Cloverfield

Industrial Automation Meets Home Automation Robotics Part One - By N.L. Belardes

I've met enough industrial automation super-tech-geeks (mostly sales guys) who use industrial automation equipment to run their own jimmy-rigged home automation setups. They power the lights, the jacuzzi, the temperature, television and DVD player. Even their showers turn on and off and the heat is regulated!

That's a lot of programming that non-Dilberts just aren't going to have the know-how for, and shows that some sales guys have some incredible spare time! But it's also a sign that home automation is real, is marketable, and that just because people in the industrial automation sector are the ones setting up such networks, doesn't mean your average Joe doesn't want to increase the laziness factor. Oops, I mean efficiency factor...

My question is, if industrial automation people are crossing over, and ease-of-use products are becoming more real, then when is an industrial automation company going to split and go way of the mainstream in home automation. OK, maybe that's still in the future.

Here's a video I shot of Hanson Robotics a few months ago at Wired's Nextfest in Los Angeles. When these doodads come out I wonder who will jimmy-rig one to a CompactLogix:

Industrial Automation Blogosphere Growing Despite Lurking And No Commenting - By N.L. Belardes

There sure are a lot of automation-related blogs out there these days. Great to see the old timers of the industrial automation blog world are still working hard: Gary Mintchell, Jim Cahill, Carl Henning, Walt Boyes and Eric Murphy.

But still not a lot of blog commenting going on. That means a lot of lurking, a lot of reading, a lot of checking out the voices in the automation community scene without having to engage in actual public conversation online.

It's an interesting business, automation. Everyone wants to be talked about--got products to sell, but not many believe in radical transparency: just talking honestly about product and business and letting others see you talk.

Most companies just want to smear marketing gibberish online. I like real conversations.

I wasn't surprised to read on Mintchell's Feed Forward a real conversation about the possibility of Rockwell being sold. What surprised me at first was the lack of comments about a $5 billion company selling for $15 billion. But then I reminded myself of the un-public nature of the automation business. Deals done behind closed doors. And a fear of radical transparency, a new way of marketing via blogging.

Yet there are more automation blogs out there in the blogosphere. Just look at Mintchell's blog roll. It's growing.

Where has all the automation news gone?

It's time to rekindle Portable Protocol. I've been missing for some time, but now I'm back. I was working on establishing some other blogs, getting a novel ready as an e-book and launching a hockey CD. Not what you would expect from someone within the industrial automation industry.

But I have made some headway within the realm of industrial automation. I've written some relevant pieces on the ProSoft Technology blog including write-ups on the Changi Water Reclamation Plant, and the new TermLinx.

Today I helped ProSoft Technology launch a new podcast (Check out episode 1). Although I don't travel like Gary Mintchell (check out his podcasts), I am hoping to start a new podcast for Portable Protocol. I would like to feature snippets on global news, and even do some commercials and such... If you want your industry news on Portable Protocol, just send me an email: nl@nlbelardes.com. That way I'm not just talking about ProSoft technology. :)

Gary Mintchell's first industrial automation podcast - By N.L. Belardes

Gary Mintchell of Automation World has put together his first podcast. Welcome Gary to the world of podcasting. Oh yes, you can download his podcast and subscribe. That means you can play it on your computer or download to your iPOD for future listening while you're walking, or in your car, etc. (Get the MP3 here)

For such a lover of music I was disappointed only to hear one mention of the Rolling Stones and no music in the background and no big rockin' music intro with Gary sounding like a DJ at the MTV music awards. I did hear a lot of paper flipping. Gary, quit thumbing through your notes! Just kidding. Gary mentioned he would be talking to us once per week and launched into podcasting by talking briefly about software consolidation in companies like Schneider Electric who may be vying for a serious market share. He mentioned Rockwell and other consolidations and ended by discussing the power of RSS in OPC unified architecture platforms...

Will Microsoft incorporate RSS into its very operating system as OPC UA enters the foray to determine how information is gathered and browsed? I don't know.

I do know, the more automation companies open to developing technologies with RSS built in, the more integrated automation will become. Look at how RSS has changed the face of the Internet, media, etc. RSS has already sparked a wave of global change in a revolution in how information is spread throughout the Internet; in commercial use, that wave could integrate every gadget from modules to uploading into modules from a blackberry that can RSS feed programming to multiple networks, etc... wireless RSS data flow in factories, all upgrading simultaneously, and that data flows both ways...

In his blog, Feed Forward, Gary discusses some of the latest automation blogs and wonders if mine are official or not. Let me set the record straight. 'ProSoft Technology Talks Industrial Automation' is an official company blog. You can see the latest industrial wireless ad I developed in a recent ProSoft blog. 'Portable Protocol' is independent. I do admit I tilt towards ProSoft, though I am happy to talk about competition and promote any automation company pointed my way.

I hope Gary keeps up the good work. Next thing you know, he's going to be a guest on my Buck City Podcast giving his top five rock tunes of 2005...

Babelfish and Euro-speak about the healthy aspects of protocol-driven competition - By N.L. Belardes

In the spirit of healthy competition between rival industrial automation companies, Thomas Schildknecht sent me one final note on yesterday's blog:

We are looking forward to seeing ProSoft Technology as a strong competitor with a lot of technological knowhow that may be stronger than our European wireless competitors like PhoenixContact, ELPRO, SATEL and SIEMENS (anyway, we are now "Siemens Wireless Solution Partner" for our industrial Wifi/Ethernet projects because of the Siemens market share of about 85% in Europe).

An eighty-five percent market share? That's huge! But then, Europe is the land of Siemens and Schneider Electric; and if DATAEAGLE has been around for twenty-five years...

In one final comment, I noticed that yesterday's blog, "Profibus wireless makes for Winter Olympic Stardom" was linked on the DATAEAGLE website along with a brief paragraph of commentary. As I mentioned, I can't read or speak German. So I just went ahead and let Babelfish do the translating for me...

German:

Tagebücher im Internet, sogenannte Blogs, werden auch für professionelle News verwendet. Nick Belardes hat DATAEAGLE einen grossen Absatz in seinem Tagebuch gewidmet und auch eine "Kampfansage" der amerikanischen Wireless Industrie an Europa in den Raum gestellt. Wettbewerb belebt das Geschäft und zumindest wir fühlen uns sehr gut gerüstet. Es zeigt jedoch dass Funk in der Automatisierungstechnik auf einem guten Weg ist.

Babelfish translation. I loved that it re-named me, Nod:

Diaries in the InterNet, so-called Blogs, are used also for professional news. Nod Belardes to DATA EAGLES a large paragraph in his diary dedicated and also a "challenge" the American Wireless industry at Europe into the area placed. Competition animates the business and at least we feels very well prepared. It shows however that radio in the automatic control engineering on a good way is.

I have to say, I think Thomas is saying competition sparks great business. I like that! Dialogue because of product competition, I think, brings about awareness, understanding, and even more information for customers to sift through when purchasing into expensive automation networks.

-N.L. Belardes

Profibus wireless makes for Winter Olympic stardom - By N.L. Belardes

I love hearing about how industrial automation is exhibited in real world settings. You never know how some little wireless or protocol-driven gadget might just be powering a highly anticipated world event like the Winter Olympics. Of course I just wanted to learn more about wireless Profibus. So I sent Thomas Schildknecht an email asking him to explain some of the differences between DATAEAGLE and ProSoft Technology's wireless Profibus communications products. He sent me a nice letter with accompanying photos. I think you will all be enlightened as to not only what DATAEAGLE does, but as to how they integrate into real world settings, including the Winter Olympics, factories, and more. Keep in mind I can't read German. There are a few call-outs in the photos. But I can't read them:





My company was founded 1981. In 2006 we celebrate our 25 year jubilee.

Since 1993 we have developed and sold radio communications for industrial automation with the brand name DATAEAGLE. We use every interface like Ethernet, Profibus, Profisafe, Modbus, MPI etc., and every radio technology like WLAN, Bluetooth, DECT and many others.

The DATAEAGLE family now has about 30 family members for different applications. DATAEAGLE 2000 is 1:1 similar to the module ProSoft Technology has to offer. We used it in about 500 applications like Airbus A380 production, Volkswagen motor production, DaimlerChyrsler Cockpit production. The radio modem uses Profibus or Siemens MPI interface for data exchange. But this solution is not a transparent radio Profibus; we call it postbox princip. One PLC sends data to the radio postbox and one or more PLC receives this data in incoming postbox; same prinzip in both directions.





The different is our DATAEAGLE 3002. This is a real transparent wireless Profibus router. We tunnel every Profibus frame through the radio channel. This process has to be done very quick, cyclic with very high availability of the radio channel. 3002 runs transparent with 1.5MBit profibus speed with data exchange times of about 20ms. Only with this principle is it possible to build closed servo loops with a radio communication.





The high-end is ProfiSafe on Profibus base. ProfiSafe uses normal Profibus frames for realizing safety functions. Because our DATAEAGLE 3002 is real transparent like a cable it is possible to build a ProfiSafe connection by radio to integrate safety functions like security stop in skicabines. We built such a network in an Olympic Ski jumping stadium in Courchevel/France oder Vehicular to SacreCoeur on Montmatre/Paris.





It's important to point out such security measures as those regarding Profibus wireless. I am finding, if integrated correctly, Profibus wireless can be even more secure than localized hotspot radios. Of course, integrating both would make for a fine network too. In Europe, whichever product you choose, make sure you just go wireless. It’s the future and present of automation... Thanks to Thomas for his educational letter. I hope to hear more stories from DATAEAGLE in the near future. But watch out Europe, ProSoft Technology is on-hand with their own wireless products that are sure to fire up a few Olympic Villages...