Volume 9 Issue 5, August 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:

The dog days are upon us.

This summer is a scorcher, and things here at AutomationDirect are even hotter. We released three new products over the last month, and the release of more new products is planned for the not-so-distant future.

We are currently compiling our new product catalog. Several new products have been added as well as updated technical information on thousands of items. Look for it to arrive in the fall.

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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Share your shipping addresses with multi-users within your account

A new feature now available at www.automationdirect.com allows multi-users within a company online account to share their shipping addresses with each other.

Here is how to use this feature:

Share shipping addresses: You can share individual or all shipping addresses with account multi-users. A shared shipping address becomes available to all the multi-users of that account, although the addresses can be modified only by the original owner.

To share individual shipping addresses, go to "Address Book" from the My Account menu tab. Select a shipping address from the drop down list. Mark the checkbox at the bottom of the form to "share this address with all account multi-users".

To share all shipping addresses, go to "Preferences" from the My Account menu tab. Mark the checkbox to "Share my shipping addresses with all account multi-users."

You can also share your cart and quotes with all account users by simply selecting a checkbox on the cart and quote pages.

Shipping deadline for LTL freight extended

In-stock products shipped from our Cumming, GA location requiring LTL freight shipping can now be ordered as late as 4 P.M. EST and be shipped the same day (previous deadline was 12 P.M.). This includes larger AC drives and motors.

AutomationDirect supports Eagle Scout project

Eagle Scout candidate Tyler Law recently presented our product managers with his idea to help a local non-profit healthcare facility improve their patient-status notification system.

The Good Samaritan Health Center of Cobb County currently uses a series of colored flags mounted outside each exam room to indicate what type procedure, such as blood work, is requested by the physician. In an ideal situation, a long single hallway with unobstructed views would allow nurses to see from their station what procedure is needed. But the ideal situation does not exist here.

Due to the layout of the health center, only one or two rooms are visible from the nurse's station. Exam rooms extend down multiple hallways, making it difficult to efficiently monitor patient status.

In an effort to improve efficiency, doctors at Good Samaritan considered installation of a new patient-status indicator light system. Being a non-profit facility, limited funding prevented the upgrade.

When Tyler learned of the facility's need, he and technical advisor Kirk Maassen, a Lockheed Martin engineer, turned to AutomationDirect to find an affordable solution. They consulted with our product managers to determine the products best suited for the application.

With the new system, each exam room will be equipped with a call box fitted with four illuminated indicators of different colors. When the physician activates one of the indicators, a corresponding indicator will activate at the nurse's station, indicating the patient's need.

An additional single indicator will be installed at the reception desk to notify the nurse of a patient waiting in the reception area. Once the patient has checked in, the receptionist will activate the indicator, which will activate the corresponding indicator at the nurse's station.

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New SOLO™ Process/Temperature Controllers

AutomationDirect announces the addition of the new SOLO process/temperature controller line to its list of products. With 22 models, 11 of which are priced under $100, these controllers are powerful process tools that offer flexibility and simplicity.

Available in four standard DIN sizes (1/4, 1/8, 1/16, and 1/32), each unit is equipped with a dual four-digit, seven-segment display, useful for process variable and setpoint display. Each model offers dual output control, making it ideal for heating and cooling processes. Output configurations are available in various combinations of mechanical relays, pulse outputs and voltage or current outputs. The built-in autotune function with PID control feature allows for fast and easy startups. Flexible control modes include PID, Ramp/Soak, ON/OFF and Manual operation. Universal inputs are standard on all controllers, including thermocouple, RTD, milliamp (mA), millivolt (mV) and DC voltage. Select models are equipped with three available alarm groups.

All SOLO process/temperature controllers support 13 types of temperature inputs and five types of analog inputs. All units offer RS-485 serial communications, allowing use of free software (downloadable from www.automationdirect.com) to configure and monitor up to eight SOLO™ controllers using Modbus RTU or ASCII protocols. This utility provides the ability to monitor and log historical data and save it to .txt files. RS-485 serial communications also provides connection to a human-machine interface, PC or PLC, allowing applications to react to data being read from the controllers.

SOLO process temperature controllers can also be configured manually with the user-friendly keypad on each unit; with simple programming steps, applications can be up and running quickly.

To see the full line of SOLO process/temperature controllers, visit www.automationdirect.com.

New Atlas™ Industrial Monitors

AutomationDirect has added the ATLAS line of industrial grade LCD color monitors to its list of products. Available in 15", 17", and 19" sizes, the heavy duty TFT flat panel monitors offer superb quality and competitive prices. Offering non-touch and analog resistive touch screen models, their industrial specifications and very thin panel mounted depth (less than 2.75") make ATLAS ideal for factory automation applications.

Housed in heavy-duty steel chassis and powder-coated machined aluminum bezels, all models are equipped with 100-240 VAC input power supplies and NEMA 4/4X/12 panel-mountable front bezels. The full line is also equipped with analog video (VGA) connections, and the "T" models provide USB and RS232 connections for the five-wire analog resistive touch screen.

ATLAS ATM1500 and 1500T monitors, starting at $995, are designed for harsh industrial environments, including Class I and II, Division 2, hazardous locations. These 15" monitors display all VESA video modes up to 1024 x 768 with 16 million colors.

ATLAS ATM1700/1700T monitors (starting at $1,395) and the ATM1900/1900T monitors (starting at $1,695) are also Class I and II, Division 2 rated and accept standard analog VGA input as well as digital DVI video input. These monitors display all VESA video modes up to 1280 x 1024 with 16 million colors.

The full line of ATLAS industrial grade LCD monitors are UL and cUL listed, European CE and RoHS compliant, and are backed by a two-year warranty.

To see the full line of Atlas Industrial Monitors,
visit www.automationdirect.com

New I-Flex Liquid-Tight Tubing

AutomationDirect now offers I-Flex flexible liquid-tight PVC tubing and connectors. The new tubing provides electrical wire protection outside the control cabinet and is suitable for indoor and outdoor applications. I-Flex liquid-tight tubing maintains excellent tensile strength, withstands temperatures from -4°F to +140°F, and provides superb protection where vibration, flexing, and movement exist.

Designed for maximum flexibility and for use in extremely tight quarters, I-flex tubing is available in 30 meter (approximately 98') rolls and comes in light grey or black. When used with available I-Flex straight and 90 degree connectors, the tubing provides NEC and UL approved protection against water, oil, and other damaging liquids.

I-Flex flexible liquid-tight PVC tubing and straight connectors are available in 3/8" to 2" sizes and 90-degree connectors are available up to 1 1/4" sizes. Prices for tubing start at $25 (30-meter roll) and connectors start at $18 for a pack of 20.

To see the full line of I-Flex liquid tight tubing,
visit www.automationdirect.com

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AutomationDirect offers Disconnect Enclosures

AutomationDirect now offers steel and stainless steel flanged enclosures for mounting disconnects. NEMA 4, 4X and 4/12 wall mount enclosures are available along with NEMA 12 wall mount, floor mount and free standing versions.

These enclosures are designed to house disconnects from manufacturers including Allen-Bradley®, ABB Controls, Cutler-Hammer/Westinghouse, General Electric, I-T-E and Square D as well as the Ferraz line sold by AutomationDirect.

The NEMA rated cabinets range in size from 20"x21"x8" wall-mountable to 84"x197"x18" heavy duty free-standing units. The full line of disconnect enclosures meets NEMA standards for performance and protection of the electrical equipment installed within them. Prices start at $280. A full line of adapter plates and accessories is also available.

To see the full line of disconnect enclosures, subpanels, and accessories, visit www.automationdirect.com

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D2-250 PLC PID loops control pumps in residential water system

Wyoming Controls uses DirectLOGIC PLCS, AC drives and an operator interface to control water flow and pressure in a residential water system.

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)

Here are a few things to ponder:

• How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of just murdered?
• Why do you have to "put your two cents in"...but it's only a "penny for your thoughts"? Where's that extra penny going?
• Why does a round pizza come in a square box?
• What disease did cured ham actually have?
• How is it that we put a man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?
• Why is it that people say they "slept like a baby" when babies wake up every two hours?
• Why are you IN a movie, but you're ON TV?
• Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?
• Why do toasters always have a setting that burns the toast to a horrible crisp, which no decent human being would eat?
• If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a stupid song about him?
• If the professor on Gilligan's Island can make a radio out of a coconut, why can't he fix a hole in a boat?
• If Wiley E. Coyote had enough money to buy all that ACME junk, why didn't he just buy dinner?
• If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?
• Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him for a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?

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