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User Solutions continued
control the slice frequency
• a product discharge conveyor to where patrons can hold out their drinks to receive the garnish
Atop the truck cab on a whimsical penny-farthing bicycle, a cyclist in period attire controls the system operating speed based on the rate of pedaling.
The Magic Behind the Curtain
Though it is conceivable to create a purely mechanical steam-powered machine such as this, it would be incredibly impractical—the year is 2020, not 1820. If we pull back the literal curtain concealing the equipment making this spectacle possible, we find a complete electrical automation system driven and controlled by AutomationDirect components.
The conveyors, steam generator, and recip- rocator half-horsepower gearmotors are driven by four AutomationDirect GS2 230VAC VFDs with single-phase input and three-phase output. The VFD frequency is controlled by 0-10 volt analog outputs (AOs) from the AutomationDirect Do-more PLC rack. Each VFD’s speed can be independently set in “manual mode” by entry on the AutomationDirect C-More 8-inch touchscreen HMI, or the system can be placed in “pedal mode”, in which the AOs are synchronized to a speed determined by the bicycle pedal rate.
A proximity sensor is mounted on the front wheel of the penny-farthing, which sends a digital input signal to the PLC with each wheel revolution. Pedal rate is calculated by a PLC-programmed timing circuit, which is scaled and transmitted to the VFDs via the AO voltages.
For cucumber slicing, technicians removed the meat tray from a commercial meat slicer, replacing
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Editor's Note
New Product Focus
- Expaded communications and analog I/O capabilities for the
BRX PLC
- Control cabinet cable entry systems
- DURApulse® GS20 Series high performance AC drives
- ProSense® Advanced Process Conrollers
- Enclosure Thermoelectric Coolers
Tech Thread
Improvies, Adapt, Overcome
Business Notes
Cover Story
The Best Automation HMIs Keep Things Simple
What's New
User Solutions
- Water Utility Successfully Standardizes Automation Practices
- Automating the Hendrick's Gin Grand Garnisher
Student Spotlight
CPAPs RE-INVENT ed into Ventilators Using PLCs & HMIs
Break Room
User Solutions www.automationnotebook.com | Issue 44
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