Molex Brad Automation Solutions at SPS/IPC/DRIVES 2011

– Molex Incorporated continues to upgrade and add enhancements to its Brad® automation products, which includes diagnostic tools and communications products that are ideal for a variety of applications including factory automation, process control and complex machines.

“Molex evaluates its products and services continuously, both internally and through conversations with our customers in the field,” said Michael Frayne, global product manager, Molex. “These latest enhancements will bring users more flexibility and cost savings and illustrate to our customers our continued commitment to their success.” The recent upgrades to the Brad automation line of products include:

•Royalty-free PROFIBUS Communication Device Type Manager (CommDTM) delivered with the SST™ PB3 backplane modules for Rockwell Automation ControlLogix controllers. The software is now free-of-charge and available for download from the Molex website. The SST PROFIBUS CommDTM enables applications that adhere to the FDT standard to easily access field devices on a PROFIBUS DP/PA network. The SST CommDTM uses Rockwell RSLinx* to connect SST PROFIBUS modules plugged into the controller chassis. This powerful system supports up to 16x DP-V1 simultaneous requests and can be used in parallel with DP acyclic commands sent by a Ladder logic application of the Rockwell Logix CPU. SST PROFIBUS CommDTM is FDT certified and has been tested with leading FDT frame applications including FactoryTalk AssetCentre†, PACTware‡ and FieldCare§ and others.

•The SST Remote DeviceNet Scanner now includes support for Windows** 7 (64 bit) and Windows CE. It has also undergone DeviceNet ODVA conformance. The product controls I/O devices connected to a DeviceNet network without consuming a PC slot. DIN rail mountable, several SST Remote DeviceNet Scanners can be connected via Ethernet to a PC. The PC can then be used to access/control all DeviceNet I/Os on the network as well as remotely access diagnostic information. The I/O update rate of the SST Remote DeviceNet Scanner is typically faster than a PC-based card on most PC bus systems. For those users wanting to move from using SST DeviceNet network interface cards to the SST Remote DeviceNet Scanner, the DLL is backward compatible, allowing preservation of the customer’s existing investment.

•The eNetMeter™ Portable Test Unit (PTU) bundles the market-leading eNetMeter hardware and NetAlytix™ software along with a 24V DC power supply and quick connections to both DeviceNet and EtherNet/IP in a hardened industrial case. The eNetMeter PTU has now obtained cULus and EN/IEC 60950-1 approval. The Brad NetAlytix v2 software makes it easier to quickly access DeviceNet signal issues using the network status tree and CAN waveform viewer. Additionally, faceplates are now available for the Rockwell Automation PanelView family of human machine interface products that allow quick access to specific data collected from the network by the eNetMeter DN.