I spent some time down in Calgary today with BettsM Controls checking out the various products they represent and sell. There are some interesting tidbits people might be interested in.
Xetawave radios – These are software defined radios. One part number is good for 900Mhz, 400Mhz. They are able to stand in for a Freewave, GE MDS or other radio for an easy upgrade path. Ethernet based and easy to use. Worth considering for future radio installs.
e.RIS Reporting Software – Put together by Eramosa, this is a bolt-on server software package for any SCADA system. It has a variety of data connectors for hooking up to VTSCADA, ClearSCADA, Proficy and more. Its purpose is to provide an easy to use method of report and dashboard generation for end users and clients. No more calling an integrator to build your next report. As data keeps flying around I think this tool will be useful for clients that do not already have internal reporting tools and staff to build them.
TBox and KingFisher RTUs – I didn’t delve too deep into these because I have worked with the TBox before. The TBox is a small format RTU with a Linux sub system that is built for internet and network connections. KingFisher is an RTU on steroids, essentially a PLC with a rack and IO cards but with RTU functionality. Notably, they can come with internal cell modems; eliminating an extra panel device. Check their web site for more information.
Newgate MVS – This is a new product I had not heard about before. They have multi-variable and single variable transmitters that have on-board IO that can be used with nearly any flow computer. These transmitters can be used as stand-in replacements for MVS-205, Rosemount 3095, the new 4088, and more. It talks Modbus and BSAP natively and has an alternate protocol mode that talks ROC protocol. The built-in IO is really neat; accessible with Modbus. The transmitter provides 4 DIO, a high speed counter, plunger arrival sensor and a couple other inputs, as well as the standard differential, static pressure, temperature.
VTSCADA – I did not demo this very much because you can find out more from the Trihedral web site. This is a Canadian made SCADA software system. It is slick; great graphics capability, and a wide selection of polling drivers (they boast that if they don’t have your device’s driver already they will program it for you in two weeks). The server redundancy is really neat with individual project pieces, like a remote compressor station HMI, rolling up to a central redundant server that can take over on site polling if necessary. They are pushing the boundary for accessibility with what I think might be the first true entirely HTML5 based web SCADA client (works on iOS!! No Java required!!).
SafeTBox – Ever wanted to replace a Barnett ProTalk CV3 with something smarter? This is a TBox RTU pre-programmed with some logic and a web based configuration tool that can replace a ProTalk quite easily. It has a built in cell modem so it can email and text. Inputs are configurable and it can also do some control.
Thanks Merv and team for putting this event on. Neat to see what new technology is coming online. Oh, the food was good too. Too bad I had to get back to work… missed the lobster!