OptoNews - April 16, 2008

Hot Tips from Product Support: What's the Scan Rate?

Verizon Monitors Power - New Video Case Study

Faster, Easier Video Viewing

What's New on the Opto 22 Website

Hot Tips from Product Support: What's the Scan Rate?

Opto 22 Product Support—and our salespeople—often are asked what the scan rate is for our programmable automation controllers (PACs). It's a question that makes perfect sense to anyone familiar with PLCs.

We can't answer this question with a number, though, because the way our PACs process logic and I/O is fundamentally different from the way PLCs do, and the architecture of the SNAP PAC System is fundamentally different as well.

An OptoForum post asked for "typical response time" for the SNAP PAC System and how often I/O points or the communication channel would be "serviced."

Product Support lead engineer Bill Steffens' response gives a helpful explanation of how the system's architecture works and how it differs from a PLC (and from a ladder logic-based PAC).

If you've been wondering about SNAP PAC scan rates, check out Bill's response on our forums.

While you're there, see if there are other questions you want to ask—or answer—in the OptoForums.

Verizon Monitors Power - New Video Case Study

In our latest video case study, customer Verizon and integrator Marine Interface, Inc. show Opto 22 engineer Kelly Downey how they use Opto 22 products to monitor power usage and control systems in Verizon's New Jersey central phone switching office.

This central office is a model for such offices, using cogeneration and sophisticated energy management techniques to lower energy costs and make sure critical phone service is always available.

Watch the Verizon case study.

If you'd rather read than watch, a printable PDF version of the Verizon case study is also available.

Faster, Easier Video and Screencast Viewing

If you watched the Verizon video case study, did you notice it's presented in a new video player? Our new OptoVideo widescreen player loads videos faster and makes it easier to see other videos you're interested in.

Take a look at the tabs across the top. Case studies are all in one tab, quick 60-second OptoMinutes in another, and Introduction to the SNAP PAC System in a third. We'll be adding other tabs as we produce other videos.

You can also email the video to a colleague just by clicking the "email" link.

And if you'd like to link directly to the video from your website (we'd love to have you do this!), just click "get link" below the video and copy the complete link shown in the box. (If you're an Opto 22 distributor or partner, ask about our OptoVideo syndication program.)

When you want to learn about PAC Project software, check out our equally new screencast player. The screencast player breaks up each screencast into chunks of information, listed at the right of the screen, so you can skip to just the part you want to see or review.

Hope you enjoy the new players!

Watch the video player.
Watch the screencast player.

What's New on the Opto 22 Website

As you've seen, the video and screencast players are new on our website. What else is on our website that could help you?

Here's a short PDF that mentions several things besides the videos. From picking I/O for your project, to checking for firmware or the latest Product Support updates, the Opto 22 Website Tour shows you quick ways to get to the information you need.

See the Opto 22 Website Tour