January 2007

Letter From the Editor

It feels like it's only been a year - or maybe two - since we launched Equipment Protection Magazine, but in actuality we've been providing this distinct and unique publication for almost four years now. In an effort to continually make our publication better, we will be making a few changes in 2007. These will include more highly targeted articles - both online and in the magazine - as well a more reader friendly look.

However, these are not the biggest changes Equipment Protection will see in the coming year. First we have re-introduced our Equipment Protection Conference as the Zero Downtime Conference. If your company's operations cannot afford a single second of downtime, this is the conference for you. (Check it out at www.EquipmentProtectionMagazine.com/zero07.htm.) Secondly I'd like to welcome Suzanne Harrold to the Equipment Protection team. Scott Nash's position of Account Executive has now been placed in her very capable hands, and I'm sure she'd be happy to speak with you about advertising in the magazine or exhibiting/sponsoring at our new event.

We look forward to serving you and your market as best we can, and I hope you find the information we provide helpful and timely. If you'd like to make a suggestion, please feel free to contact us anytime!

Nick Depperschmidt
Editor, Equipment Protection Magazine
Nickd@Infowebcom.com

New Thermal Cooling Technology Addresses the Shrinking Electronics Issue

The trend toward shrinking electronics both at the chip and board level have forced companies to crowd more functionality on their electronic systems into smaller spaces making the need to remove unwanted heat increasingly important. This trend is driving solution providers toward developing thermal interface materials (TIMs) to be much more application specific than in the past.

Click HERE to see entire article in PDF format

StorCase First to Market with RoHS-Compliant Removable Enclosure

StorCase Technology's Data Express removable drive enclosure is now compliant with the RoHS Directive.

"WithRoHS compliance we ensure our Data Express Profile DX115 enclosure meets legal and contractual requirements in our European markets, as well as with first tier U.S. OEM customers such as Hewlett Packard and Dell who have already mandated equivalent requirements," said Deborah Hartson, Director of Sales and Marketing, StorCase.

Originating in the European Union (EU), RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) restricts the use of specific hazardous materials often found in electrical and electronic products. All applicable products intended for the EU market after July 1, 2006 must pass RoHS compliance for legal distribution, with similar requirements to follow in the US and other International markets.

The restricted materials identified in the directive are known to be hazardous to the environment, both by polluting landfills and by presenting occupational danger through exposure during manufacturing and recycling. All manufacturers providing products to EU countries are directly impacted by this directive.

The Data Express Profile DX115 is a compact drive carrier and receiving frame designed for internally mounting a 3.5-inch drive into any half-height, 5.25-inch peripheral bay. The DX115 supports the latest Serial ATA (SATA) 3 Gbps interface technology, incorporates an industry-leading 50 K mating connector and extends a 12-year warranty. Now, each unit is additionally tested and verified to assure RoHS compliance.

For more information visit: www.storcase.com

Pelican Products' high-impact, watertight Protector Cases have been chosen to house Westover Scientific's portable CleanBlast system. Secured inside Pelican Products' 1450 Protector Case, the system provides rapid, controlled fiber optic connector end-face, cleaning and contamination removal.

The CleanBlast system is a self-contained unit that features a built-in air compressor and precision cleaning tools (great for field situations where no regulated compressed air is available). The patent-pending design uses a connector interface, which generates a pulse of highly filtered gas across the fiber's surface. A cleaning mist is then created by introducing an atomized, non-flammable, non-conductive and residue-free solvent. The CleanBlast system dramatically reduces user'[s labor costs by allowing a single technician to clean more than 500 data ports a day.

Pelican Protector Cases boast a fully-stackable, trademarked "Dual Band" design and an open cell-core wall construction that protects sensitive equipment from some of the harshest conditions on Earth. Additional standard features include a lid equipped with a polymer o-ring for a dust-proof/waterproof seal and an automatic Gore-TEX pressure equalization valve that will stop moisture from entering the case and prevent vacuum lock so it's easier to open the case at any altitude. To ensure easy and immediate access, most cases in the line feature double-throw latches that have been engineered to withstand nearly 400 lbs. of pressure, yet open with a light pull.

For more information visit: www.pelican.com

PacTec's XP series is a family of handheld enclosures with a modern ergonomic design. These plastic enclosures are suitable for housing handheld instruments, controls, electrical test equipment, medical devices, scientific instruments, consumer audio and video electronics, automated devices and other handheld applications.

The long sides of the enclosures are slightly raised and have a beveled top and bottom for style and comfort. The housings include a blank end panel, which can be used for connectors, displays or LEDs. The XP series also includes a recessed top cover area appropriate for keypads, overlays and membrane switches. These enclosures are available with the option of a 9 V battery compartment. The XP/XP-9VB are available with molded rubber boots for added protection and durability. These protective rubber holsters include removable tilt stands for easy viewing.

For more information visit: www.pactecenclosures.com

The eAutomation Group of Advantech has introduced the IPC-603MB, an industrial-grade compact 2U rack-mountable chassis that's only 12.2 inches deep. The IPC-603MB is well suited for space-constrained applications, and supports both ATX and micro ATX motherboards and up to three half-sized PCI cards.

The IPC-603MB includes diagnostic LED's for power status, HDD activity and reset. The ATX power supply is located on the front for easy system monitoring and maintenance. The IPC-603MB accommodates two 47 CFM cooling fans and a streamlined in-chassis airflow design supporting LGA775 Pentium 4 CPU of up to 3.8 GHz. There's a shock resistant disk drive-bay that's designed to hold one slim CD-ROM and one internal 3.5 inch HDD. It's also equipped with a 1U-high 300 W ATX power supply and easy to replace air filters.

For more information visit: www.advantech.com

New 1,500 W Pure Sine Wave Inverter With Wide Temperature Range

Schaefer, Inc. has introduced the AEP-1500 series of 1,500 W, low cost, high efficiency, pure sine wave inverters. The "clean" pure sine wave output of the AEP-1500 series, with less than 3 percent total harmonic distortion, is well suited for powering sensitive loads and for improving AC equipment performance.

The AEP-1500 series is available in three standard input configurations of 12 VDC, 24 VDC and the less frequently found 48 VDC. Outputs are available in 115 VAC or 230 VAC (50/60 Hz) versions, which are regulated to +/-2 percent or better.

All models in the AEP-1500 series feature a wide operating temperature of -30°C to +60°C, comprehensive protection circuitry and a digital display to monitor/indicate low input voltage, short circuit, input overvoltage, over temperature, overload and low battery. The display also indicates voltage, amperage, power and temperature. Efficiency is up to 92 percent, depending upon the model selected. EMI is minimized to Class B standards for reduced impact on other equipment.

For more information visit: www.schaeferpower.com

Raychem Circuit Protection has introduced its 2Pro device series that features integrated overcurrent/overvoltage circuit protection technology designed to help prevent damage to telephony communications equipment. The device's small footprint, resettable functionality and coordinated protection capabilities allow for use in a wide range of telephony and VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) equipment applications.

Power surge damage to PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) and VoIP equipment may occur as a result of lightning and ESD surges, power contact and induction with AC lines. The RoHS-compliant 2Pro device incorporates PolySwitch PPTC (Polymeric Positive Temperature Coefficient Resistor) overcurrent technology with an MOV (Metal Oxide Varistor) component into one innovative, thermally protected device to help provide current limiting during overcurrent events and voltage clamping during overvoltage events. This single-device approach to coordinated circuit protection helps reduce component count and improve equipment reliability.

The widespread adaptation of VoIP gateways in homes and enterprise environments has resulted in increasingly stringent safety requirements for Customer Premise Equipment. The 2Pro device helps equipment manufacturers comply with UL 60950 and remain operational after specified lightning tests. It also helps equipment comply with surge tests per TIA-968-A, IEC 60950, and ITU-T K.20/K.21. The UL 497A listed protector also helps provide ESD protection.

For more information visit: www.raychem.com

Aphel has launched their vertical 60Amp MT3 series of Rackmount PDUs to support standard and blade servers. As a continuance of one of the largest product portfolios ever released in North America, these MT3 Series models provide unprecedented power in a vertical (0U) design.

MT3 provides total power ranging from 5,000 to 10,000 Watts as well as optional metering or remote monitoring (RS232) capability. Employing the patent pending rPower TM, users can read the high-resolution color display from as far as 12 feet or through the enclosure door perforation. Additionally, rPower TM improves installation flexibility as it can be connected to traditional console port switches. Because of its capability to support so many servers, MT3 greatly simplifies and reduces the cost of rackmount power management.

For more information visit: www.aphel.co.uk

Equipment Protection Magazine Launches Zero Downtime 2007 Conference

Webcom Communications Corp. has announced the new Zero Downtime 2007 Conference. Zero Downtime is a spin on the popular Equipment Protection Conferences. This two-day conference focused on the latest advancements in protecting electronic equipment for data centers, communication and control networks, 24X7 industrial and facility systems, infrastructure and emergency service operations and other mission-critical electronic systems.

Topics discussed will include new developments in power protection and reliability including UPS, surge and circuit protection; thermal protection including controls, sensors, heating, cooling and environmental mitigation; condition monitoring and control including predictive and reliability capabilities, preventative maintenance; EMI shielding; and electronics packaging solutions such as enclosures shelters, cabinets and cases.

This November event will feature a large, co-located exhibit (with Remote Monitoring and Networking 2007 and Onsite Power 2007) with dedicated hours and exhibit only passes for industry attendees. For information on exhibiting and sponsoring this years' conference email Suzanne Harrold at suzanneh@infowebcom.com.

For speaking information go to www.EquipmentProtectionMagazine.com/zero07_call.htm or contact Nick Depperschmidt at nickd@infowebcom.com

For more information visit: www.EquipmentProtectionMagazine.com/zero07.htm

Pentadyne Power Corp. has released that a complete power quality solution system developed by Pentadyne and its partner Socomec Sicon has been named the award winner for the 2006 Product Innovation by leading industry analysis organization Frost & Sullivan.

"This award recognition underscores the total-solution-development work we and Socomec have completed," said Pentadyne President & CEO Mark McGough. "Both Pentadyne and Socomec make exceptionally reliable products, and our joint efforts have taken these individual products a step beyond in Europe, Asia and elsewhere."

A letter of notification sent to Socomec by Frost & Sullivan notes that the "Product Innovation of the Year Award is presented to the company which is dedicated to introducing new products in the UPS market. The product must contain innovative and advanced features not possessed by any other product in the market. Moreover, it should provide value-added services to the customers and receive positive acceptance from the end-users." 

For more information visit: www.pentadyne.com, www.socomec.com