Testing Powered Electronics.

Instrument configuration enables testing of powered electronics during Xenon Arc Exposure.

Atlas Material Testing Technology has introduced the Ci5000E Weather-Ometer®, a new configuration of its Ci5000 xenon arc platform designed specifically for accelerated testing of powered electronic devices and components. Developed to meet the evolving accelerated weathering requirements of the electronics industry, the Ci5000E allows manufacturers to keep electronic specimens powered and operating during controlled xenon arc exposure.

Operating electronic components generate their own heat, carry electrical loads and perform active functions that are not present when the components are evaluated while they are unpowered. Powered testing can help manufacturers evaluate how displays, sensors and other electronic functions respond to light and heat while under operational load.

“The challenge was not simply getting power into the test chamber," said Chelsea Todd, Product Marketing Manager at Atlas. "It was doing so while maintaining the proven exposure performance, uniformity and repeatability of the Ci5000 platform.”

The Ci5000E incorporates several design features that make powered testing possible while maintaining controlled exposure conditions:

• Cable-access porthole for routing power and signal connections into the test chamber
• Slip-ring-enabled power delivery through the specimen rack while it remains in motion during testing
• Oscillating specimen rack that replaces the platform's continuous rotation, supporting irradiance and temperature uniformity while allowing power and signal cables to be routed and managed without winding
• Air-baffle design that supports consistent chamber airflow and exposure conditions

Built on the Ci5000 platform widely used for accelerated xenon arc testing in automotive and other demanding applications, the Ci5000E delivers the same controlled light and temperature conditions while adding the ability to power and operate electronic specimens during exposure. It retains the largest test chamber in the Weather-Ometer family, providing room for powered specimens and their associated cabling and connections. The Ci5000E configuration does not include the Ci5000 specimen-spray option.

---

@Atlas_MTT @AMETEKInc @PresseBox @UnnGmbh #TandM

Wireless Cellular Controller

The T925 connects remote equipment through cellular networks, eliminating the need for hardwired connections.

The T925 Wireless Cellular Controller, from Xenon, connects remote sites with central control and monitoring stations through cellular networks. A T925 remote communications network eliminates the need to make hardwired Ethernet connections to the Internet or to an intranet at each remote site and at the central control and monitoring station, and the network operates from any location worldwide with cellular coverage.

A T925 remote communications network allows end users, machine and skid builder OEMs, RTU and SCADA OEMs, security monitoring system OEMs and other firms to monitor and control their automation and monitoring systems through the cellular network at sites thousands of miles away. Typical applications include pipelines, pump stations and electrical substations.

The unit is usually configured with a T925 at each site. Up to 250 T925s can simultaneously communicate through the cellular network with a VPN router installed at a central control and monitoring station. Each T925 is custom-configured by Xenon, and is ready for deployment and operation with no communications programming required by the user.

Once one or more of the units and the VPN are installed and communicating, a user simply needs to connect desired hardware components to the VPN to enable full remote monitoring and control of all components connected to the T925 at the remote site. Hardware components at the central control and monitoring station are hardwired to the VPN and are typically one or more PCs running SCADA software.

It can be connected to a variety of components at the remote site. It can accept up to seven Ethernet inputs—as well as four digital inputs, four analog inputs and two temperature inputs, either thermocouples or RTDs. The T925 has four digital relay outputs that can be used to control components and systems at the remote site, and it features on-board data logging with up to 2 gigabytes of storage space.

The T925 also allows users to connect to local devices serially through RS232, RS422, and 2- and 4-wire RS485/422 communication links. OPC communications are supported with all digital data links.
The T925’s local HMI operator interface panel with push button inputs gives personnel at the remote site the ability to monitor operation, set alarm ranges and set points, and control local devices. The T925 is housed in a NEMA 4X enclosure suitable for installation in Class 1, Division 2 hazardous area locations, and it meets FCC, C/UL, CSA and CE requirements.

The recent widespread proliferation of high-speed 3G and 4G cellular networks has increased communication bandwidth and performance to a level more than sufficient for most industrial automation control and monitoring applications. This makes cellular network communications the best option in many applications because of its superior price-performance ratio along with its ease of installation and use.

The T925 works with AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint, Midwest Wireless, Cellular One and 16 international carriers. Depending on customer preference, contracts with cellular providers can either be direct billed to the customer, or billed through Xenon via a software-as-a-service model. Cellular network communications are typically through an always-on cellular gateway, with charges based on data usage.

With a T925 system, communications are transparent between components at the remote sites, and control and monitoring hardware and software at the central station.