Update on drive.web Product Development
We are pleased to update you on the current drive.web development situation and our planned new releases for the next few months. The first few drive.web system installations have now been up and running for several months and the technology is proving to be very robust, easy to use and showing unequalled performance. We still have lots of features and functions we are planning to add but the product has now demonstrated bullet proof reliability without any significant teething problems.
drive.web Testimonial
We have a particularly good testimonial drive.web installation at Precision Custom Coatings, Inc., in Newark, New Jersey.
The application is a retrofit to a non-woven fabric line and includes a drive.web system with 14 powerPLX digital DC drives and a direct drive.web Ethernet interface to a large Allen-Bradley Control Logix PLC. The system also includes a dw1160 dial up modem interface to enable remote access for diagnostics, configuration and monitoring.
It is a complex system with requirements for accurate speed matching and high quality winder tension control. All of the drive sections use encoder feedback for precision control. The high speed drive.web Ethernet direct interface to the PLC ensures imperceptible delays in the system communications so that speed matching and tension control are maintained throughout acceleration and deceleration of the line as well as during steady state operation.
This customer was able to engineer and install the entire drive system in less than 4 weeks and start up was complete in less than 3 days. We took a return trip to site about two weeks later to observe the installation of an improved drive.web interface to the Allan Bradley PLC and to take photos for the family album!
The system has been running virtually non-stop 24/7 since the initial start up and it has performed flawlessly. The customer is delighted with every aspect of the way the drive project has gone - speed and ease of system design and implementation, system performance, system reliability and the drive system cost. He will be happy to provide great testimonial references to any potential opportunities you may have.
drive.web Current Products and Capabilities
- dw1101 - Ethernet/Internet dwInterface to PL-Series DC drives
- dw1111 ** NEW ** - dwController for PL-Series with RS485 ModbusRTU Connects to most Operator stations and PLCs Supports function block programming when available
- dw1150 - Server gateway software for ModbusTCP/IP. Runs on any Linux, Windows, Mac, Solaris platform
- dw1160 - LANmodem dial-up interface
- Direct Ethernet interface from PLCs to driveweb ** NEW ** These cards are standard products from ProSoft Inc. and are available either through most Allen-Bradley distributors or at www.prosoft-technology.com.
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- MVi56-bdw - Interface card for Allan-Bradley ControlLogix PLC Provides direct PLC Ethernet interface to driveweb
- MVi46-bdw - Interface card for Allan-Bradley SLC500 Provides direct PLC Ethernet interface to driveweb (SLC needs 502 processor or better)
- MVi71-bdw - Interface card for Allan-Bradley PLC5, PLC2, PLC3 Provides direct PLC Ethernet interface to driveweb (PLC must support block transfer)
- (NOTE: the drive.web manuals for the ProSoft modules can be downloaded from www.prosoft-technology.com.)
Coming Soon
dw Interface card (ProSoft) for Modicon Quantum PLC - JUNE/JULY '03
dw1110 - dwController DIN Rail Mounting - JUNE '03 Supports function block programming. Includes RS485 ModbusRTU Master or Slave. Connects drive.web to slave devices such as other drives: including Yaskawa, CT, ABB, Reliance, Eurotherm. Connects drive.web to master devices such as: operator stations, PLCs, SCADA systems.
Prolinx Gateway - We hope to be able to confirm an availability date for the ProSoft Prolinx Gateway soon. This product provides a gateway to a wide range of protocols including A-B EthernetIP, Profibus, etc. Please call toll free 1-888-667-7333 (1-888-ON SPEED) or international 410-604-3400 for more details.
Software Development
Over the next few months a complete suite of application blocks for winders, PIDs, process control, arithmetic and logic functions will be introduced. These high end function blocks will run in all of the dwController products (in addition to the ModbusRTU capability) and will be very similar to the very successful set currently built into the PL-Series DC drives. To see what is coming you can download the PLX Application Manual PDF file from the "DC Products" section of the downloads page at our web site.
In order to simplify system configuration, documentation and support we will only introduce high level blocks. We will however, be able to generate custom blocks quite easily for applications which require special features. It is worth noting that in the two years or more that the PL-Series blocks have been in use there have been very few instances where our library has been found lacking.
As time goes by the library will be expanded to include blocks for special applications such as lead-lag control, auto splicing, and other customer driven requirements.
With the processing intensive specialized application blocks running in the high speed drive.web environment, systems integrators will be able to offer their customers their own standardized solutions using the drive of their choice connected via the dw1110. We obviously want to get people using our drives but the ability for drive.web to work with almost any drive is a great door opener and it will help interface retrofit systems to existing drive systems!
Key drive.web Facts and Features
- Low cost, high performance systems integration.
- Platform independent tools. (Windows, Mac, Linux, Sun, etc.)
- drive.web Distributed Control does not have the bandwidth limitations of conventional PLC CPU architectures. The more nodes you have, the more processing capacity you have.
- Standardized, pre-engineered proven system solutions
- Easily interfaces with your favorite operator station, PLC, drive or SCADA system.
- Easy remote access for configuration, diagnostics, monitoring or control across the internet (multi user) or via direct dial up (single user).
- Automated technology updates across the Internet.
- Supports Virtual Private Networking (VPN) across the Internet for secure connections.
- Basic software packages - free of charge.
- Great applications support.
Who Needs drive.web?
- Integrators who want drive vendor independence
- Anyone suffering from system bandwidth problems
- Anyone looking for remote Internet access
- Drive manufacturers who need to add high performance systems capability to their products
Advantages of drive.web
Anyone who is familiar with the great system integration advantages of the Eurotherm "Link" technology will immediately appreciate the DCS concept and understand the following advantages that drive.web offers:
- Lower system cost
- Better system bandwidth
- Easier interfaces to PLCs, operator stations, other drives, etc.
- Better applications support
- Easier connectivity, drive.web Ethernet vs. Link fiber optics
- Easier remote access
- Tools platform independence
- Configuration info stored in devices instead of an external file
- Easier tools connectivity
- Multi-user tools
- No tools software charges
Do the comparison!
Most systems integrators however are PLC orientated, which is fine with logic processing, but PLCs can be very tedious when building complex process variable systems. Also the CPU configuration of a typical drive/PLC system poses serious bandwidth limitations even with only a few drives in a system. As you add drives to the PLC configuration the system performance decreases.
The distributed control concept of drive.web ensures that both the communications bandwidth and processing bandwidth increase as you add nodes, so that you never run out of steam!
For more information please call toll free 1-888-667-7333 (1-888-ON SPEED) or international 410-604-3400 for more details.
