Do you intend to wear on your sleeves your actual love for the Iron Man 2 movie that was recently shown in theaters? If you do, then here’s another chance for you to buy one of the most incredibly designed USB flash drives since the Steampunk USB.

The Iron Man 2 ISB flash drive is a fully sculpted 3D drive that comes in different sizes and capacity. They are available in 4GB, 8GB and 16GB capacities. The only thing I am waiting for is to know whether these USB flash drives will light up once you plugged them into your USB port.

You can get the 4GB version for about $34.99, the 8GB for $44.99 and the 16GB for about $59.99.

Remember Tony Starks in Iron Man 2 when he was distracted by a certain decorative art object in Pepper Potts’ desk? If you like that same object, well here is your chance to get one. This sturdy, unique and high quality kinetic energy sculpture seems to defy gravity and the laws of physics when it just, in fact, weirdly extraordinary beauty that you can place on top of your mantel at home or on your office desk.

Here are the features of this Swinging Sticks:

* As seen on Pepper Potts’ desk in Iron Man 2
* High quality, museum grade decorative art object
* Swings noiselessly and fluidly in perpetual motion
* Will hypnotize you and make you stop mid-sentence
* Sleek, beautiful and deceptively simple but difficult to build
* Ideal for offices, home entryways, conference rooms, waiting rooms
* Great for people who loved Iron Man 2
* Also great for people who love things that annoy Tony Stark
* Simply hold the rods vertical to turn off. Horizontal to turn on
* Takes 4 AA batteries. (included)
* Dimensions: 16.25″ tall, base 10.5″ x 3.25″

automation controllerDIN rail mountable package. The controller can be used in a stand-alone configuration or it can be easily networked via its serial and LAN connections. The built-in web server makes Internet or intranet access a snap. For larger applications the Model 5300 supports up to 1024 I/O points and up to 16 axes of motion control.

The 5300 features a proven mufti-tasking real-time operating system with plenty of non-volatile memory. Programming the 5300 is simple with CTC’s intuitive next-generation Quicksilver™ state language or for advanced applications use C/ C++. You can even combine both languages in a single application. To learn more about the 5300 explore the links above or contact CTC for a demonstration.

I am seeking cost effective solutions for replacing my Rosemount System 3 control system.

I have decided that using remote I/O multiplexers for the HART smart analog and 120VAC Discrete I/O provides several significant advantages. "Home run" twisted pair cables from local area junction boxes would be replaced with an open protocol, high speed industrial Ethernet like Profinet, or Modbus TCP/IP to a server/HMI. While researching this over the last 6 months, I have discovered several multiplexer/controller solutions that are are rated for Class I, Group II environments.

The current list that I believe are strong contenders include Delta V, MTL MOST (Now GE Fanuc), Siemens S7 & PCS7 and Yokogawa Stardom FCN. I invite other suggestions. There are numerous features that I would like to see in the "open" system such as OPC or OPC UA, redundant hardware, easy to configure and troubleshoot, an inexpensive historian attached to the company LAN and minimum Licensing fees. I am inviting both pro and con comments, either directly and via this forum, on selection of a new cost effective "DCS" that would be a true distributed control system.

I feel this open discussion could also provide help to others with older control systems. My I/O count is over 1000 points. A spreadsheet comparing features of potential candidates would be of strong interest.

As water and wastewater treatment plants grow in both size and complexity, so does the need to control equipment that make up the unit-operations of that plant. Distributed Control System (DCS) is a control system method that is spread, or distributed, among several different unit processes. These processes may be related, as in a water treatment facility, or unrelated, as in a manufacturing plant where many different products are fabricated.

The DCS is typically a hard-wired system and exists within finite boundaries, such as a process plant or within a factory. Wired systems are reliable and are well suited for the typical process environment where flexibility is not an issue. Wireless systems are starting to become popular and hold the promise of improved flexibility in both physical and logical layout of the facility. An entire process may be retooled to the extent that several parts of the process will be physically moved or removed. Using wireless, system reconfiguration is as simple as disabling the station address or downloading the suitable database.

Whether wired or wireless, distributed control systems offer the advantage of centralized control, while retaining the capability of distributed, or local control. True distributed control systems use localized control, which is in turn controlled by the operator located at a central location. Distributed Control Systems consist of the following:

* Remote control panel
* Communications medium
* Central control panel or facility
* Control, interface and database software