July 2007

Optima EPS' F-Series Cabinets Ready for Harsh Environments

Optima EPS has released its F-series Harsh Environment Cabinets. The enclosure series was specifically designed to handle dust, moisture and EMC suppression. The F-series comes in three styles: non-gasketed, NEMA12/UL-508 and shielded EMC/NEMA. Whether the environment calls for dust and moisture protection, particle and EMC suppression or a combination thereof, there is a cabinet in the F-series to solve the problem.

With EMI/RFI shielding and low weight, the cabinet series is suited for a wide range of applications, such as computer simulation, test & measurement, industrial control and computer storage installations. All styles of the F-series feature a heavy-duty aluminum frame with integrated gasketing, corner castings, multi-point locking system, windstops and a key locking door.

Offering up to 100dB of EMI attenuation, can be supplied complete with integrated cooling, cable management and power distribution systems, cutting vital system configuration time for OEMs and systems integrators. The cabinets are easily customizable to suit the required height, depth and width, including 19, 24 and 30 inch widths and up to 44U high.

The reinforced doors are field-reversible and open 112° for access, with concealed hinges and multipoint locking for security and clean lines. The cabinets include provision for lifting eyes and leveling feet as standard, and the contemporary styling includes a recessed custom logo strip. A full range of customization options and colors are available.

Interested in Advanced Electronics Packaging Solutions?
Then You Should Attend Optima’s Zero Downtime 2007 Presentation: Technical Challenges and Solutions for Cabinet Enclosures!
Visit www.equipmentprotectionmagazine.com/zero07_program.htm#opt  for more information.

A-Tek has added the Drytech range of controlled humidity storage systems for electronics packages and sensitive devices. During packing, shipping and storage, parts are often exposed to many fluctuations in both temperature and humidity; an ideal environment for the hygroscopic nature of plastic encapsulants to take effect, and moisture to be absorbed into the device. Moisture will directly impact product quality, final product reliability, customer satisfaction and manufacturing costs.

The smallest amount of moisture, when subject to elevated temperatures, creates enormous vapor pressure that can induce stress cracks and fractures in the devices. These may show as failures in test or in a worse case, as field failures. Storing sensitive devices in an environment of less than 5 percent relative humidity will protect the parts and assist in stabilizing the devices prior to manufacture.

Drytech’s systems meet IPC/JEDEC Standard J-STD-033A. Sizes vary from 100 L to over 1700 L in capacity and each is ESD.

"These products were developed to meet increasing customer demand for extreme conformability, said Chomeerics Product Manager Jonathan Bergin. “Therm-A-Gap 569 is extremely soft, conformable and cost-effective. 579 offers excellent conformability and thermal performance at competitive prices. In addition to pre-formed thicknesses from 0.020 to 0.2 inches, Chomerics offers custom thicknesses and molded solutions to meet our customers' needs for design flexibility."

In the 3 W/m-K thermal conductivity range, 579 is the softest material available in the market. Both materials pass NASA outgassing (UL E595), are rated UL-V0 for flammability, and are RoHs compliant. All four THERM-A-GAP products are available on aluminum foil (A) or on "clean break" glass (G) fiber carrier. As with all previous Chomerics gap-fillers, the "A" versions have a high strength acrylic pressure sensitive adhesive for permanent attachment to cold surfaces. Typical applications include desktop and laptop computers, servers, telecommunications equipment, cellular handsets, consumer and automotive electronics, memory modules and vibration dampening in motors and engine controllers.

Designated the OAXXX series, standard AC fan trays are available in 110 VAC, 220 VAC or dual voltage designs.  Maximum airflow is 330, 660 or 990 CFM (cubic feet per minute), and noise ratings are between 45 and 49 dB, depending on the number of fans.
Standard DC fan trays, designated the ODXXX series, also feature 3, 6, and 9-fan configurations in 12, 24 and 48 VDC versions.  Maximum airflow is 330, 660 or 990 CFM with noise ratings specified at 47dB.  DC fan assemblies can include custom control designs, including tachometer, alarm, PWM input, constant speed systems and others.

MGE's family of power meters simplify power monitoring of incoming power circuits as well as secondary feeders and branch circuits with multifunctional digital instrumentation and alarms. Providing users with a data set that can facilitate optimized power quality and equipment utilization, this latest power meter reads over 50 metered values as well as minimum and maximum data via a menu-driven display.

Available with a variety of interface options including RS-485, RS-232 or Ethernet and communications protocols such as MODBUSÂ or JBUS, MGE's meters can be configured for integration into any power monitoring and control system.
The power meter's advanced features include a large, back-lit LCD display, the ability to view three phases (plus neutral) for current or voltage at the same time, modularity to add options as needs change and systems grow, alarm flexibility to set point controlled alarm and relay functions and true RMS metering. In addition, the power meter calculates power factor, real power and reactive power. All models are designed for use with MGE's Power Management Module (PMM) and Remote Power Management Module (RPMM) from 30kVA to 300kVA.

Interested Learning More About Back-Up Power Technology?
Then You Should Attend MGE’s Zero Downtime 2007 Presentation: Backup Power for Today’s Power Hungry Facilities!
Visit www.equipmentprotectionmagazine.com/zero07_program.htm for more information.

AFCO Systems Reaches Water-Cooled Enclosure Partnership with Sanmina-SCI

AFCO Systems has been selected by Sanmina-SCI as a global distribution partner for the EcoBay125 water-cooled enclosure.

“As our clients seek to build higher-density data centers, AFCO must move in a direction which satisfies all of our clients’ needs. The addition of the EcoBay to our product line greatly enhances our offering,” said Michael Mallia, AFCO Systems president and CEO.

In addition to this new product line, two industry veterans, O.Ray Strickland and Paul Degroot, have joined AFCO Systems. Strickland, will serve as the vice president and General Manager of AFCO’s Water-cooled Divisions. Degroot is an industry veteran who has designed and built data centers for Morgan Stanley, VISA and Exodus Communications. He will serve as the Senior Applications Engineer for the water-cooled product line.

“AFCO was selected from among the many enclosure manufacturers around the world because of its strong market presence, quality products and ‘customer first’ attitude,” said George Korolog, Senior vice president, Enclosure Systems Division for Sanmina-SCI.

The June-through-November storm season is the most destructive time of year, as severe weather increases the frequency of power problems that destroy equipment, corrupt data and diminish productivity. So far this summer, thunderstorms and record heat waves have caused blackouts and frequent brownouts in cities throughout the US. 

While we can't control the weather, we can learn to minimize the harmful effects of severe weather events. The new Severe Weather Power Protection Microsite teaches consumers and businesses how to guarantee safe, reliable power, regardless of inclement conditions or undependable utility power. The Microsite has links to a variety of severe weather preparedness resources and includes a FAQ section that offers visitors the opportunity to submit their own questions to Tripp Lite's power protection experts.

Laird Technologies has reached an agreement where Sager Electronics is now authorized to sell Laird Technologies’ thermal management products. This partnership benefits both companies because it allows Laird Technologies’ to expand global solutions with local support while enhancing Sager Electronics’ product offering. In 2005, Laird Technologies selected Sager as its first North American distributor for EMI products. The decision to authorize the company to sell thermal products expands on this existing relationship. Sager Electronics was selected because of its customer service strength, operational excellence and long-standing leadership in the industry.

“This partnership allows us to expand our reach into target markets,” said Michael Dreyer, vice president and general manager of Laird Technologies’ thermal strategic business unit. “Sager is a true supply chain solutions provider that is well positioned to support customer’s materials management and design engineering requirements. Sager will play a critical role in expanding our customer base by providing additional supply chain and logistical services.”

Attend Laird Technologies FREE Zero Downtime EMC Workshop?
Laird Technologies is hosting a free EMC workshop, Nov. 6th at Zero Downtime 2007. Don’t miss out and sign up today!
Visit www.equipmentprotectionmagazine.com/zero07_workshops.htm#la for more information.

Customize Zero Downtime 2007 to Suit Your Needs!

With a multitude of technical sessions, six workshops, dedicated exhibit hall times and 50+ presentations (including co-located conference sessions), attendees of Zero Downtime 2007 can tailor this conference experience to suit their needs.

Whether it’s sitting down to lunch with a potential client, learning how to better manage your facilities at our conference workshops, visiting with exhibitors, or attending a presentation, you can do it all at Zero Downtime 2007! Note: attendees will have also have access to presentations from both Remote Monitoring and Networking 2007/Onsite Power 2007.

With the final program times having just been announced, this is your chance to set up travel arrangements and register for the only event 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.