A new range of wireless- enabled stacking beacons from IDC Ltd. provides improved, cable-less machine monitoring and enhanced safeguarding. The new beacons are smple to install and operate and integrate IDC’s ZB100 system- on- a –chip, allowing central machine monitoring of all machine types, existing and new, including those that, due to cabling complexity were previously considered impossible to network.

The beacons are manufactured by DG Controls Ltd. (Deegee). Each lamp stack has an intermediate section provided, fitted with a ZB100 OEM module. This simple fitment means that any standard lamp stack can be “wireless enabled” using the IDC module.

The module offers links for two operating modes. The first enables the state of the beacon lamps to be monitored over the wireless network to wireless Gateway, which is connected to a central PC using standard Ethernet or USB connection. This mode is intended for machinery control systems using existing signal towers installed by conventional cabling. Simply by installing a wireless module to each beacon stack, the beacons can report the state of each lamp over the wireless network to immediately notify plant supervisors of problems. In addition to machine status, the company’s PC software can also provide real time analysis of the plant for management and maintenance departments.

The second operational mode enables the lamp stack to be controlled over the wireless network.