What is CTRLink?

CTRLink is a family of Industrial Ethernet products comprised of repeating hubs, switching hubs and media converters used to interconnect modern automation devices. Contemporary Controls defines Industrial Ethernet as technology compatible with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.3 family of standards, but designed and packaged for the requirements and rigors of commercial and industrial applications. Although Ethernet is now over 30 years old, it has been reinvented several times to become the local area network of choice for next generation automation, process control and building automation systems.

Why choose CTRLink over office-grade equipment?

Office-grade Ethernet connectivity equipment also conforms to IEEE 802.3 standards and will successfully communicate with CTRLink. There are several reasons why CTRLink is superior to office-grade equipment when used in industrial and commercial applications.

Temperature

Office-grade equipment is typically specified over a +5°C to +40°C temperature range, while industrial controllers such as programmable logic controllers (PLCs) are rated from 0° to +60°C. Ethernet equipment should have equal or better temperature ratings as the equipment to which it is connected. Many outdoor applications require that the equipment perform over a wider -40°C to +75°C range. These two ranges are beyond the capabilities of office-grade equipment, but are covered by the CTRLink family without the use of fans which are undesirable in industrial applications.

Mounting

Control devices are usually mounted onto sub-panels, which are installed into industrial control panels. Devices are secured by mounting tabs or snapped onto DIN-rails. CTRLink equipment can be mounted in this fashion making for a nice, clean and rugged installation resistant to vibration. CTRLink equipment looks like it belongs with its companion devices. Office-grade equipment is intended for tabletop installation and seldom has provisions for secure mounting. Frequently, the units are left unmounted or attached using Velcro®, duct tape or a special shelf is fabricated at additional cost for their mounting. Office-grade equipment is out of place in an industrial control panel.

Power Supply

Industrial systems are usually powered from a common low-voltage control transformer or low-voltage DC power supply. The CTRLink family will operate over a wide-range of AC or DC voltages compliant to the needs of most any type of control application. The key to this flexibility is a wide-range DC-to-DC converter, which can operate during brownout conditions utilizing a large input capacitor to ride-out spikes and dropouts that can frequently occur with factory power sources. Additional connections are provided for redundant power schemes to ensure the greatest amount of uptime. Office-grade equipment is usually mains-powered or requires a wall-mounted plug-in transformer that is inconvenient in a control panel and susceptible to inadvertent disconnection, compromising the reliability of the system.

Regulatory Requirements

The movement of industry in embracing Ethernet standards does not remove the requirement to conform to various agency regulations not required in the office. Seldom does office-grade Ethernet equipment meet the unique requirements of industrial automation or even building automation. CTRLink products are designed and tested to the higher electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) immunity standards required for industrial equipment. All the products are UL 508 Listed for use in industrial control panels and some are listed under UL 1604 for Class I, Division 2 hazardous locations. Still others are UL 864 recognized for smoke and fire protective applications. All the products carry the CE mark for installation in the European Union.

Extended Product Life Cycle

Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) require a stable bill-of-material (BOM) without the additional expense and effort to requalify a replacement for an obsolete device. This is especially true when the OEM equipment has been qualified for agency approvals and subject to factory surveillance. This can be a challenge when using state-of-art electronic devices, so Contemporary Controls makes every effort to ensure that its CTRLink products will have an acceptable product life cycle in support of its OEM customers. This is not the case with office-grade equipment that is frequently changed without notification making it difficult to specify and procure the same item even over a short time span.

Responsive Technical Support

Contemporary Controls recognizes that Industrial Ethernet is a powerful technology and understanding how it functions and how it can aid a customer's application can be a confusing process. The company continually educates its market about the workings and benefits of the technology through seminars, white papers, articles, conferences, web site and through our EXTENSION newsletter articles. The company provides responsive phone support and technical advice on how best to configure an Industrial Ethernet application using CTRLink. Vendors of office-grade equipment seldom answer a call or are unknowledgeable of the unique requirements of the controls industry.