NI (Nasdaq: NATI), the provider of solutions that enable engineers and scientists to solve the world’s greatest engineering challenges, today announced the NI SOM. It combines the Xilinx Zynq All Programmable system on a chip (SoC) with supporting components such as memory on a small PCB and features a complete middleware solution and ready-to-go Linux-based real-time operating system (RTOS) already integrated. The NI SOM gives design teams the customizability of a SOM without the increased time and risk of developing custom software.

“We have evaluated several SOMs and embedded SBCs, and there is no comparison to the software integration offered by NI,” said Sebastien Boria, R&D mechatronics technology leader at Airbus. “We estimate that our development costs with the NI SOM are a tenth of the costs of alternative approaches because of the productivity gains of NI’s approach to system design, in particular to NI Linux Real-Time and LabVIEW FPGA.”

The NI SOM enables design teams to deploy reliable, complex embedded systems faster because it is based on and has the same rigorous design standards as the LabVIEW reconfigurable I/O (RIO) architecture. This architecture has already been used in high-reliability applications such as unmanned aerial vehicles and cataract surgery machines.

“Today’s embedded monitoring and control applications are more complex than ever before, and tighter deadlines and rising costs only increase stress for system designers,” said Jamie Smith, director of embedded systems marketing at NI. “Studies show that design teams using the LabVIEW RIO architecture can solve complex embedded problems in half the time compared with traditional custom design approaches.”

Product Brochure

Honeywell Resins and Chemicals has introduced a new Aegis® nylon resin designed to protect cables and electrical wiring used in industrial and consumer products.

The new resin, Aegis H55WC, is designed to shield wires and cables from physical and chemical damage that can cause them to fail during installation or shorten their service life. It provides excellent protection from grease, oil and gas, and resists impact, abrasion and cuts. It is certified by Underwriters Laboratories for use in a variety of demanding applications, including residential and commercial buildings, machine tools, automobiles, appliances, offshore oil platforms and marine equipment.

Aegis H55WC also helps wire and cable manufacturers improve the electrical efficiency of their products. Because nylon is thinner than other insulating materials, more strands of conductive metal can fit inside the insulation without increasing the overall size of the wire or cable.

Product Webpage

Siemens has launched two particularly slim, powerful and energy-efficient power supply units in the shape of the new Sitop PSU8200 5 A and 10 A. The single-phase power supplies, featuring 5 A or 10 A of rated output current respectively, expand the "Sitop modular" product range for high-end 24 V DC applications. Thanks to the wide input voltage ranges from 85 V to 132 V AC, and 170 V to 264 V AC, they can be connected to power systems worldwide. The power supply units are characterized by a slim design (45 mm for the 5 A version and 55 mm for the 10 A version), high efficiency of up to 94 percent, and high overload capability. They are therefore especially suitable for industrial environments with exacting reliability and functionality requirements, such as in car production, or in special-purpose machine manufacturing. They can be used in a temperature range of -25 to +70 degrees Celsius.

The new power supply units in rugged metal enclosures offer extensive functions such as automatic voltage switching for operation on single-phase 120 V and 230 V AC networks. With an overload capability of three times the rated current for 25 ms and 1.5 times the rated current for 5 s, they feature large power reserves for brief overload situations, such as for high inrush currents. Their high efficiency of up to 94 percent ensures low energy consumption and reduced heat losses. In addition, they can be switched on and off by remote access, to save energy during breaks, for example. Thanks to the integrated signaling contact, the power supply unit can be integrated quickly and easily into the plant monitoring system. The status LEDs for "DC ok.", "Over Load" and "Shut Down" indicate the operating state of the power supply. The installation area can be minimized due to the narrow width of 45 mm on the 5 A version, and 55 mm on the 10 A version that requires no installation clearances to neighboring devices.

The Firechek® FC-4 Series valve is a FM Approved heat activated pneumatic shut-off valve. When the FireChek senses excessive heat from a nearby fire, it immediately vents the pneumatic actuator and closes the actuator air supply line. FireChek triggers quickly, securing pneumatically operated process line valves. Because this valve responds to heat, not flame, it offers dramatically improved protection compared with conventional plastic tubing burn-through. It shuts off the air supply line to prevent plant air from feeding oxygen to a fire.

Features & Benefits:

• Rapidly responds to temperature rise, NOT flames
• Vents actuator air pressure
• Closes actuator air supply line
• Needs no power source, self activates
• Compatible with ALL pneumatic actuators
• No contact with process fluids
• Easy to test and reset
• Reliable, intrinsic triggering
• Easily retrofit, installs in minutes

Product Webpage