MOORE Industries has launched the NET Concentrator System (NCS) process control and distributed I/O network designed specifically for demanding industrial applications.
The NCS provides 20-bit measurement resolution (in contrast to 12, 14 or 16-bit for comparable I/O systems) and signal conditioning capabilities equivalent to the highest-quality transmitters on the market.
Data rates up to 100 megabits per second provide the speed needed for applications requiring precise real-time readings or control.
Its robust design, including DIN rail-mount metal enclosure protects against RFI/EMI, high vibration, and shock common in heavy industrial applications.
Complete channel-to-channel signal isolation eliminates the unpredictable effects of ground loops.
In addition, the network will withstand very high and very low ambient temperature conditions (-40°C to +85°C) that are typical in harsh field environments.
Using a 10/100Base-T Ethernet or MODBUS RTU network, the NCS connects existing "legacy" and new process variable transmitters, sensors, control valves, discrete devices, relays and other distributed field devices, to a DCS, PLC or PC-based strategy.
To facilitate integration with other manufacturer's devices and systems, an industry-standard OPC interface delivers plug and play integration with popular PC-based HMI and SCADA automation software packages, and with OPC-compliant clients.
Featuring a modular architecture that can be changed and expanded at any time, the universal NCS handles current (4-20mA and 0-20mA), voltage (0-5V, 1-5V, -10V to 10V), sensor (RTD and thermocouple), direct millivolt (-50 to 1000mV), direct ohm (0- 4000 ohms), potentiometer, and discrete input signals.
It provides current, voltage, discrete and relay control outputs.
The NET Concentrator System operates in peer-to-peer and peer-to-host configurations. Data logging capabilities allow up to 32,000 points of time-stamped data to be stored and retrieved.
Advanced control function include the ability to act as a single or multiple PID loop controller with simple, cascade, split action, and inverse capabilities; and sequential control language programmability based on IEC 1131.3 including ladder, function block and structured text.
Complex functional, math and computation capabilities are also supported.
In addition to Ethernet or twisted wire pair (for MODBUS RTU), available communication link options overcome long-distance, normally impassable, and hazardous environments.
These include: wireless (spread spectrum radio) where wires can't be run for practical or economic reasons; telephone modems for inexpensive data transmission unlimited distances; and fibre optic cable for sending data through hazardous or exceptionally noisy environments.
For critical applications, the NET Concentrator System's provision for a redundant communication link provides a backup should the primary link be severed or otherwise compromised.