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WESCO Distribution, Inc. |
When you consider our decades of combined application experience, WESCO is much more than a wholesale distributor. We will keep you up to date with Best Practices and innovative ways to apply technology.
Every day, we strive to meet the objective of our slogan:
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Northwest Regional Events
The Complete Listing
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Fieldbus AND Ethernet networks grow
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Irrigation — Frost Protection and Soil Moisture Control in Cranberry Bogs Maintaining the proper soil moisture and temperature is critically important for healthy cranberry plants. The root system of a cranberry plant is relatively shallow, requiring a specific soil moisture content to grow and produce fruit. Air temperature is monitored to protect crops from frost. When the temperature nears freezing, the irrigation system is automatically turned on to protect the plants. Water and energy are conserved because the irrigation system is only used when the temperature is near freezing.
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Bridging Profibus and Modbus-TCP networks with an Anybus X-gateway Simple to use intelligent Gateway connects Schneider Electric, ABB or GE PLC’s with Siemens automation systems and networks - The Typical applications are installations with mixed usage of Siemens and Schneider Electric, ABB or GE PLCs. One example is automobile manufacturing plants where Profibus based segments shall be integrated into industrial Ethernet based control applications with the popular Modbus-TCP protocol. |
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Despite the economical downturn in 2009, the number of networked automation devices has grown substantially. Latest market studies confirm that standard Fieldbusses such as Profibus, DeviceNet and CC-Link are still growing with double digit growth rates. According to Jörg Freitag, Chairman of Profibus International, 3.1 Million new Profibus nodes have been installed in 2009, which equivalents to a growth rate of 11%. The adoption of industrial Ethernet with specialized real time protocols such as EtherNet/IP, Profinet, Modbus-TCP, EtherCAT and Sercos III in the automation industry will take much longer than initially expected. Consequently, Fieldbus and Ethernet systems will be used in parallel for the foreseeable future. 
A Banner DX80 FlexPower™ Node with analog inputs and a SDI-12 interface for a soil moisture probe is mounted on a stake driven into the ground near the cranberry bushes. A thermistor connected to the analog input on the FlexPower Node monitors soil and ambient temperatures. Moisture content and temperature data is wirelessly transmitted back to a Gateway, which is connected to a motor controller using Modbus RTU. When established environmental conditions are satisfied, the motor automatically starts to maintain optimum soil moisture levels and temperatures. Additional Nodes may be added to actuate irrigation valves if needed. For difficult topologies, SureCross Data Radios can be used to transmit data over mountains and extend the range of the DX80 sensor network.
