EDITOR’S CHOICE
Reducing cabling effort with an integrated motor controller The EP7402 EtherCAT Box from Beckhoff aims to help the control architecture and cabling of roller conveyor systems become more efficient. With an IP67 protection rating, the compact motor controller for brushless DC (BLDC) electric motors is said to be suited to conveyor applications in intralogistics and assembly technology as well as in the packaging, food and beverage industries. The EP7402 EtherCAT Box offers two outputs with integrated motion controller for the direct connection of 24 V DC conveyor roller motors or other BLDC motors (up to 3.5 A). Eight additional digital inputs/outputs enable connection of photoelectric switches and
communication between the different box modules in operation without a PLC. The controller takes complete control of a roller motor independently of the conveyor or motor manufacturer without the need for sensors. Maximum rated current, acceleration or deceleration ramps and various other parameters can be configured, allowing optimal adaptation to different applications. In conveyor operation the EP7402 can also be operated without a PLC and provides functions such as Zero Pressure Accumulation
(ZPA) single or block discharge. Further EtherCAT devices, such as digital and analogue IOs, barcode readers or safety devices, can be connected to the additional EtherCAT junction.
Condition-monitoring function pack simplifies machine learning solutions STMicroelectronics has released a free STM32 software function pack that enables users to quickly build, train, and deploy intelligent edge devices for industrial condition monitoring using a microcontroller Discovery kit. Developed in conjunction with machine-learning expert, Cartesiam, the FP-AI-NANOEDG1 software pack contains all the necessary drivers, middleware, documentation, and sample code to capture sensor data, integrate, and run Cartesiam’s NanoEdge libraries. Users without specialist AI skills should be able to quickly create and
export custom machine-learning libraries for their applications using Cartesiam’s NanoEdge AI Studio tool running on a Windows10 or Ubuntu PC. The function pack simplifies complete prototyping and validation free of charge on STM32 development boards, before deploying on customer hardware where standard Cartesiam fees apply. The straightforward methodology established with Cartesiam uses industrial-grade sensors on-board a Discovery kit to capture vibration data from the monitored equipment both in normal operating modes and under induced abnormal conditions.
NanoEdge AI Studio analyses the benchmark data and selects precompiled algorithms from over 500 million possible combinations to create optimised libraries for training and inference. The function-pack software provides stubs for the libraries that can be easily replaced for simple embedding in the application. Once deployed, the device can learn the normal pattern of the operating mode locally during the initial installation phase as well as during the lifetime of the equipment, as the function pack permits switching between learning and monitoring modes.
Adaptable pressure transmitters A new range of pressure transmitters, designed to meet key requirements in most manufacturing and production industries, has been launched by ABB. The rugged PxS100 range is suited to use in the water, wastewater, metals, mining, pulp and paper, cement, and power ancillary sectors, fulfilling all routine requirements for pressure measurement. Interesting features include QR codes for easy access to online operational instructions and advice; abrasive resistant technology to protect the metallic diaphragm and extend working
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life; and ABB’s H-shield to protect against monatomic hydrogen and ensure measurement accuracy. The PxS100 series can be rapidly configured to accommodate hundreds of mountings, spans, and certification-equivalent options. A simple HMI rotates for visibility from any angle, features ‘through the glass’ configuration capabilities and can be ordered with easily accessible backlight for low light environments. In alignment with specifications requested by its reference market, the PxS100 provides base accuracy
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of 0.25% of span, with the option of improvement to 0.1%. It is available in both Gauge and Absolute sensor variants and offers five different measurement ranges, covering applications from 40 mbar up to 100 bar. Control Engineering Europe
