Index Real-Time Magazine 4Q97
Editorial
By Martin Timmerman, Chief-Editor of Real-Time Magazine,
Real-Time Consult.
INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION - 97q4 - p.3
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| TORNADO |
TORNADO Evaluation
This article presents an executive summary of the overall
evaluation of Wind River's Tornado. The idea is to give an impression not
only of the operating system but also of the development environment. We
examine the installation and configuration process, the kernel, the different
tools supplied and the documentation. Furthermore, in the conclusion, we
talk about the type of applications the RTOS is suitable for.
By Dr. ir. Martin Timmerman, Managing Director, Jean-Christophe
Monfret, Project Manager, Real-Time Consult, Laurent Uhres, Software Engineer,
Real-Time Consult.
INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION
- 97q4 - p.6
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| WINDOWS CE |
Windows CE on x86-based Emb. Platforms
The Windows CE embedded operating system (OS) has been
designed by Microsoft to be the cornerstone of a complete, standards-based
operating environment that enables OEMs, hardware manufacturers and software
developers to easily create standards-based communication, entertainment
and mobile-computing devices. As such, it is destined to unify the currently
fragmented embedded OS market and provide a compact, highly scalable OS
solution. When coupled with other widely accepted standards, such as the
x86 platform and the PC architecture, Windows CE enables developers to
focus on adding value to the application rather than on core functionality
issues. This article will examine the benefits of adopting Windows CE for
x86-based embedded designs, and provides a case study of a Pentium processor
based system with Windows CE in Flash memory.
By Christophe Grujon, Product Marketing Manager, Rick
Marion, Software Engineering Manager, RadiSys Corporation.
INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION
- 97q4 - p.12
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| INDUSTRIAL PC VS. PLC |
CHOICES: Perspectives on the Future of Automation Control
"With all the controller choices available, making an
informed decision requires you to look beyond the box and into how the
core functions solve your application."
This article is a joined effort from the Control &
Information Group of Rockwell Automation.
INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION
- 97q4 - p.16
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PLCs versus Industrial PCs: a point of view
Nowadays there is a lot of discussion going on about
the effect of Industrial PCs as replacements for PLCs. This article wants
to share a vision with you.
By Eelco van der Wal, Managing Director, PLCopen.
INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION
- 97q4 - p.31
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| PC/104 |
PC/104: The Non-Backplane Alternative
There lots of good reasons to use the PC architecture
as the hardware and software basis for embedded systems. However, standard
desktop-PCs don't satisfy the space, power, ruggedness, quality, reliability,
and longevity requirements of most embedded designs. The compact, modular
PC-compatible PC/104 standard was developed specifically to provide PC
architecture compatibility for embedded applications and modules designed
to these standard posses the important characteristics required by embedded
system manufacturers.
By Rick Lehrbaum, Executive Vice President, Strategic
Development, Ampro Computers, Inc.
INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION
- 97q4 - p.37
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| INDUSTRIALPCI |
IndustrialPCI: Candidate for PLC Replacement
The PCI has been a great success in the home and office
market. It is without any doubt the most widely used bus in the desktop
PC market. Will it be accepted in an industrial environment as well? PCs
with or without PCI cards have been used in industrial applications for
some time now. Real industrial applications, however, require careful analysis
of environmental and real-time conditions. These issues have been addressed
by the developers and suppliers of IndustrialPCI (IPCI). They have been
and still are supplying PLCs (Programmed Logic Control) and other control
equipment to industrial customers. Their 'know-how' has gone into the design
and development of IPCI.
By Herman Strass, Technology Consulting.
INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION
- 97q4 - p.41
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| DISTRIBUTED CONTROL |
PC-based direct control flattens control hierarchy, opens information
flow
Personal computer (PC) technology, while already entrenched
in office environments, is just beginning to have an impact on industrial
automation. For the most part, PCs are used in factories and plants to
handle the operator interface (OI) function for programmable controllers
(PLCs) or distributed control systems (DCSs). In this capacity, their involvement
is limited to indirect control or, at best, Supervisory control functions
(perhaps by detecting and organising alarms).
By David Cawlfield, Software Developer, OMNX Direct
Control.
INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION
- 97q4 - p.47
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It’s All a Matter of Time
In this article, we enumerate techniques to represent
the architecture and timing requirements of a typical distributed process
control system so that these techniques can be applied. We use an example
mission-critical nuclear plant control system to illustrate the solution.
Finally, we outline an extensible framework to describe process control
system architectures so that timing analyses can be automated and other
techniques can be added as 'plug-in' modules.
By Srini Vasan, Chief Executive Officer, TimeSys Corporation,
Raj Rajkumar, Senior Systems Scientist, Carnegie Mellon University.
INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION
- 97q4 - p.54
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| PC-BASED CONTROL |
PC-based programmable logic controllers
The two concept variants for PC-based PLCs, the Slot
PLC and the single CPU solution, so-called SoftLogic are discussed. Especially
a Windows NT based SoftLogic for hard real-time applications is introduced.
Aspects and advantages of modern IEC 1131 PLC systems and their programming
methods concerning reusability of programs for different fieldbus systems,
symbolic access to PLC variables for visualization systems and multitasking
to guarantee defined reaction times are described.
By Dipl-Ing. Michael Petig, Group Manager, Dr. Bernd
Wüstenbecker, Project Manager, Klöpper und Wiege Software GmbH.
INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION
- 97q4 - p.61
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Hard Real-Time Control: Moving PLC Technology to the PC
Many manufacturers are turning to alternate solutions
to replace their current proprietary PLC technology used on the factory
floor. PC-based control is increasingly the method of choice. The benefits
to using a PC-based control solution that incorporates flow chart programming
include faster design cycles, lower down-time on the factory floor, ease
of use through Windows-based solutions, and improved economies of scale.
By Mike Klein, President, Steeplechase Software, Inc.
INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION
- 97q4 - p.64
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New Trends in Automation: Concepts for PC-based Controllers
Process optimization poses new challenges on the IT structures
in production environments. The industrial PC has become a standard platform
and key element in the manufacturing field. The role of the PC is more
and more being extended down to the machine control level, the traditional
domain of PLC's. The article points out reasons for this trend and gives
an overview of the different concepts of PC based controllers. An introduction
is given to the work of the Open Control user group, which is determined
to use the PC platform as basis of a modular and open automation architecture.
Finally the approach IBM takes to implement PC based control is presented.
By Peter Fröhlich, Marketing + Consulting Embedded
Solutions, IBM Deutschland Informationssysteme GmbH.
INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION
- 97q4 - p.67
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| PLC |
PC vs. PLC for Machine and Process Control
The proprietary architectures of traditional PLCs are
prompting industrial system designers to explore alternative solutions.
As an alternative, PCs offer standard hardware, software and GUIs -- but
may lack in ruggedized specifications and high-level support. A middle
ground is emerging to offer system designers the best of both worlds. This
article explores the various paths to success in factory automation system
design.
By J. Borges, Director of Marketing, Control and Measurements,
SBS GreenSpring Modular I/O.
INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION
- 97q4 - p.71
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Make Your Own Open Architecture PLC
This article describes how you can build your own open
architecture Programmable Logic Controller (PLC). We look at selection
criteria for each component separately and address reliability, price,
and vendor service. A few defacto hardware standards have emerged. The
vendor competition in these segments are continually driving prices down,
and this trend isn't about to stop. Whether you're a Systems Integrator,
OEM or End User, you can now build your own PLC, and there are compelling
reasons to do this.
By Dick Hollenbeck, President, SoftPLC Corp.
INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION
- 97q4 - p.74
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| OPC |
OPC: OLE for Process Control
Industrial automation users are entering a new era in
which seamlessly integrated, multivendor control systems will become a
reality, and proprietary software and hardware interfaces will become a
thing of the past. Dramatic advances in software technology are promising
to transform the world of integration headaches imposed by today's proprietary
systems into compatible systems and devices. A promising new software standard
in industrial automation is OLE for Process Control, or OPC. The goal of
the OPC foundation is to establish an open connectivity standard based
upon Microsoft's OLE/COM. When manufacturers agree on OLE standards it
will be effective as part of an integration framework because OPC provides
plug-and-play communication and interoperability between field devices,
control systems, and enterprise-wide business applications. The rise of
OPC is an example of the effect that general-purpose computer technology
is having on the automation industry. As more systems take advantage of
the open software and hardware architecture of the PC, manufacturing systems
will become increasingly more open, flexible, and lower cost. New technologies
based on standards now give us a great opportunity to create an integrated
software environment that permits development of reusable, plug-and-play
objects that are interoperable across corporate-wide manufacturing and
business applications.
By Mike Santori, Director Industrial Automation Marketing,
National Instruments.
INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION
- 97q4 - p.78
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| FIELDBUS |
CAN/OPEN is Tackling the Competition with Interbus/S and LON
CAN is a protocol that describes a network for controlling
I/O. This article explains CAN/OPEN profiles and their use in industrial
applications. It also compares CAN/OPEN with other fieldbuses such as Profibus/DP
and Interbus/S, and explores the future of industrial communication protocols.
By Rob Hulsebos, System Engineer, Philips Industrial
Automation Systems.
INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION
- 97q4 - p.82
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AS-Interface in a Real-Time Environment
AS-Interface, the Actuator-Sensor-Interface, is the simplest
automation networking solution. It has already proved to be the new industrial
standard for networking on the lowest field level i.e. in the range of
mostly binary sensors and actuators and other simple elements. The general
benefits for the user are obvious: low-cost, easy handling, flexible structures
etc. But what does this mean for networking with PLCs and PCs in a real-time
environment?
By Dr. Otto W. Madelung, Operations Manager, AS-International
e.V.
INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION
- 97q4 - p.88
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| SSD |
Everything you always wanted to know about SSD (but were afraid
to ask)
An embedded system is supposed to operate like an appliance.
When you turn on a microwave oven or TV, you don't expect to wait half
a minute for it to boot its operating software from a disk drive. You want
it to perform its intended function instantly. Such systems, if they contain
microcontrollers, normally load their software instantly from a ROM, not
from a disk drive.
By Rick Lehrbaum, Executive Vice President, Strategic
Development, Ampro Computers, Inc
INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION
- 97q4 - p.91
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| OTHERS |
Advertisement Index
INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION - 97q4 - p.77
Agenda
INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION - 97q4 - p.98
Company Directory - Industrial Automation
INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION - 97q4 - p.101
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CONTENTS TABLE
EDITORIAL
TORNADO
WINDOWS CE
INDUSTRIAL PC VS. PLC
PC/104
INDUSTRIAL PCI
DISTRIBUTED CONTROL
PC-BASED CONTROL
PLC
OPC
FIELDBUS
SSD
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