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OMNIfacts eNewsletter
 
  News from Omniflex
 Distributor Electronic Edition
http://www.omniflex.com		 2003-10-19 00:00:00
No.4

 

Omnifacts is published by Omniflex Pty Ltd. This newsletter is designed to inform and educate in the areas of monitoring and control.
This publication may be freely redistributed if copied in its entirety.  Portions of this newsletter may be reprinted with permission
In Control with the Maxiflex Process Automation Suite
Ian Loudon

A number of new significant modules and features have been added to the field proven Maxiflex product range over the last few months, and these modules have now seen active service in some interesting and exciting reference applications.

These features now place Maxiflex as an ideal platform for combined remote I/O and Process Control applications, where a combination of analogue and digital control, with difficult remote I/O or networking challenges exist in the application.

These new key features include:

  •  Ethernet Support (Modbus/TCP and Conet/e) integrated to the lower network layers.
  •  CONET/e - the new Conet over TCP/IP capability, bringing the full range of Conet network capabilities to the control room.
  • IEC61131 standard graphical programming tools
  •  Program in your choice of six graphical programming environments.
  • The P3 Process Automation Controller (PAC) - a powerful 32 bit CPU (called the P3) to implement these control strategies
  •  Auto-tuning PID Control functions.
  • New OPC Servers to support one of the industries most powerful industrial inter-networking strategies
  • Conet making the system easy to integrate into top end SCADA and other supervisory systems.

All of these new features still retain the incredible ease-of-use that Maxiflex customers have come to enjoy.

In order to combine all of these tools into a single marketable package,
we now introduce the Maxiflex Process Automation Suite - a collection of mix and match components and tools that make implementing distributed process monitoring and control strategies affordable and easy to implement.

 


What's in the Maxiflex PAS

  To summarize the Process Automation Suite comprises:

  • IEC 61131 Control Strategy Programming Environment for Windows
  • The Maxiflex PAC (Process Automation Controllers - P3 CPUs)
  • The Maxiflex Flexible Networking Environment
  • The Maxiflex Hierarchical Networking Technology
  • The Maxiflex Remote I/O Sub Systems Technology
  • Program-less Data Acquisition Function
  • Program-less Telemetry Functions
  • Integrated Date and Time Stamp (Event) Service
  • OPC Servers for a Variety of Network Protocols including Ethernet

Maxiflex P3 PAC( Process Automation Controllers)

The exciting new Maxiflex P3 CPU changes dramatically the way we can program systems. We use an IEC61131 Standard programming environment with 6 languages from Ladder through to Sequential Flow Chart. Maxiflex is now in Control or is it Distributed Control too! The P3 allows you to put control where you need it and distributed I/O everywhere else.

Maxiflex so much more than just Control.

Maxiflex has a suite of product applications that can be assembled to tackle any Process Control Application. You can now mix and match with amazing flexibility.

You have:

  • I/O System (Analogues, Digital's Direct Temperature Inputs and other third party serial devices)
  • Remote I/O Systems and Sub Systems (Collecting Data on Networks or wireless even)
  • Control Strategy Programming (6 Standard Programming Languages)
  • Open Networking Technology (Fieldbus to Ethernet Backbone)
  • OPC Servers (Open Servers for SCADA and DCS)
  • Connectivity to other DCS

Many of the "under the bonnet" features you have become accustomed to are still there to be used without having to create application programs for them.

  • Date and Time Stamped Events
  • Program-less Telemetry
  • Auto I/O scanning
  • Program-less Data Acquisition
  • All linked into the programming environment

Reduce system engineering configuration and set-up to hours rather than days.


The IEC 61131 Workbench and Engineering Diagnostic Tools

The 6 Languages supported are:

  • Ladder
  • Function Block
  • Flow Chart
  • Sequential Function Chart
  • Structured Text
  • Instruction List

The Workbench is scaled from 32 to unlimited I/O size tailoring the price to suit the size of application. You can now tackle Interlock Controls, Analogue Signal Processing with Trip/Alarm Interlocks and control algorithms right up to PID with Auto Tuning.

Conet Explorer provides the diagnostics tools for Networking and browsing and configuration of the CPU and intelligent I/O module parameters.

Don't miss the move to IEC61131 Standard programming with its ability to use all 6 langauges even within a single application.


Open Networking Technology

Open Networks is the name of the game these day, Maxiflex takes you all the way from Fieldbus level to Ethernet. We are adding to the list all the time.

  • Ethernet Conet/e
  • Ethernet Modbus TCP
  • Conet/c (Twisted Pair)
  • Conet/s (Wide Area Networks)
  • Conet/m (Radio)
  • Modbus
  • Hart

Omniflex Control Systems offer the ability to reliably network over existing plant cables, saving end users a considerable expense in cable costs in reaching those hard-to-reach locations in the plant.

Last Month:

Last month we talked about several important topics including:
 

  • In Control with the Maxiflex Process Automation Suite
  • What's in the Maxiflex PAS
  • The IEC 61131 Workbench and Engineering Diagnostic Tools
  • Open Networking Technology

If you missed these or other key discussions,
you can find the back issues on the newsletters page of our website:

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This publication may be freely redistributed if copied in its ENTIRETY.  Portions of this newsletter may be reprinted with permission.

(c) Copyright 2003 OMNIFLEX PTY LTD 

  
In this Issue
• In Control with the Maxiflex Process Automation Suite
• What's in the Maxiflex PAS
• The IEC 61131 Workbench and Engineering Diagnostic Tools
• Open Networking Technology
   
• Last Month's Issue
• Subscribe/Unsubscribe

Integration at your fingertips.

Put your control systems together with ease, use the automated processes within your control strategy.

Powerful Networking

Inter-network EVERYTHING from Ethernet to those hard-to-reach places in the Plant over Conet.

Ease of Use

Only write programs when you need to. The point and click configuration of the rest makes it surprisingly quick and easy to do.

    Good Analogue Support

Including PID Control, direct sensor inputs, 1500V Isolation

IEC61131 graphical programming

Get aboard the standard. Choice of 6 Languages

OPC Servers

Open Systems into Windows Environment, Windows Applications and SCADA clients

Cost Effective

The modular design allows you to start small and grow big without huge up front investments.

Total Cost of Ownership

This all adds up to low total cost of ownership.

Need more infomation!

Get the PAC Suite Datasheet from the Web now!

http://www.omniflex.com/pasuite.asp
Have you registered on the Website yet!