Creating Wireless Process Connections Is ABC Simple

Industrial wireless is not new, it is a mature technology. With the products available today, implementing a wireless process signal connection is no more difficult than installing a simple process controller. Analynk is a part of that simplicity, manufacturing modular receivers, transmitters, and companion products enabling operators at any scale to effectively deploy a 900 MHz or 2.4 GHz wireless solution.

There are many instances where a wireless solution provides distinct advantages over wired installations. Understanding the simplicity of wireless installations, and that product based solutions are readily available, can unleash your ingenuity at solving process control challenges using wireless communications. A previous article may help you recognize opportunities to avoid expensive or difficult cabling, or actually make connections you thought were impossible.

Let's look at a basic installation that measures temperature at a remote location (the measuring station) and transmits the signal to your office (the monitoring station).

Here is all you need:

• Power supply to operate the temperature measurement instrument and the Analynk transmitter. Analynk transmitters consume little power and can be provided with photovoltaic power supplies, if needed.
• Temperature measuring device of your choice with 4-20 ma output signal and up to two discrete outputs. It does not need to be wireless. 
• Analynk transmitter located at the temperature measurement station to convert the 4-20 ma temperature signal to digital format and send it to the monitoring station. The connection between the temperature measuring device and the Analynk transmitter is wired.
• Analynk receiver located at the monitoring station to receive and decode the signal from the Analynk transmitter, converting it back to 4-20 ma. A wired connection between the receiver and your monitoring or recording equipment delivers the 4-20 ma temperature signal to its destination.

The simple wiring connections to the transmitter and receiver differ little from those of most other devices (see the ABC’s on the illustration).

A - Connect a power source to operate the unit
B - Connect the input signal (if it's a transmitter) or output signal (if it's a receiver).
C - Connect discrete inputs (if it's a transmitter) or outputs (if it's a receiver).

Wiring diagram for Analynk Model A753 wireless transmitter

Setting up the transmitter and receiver takes no more technical knowledge than other modern control devices. You follow instructions to set a few parameters, calibrate, and put the system into operation.

You can gang inputs and outputs together with an expander module and use a single transmitter and receiver to deliver multiple sensor signals. All units are DIN rail mounted with removable terminals for simple, organized installation and replacement.

Wireless connections can expand your operating capabilities, as well as business opportunities. Analynk has made the implementation easy. Use your creativity and ingenuity to bring new applications to your operation. Contact Analynk anytime to discuss your ideas or get the help you need to put your ideas into action.

Process Control - Extending Wireless Process Signals

Analynk's wireless repeater extends your process signal
transmission distance or routes it around obstacles.

The simplicity of bringing a wireless connection to your process control application extends to overcoming one of the challenges that can arise due to extended distance or substantial obstacles between the transmitter and receiver. Analynk provides a repeater that can be strategically placed between transmitter and receiver to extend the overall transmission distance, or route the signal around obstacles that may otherwise degrade the transmission. The data sheet included below describes how easy it is to apply and provides all the technical details.

Contact Analynk with your process measurement and control wireless communication challenges and get get solid practical solutions.

Analynk Model A759 Wireless Repeater from Analynk Wireless, LLC

Process Monitoring and Control - Where You Can Make Good Use of Wireless

Analynk empowers industrial process operators at any scale to bring the functional benefits of industrial wireless communication to their applications. The company provides easy to implement wireless hardware solutions that can be economically applied to even as single data point.

Talk a look at our short video for some application suggestions. Ramp up your ingenuity and develop ideas for your facility or operation. Contact the experts at Analynk for solutions. We enjoy hearing new and creative ideas for meeting process control challenges with wireless.

Industrial Wireless Communications - Think About Where You Can Use It

Wireless communications applications with beneficial impact
are everywhere, Imaginative thinking is needed.

Analynk builds equipment that empowers anyone with an industrial process control application to make signal connections from sensors to controllers or recorders over distances not practically cabled. The cost and available scale of this technology has reached a level where smaller companies can incorporate it into their operations to increase functionality and efficiency. If you have not done so already, it is time to become familiar with the application basics of this technology and start evaluating your operations for ways to beneficially use industrial wireless communications.

In a simplified fashion, here is how you do it.

• Identify what you want to measure. Typical examples include temperature, pressure, contact closure, or anything else for which a sensing or detecting device is available.
• Find the device most suited for your measurement. It will be convenient to use a device providing a commonly used output signal. Examples include 4-20 ma, 0-5 VDC, and others.
• Select the communications band that best suits your application. Short distances, up to several miles, often use 900 MHz or 2.4 GHz. You can also use the cellular network or one of several satellite networks for extended coverage.
• Select a compatible transmitter, like those from Analynk, to convert the sensor output signal into digital form and transmit it across the network.
• Select a compatible receiver, also available from Analynk, to receive the transmitted signal and convert it back into the original signal form. This output signal will connect to your control or monitoring equipment.
• If you need to send a responding control signal back to the remote location, follow the same plan with the transmission and receiving equipment reversed.

The first time you do it, there will be some things to learn, progress may be a little slow. Once your first attempt is completed, you will understand what needs to be done and further implementation will proceed quickly. There are uncountable applications for this technology that can enable your organization to increase effectiveness, broaden the scope of your operation or service offering, and build a more efficient process. Data points that were previously out of reach are now accessible in real time. Knowing the capabilities of industrial wireless will enable you to recognize useful applications throughout your organization.

You can always contact the specialists at Analynk Wireless to discuss your potential applications. They will help you meet application challenges and get connected.

Connecting With Remote Oil Field Installations

Wireless communications can connect remote oil field
equipment monitoring to a central control point

Oil is sought all across the globe, from the tropics to the Arctic. It is the king of commodities, chattered about endlessly on news channels and touching facets of our lives without our ever being aware. Oil is big and serious business, with tremendous sums of money at risk on the prospect of reaping even greater returns.

Like all raw materials derived from the Earth, oil is often discovered in very remote areas with no transportation, communication, or other infrastructure nearby. It is common for producing wells to operate unattended, which saves cost and increases operational risk due to failure or malfunction that may occur on the site. Maintaining efficient and safe operation at the site is not a luxury, but a necessity. Delivering real time data from remote sites to monitoring and decision making centers is crucial to achieving profitable and safe operation at remote sites.

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 you.

Outlook for 2016

At Analynk, we are wrapping up a very good year, and extend our sincere thanks to our customers, vendors, and others that have supported our continued growth and success in the industrial wireless communications field.

We brought several new products to the market this year, including some new versions of the Hazardous Area Wireless Access Point Enclosure and our patented Explosion Proof Antenna. The coming months will see the release of some new products we have been working on this past year. Stay connected with us and you will be among the first to know about them.

We hope your year was as good as ours, and wish everyone a safe and happy holiday and prosperous New Year.

Installing Wireless Access Point in Hazardous Area

Model AP320 Wireless Access Point
Courtesy Aruba Networks

In many technical endeavors, industrial process control being one, there are often collisions between what is necessary and what is desired. The incursion of wireless communications into the process measurement and control field has created such a collision between process engineers and IT managers. Granted, it's a cooperative and amicable collision, but a situation that can require the resolution of some incompatible interests.

For a number of reasons, it may be advantageous for the wireless network gear in the process section of a facility to conform to certain standards established for the larger scope of the organization. There can be real benefits to standardizing on particular brands or types of hardware. The tasks involved with back end management of network infrastructure are less complex when all the equipment is of the same vendor and product family. Provisioning, which includes initial setup, long term management, and unit loss management, is simplified when all the units are the same. Process engineers and operators pursue the same goal in standardizing on particular transmitters, valves, or other components that have multiple installations throughout a facility.

Analynk Wireless Access Point Enclosure for
Hazardous Locations

The difficulty arises when the IT team's chosen wireless access point needs to be installed in an area classified as hazardous due to the potential for ignition of flammable or explosive gases and vapors. There is a solution, actually a fairly simple one.

Analynk manufactures enclosures for industrial wireless access points installed in hazardous locations. The current offering accommodates a range of units from Symbol, Cisco, Meru, Aruba, HP, and Motorola, with more models added regularly to accommodate additional wireless access points. Each access point enclosure is provided with UL listed explosion proof antennas, a mounting bracket designed for the target access point, and RF cables to make the antenna connections. Enclosures have penetrations specifically located to accommodate the target access point.

This arrangement allows for the deployment of the organization's preferred wireless access point in the hazardous process area.

Analynk Wireless specializes in industrial wireless communications. Your wireless communication challenges are welcome at Analynk, so make contact and share your application requirements. Combining your process expertise with Analynk's product specialization will produce a positive solution.