UPDATE:

For those users who have our 435NBA Serial – EtherNet/IP gateways

We now have a way to send and or receive up to 400 bytes of string data in Control Compact and Flex Logix PLCS (any tag based PLC). Here’s how.

In  RSLogix 5000, under Data Types, Strings. Create a new string type. Give it a name.  Choose Maximum Characters in it to be to 400 bytes or less. Create a Controller tag. Under data type select the tag you created in above. You may use the tag you created for both incoming and outgoing data.

PLC Tag Set Up

Be sure to make the Buffer Transmit Length the same or less than what you created in the plc.

Happy Networking

We started sending out Saf-T-Pops with orders earlier this year. We did it as small token of our appreciation for the customers and in the hope that it would bring a few smiles in this turbulent year. At least that is how marketing justified it. Word to the wise, this is what happens when you send someone from the marketing department to make a bank deposit. They said they all had fond memories of getting suckers through the overhead suction delivery system at the banks drive through.  While we couldn’t recreate the suction tube system or the drive through we could get and deliver the “Paydirt” a.k.a Saf-T-Pops.

The response has been very positive, who would have thought engineers like suckers almost as much as kids.  We started with a small trial sending out roughly 25lbs of suckers a month.  With the success and positive response we received we have extended the program to all orders.  Fun for our customers and fun for us.  Today we got the full load of 189lbs of Saf-T-Pops to bag up and place in the boxes of all orders over the next few months.

I don’t know what it is but a pile of candy that big is enough to bring a smile to anyone’s face.  It certainly worked for Jessica (below).  We will see if she feels the same way after bagging up the remainder of the 7500+ suckers.  Don’t think this job comes without perks…  Jessica gets to eat all broken or malformed suckers. Of roughly 1000 packed so far she has already found 12 Saf-T-Pops for her candy stash.

May our suckers bring you as many smiles as they bring us.

On July 8th, Real Time Automation attended our third annual company Brewers game. In true Wisconsin tradition, the company tailgated and competed in a very competitive Bags tournament. While our own tournament got pretty heated, we left the real competition to the ball players. The Brewers took on the Cardinals and literally kept us on the edge of our seats with this nail biter. Keeping the game tied for four innings, the Brewers finally broke the tie in the last inning and ended the game with a final score of 5-4.

On May 8, 2009, Real Time Automation unveiled its brand new “Industrial Networking University.” The courses will offer you an easy-to-follow introduction of different industrial protocols. Each course contains two tests which will be scored at the end. The courses below are all free and you are welcome to take as many courses as you wish.

Hopefully by the time you complete each of the available courses, you will have a better grasp on the concepts and charactersistics of the Industrial Protocols. We hope everyone takes advantage of this newbie-friendly overview, and please feel free to contact us with your questions and comments.

Real Time Automation was pleased to show off its new location to friends and family last Friday. It’s great to have so many visitors in one place at one time, and while some people were only able to stay an hour or two, we were glad to have visitors throughout the entire day.

A surprise hit of the day would have to have been the wide selection of food. We spared no expense in ensuring that all our guests will well fed. The leftovers of the day also helped satisfy our lunch and snack cravings for days to come.

Activities included demonstrations of many of Real Time Automation’s products, a meet and greet with our entire staff, and a kids’ favorite was a computer controlled foam rocket launcher which could be used to win various prizes.

Again, we can’t thank everyone enough for their attendance and we hope to work with everyone in the near future.

Wow, we just couldn’t be prouder of our employees.  Below you can see a picture of Drew Baryenbruch of our marketing department and his Champion Beer Drinking team we clipped from the Onion.  He is pretty proud of accomplishment and recounted to us all how the team destroyed the competition and shattered every record held in chugging events at the competition. 

Their final victory came in an event called TANG.  Essentially the four teammates line up with seven beers and “Das Boot” in front of them.  Each player chugs a beer one after another.  Then the last person starts another beer, followed by a second beer for the 3^rd and 2^nd teammate.  Once finish the person in the 1^st position starts “Das Boot” which can be passed around the team until finished.  They downed all seven beers and “Das Boot” in 45 seconds!  If that doesn’t make mom proud I don’t know what will. 

There is a networking lessons to be had here believe it or not and it leads to point I explain to customers all the time.  These guys are super natural drinkers.  They can drink more beer faster than anyone that has yet challenged them.  Technology is a lot like these guys.  It can now move data faster and in higher quantities than ever imagined.  So What?

Point is I have never met anyone that drinks as fast or as much as these guys.  I have however met a bunch of people very happy drinking at a slower rate and with half the consumption.  They have no reason to down a gallon of beer in under a minute.  Most of us will go through life never needing to do that.  Well the same goes for new networks and technologies.  For applications speed and data volume is king but for 95% of applications out the data has absolutely no reason to be moving at such high speeds or in such large quantities.  This point is often lost when developers look to implement new networks.

If you have a process that doesn’t need real time data transfer don’t try and implement a network that supports it.  There are too many perfectly good, perfectly cost effective, perfectly proven solutions on older fieldbus networks.  These networks have been around for thirty years and show no signs of disappearing anytime soon.  We seem to be getting just as many DeviceNet, Modbus RTU, PROFIBUS, and AS-interface inquiries as ever.  What do these customers know that most over look?  The old school networks work just as well, if not better for most applications out there. 

Congrats to Drew and the boys of the Lady LiBEERty team. 

That’s right despite the absolutely terrible economy, ramped uncertainty and the tightest budgets many of us have ever experienced there are still ways to grow your customer base and ultimately come out of this economic drought with more to offer your customers than ever before.

We keep hearing the same thing from customers and the sales people of perspective customers.  “We need to get our data on “X” network.”   ”We could sell hundreds more units if we could only find a way to effectively move our device data into that PLC or onto this network.” 

A bunch of companies out there had plans to network enable their devices but most have halted all efforts until the skies turn bluer and the news changes from bear to bull.  Essentially saying we will wait this out and put off giving our customers what they want, and are willing to buy, until people start buying the old stuff they don’t want.   

It’s clear there are fewer buyers out there and each buyer, for the moment, is buying less.  The only way to maintain your current success or dare I say grow your business in this environment is to give your customers all the things they want that your competitors have put off. 

That is where we come in.  We can help you.  Real Time Automation brings you over 20 years of networking experience and now a new line of gateways to help you deliver your customers the network performance they crave. 

With our new line for 460 Gateways you can literally move your data between any two (or more) networks how your want, and when you want.  The entire unit is built on a simple browser based interface, and ships to you or your customer ready go.  No software to download or code to write.  (Check them out here. new units being added weekly.)

The best part is that with brand labeling and interface customization the unit can look and act like it is your device.  Your customers will think they are getting a fantastic new product directly from you. 

Resources may not be available to redesign your current line or purchase and integrate a new network.  You don’t need to internally enable your devices to give your customers the network connection they desire.  Your business is not industrial networking.  You make fantastic devices that do amazing things.  Let us help you with your industrial networking needs.  It’s been all we’ve done for than 20 years now. 

Helping you come out of these turbulent times on top,

John Rinaldi 

Feel free to drop me a line anytime 

They say nothing feels as good as putting on a new pair of socks. It may be true but let me tell you moving into a new office is almost as good. We have officially moved into to our new location.  Tasks for the next six months; UNPACKING!!!!!

Phone Number: 262.439.4999

150 S. Sunny Slope Rd. Suite 130

Brookfield, Wi 53005

More pictures to be added as soon as we unpack the boxes.

WE ARE MOVING!!!

Friday is our moving day.  We are unplugging the computers at 12pm CST and taking them to the new office.  For the most part (assuming everything goes as planned) support and communication will not be interrupted.  If for any reason this is not the case and you have issues getting a hold of us on Friday afternoon it is probably a move related issue and should be resolved within a few hours.  We apologize and appreciate you understanding in advance.