One of the many lessons manufacturers have learned from the last recession is that every single capital expenditure must be analyzed. Nowhere is this more evident than with accessories such as cables and connectors, which are often undervalued, leaving their selection to others when deciding on capital equipment purchases. What are the critical decision factors that influence the purchase and implementation of cables and connectors, with a particular focus on harsh working environments?

GE Intelligent Platforms has signed an agreement that will allow National Instruments™ (NI™) to distribute the GE cPCI-5565PIO PMC reflective memory and PMC carrier card for 3U CompactPCI® systems. The cPCI-5565PIO, which operates at 2Gbaud and features 256Mbytes of memory and multimode transceivers, is based on the GE PMC-5565PIORC but includes a custom carrier card specifically designed to be configured with NI PXI chassis as part of the NI VeriStand™ software simulation and real-time testing platform.

AN Consult España, SL presents Helmholz's pre-wired front connectors with 20 and 40 poles and cable lengths of 2 m, 3 m and 5 m.

The PROFIBUS FLEXtra repeaters from Systeme Helmholz, distributed by AN Consult España, SL, regenerate the electrical signal received via the bus line and retransmit it (and vice versa). They can handle communication at speeds (automatically detected) from 9.6 Kbps to 12 Mbps. The FLEXtra twinRepeater is available in 2-way, 4-way, and 6-way versions.

Siemens' Industry Automation division has equipped the Simatic-S7-1200 controllers with connectivity for Profibus, Profinet, and telecommunications. A new firmware update in the CPU enables communication with Profinet IO devices.

HMS Industrial Networks, represented in Spain by ER-Soft, SA, is launching CompoNet, a new communication module, as the latest addition to its Anybus CompactCom (Anybus-CC) product family. With the launch of the CompoNet module, HMS completes its offering for CIPTM (Common Industrial Protocol) networks.

HMS Industrial Networks has expanded its Anybus-IC family with the addition of the Anybus-IC for CANopen. This module is a tiny yet powerful CANopen interface embedded on a single chip and certified by the CAN Users Organization as compliant with the CANopen standard.

The Anybus X-gateway from HMS Industrial Networks allows system integrators to easily transfer I/O data between two different PLC systems and networks.

Siemens ' Industry Automation division has enhanced the Profinet connectivity of its Simatic S7-300 and S7-400 controllers with the Shared Device, Intelligent Device (I-Device) and Media Redundancy Protocol (MRP) functions.

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