Invensys Systems Inc.'s Wonderware business unit has extended its line of industrial computers with two products billed as ideal replacements for proprietary operator panels in a variety of manufacturing and industrial settings.
The first, Wonderware Box PC, is a solid-state, stand-alone system running Windows XP. It comes pre-installed with the company's ActiveFactory trending and analysis software, ready for "plug-and-play" installation. The second, the Thin Client Computer, is compatible with a variety of displays and comes ready to use out of the box in existing client/server environments, Wonderware said.
The Box PC is powered by a Pentium M 1.6 GHz processor and comes with 1 GB of RAM and a 40 GB hard drive. It can be connected to an external monitor or touch screen, or can be used as a workstation in a plant for visualization, monitoring, and controlling machines and processes. The Thin Client, which can be used for visualizing, monitoring, and controlling applications, comes with a VIA Eden 667 MHz processor and 128 MB of RAM.
Both systems come bundled with Wonderware's InTouch human-machine interface (HMI) software, the latest version of which provides visualization and industrial process control coupled with simpler-to-configure graphics. Version 9.5 includes enhancements such as set-up wizards and the new Wonderware SmartSymbols, which enable users to quickly create and deploy customized applications that connect and deliver real-time information.
Industrial computers that are based on Windows are attractive replacements for customers that are still using older, proprietary systems, which are more expensive to operate, noted Ann Ke, product marketing manager for Wonderware Industrial Computers. In addition, Ke said that implementing new Wonderware industrial computers is more efficient for current Wonderware customers that use the Windows-based ArchestrA environment, Invensys's software architecture that connects plant floor applications to each other via Wonderware's Industrial Application Server.
The Box PC, she pointed out, is set up to run in an ArchestrA environment. Designed for use in rugged environments, the Box PC will operate with most commercially available displays and is well suited for applications requiring remote operations, in which the computer is located separately from the display.
The Thin Client Computer is intended for use in existing client/server environments using Wonderware's InTouch software for (Windows) Terminal Services. (Users install the InTouch HMI on a central server once and then are able to execute the software multiple times.) The Thin Client Computer can interface either with Automation Control Products' (ACP) Thin Manager software or a Microsoft RDP-based thin client. RDP (remote desktop protocol) is the default connection protocol installed with Windows Terminal Services. For applications already using InTouch for Terminal Services or ACP thin-client software, the Thin Client terminal can function as a drop-in replacement.
These two latest releases complement Wonderware's existing line of industrial computer hardware, and aren't meant to replace any of the company's existing products. Both products are available immediately through the company's network of distributors. Pricing wasn't disclosed.
Wonderware introduced the InTouch software in 1987 as the first human-machine interface (HMI) based on Microsoft's Windows operating system. The HMI has been known by a varying nomenclature over the last few decades, including human factors (HF), ergonomics, man-machine interface (MMI), and human-computer interface (HCI), according to the International Society for Measurement and Control (ISA). As it has grown in complexity, the human interface that is used with process and control systems and associated technology has lent itself to a formal set of guidelines.
ISA's Standards & Practices Board voted to approve ISA-SP101, Human-Machine Interface Standards, in July 2005. Focus areas include: menu hierarchies; screen navigation conventions; graphics and color conventions; dynamic elements; alarming conventions; security methods and electronic signature attributes; interfaces with background programming and historical databases; pop-up conventions; help screens and methods used to work with alarms; program object interfaces; and configuration interfaces to databases, servers, and networks.