Newsletter September 2008

It's official, Abbey Systems is now 30 years old. Lester registered Lester Abbey & Associates Ltd on 13 September 1978.

On a delightfully warm and sunny spring Sunday afternoon, past and present staff and partners enjoyed celebrating the occasion with Lester and Liz at their home in Roseneath.

Some of the firsts along the way include;

First Commercial Microcomputer in NZ developed by Lester: Millbrook76 (1976)

First Job: Waiouru Army Museum projector presentation system

First Alarm Monitoring: Answer Services Ltd - Burglar Alarm system scanning

First Local Body SCADA Customer: Wellington City Council, 1982

First Power System: Marlborough EPB MicroAlert 1

First Export Job: Salt Lake City Metropolitan Water, Utah, USA 1992

First Export Office: Utah 1999

Product Evolution:
1980 Answerscan
1983 MicroAlert 1
1985 MicroAlert 2
1988 MicroAlert 3
1993 Modulink/Microlink
1997 Powerlink substation RTU
1998 Topcat poletop RTU
2003 Swampfox Pump Station Controller
2006 Aspex HMI software
2007 Powercat Substation RTU

First Job by Lester Abbey

In 1978 after going to the US to study the latest microchip technology, I expected to resume work as a contractor to the TAB, only to find that they had cancelled their order for the new microprocessor-controlled betting terminals I was hoping to work on. Too proud to ask for my old job back I cast about for any work involving microprocessors.

Within a week I had a project - and an interesting one too. A friend had the contract to provide an audio visual show at the Army War Museum then under construction at Waiouru. It was a big project - six screens and twelve projectors in a mini theatre adjacent to the main exhibits. He wanted to use a microprocessor to control the show, linking the various projector fades and dissolves to the sound track. I also had to develop a system to program the sound track.

I threw myself into it and worked 12 hour days (earning at least $1 an hour) and came up with a rather good system in time for opening day. And what a day that turned out to be.

It was cold and raining hard. I watched the opening ceremony out the window; the battalion of soldiers standing at rigid attention - freezing and wet; the invited guests standing in the carpark - also freezing and wet; the dignitaries on the dais - nicely sheltered, warm and dry.

First, the speeches. The Commander of the Army got through his in under three minutes. Likewise for the PM - Rob Muldoon. And then it was Governor General , Kiwi Keith Holyoake's turn. I watched as four soldiers fell in the ranks. And still he went on and on for over an hour.

Eventually those guests that hadn't frozen solid filed in to look at the exhibits and pack the theatre for the first public showing, which went without a hitch. Afterwards at the reception, I was introduced to Holyoake, Muldoon and Charles Upham (VC and Bar), who took a real shine to me. I was introduced to him as the programmer of the show and he took that to mean that I wrote the script so I was introduced to his war buddies as such. “It is rare for one so young as you to understand what it is like to go to war” he told me. I was very uncomfortable; nothing I did convinced Charlie that I didn't write the script. I introduced the actual programme author, I told him my sole military experience was as trombonist in the US Naval Reserve Drum and Bugle Corps, nothing worked. Heroes are hard to deter. He even brushed Keith H off so he could continue introducing me to his friends under these very false pretences.

Eventually I was rescued Jack Hinton, another VC who saw the strife I was in. And so Abbey Systems' first project was completed and viewed by the Governor General, Prime Minister and a whole bunch of war heroes.

What's New

Local Displays

A number of our customers have asked about installing local displays /control screens in their pump stations. There are two ways we can do this;

First users could install an LCD screen with Serial connection running Modbus to the Swampfox (Schneider Magelis XBT N401 and Omron NT3S are two models of suitable displays with Modbus slave drivers, but there will be others). The displays come with their own software that allows users to create screen layouts.

(Omron touch screen displaying a typical pump station layout)

The second option is to install a PC connected to the Swampfox serial config port. The PC would run a version of Aspex called Local Operator which can reuse the display screens created for the SCADA Master. Aspex Local Operator stores data onsite for display on Aspex Advanced Trends, so backing up the RTU and SCADA Master database.

Examples of Aspex Local Operator screen and Trend screen at a local WTP.

Fit the site with an analog well level transducer and the Swampfox operates as the Pump Station Controller while calculating and datalogging the inflow and rate along with other performance attributes of the site operation.

Topcat II

The original Topcat RTU has been in production for over 10 years. In that time it's found its way into hundreds of sites to report on alarms and allow remote control of equipment in a customer's network. While mainly used in the power industry, due to its isolated I/O and serial capability, it's also seen service in water and wastewater treatment plants, communicating with PLCs.

Top Energy uses our Topcats in their power distribution network for feeder automation. In planning for a major expansion of this recently, the foremost consideration was the reliability of communications and access of a large number of channels into the control room/ SCADA Master enviroment.

Abbey Systems was approached about possible solutions and devised a scheme which uses an IP SCADA Gateway between the SCADA Master and various repeater sites. There, multiple VHF radio channels are split out to communicate with the individual switch and recloser sites in the network.

Top Energy's existing SCADA systems use a VHF LMR repeater network and for this new job a further 8 radio channels will be used to cover the district. The longer VHF radio waves have better propagation and coupled with using a synchronous protocol reach far into the district for optimal performance.

All of the new reclosers and switches being installed have a serial interface instead of discrete I/O switches or relays. This all pointed to using an RTU/radio combination with no discrete I/O. The closest product in our existing lineup that could be changed to do this job was the Swampfox RTU, which is a Pump Station Controller/RTU used in the water/wastewater industry. Its 'modular at manufacture' design means a variant could be quickly developed for this new application. The result is an RTU with no onboard battery, power management board or I/O board present. The RTU comprises a CPU and radio. It has the same 2 serial ports and an IP port as the Swampfox does and sports new front and rear panels.

We've decided to call the new product Topcat II, although at this stage it isn't a replacement for our existing Topcat product.

a.

Topcat II variants a) with internal radio b) for external radio.  Standard versions will have rear mounting plates similar to the Swampfox.  The one shown on these samples are for a specific mounting application

b.

USA Sales

Abbey Systems has been busy in North America recently, ignoring all the financial institutions that have been imploding.

Lester travelled to the US in May, and he and Barry toured northern California and Oregon where they visited a number of prospects and gave presentations of Swampfox and the latest Aspex software.

Barry was back there again at the end of August to visit McKinleyville Water Services, California where we are installing a new system and also to visit Roseburg, Oregon, where the Umpqua Basin Water system is being expanded. In addition he visited several of the prospective customers and as a result will be quoting on a couple of new proposals in the area.

Back in Utah, where our office is currently located, many existing customers have upgraded from Telemetry Mimic to Aspex. They are particularly enthused about the new product's powerful historical trending features.

Software Versions

The latest software versions are;
Aspex 0.9.3-86      Powerlink 3.7.2

If you're not running these versions then please contact us and make arrangements to receive updated software. (Conditions apply)

If you are still running our older Telemetry Mimic HMI software, then we recommend upgrading to Aspex. Upgrade packages are available which recognise the investment of time in creating your existing TM screens. Or you could take the opportunity to recreate the screens from scratch to utilise the new Aspex software features. At a minimum we recommend customers replace their existing TM trend screens with new Advanced Trends. You'll be amazed at the difference.

November Training

We are now taking registrations for the next courses in November 2008. Prices are in NZ Dollars

General Operations		Mon, Tue 24, 25		$935
Programming		Wed 26		$550
Reporting		Thur 27		$550
Aspex		Fri 28		$650
Hardware & Tech		Tue, Wed 2, 3 Dec		$1,100
GST not included and is extra

For registration or further details please call Cathy or email cathy@abbey.co.nz.

Abbey Systems reserves the right to postpone or cancel any courses due to staff unavailability or course numbers.

Please contact Steve Dorrington with any questions arising from this issue
04 3856611 or steve@abbey.co.nz

If you would like someone added to or removed from the mailing list, please contact cathy@abbey.co.nz

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