Showing posts with label 900 MHz. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 900 MHz. Show all posts

Analynk Completes 15 Years of Product Innovation

antenna for industrial wireless communications
Analynk completed 15 years of successful wireless equipment
innovation and manufacture.
Analynk Wireless, LLC just completed its fifteenth year of operations, designing and manufacturing wireless comunications devices for use in the process control arena. Their simple to use and effective wireless devices can be combined with the company's Telmar line of wired process measurement and control instruments, or combined with instruments and equipment of the customer's choosing, to establish process connections across almost any distance.

Steady innovation and improvement, coupled with curiosity and a genuine desire to help customers meet the challenges of process measurement and control, have contributed greatly to the success of the company. New product versions, as well as expanded options, come in an almost continuous stream as Analynk innovates to meet customer application requests.

Share your process connectivity challenges with the experts at Analynk Wireless, leveraging your own process knowledge and experience with their industrial wireless expertise.
celebrating 15 years in business

Off The Grid Wireless Communication for Process Measurement and Control

solar powered process measurement wireless transmitter
The Analynk preconfigured combination solar and battery
power unit enables simple off the grid implementation.
Remote process stations of almost any type requiring monitoring and transmission of measurement data can be accommodated easily with Analynk's solar power unit. The compact preconfigured unit needs just a selection of process measurement gear and a wireless transmitter to enable simple installation. Analynk has already done the design and assembly. The user installs their measurement gear and an Analynk transmitter, performs a quick setup operation, and the station is up and running.

In addition to the obvious advantage of enabling process measurement and transmission where power is not available, there may be instances where a wireless solution saves time and expense of extending a power circuit to the instrument location. The power supply unit comes complete with solar panel, battery, charge controller, and NEMA 4 enclosure. Options are available to accommodate specific installation requirements and custom units can be assembled for larger power requirements and other special applications.

The data sheet below provides more detail. Share your wireless process measurement and control connectivity challenges with Analynk for effective solutions.


Updated and Expanded Wireless Equipment Enclosure Options

construction and feature options for wireless equipment enclosures
Analynk customizes wireless equipment enclosures to
provided customers ready to run solutions.
Analynk offers customizing and fabrication of wireless equipment enclosures to meet every customer requirement. Combining their industrial wireless transmitters, receivers, repeaters, antennas, and other components into a fully assembled package, Analynk can save customers time and cost with a complete and ready to run solution for establishing wireless process instrument connections across almost any distance.

The company recently updated the documented offering for enclosure options. If you have the old document, you should replace it with the newest version.

Share your industrial wireless connection requirements and challenges with the experts at Analynk. Combining your own knowledge and experience with their application expertise will deliver an effective solution.

Test Run That Wireless Connection

symbol for wireless process communications or industrial wireless
The application of wireless connectivity among process measurement and control devices continues to expand throughout all industrial spheres. While wireless transmission of process measurement and control signals has not been new technology for quite some time, there are still many opportunities for its application.

Wireless communication for industrial applications is well beyond the point of early technology adoption. Protocols are in place, products for the transmitting and receiving of wireless process signals are mature. As a designer, engineer, manager, or operator of a process, you should confidently consider wireless connections between measurement and control or recording devices as part of any new installation or upgrading of existing facilities.

As part of the implementation of a wireless connection, the questions concerning range and signal attenuation usually come up. Basically, will the signal remain sufficiently strong across the distance necessary to make the connection?

Analynk's wireless demo kit includes a model A750 receiver and A753 transmitter both housed in NEMA 4 enclosures. The kit operates at 900 MHz with full 1W power. Locate the transmitter and receiver at points where you wish to establish a wireless connection. You can provide your own input signal, or use the provided simulator to show that a wireless connection can be established and function in a manner that will give you confidence to move forward with implementation. The kit is useful for testing out possible new locations for distance and signal strength. You will use it as wireless communications expand through your facility. Test the location first, then order the needed wireless equipment. It's a solid low risk solution.

Analynk is a manufacturer of both wireless and wired devices for process measurement and control. The company's offering includes a wide array of standard products, as well as integration and customization to meet specific project requirements. Contact the specialists at Analynk to discuss your industrial wireless application requirements.


Industrial Wireless - Multiple Transmitters With Master and Slave Receiver

industrial wireless multiple transmitter array with master and slave receiver
Multiple transmitters can connect with a single receiver which
retransmits the signal to slave receiver.
Industrial wireless connections are becoming more prevalent, due to their low cost, effectiveness, and ease of installation. Being knowledgeable of the various ways in which connections can be established and signals routed can increase your proficiency at putting in place useful connections among process measurement and control points.

One easily implemented scenario enables multiple transmitters to deliver process measurements from separate locations to a single master receiver. The receiver can re-establish the analog process signals at its outputs, for use by monitoring and control equipment. Additionally, it those process measurements have use in another additional location, the master receiver can forward the signals to a slave receiver. This allows the individual process measurements to be utilized over a potentially wide area or distance not easily or economically spanned with cabling.

Analynk Wireless has a library of standard product modifications that have been previously utilized to meet special connectivity challenges. Share yours with them and build a solution.

Industrial Wireless Application: Remote Equipment Monitoring

multi-channel wireless input or output module
The A16000 Expansion Module increases the I/O
capacity of a standard wireless transmitter or receiver
Image Analynk Wireless, LLC
Imagine yourself a newly hired facilities manager, the go-to person responsible for the proper and continuous performance every machine on site. One machine in particular, you are informed, is a large walk-in refrigerator that houses the primary raw material for the production operation. There is a lot riding on that machine because the stored material is useless if not kept cold. Oh, and by the way, the plant site is bisected by a public street and the refrigerator is located across the street from the main building where the facilities office is housed. Your assessment of the equipment reveals that a lone temperature alarm device monitors refrigerator temperature and sounds a loud horn if the refrigerator temperature reaches a high limit setpoint. There are no existing wire pathways between the main building and the walk-in refrigerator that are available for your use.

Clearly, the level of risk associated with the refrigerator is high. It merits implementation of an improved strategy to monitor refrigerator performance. Things under consideration include some the following items.
  • A real time display of the current refrigerator temperature in the facilities management office. 
  • Analysis of the temperature data for an upward or downward trend that might indicate the beginning of a malfunction of the cooling system or controls.
  • Monitoring of refrigeration compressor motor current, which can be related to the temperature data to confirm that the compressor is operating when it should.
  • Real time display of refrigerant suction and discharge pressures.
  • Analysis of refrigerant suction and discharge pressure to identify trends or conditions that may indicate service is needed or malfunction is imminent.
  • Verify the door to the refrigerator is closed.
  • Monitor evaporator fan motor current to verify that all fans are operating.
The greatest challenge in this application is not the gathering of the information, nor its analysis. The difficulty, as well as a substantial cost and time constraint, is delivering the information from the point of measurement to the point of use. Analog signals for real time temperature, refrigerant pressure, and motor current can be easily derived through the addition of sensors to the equipment. The only sensors likely to require intrusive work to install are those for refrigerant pressure. Routing the measurement signals to the facilities office across the road may prove difficult.

A wired connection between the measurement location to the facilities office will require either an underground or overhead routing of cable, traversing the public road. Permission from state, county, and/or local jurisdictions may be required and present potential barriers to timely completion of the project. The cost to install the cabling will be substantial. The distance may be long enough for signal attenuation to be a concern.

The best solution, in terms of initial cost and time to completion, is to establish a dedicated wireless connection between the walk-in refrigerator and the facilities office.
 A multi-input transmitter is installed at the walk-in refrigerator. The transmitter converts digital (switch) and analog input signals into encrypted digital data and transmits in the 900 MHz band to the receiver installed in the facilities office. The receiver decrypts the received data and mirrors the original analog and digital signals at its output terminals. Wireless overcomes the barriers presented by a wired installation, allowing completion in a timely manner at substantially reduced cost.

If you can operate a walkie-talkie, you can establish industrial wireless connections between remotely located, or mobile, equipment and central monitoring locations. Share your ideas and challenges with industrial wireless experts, leveraging your own knowledge and experience with their application expertise.

Industrial Wireless as Mainstream Connection Method For Process Measurement

industrial process control wireless transmitter and receiver
Establishing wireless connections for process control operations
is simple, effective, and inexpensive
Wireless connections to process instrumentation has evolved to a point where it is uncomplicated and inexpensive. Many facilities rely on wireless connections, either via a network (wifi) or point to point communications. The benefits of wireless are well known to those already among users of the technology.
  • Safety: Wireless connections can reduce personnel exposure to hazardous environments or situations that previously required human intervention or a manual gauge or instrument reading.
  • Easy Scale-up: Adding points on a network is generally a simple incremental process.
  • Operational Advantage: When deployed to replace manual instrument or gauge readings, real time data for diagnostics and efficiency measurements are now available. Information that is more accurate, timely, and consistent will produce better results.
  • Installation Savings: Installation of wireless connected assets has been reported to be up to 10 times less expensive than wired installation. The reduced space and planning for cables and conduit can make what were once complex and time consuming operations much quicker and easier.
  • Mobility: Wireless technology allows for real time connections to mobile platforms. Whether within a plant, on the road, or on the high seas, there are wireless products that can make the connection.
  • Distance: Don't just think WiFi, think radio, think satellite, think cellular. Connections can be established across very long distances using standard products from the industry.
  • Conversion of Legacy Devices: Many existing in-place devices can have their wired connections replaced with a wireless version. This accommodates a staged transition from wired to wireless in facility.
The transmission is accomplished in either the 900 MHz or 2.4 GHz band, delivering adequate range and power for most facility-wide applications. Obstructions can be overcome with the use of a strategically located repeater. Properly planned and configured, there are few limits to the distance a wireless connection can span.

Point to point wireless connections between, for example, a temperature transmitter and a recorder are easy to create. Most process sensors have very small power requirements, as do the Analynk transmission units. Power, if line voltage is not available at the location, can be provided by batteries, or combination of battery and photovoltaic. The 4-20 mA signal from the temperature transmitter serves as the input signal to the wireless transmitter. The analog signal is converted to a digital value and encrypted prior to transmission. A receiver at the recorder decrypts the digital signal and converts it back to a 4-20 mA analog output that serves as the input signal to the recorder. Wireless transmitter and receiver must be set to the same channel, but otherwise, the equipment handles all the work. If you can find your way around a smart phone, you can make a wireless point to point process connection.

There are likely many applications going unfulfilled because the cost or feasibility of making a wired connection is holding the project back. Reconsider the project using industrial wireless technology and you may find that the project becomes an attractive prospect.

Analynk Wireless designs and manufactures wireless communication equipment and systems for use in commercial and industrial settings. Share your connectivity challenges with the experts at Analynk, combining your own process knowledge and experience with their wireless communications expertise to develop an effective solution.

Wireless Communications Deliver Real Time Process Data From Remote Operating Sites

communications satellite orbiting the earth
No distance is too near or far for industrial wireless
communications
Oil is where you find it, with many prospecting and production sites located where the communication options taken for granted in developed areas do not exist. Oil is big and serious business, with tremendous sums of money at risk on the prospect of reaping even greater returns. Every business operation, though, is of great importance to the stakeholders. Countless operations in little known industries and endeavors are located beyond the boundaries of modern communications infrastructure. 
If you want a data connection, bring your own.
Remote operating sites, whether for oil extraction or other purposes, will often be automated. Some decision making system or individual is responsible for the safe and effective operation of the remote site, or has a use or need for real time data being gathered at the remote site. Radio transmission is a viable, maybe the best, option for delivering real time data from a remote site to a central office.
  • Transmission options for 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz, cellular, and satellite systems are readily available.
  • Equipment operates on low voltage, low power. Suitable for solar or other remote site power source.
  • No special instrumentation needed. Radio transmitting and receiving equipment interfaces directly with analog signals from common industrial process transmitters.
  • No "across the land" cabling needed.
  • Equipment can be configured to resist extreme environmental conditions.
Analynk manufactures transmission and receiving equipment that builds the bridge between remote sites and the home office. From elemental componentry to integrated, ready to run systems, Analynk specializes in wireless communications for industrial process control. Contact us with your wireless challenges. Whether an expansive multipoint, or a single point application, the specialists at Analynk can combine standard or customized products into a practical solution for every application.

Wireless Communications For Process Control

The incidence of wireless connections between process measurement devices and their monitoring and control stations has been expanding for years, with costs receding and performance increasing. Designers, engineers, and operators of industrial processes and facilities continue to find new applications and create continuous wireless connections to devices and equipment that were previously isolated by distance or other barriers. They are also saving cost, promoting flexibility, and reducing "clutter" in facilities by eliminating cables, conduits, and junction boxes previously used to transmit measurement signals between instruments and control or recording gear.

Analynk Wireless builds the wireless transmission and receiving equipment needed to establish connections among your process measurement and control equipment and instruments. Transmitters, receivers, and repeaters that are rugged and uncomplicated in their application. Share your wireless connectivity challenges with the experts at Analynk, combining your process knowledge with their technical expertise to develop an effective solution.


Solar Powered Wireless Communications for Industrial Process Measurement and Control

solar energy power unit for industrial instruments measurement control
Analynk Model A650 Solar Power Supply
Wireless connections of process measurement and control equipment sometimes are accomplished in remote locations without readily available electric power. Analynk, as part of its full line of industrial wireless connectivity products, provides their model A650 Solar Power Supply for locations that require a small amount of DC power to operate instrumentation and an Analynk transmitter.

The power supply unit comes complete with solar panel, battery, charge controller, and NEMA 4 enclosure. Options are available to accommodate specific installation requirements. Custom units can be designed for larger power requirements and other special applications.

The data sheet below provides more detail. Share your wireless process measurement and control connectivity challenges with Analynk for effective solutions.


Process Connections - Wireless is Simple Solution to Many Challenges

industrial wireless process control connection using transmitter, repeater, receiver
Wireless connections for industrial process signals
The operating personnel at almost every facility have something to which they would like to connect. Remotely located equipment, activities that require a human to be present to monitor operation, and other scenarios are all candidates for a wireless connection. Have you ever thought that it would be helpful to know more about the current status of a remotely located piece of gear, for example, the back-up generator located across the parking lot? Budgets, time constraints, cabling difficulties, and other factors seem to continually outweigh the benefits of making the connection and gathering the data. Those days are gone. In fact, they have been gone for some time.

Industrial wireless transmitters, receivers, and repeaters can be applied in place of wires, cables, conduit, trenches, overhead supports, and all the other hardware associated with a wired installation. Data is gathered using whatever process measurement hardware you prefer, just specify commonly used output signals like 4-20 mA, or a host of others. Connect the measuring device output to the transmitter input. Locate a receiver where you want the sensor information delivered. The transmitter converts the sensor analog signal to digital and the receiver converts back to analog. The connection can be accomplished in a very short amount of time without disturbance to the real estate between the two points.

How can I tell if the wireless connection can be accomplished without interference?
The transmission is accomplished in either the 900 MHz or 2.4 GHz band, delivering adequate range and power for most facility-wide applications. Obstructions can be overcome with the use of a strategically located repeater.
What about power needed to operate the sensors and wireless equipment?
Most process sensors have very small power requirements, as do the Analynk transmission units. Power, if line voltage is not available at the location, can be provided by batteries, or combination of battery and photovoltaic. Little power needs to be provided for operation.

There may be simple and effective wireless solutions to many of your remote monitoring challenges. Don't assume it is difficult, it is not. Don't assume it is expensive, it is not. Share your ideas and challenges with the experts at Analynk. Combining your facility and process knowledge with their technology and product expertise will lead to effective solutions.

How Far Is Too Far with Wireless Process Signals?

antenna used for industrial wireless communications
Wireless communication technology, adapted for industrial use, has brought a host of benefits to companies bold enough to include it in their process control infrastructure. The use of wireless communications to deliver operating data from sensor to control station is no longer avant garde. The innovators, those first to deploy new technology, have long ago pushed the industrial process control world sufficiently up the learning curve to a point where applying wireless is a fairly straight forward matter.
Are there limits, practical or theoretical, to the length of a wireless connection?
Consider the bandwidth options for wireless transmission of a process signal. The 2.4GHz and 900MHz frequency bands each have their advantages for shorter distances in the range of a few feet to several miles. The ability to connect over any distance is impacted by a number of factors, not the least of which are allowable transmission power level and obstacles to the clear line of sight. One way to extend the range of a device is to install a repeater at some point along the transmission path. Repeaters will receive a fading process signal and transmit the signal at the full available strength, increasing the distance over which the information can be transmitted. Repeaters can also be useful for bypassing obstacles in the transmission path.

What if connection is needed over a longer distance?

earth orbiting satellite used for process data communications
There are other options for bandwidth that can extend beyond a few miles. If service is available at transmission and receiving sites, cellular networks may be a workable option. Satellite data transmission is also a viable option that can provide global connectivity.

Distance is not really a great hurdle to overcome when it comes to establishing an industrial wireless connection. Share your industrial wireless challenges with application experts. Combining your process knowledge with their wireless expertise will produce effective solutions.

Piping & Instrumentation Diagrams in Process Control

electric power plant
All processes benefit from P&ID
P&ID's (Piping & Instrumentation Diagrams), or Process and Control Flow Diagrams, are schematic representations of a process control system, used to illustrate the piping system, process flow, installed equipment, instrumentation, and functional relationships among all the system components.

Intended to provide a comprehensive picture of all piping and associated hardware, including physical branches, valves, equipment, instrumentation and interlocks, the P&ID employs a set of standard symbols representing each component of the system such as instruments, piping, motors, pumps, etc. The use of standard symbols provides a universal depiction that can be read and understood by operators, technicians, outside contractors, and other similarly trained individuals.

P&ID’s can be very detailed and are generally the primary source from where instrument and equipment lists are generated, also being a very handy reference for maintenance and upgrades. P&ID’s also play an important early role in safety planning by enabling an understanding of the operating states and relationships of all components in the system.


Know Analynk Wireless - Introductory Video



Analynk Wireless is an innovative designer and supplier of wireless instrumentation for the process control industry. Instruments and equipment have been successfully implemented in numerous applications including temperature measurements, 4-20 mA bridges, discrete inputs/outputs, pulse inputs, lighting and pump controls. The company's products are used in both hazardous and non-hazardous locations. Analynk Wireless also manufactures a line of traditional wired process measurement and control instrumentation under the brand name Telmar Instruments.

Share your wireless connectivity challenges with the experts at Analynk. Combining your process knowledge with their expertise with produce effective solutions.

Comparison of 2.4 GHz and 900 MHz for Industrial Process Control Wireless Connection

logo for Analynk Wireless LLC
Wireless transmission of measurement and control signals are the future, and present, of process control. WiFi is already prevalent in higher density environments and providing benefits of reduced cabling and more. Wireless communications also can be used to connect devices over substantial distances, even globally. This article will focus on applications of moderate to long distance that will employ point to point communications of dedicated devices. Here is an illustrated example, with level measurement instruments on storage tanks located remotely from a data monitoring station.

storage tanks with level gauges wireless transmission to data monitoring and control station
Example of wireless connection between remote tanks and data collection and control center
In establishing a wireless process signal connection between the two points in the example, an initial consideration will be whether to employ 900 MHz or 2.4 GHz as the radio band. There are some general implications associated with the selection.

  • Signal attenuation over any distance is greater for 2.4 GHz than 900 MHz. This generally means that 900 MHz can cover a greater distance and provide a signal of sufficient strength to properly communicate.
  • Atmospheric attenuation for either frequency band is about the same, with a very slight advantage to 900 MHz.
  • Both frequencies require "line-of-sight" to provide predictable and reliable operation. Obstructions within that zone can degrade the signal. Any obstructions with dimensions approximating the wavelength of the signal tend to have a greater impact. The wavelength of a 2.4 GHz signal is 12.5 cm (4.52 inches), 900 MHz is 33.3 cm (84.6 inches). 2.4 GHz signals are susceptible to interference by smaller objects in the transmission path than are 900 MHz signals.
  • Without getting too technical, the height of a 900 MHz antenna will need to elevated to a greater distance the that of a 2.4 GHz antenna in order to provide what is known as "free space propagation". This is related to the Fresnel Zone and has greater impact as transmission distance increases.
  • FCC rules allow larger transmit power ratings for 2.4 GHz radio signals than 900 MHz, increasing the potential range for 2.4 GHz.
Evaluate your potential installations with the above points in mind. Their impact on any particular application can vary depending upon the distance, topography, and potential obstructions. Share your wireless communications challenges with the experts at Analynk Wireless. Combining your site and process knowledge with their product application expertise will produce an effective solution.

Application Example - 900 MHz Wireless Delivery of Industrial Process Control Signal

We have a new video with an application example where wireless signal transmission provides a powerful solution. You can always get help with your applications by contacting us.