this sheet is loaded. Each row of data in the sheet is a separate recipe. C-more allows 99 recipe sheets, with up to 255 tag values (columns) per recipe, and 1000 rows (recipes) per sheet. Please note, there are more practical limits imposed by available memory in your C-more unit and/or on your flash drive.

C-more previously offered a single recipe object, and each instance of that object used in a project was capable of loading up to 99 values (constants or tag data) into 99 PLC tags. This is known as a "Single Source Recipe", and is still available in the new version. The recipe functions in old projects you have developed will be unaffected by the enhancements, unless you decide to update the project to take advantage of the new capabilities.

With the new recipe functions, C-more now allows on-screen display and editing of recipe values using the Call Recipe object. You can also adjust the level of recipe access. For instance, you might allow some operators to view recipes, others to load recipes, and allow maintenance personnel to edit.

If editing the values on the panel screen is not convenient, the recipe sheets can be copied from the panel, modified and pasted back utilizing C-more's FTP server function. You can even backup your recipe sheets to a USB flash drive or CompactFlash and restore them to the panel at a later date, if needed.

So check out the new recipe features of C-more, and let us know what you think.

Download a sample recipe project as well as free demo software

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Control system combines off-the-shelf components with Terminator I/O

Turbine Diagnostic Services has developed affordable ways its customers can monitor and control turbine generator applications. By incorporating off-the-shelf products with Terminator I/O from AutomationDirect, their customers can afford to have "a complete set of spare parts in stock for a price similar to that of other system individual component pricing."

Click here for the rest of this story or to get a complete list of application stories, visit our AutomationNotebook.com

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

Bumper Stickers spotted in metro Atlanta:

1. I'd rather YOU were fishing.
2. I may be fat. But you're ugly. And I can diet.
3. National Spelling Bee Runer-up
4. Be alert. The world needs more lerts.
5. I didn't climb to the top of the food chain to become a vegetarian.
6. Alcohol and calculus do not mix. Don't drink and derive!
7. 5.0 hamsters under the hood
8. Buckle up! It makes it harder for the aliens to suck you out of your car.
9. Nice front bumper you've got there. Shame if something happened to it…
10. My mother was a moonshiner, and I love her still.
11. Resistance is futile (if >1 ohm).
12. Rock is dead. Long live paper and scissors.
13. If you can read this, I've lost the trailer!
14. The trouble with life is there's no background music.
15. I'm always late. My ancestors arrived on the Juneflower.
    

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