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| Data Acquisition News |
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MARCH 2012
Welcome to our new web page. After 14 years it was
certainly time for a change. Watch for several new
products to be released this spring.October 2010
A new 64-bit DLL mini-driver will be available by the end of October for users
who wish to compile 64-bit ADU applications. Included with the new driver will
be both VB and C, click-by-click examples. Further, a 64-bit version of the
popular ADUHIDTEST software is in beta testing and will be available in November
2010February 2009
Effective March 1st, 2009 the FLANGE option for ADU products is offered at no
charge. Please specify FLANGE in the part number when ordering. ( Ex
ADU200-FLANGE ) We have moved from a machined to an injection molded part for
this option and the cost has been reduced to the point that an extra charge is
no longer warranted.January 2009
LINUX SDK has now been added to the
Programming Section of this website. Designed
for LINUX users, the SDK offers tutorials on using ADU products with various
LINUX versions.September 2008
Effective Sept 1st, 2008, all ADU products will no longer ship with the Driver
/SDK diskette or CD-ROM. All ADU drivers and the SDK kit are available for
downloading or on-line viewing on the
programming
section of the website.
March 2007
Ontrak Control Systems is pleased to announce that Valerie Majerrison has joined
Ontrak at the Sudbury office and will be responsible for order taking, shipping,
customs handing and order tracking. Welcome aboard Valerie.
March 2006
New tutorials have been added to the
Programming
Section of the website to aid in developing applications for ADU products.
The three tutorials include programming examples for VB.NET, C Sharp and JAVA
languages.March 2005
Ontrak Control Systems is pleased to announce the Full-Compliance EMC lab is now
fully operational at our Sudbury, Ontario Product Development Center. The new
facility allows for the fastest possible development time for EMC compliant
designs. With no need for use of outside compliance labs, both time and money
will be saved in new product development.
January 2005
Ontrak Control Systems is pleased to announce a major capital expansion project
involving a new Full-Compliance EMC test lab to be completed in March 2005 at
the Sudbury Product Development Center. The new EMC lab will feature all
hardware to perform full compliance testing to popular EMC standards including
EN55011, EN55022, FCC and EN61000-X series immunity standards. All EMC testing
for "CE" mark will be performed in the new facility for both stock and custom
products. New equipment including a Laplacell 300 ( Modified GTEM ) will allow
radiated emission and immunity tests to be performed and correlated to OATS to
meet all relevant standards. A Schaffner Modula test system will allow ESD, EFT,
Surge, PQF and other immunity tests to be performed through development to
production phases of product development. Futher details will be posted on the
Custom Design Services page as the lab becomes
operational.December 2004
Microchip Technology of Chandler Arizona
has named Ontrak Control Systems Inc. its top consultant ( of over 340 companies
worldwide ) for designs completed in 2003. Microchip evaluates designs submitted
by companies listed as consultants on its web site and each year picks the best
consultant based on innovative use of its products in designs brought into
production. We have always striven to be the best in the world at what we do and
we are very proud that Microchip Technology, one of the worlds largest microchip
manufacturers, has given us this honored recognition.
November 2004
Ontrak Control Systems has expanded its CNC center to include eight Techno-Isel
CNC mills due to the increased demand for its enclosed products ( Both the
ADU series, and
Custom
designs ). We now have capabilities to work with both ABS Plastic and Aluminum
enclosures to provide finished enclosures in quantities from 10's to 1000's of
units in-house. We have added a few pictures of the machines in action on our
Custom Design page.
October 2004
Several new mounting options are now available for the
ADU series of USB Data Acquisition Interfaces . The options include the
standard Table-Top, Flange, DIN Rail, or Velcro mount. Complete specifications
and drawings are available with a link from each product page to
ADU Mounting Options.
May 2004
The ADU218 USB Solid-State Relay I/O Interface which
features PhotoMOS SSR outputs of up to 1 amp is now shipping. This very unique
interface provides the reliability of solid-state relays and the flexibility of
PhotoMOS outputs that allow both AC and DC loads to be controlled.
December 2003
Two new ADU USB Relay I/O Interfaces will start shipping in the next few weeks.
They include the ADU208 Relay I/O Interface with 8,
5 Amp outputs and 8 isolated inputs. The
ADU208 is
essentially an 8 channel version of the
ADU200, less
the RS232 port. Also, the ADU218 USB Solid-State Relay
I/O Interface which features PhotoMOS SSR outputs that can switch both AC
and DC loads of up to 1 Amp. The year 2004 is looking to be an exciting year for
Ontrak Control Systems as we are changing our focus back to our stock products
by devoting 75% of all engineering time to new product development.
November 2003
In response to many requests, the user manuals ( in PDF Format ) for all
products can now be downloaded from each products information page. Also, sample
connection diagrams for the new ADU series of USB Data Acquisition Products can
now be viewed on each products main page. The sample connection diagrams
illustrate the proper methods of connecting devices such as, switches, dry
contacts, potentiometers, strain gauges, 4-20mA current loops and other
transducers to the ADU series of products.
A tutorial on using VB.NET with the
ADU USB Data Acquisition Products is now available
in the programming section of the web site. The tutorial includes sample files
for download, and details on how to convert programs from VB6 to VB.NET.
October 2003
The ADU100 USB Data Acquisition Interface is now
shipping. This low-cost ISOLATED 16-bit Data Acquisition Interface is truly a
unique offering with its relay output and auxiliary RS232 port.
September 2003
The ADU100 USB Data Acquisition Interface release
has been delayed until Oct 8 as it has taken longer than expected to complete
the product qualification process. We apologize for the delay and thank you for
your patience.
June 2003
An 8-channel version of the
ADU200 USB Relay I/O
Interface will be available in December 2003. The ADU208 features 8, 5-amp
relay outputs and 8 optically isolated inputs and 8 event counters. The package
size is identical to the ADU200, however, the auxiliary RS232 port will not be
available on this model to allow physical room for the terminal connections.
Watch the Products Page for further details.
April 2003
The ADU100 release has been delayed until mid June due to a major design change.
The ADU100 USB data acquisition interface will now feature 3, 16-bit ISOLATED
analog inputs, 4 digital I/O lines, one 5 AMP relay contact output, a high speed
16 bit event counter, and an auxiliary RS232 port. The QTY 1 price is $199 and
is by far, the lowest price isolated 16-bit USB data acquisition interface
available.March 2003
The second in our line of USB data acquisition and control interfaces is due to
be released next month. The ADU100 features 3, 16-bit analog inputs, 4 digital
I/O lines, one 5 AMP relay contact output, one high speed 16 bit event counter,
and an auxiliary RS232 port. Two of the analog input lines can be programmed in
20mV to 2.5V ranges via an internal PGA. The third analog input is a high-level
input with programmable ranges of 0-5, +/-5, 0-10, and +/-10 VDC. The variety of
I/O on this product make it unique and well suited for integration into a
variety of instruments.December 2002
The new ADU200 USB Relay I/O Interface is now
shipping. The complete software development kit ( SDK ) for the line of ADU
interface is online in our programming section.
The development kit contains plenty of tutorials in VB and VC++. TestPoint and
LabView tutorials will be posted soon.November 2002
The ship date for the new
ADU200, the first in our
USB line of products, is set for Nov 29, 2002. The
ADU200 USB Relay I/O Interface features 4, 5-amp relay outputs and 4
optically isolated inputs and 4 event counters. A mini-driver ( DLL ) is
shipping with the product allowing control via intuitive ASCII commands from
Visual Basic, Visual C++, LabVIEW or TestPoint. We will be posting the command
set details and software tutorials for VB and Visual C++ in the week of NOV 25
or sooner. If you would like to be put on the USB notification list send your
request to
sales@ontrak.net . The
single unit price has been finalized at $139US with generous quantity discounts.
August 2002
Ontrak is proud to announce the pending release of the first of 4 new USB based
Data Acquisition and Control Interfaces. The new ADU series of USB based
products feature A/D, D/A, Digital I/O and Relay I/O in various configurations.
All versions will also feature a slave RS232 port for connecting additional
RS232 based devices ( ADR series Products ). The
ADU200
USB Relay I/O Interface with 4, 5-amp relay outputs and 4 optically isolated
inputs is scheduled for release in NOV 2002.
April 2002
Following several requests by our customers we have completed a LINUX
programming example showing how to communicate with ADR ( RS232/RS485) based
devices. The example is now posted n our
programming section. Sample code is can be requested from the page titled
Using LINUX to program ADR Data Acquisition Interfaces.
The example complements the existing tutorials written in C, Visual C++, Visual
BASIC, BASIC, LabView and TestPoint.February 2002
Ontrak Control Systems Inc. announces the completion of our plant expansion in
Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. The expansion allowed the addition of several new work
stations and a complete CNC machining center. The CNC machining center was
installed to reduce the lead time for custom enclosures as much of the work was
previously outsourced. Complete products can be developed including PCB's, and
plastic or aluminum enclosures with the shortest lead times in the industry. The
machining center includes several small DRO mills, and a Techno-Isel CNC mill. A
photo of the machining center is posted on our
Custom
Design page.January 2002
Ontrak Control Systems Inc. announces the release of
ADRCOM. ADRCOM is a free terminal emulation
program that allows users to manually type commands and view responses from both
RS232 and RS485 ASCII based devices. The software is free and can be downloaded
directly from www.ontrak.net.
September 2001
Ontrak Control Systems Inc. announces the release of the
ADR2205 RS232, RS485 Relay I/O Interface with 5 Amp
switching capabilities. Compatible with the ADR2000 series of interfaces, the
ADR2205 expands the relay product offering adding
the features such as, high voltage digital inputs and event counter, eight
contact outputs with 5 Amp switching capability, and a programmable watchdog
timer. The ADR2205 pricing is $189USD QTY 1.
May 2001
Ontrak Control Systems Inc. announces the pending release of a new easy to use
terminal emulation software. ADRCOM is a terminal emulation program that allows
troubleshooting and testing of ADR interfaces from any windows based computer.
The software will be available for FREE via download on our web site. Look for
the new software and tutorial by the end of Sept. 2001.
April 2001
Ontrak Control Systems Inc. announces the pending release of the
ADR2205 RS232, RS485 Relay I/O Interface with 5 Amp
switching capabilities. Compatible with the ADR2000 series of interfaces, the
ADR2205 expands the relay product offering adding
the features such as, high voltage digital inputs and event counter, eight
contact outputs with 5 Amp switching capability, and a programmable watchdog
timer. The ADR2205 pricing is $189USD QTY 1, and
will begin shipping on July 30, 2001.March 2001
The facilities at our Sudbury Ontario Development center have this month
completed a capital expansion project adding automated assembly and soldering
equipment from Novastar, APS and Global Production Devices. The center is now
equipped to eliminate the outsourcing of higher volume manufacturing runs. This
is an important step in our goal of total control of product quality.
February 2001
Ontrak Control Systems Inc, Product Development Center has now passed its first
factory inspection by TUV Rheinland and has been issued a certificate ( No.
H0741212.01 ) indicating our quality control and safety procedures now meet the
rigorous standards of TUV. This certificate allows Ontrak Control Systems to
apply the TUV mark to all products approved by TUV Rheinland manufactured at the
facility. We are very proud of this achievement and see it as an important
attribute to our custom design division for our
customers requiring distribution in Europe..
January 2001
The AVR8000 RS232 8:1 Video Multiplexer / Video Switch
is now shipping. The AVR8000 is a versatile device
allowing may control configurations including , manual switch , RS232, contact
input ( motion ), or timed switching. Buffered inputs and outputs including full
ESD protection ensure reliable operation.December
2000
A new tutorial covering TCP/IP access to serial data acquisition interfaces is
now posted in the Programming section. The
tutorial titled Programming TCP/IP Access to ADR
Cards outlines the code required to communicate with data acquisition
interfaces over an Internet connection. Sample code is available through e-mail
request.November 2000
A new web page for Ontrak Control Systems has been launched this month ( You're
looking at it now! ). The page contains all the information from our previous
page in an easier to navigate format. Thanks to Ed and Jason at
Worldwide Productions for a job well done.
October 2000
Ontrak Control Systems announces the pending release ( DEC 2000 ) of the
AVR8000 RS232 8:1 Video Multiplexer ( $199 Qty 1 ).
The AVR8000 allows multiplexing of 8 video signals
to a single output. Eight contact inputs allow the used of an external manual
switch or motion detector inputs to determine selected channel. Designed for
Point-Of-Sale use, the device is also suitable for security and industrial
monitoring applicationsJuly 5, 2000
New Product Development Center Opens in Sudbury, Ontario
Ontrak Control Systems announces the opening of a new Product Development Center
in Sudbury, Ontario. The new facility features modern mechanical and electronic
prototyping facilities for the development of both custom and standard computer
interface products. Employing five design and prototype production staff, the
facility will specialize in design and development of RS232, RS485 and USB based
computer interfaces for various industries. Additionally, all internet orders
and correspondence will be handled at the facility. Effective July 5, 2000,
please direct all deliveries and correspondence to : Ontrak Control Systems Inc.
764 Notre Dame Avenue, Unit #1, Sudbury, Ontario CANADA P3A 2T2. All telephone
numbers and internet addresses will remain the same.
November + December 1999
There are no new product announcements for November or December. We would ,
however, like to wish all our customers a safe and enjoyable holiday season.
September + October 1999
Work is continuing on the new USB based interfaces and details will be available
when finalized. We at Ontrak Control Systems continually strive to provide the
highest quality products and services for our customers and have begun the
process for ISO9001 registration. Ontrak has selected QMI, ( Quality Management
Institute ) a division of the Canadian Standards Association, to act as auditors
of the ISO9000 implementation. We believe the ISO registration will help ensure
continuous product quality and improvement through careful monitoring of all
aspects of product design through product manufacture.
August 1999
A new tutorial titled Using RS232 Devices With USB is
now posted in both the Applications and
Programming section of this site. The tutorial
shows how any ADR interface product can be connected a USB port and software
written as if the device was connected to a standard COM port. We are presently
working on a line of USB interfaces and the first new product announcements will
be made this fall.June + July 1999
The summer months have been busy with several custom products developed for both
a major POS system manufacturer, and a major telecommunications company. Our
focus will shift to new stock products beginning in mid-August allowing time for
some well deserved R&R for our design staff. New product announcements will be
made in September. Feel free to send an e-mail with product suggestions to
sales@ontrak.net. and we will be
happy to consider them in determining the next line of interfaces. All e-mails
will be answered by Tom Fortin, our Engineering Manager.
May 1999
The ADR7700 is now available for shipping. This
16-bit, build-to-order interface was designed for a medical equipment
manufacturer and offers a low cost method of converting traditional instruments
to computer control. In other news, Ontrak Control Systems is now designated a
Certified Microchip Consultant company offering quality design services using
Microchip Technology ( Chandler, AZ )
products.
April 1999
A new 16-bit, sigma-delta converter interface is to be released in early May and
information is now posted in our
products section.
The ADR7700 is a high accuracy, build-to-order
device with one analog input and 4 digital I/O lines with programmable
interrupts. Developed for an instrument manufacturer, it has both RS232 and
RS485 ports and will broadcast data at two rates. The analog input range (
single-ended or differential ) can be set to virtually any range specified by
the user. A Visual C++ tutorial has been added to the
programming section and demonstrates how to use
ASCII devices with Visual C++ with MFC.
March 1999
The ADR2010 Serial Data Acquisition interfaces with
10 Volt analog inputs and the ADR2200 RS232 Relay
I/O interface are now both shipping. The ADR2200 has several
interrupt functions that eliminate the practice of polling inputs that are
being very well received. Changes have begun in our
Applications and Programming sections of
the web site including new application notes, more extensive command listings
and soon, Wonderware tutorials will be added.
February 1999
The release of the ADR2010 has been delayed until
Feb 26th, 1999 which is the same day for the release of the
ADR2200 Relay I/O interface. The delay is to allow
us to make some performance improvements to the product and we apologize for any
inconvenience this may cause. We are very pleased with the two new additions to
our product line and expect they will be very popular. Plans for March include
revisions to our web site in the Programming and Applications sections. More
information will be posted concerning command syntax including alternative
programming tips. The Applications section will be converted from a button type
interface to hyperlinked text to allow more comprehensive descriptions to be
posted. Users will be invited to submit applications and prizes will be awarded
every six months to the most interesting application posted. Details will be
posted in the Applications section in March.January
1999
The ADR2010 will be released late this month adding
10V capabilities to the ADR2000 series of products. The ADR2200 RS232, RS485
Relay I/O interface is another new ADR2000 series product, to be released in FEB
99. The ADR2200 features 8 relay contact outputs, 4
TTL or contact inputs and one event counter. The interface is compatible with
all ADR2000 series products. Details on new products to be released this April
will be posted soon.
December 1998
At the request of many customers, a new product is to be added to the ADR2000
series with +10V and +/-10VDC inputs. The
ADR2010
features 8, 12-bit analog inputs with software configurable to any combination
of 0-5V,+/-5V,0-10V and +/-10VDC inputs. Also included are 8 digital I/O lines,
2, 10-bit PWM outputs and a 16-bit event counter. This board, as with all
ADR2000 series products, is daisy-chainable with other units allowing up to 80
analog inputs.We at ONTRAK CONTROL SYSTEMS Inc. would like to wish all of you, a safe and
enjoyable holiday season.November 1998
A new page has been added to the Programming section of our site covering the
use of TestPoint with ADR interfaces. This
programming language is the easiest tool to produce applications in test and
measurement , bar none. Work is continuing on new products to be announced in
Jan 99. Feel free to let us know of any products or product improvements you
would like to see.October 1998
After many requests to make the printouts of our web page tutorials and
programming applications more readable, the web page has been re-designed. The
new page ( you are looking at it now) is much cleaner than before. Hope you like
it. A LabVIEW tutorial has been added, and coming
soon are a few more of the popular GUI software languages. Watch the programming
section for details.
September 1998
New product brochures are now available and can be obtained simply by sending
your name address and telephone number to
sales@ontrak.net. To date, all ADR interfaces utilize RS232, RS485 or
RS422 serial interface ports. Most computers manufactured today feature standard
comm ports and USB serial ports. We are announcing today the development of new
USB based data acquisition interfaces featuring 12-bit analog inputs, software
configurable ranges, DIN rail or panel mounting capability, versatile digital
I/O, all for under $250.00. Qty 1. These new interfaces to be released in spring
1999, will compliment our existing line of interfaces ensuring ONTRAK CONTROL
SYSTEMS remains #1 in serial data acquisition for years to come.
August 1998
The ADR2100 is now available. Expected to be our
best seller, it incorporates new functionality not found on previous products
including interrupt capabilities and a dual stepper motor indexer. Our focus
this month will be on developing software tutorials for Visual C and several
graphical instrumentation languages. Watch our programming section for details.
Those of you on our mailing list will receive our brochures covering the new
products later this month.July 1998
The ADR2100 is to be released this month and
incorporates a complete dual stepper motor indexer. Along with the many other
functions including analog inputs, digital I/O, PWM outputs, event counters and
more, this product is expected to be our best seller for general control
applications requiring extensive digital functions. Priced at only $199US, means
price/performance second to none.Upon the release of the ADR2100, our focus will be on developing software
tutorials for our web page to support the many graphical instrumentation
software packages available. Watch the page for details.
June 1998
The first in our new
ADR2000 series boards are now
available. The new series offer the new capabilities previously unavailable on
ADR interfaces including PWM outputs and analog voltage outputs. Once the
ADR2100 is available ( Early Aug 1998 ) new brochures will be available
outlining the complete product line. Send email through our feedback page to be
put on our mailing list.May 1998
The first in our new ADR2000 line or products is to be released at the end of
this month. The ADR2000 series products feature an on board RS232 to RS485
converter, eliminating the need for RS232/RS485 converters in daisy-chained
applications.
APRIL 1998
The big news this month is our new web page. A much cleaner look than the
previous page with no flashy graphics or animations that take so long to load.
The page was designed to provide information and that is what it does.
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Contact Information |
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Address |
Telephone |
Electronic Mail |
Ontrak
Control Systems Inc.
764
Notre Dame Ave., Unit #1 |
Tel: (705) 671-2652 |
General Information Sales or Support |
| Sudbury,Ontario |
Fax:(705) 671-6127 |
tom@ontrak.net |
| CANADA
P3A 2T2 |
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Copyright © 2012 ONTRAK CONTROL SYSTEMS
764 Notre Dame Ave, Unit #1 , Sudbury, Ontario, CANADA P3A 2T2
"Quality serial Data Acquisition Interfaces"
PH. (705) 671-2652 FAX (705)
671-6127 |
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