Electricity + Control

10 / 52

CONTROL SYSTEMS + AUTOMATION
Using wireless products in hazardous areas
SolexyWireless from RETAutomation Controls has released the new
RX series antenna coupler, making it easier to use wireless products
in hazardous areas. This unique design is the only barrier design
that is Explosion Proof with an internal Intrinsically Safe Barrier,
and allows you to use a standard passive antenna or a cable run to
a remote antenna.
No glands and no space inside the housing are required.This bar-
rier is mounted into the enclosure wall, providing the flame proof
protection. In one product:
• Explosion proof sealed fitting
• Intrinsically safe barrier
• RF pass through
The Solexy RX series explosion proof and intrinsically safe RF Barriers
are an integrated protection device that facilitates passive antenna
installation in hazardous areas making the signal intrinsically safe.
The patented RX series barrier features a barrier circuit which pro-
tects the antenna connection and field cabling from faults or voltage
and current high enough to cause a spark ignition. The RX circuit is
encapsulated and housed in an explosion-proof stainless steel body
and is designed to be used with a listed enclosure for hazardous
areas. The RX offers new advantages over the legacy AX series. An
engineered co-planar circuit design, and tuned to tighter frequency
ranges reduces in insertion loss as much as 50% or more.
The longer housing keeps the antenna radiation pattern away from
the housing to allow for a more dependable signal. The RX series
also has new ratings for IECEx and ATEX. It is now approved as an
Apparatus. This will cut down on costly Notified Body evaluations.
The new RX series has a list of installation parameters and when
followed you can use this without requiring additional evaluations.
Enquiries: BrandonTopham.
Email
ROUND UP CONTROL SYSTEMS + AUTOMATION
Safe software reporting
Most safe software platforms provide a Cyclic Redundancy Check
(CRC). This is shown as hexadecimal number. Once the final software
configuration is complete and compiled it will generate this CRC
number. This number is unique to the configuration at that time,
any further changes will generate a different CRC number Therefore
the recording of the validation test must include the CRC number.
Figure 6: Example Siemens Step7-F. CRC (Siemens calls the CRC
‘Collective Signature’).
Figure 7: Example Rockwell GuardLogix.CRC (Rockwell calls the CRC
‘Safety Signature’).
Ian Hetherington is a certified machine safety engineer. He
provides design, specification and CE certification of safety
systems. Also independent analysis and validation of safety
systems. Technical files are auditable and verifiable to ISO/
IEC and SANS standards. Projects are undertaken in South
Africa, Europe and United States.
Enquiries: Email
Electricity+Control February ‘16 8