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43 operation of about 250 microseconds. For mid-level applications, the Simatic S7-1500 CPU 1515-2 PN, with a bit performance of 30 ns, has 3.5 MB of RAM (500 Kb for programs; 3 MB for data) and two Profnet interfaces. PACs are better, too. For instance, a single PAC with a multi-core processor can provide deterministic, real-time control on one core while another core or cores run the sophisticated visualization, data communications, and the operator interface. In addition to their processors, the latest PACs have beefed up system memory, data storage, and displays. To prove the point is the new D series of Simatic IPC PACs from Siemens. These high-end industrial PCs run on Intel Xeon and Intel Core i3 to Core i7—CPUs with fast clock speeds, multiple cores, multiple threads, large memory cache, low energy requirements, and an embedded graphics processor. These PACs have 60 to 180% higher CPU power than previous Simantic PACs; the high- defnition (HD) on-board graphics that's integrated in the Intel processor has three times the graphics performance. In fact, these processors can support 22-in. HD widescreen displays, which can cover a lot of fast instrumentation and control tasks, as well as at-machine operator control and monitoring. The D series include PCIe 3.0, DisplayPort and DVI graphics, and USB 3.0; an optional PCIe x16 video card can support up to fve monitors. Intel's integrated Active Management Technology (AMT) makes remote management easy, including password-protected remote diagnostics and maintenance. Incidentally, the Simatic IPCs can be pre- installed with Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate (32/64 bit) operating system; the higher-end devices, with Windows Server 2008 R2. The Siemens 19-inch rack-mount equivalent is the Simatic IPC547E. q Even when wearing gloves, operators can use one or all fve fngers on one hand to tap, press, swipe, pinch, and perform other multi-touch gestures on the Siemens 19-in. Simatic IFP1900 MT monitor. p New PACSystem RX3i modules from GE expand the Ethernet protocols available for GE "in-rack" PAC systems (specifcally, IEC61850, DNP3, and IEC60870-5-104). high-resolution graphics. Siemens' newest Simatic HMI Basic Panels are high-resolution widescreen displays with 64,000 colors. With screens measuring from 4- to 12-in. diagonal, these monitors come with USB interface, Profnet and Profbus DP interfaces, plus software for alarming, trend functionality, language options, and other functions. Better, the Siemens Simatic IFP1900 MT is a 19-in. monitor (1366 x 768 pixels) with a gesture and multi-touch interface akin to tablets and cellphones. The monitor's anti-glare glass front is scratchproof and resistant to chemicals. Operators can use it even when wearing thin gloves. The monitor responds to 1- to 5-fnger touches, and automatically detects erroneous touches, such as from a person's thumb or from foating particles. Better at computing Back to A-B's Micro820 PLC. It has a slot for microSD cards up to 32 GB. This data storage is useful for transferring, backing up, and restoring programs, as well as for data acquisition. (Data fles are stored in CSV text format.) The Micro820 can even be accessorized. For instance, a remote, 3.5-in., Micro800 LCD display supports up to eight lines of ASCII text and includes a keypad with programmable function keys and USB port. A new scanner plug-in module supports up to 20 nodes of A-B PowerFlex AC drives or CompactBlock LDX I/O, which helps reduce wiring costs and installation. Another new plug-in module—a high-speed counter—provides position feedback from the servo drive for position verifcation or, with an encoder, for position and velocity monitoring. Siemens PLCs are also gaining features. The Simatic S7-1500 CPU 1518-4 PN/DP for high-end applications has 13 MB of RAM and four communication interfaces for Profnet and Profbus. The device has a bit performance of 1 nanosecond (ns) and can connect up to 128 drive axes with isochronous 0414ADP FEATURE Hardware.indd 43 3/18/2014 12:15:50 PM