Operator Interfaces, Switches & Relays


Omniflex displays annunciator prowess

May 2000 Operator Interfaces, Switches & Relays

Omniflex,designer and manufacturer of the Omni-16 annunciator range, has recently released a range of new displays and annunciators for many applications. Included are the all new Omni-16, Omni-8 and Omni-8u instalations. Annunciators and remote displays are still a vital part of the integrate with other products and systems.

The Omni-8c and 16c offer a choice of backlit LEDs, sidebar LEDs or incandescent lamps and for neatness and convenience, window no 16 can be replaced by a pushbutton station with the standard 'Test', 'Silence', 'Acknowledge' and 'Reset' functions. An external pushbutton station can also be connected.

The new Omni-8µ annunciator is a compact eight point annunciator in a standard DIN (48 x 96 mm) housing and comes complete with pushbuttons, a laser printed legend, group alarm relay and 30 standard alarm sequences. The eight potential-free inputs which are individually DIP switch configurable for either N/O or N/C operation and typical uses are motor control panel and pump monitoring.

Perhaps the most significant new feature of the Omni-8/16c annunciators is their ability to connect via RS232/485 to PLCs, DCSs or scada systems. Thus, the annunciator provides the field inputs with isolation, the annunciation and displays while the PLC only requires a spare serial port, saving considerably on input modules. Up to 32 such Omni-16s can be connected to a single port which must be configured as a Modbus Master. In most applications this configuration saves considerable annunciator logic programming which would otherwise have to be done in the PLC.

For those applications where the logic must be done or already has been done in the PLC, the Omni-8c or 16c is still ideal as it can be driven as a simple remote display without the annunciation functions. Users can set up the annunciators via built-in DIP switches or via the serial port, the latter making it easy to download the same set-up to multiple displays.

The new products conform to all the relevant IEC and EN specifications for environmental, safety, EMC and radiation specifications and are powered from 24, 48 or 85–264 V a.c. The Omni-8c and 16c offer a great saving with their built-in 110/22 V a.c. power supply.



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