News & Events

Most of you will be familiar with the first generation Woodward DSLC and MSLC controllers and also with the DSLC/MSLC generation II. If so you might also know that generation-I and II are not compatible in terms of communications. Where the first generation uses LONworks the current model uses Ethernet for inter-control communications. To date Woodward does not have a data gateway available. Problem:

1. Client has a faulty first generation DSLC/MSLC. Pending available parts we can still repair or supply new generation-I controllers. New price is approximately A$16K each.
2. Generation-I controllers cannot be mixed with generation-II or easYgens.
3. Retrofitting the system with easYgens/LS5 will require a retrofit of the station master PLC because the master commands/sequence cannot easily be matched to the easYgen system, or any other brand controllers for that matter.

PM Control can now provide you with a quick and easy retrofit solution: PM Control has designed “DSLC/MSLC Quick Swap Panels” enabling you to retrofit generation-I controllers to generation-II in a matter of hours. We have successfully proven this solution with an Australian mining company which could not afford to stop production and did not want to spent big dollars towards a complete retrofit. These quick-swap panels have terminal strips that exactly match the generation-I controllers and will be supplied fully wired as shown in the photo’s below. The “only” thing that has to be changed outside the panels is adding an Ethernet network for the inter-control communications. With the added benefit that generation-II provides a redundant communication network as standard. The master or station PLC does not require any adjustment as generation-II will work with the exact same commands.

Advantages:

- Quick and low cost solution to modernise an existing system
- Out-compete anybody who wants to retrofit with a third party brand system
- Redundant Ethernet communications network, including Modbus
- Programming using Toolkit instead of handheld
- Use additional generation-II features as desired
- One part number only for the DSLC and one for MSLC.

Recent retrofit using the quick-swap panels;