Schneider Electric expands Magelis range of HMI terminals

(18/02/2008)

Schneider Electric is expanding its Magelis range of HMI terminals with 4 key new additions, offering superior performance and functionality at reduced cost. Existing customers can benefit from the new additions, which take advantage of recent advances in technologies such as analogue touch screens, true colour displays and Gigabyte Ethernet communications.

The new models cover almost every level of HMI functionality from full function PC-based touch-screen systems to compact semi-graphic displays with touch screens and keypads. Like all products in the Magelis range, they share the Vijeo Designer configuration environment, as well as designs that combine ruggedness and simplicity.

The most sophisticated of the new models is the Magelis XBTGTW, an Open PC-based touch-screen HMI which uses the Windows XPe operating system, available with screens sizes from 8.4" to 15.1". This Open HMI provides greater flexibility of PC connectivity and for running additional software applications on-board the HMI.

This versatile unit has four USB ports, one of which is located on the front panel and has an IP65 ingress protection rating, and two Ethernet ports. Slots are also provided for CompactFlash cards and, on 15" models, for PCMCIA cards. The XBTGTW is shipped with two invaluable applications – Microsoft Office Viewer and Adobe Acrobat – preinstalled. This model also provides full web-browsing capabilities for local and remote pages, allowing easy access to diagnostic and maintenance information, and it has Windows Media Player installed to facilitate use with streaming video from, for example, plantmounted webcams.

For applications involving severe dusty or dirty environments where touch screens are not suitable, Schneider Electric has introduced the new Magelis XBTGK, a graphical terminal with integrated keypad. The keys have been specially designed to offer increased sensitivity combined with mechanical feedback to enhance operator confidence. The new XBTGK is available with either a 5.7" or a 10.4" screen, and is mechanically interchangeable with its predecessor in the Magelis range, the XBTF.

Where an HMI is needed which combines small size with versatility, the new Magelis XBTGT11, which offers extended memory, fast Ethernet and USB connectivity, is an attractive option.

This compact unit features a 3.8" full QVGA 256-colour high-precision analogue touch screen which can display clearly up to 30 lines of text, each with 40 characters. It also supports advanced graphic animations, which can readily be developed using the Vijeo Designer configuration software.

The final new addition to the Magelis range is the XBTRT compact terminal which incorporates a 3.9" touch-screen semi-graphic display and a keypad. This model offers multilingual support and can display graphics and scrolling text characters up to 16mm high. Designed to bridge the price and functionality gap between compact text terminals and full-blown graphic touch screens, this unit is aimed at simple installations in the industrial, building and infrastructure sectors.

The new XBTRT terminal has the same footprint as its predecessor, the text only XBTR, and it also shares the same Vijeo Designer Lite configuration software, making upgrading easy. The XBTRT is also easy to integrate, as it can take its 5V supply direct from Schneider Electric Twido programmable controllers, or from Modicon M340 automation platform products.

Related categories:  Industrial   Operator Interface