Red Lion "FlexEdge" Launch

[Ken Roach]

We usually save wild conjecture for Fridays, but what the heck, I need a break from apocalypse planning.

Here's the video on Twitter that Red Lion's social media folks have been teasing for a few days:

https://twitter.com/redlioncontrols/status/1230176900049489920?s=20

Dark ! Mysterious ! Probably Ethernet ports ! Knockoff Vangelis soundtrack !

I can't tease their marketing people too hard; they got me to look. And I know that the Retroencabulator is funny because it's barely satire. And I know that the letters "Z", "X", "R" and "S" make motorcycles faster.

The information embargo is broken if you go to YouTube: "Premier" launch of several videos tomorrow morning, for a new product, the FlexEdge controller.

It even reveals a direct link: www.redlion.net/flexedge


The part numbers and general arrangement suggest that these are big brothers to the DA10 and DA30 DataStations.

The expansion port of the old DataStation Plus and the backplane of the Edge Controller has been replaced by a "Sled" form factor (one on the DA50, three on the DA70).

USB, Secure Digital, 10/100 Ethernet, and serial ports galore. Cellular modem and GPS interfaces too.

The brochures, videos, and online selector are all embargoed until tomorrow morning.

I wonder what else is under the Crimson 3.1 hood ?

 

[OkiePC]

I wonder what else is under the Crimson 3.1 hood?

I am still waiting for the 3.1 emulator. Thanks for doing the homework on this. It might take a half hour for my green acres internet here in the sticks to load the video, but I have to wait now rather than go hunt for it tomorrow.

 

[Ken Roach]

They definitely wasted some of their money of graphics for the product launch, especially those YouTube videos. I don't need a 3-D animated model to show me how to connect a DC power supply to a modular plug.

The website was a better use of their money; really snappy illustrations to go with the bullet points about features.

I'm interested to learn if the GPS sled will let me use accurate timestamps in the system, maybe with interrupts and events that run faster than the general solving speed of all of the Programs running in the controller.

I'm not sure how I feel about the multicolor "status ring"; red solid and red flashing are user faults, not system faults. That's not what I would expect, and I figure I'll end up putting a simple truth table next to the controller.

The isolated serial ports and multiple Ethernet ports and MicroSD storage and USB hosts... I like the features of this device.

 

[OkiePC]

They definitely wasted some of their money of graphics for the product launch, especially those YouTube videos. I don't need a 3-D animated model to show me how to connect a DC power supply to a modular plug.

The website was a better use of their money; really snappy illustrations to go with the bullet points about features.

I'm interested to learn if the GPS sled will let me use accurate timestamps in the system, maybe with interrupts and events that run faster than the general solving speed of all of the Programs running in the controller.

I'm not sure how I feel about the multicolor "status ring"; red solid and red flashing are user faults, not system faults. That's not what I would expect, and I figure I'll end up putting a simple truth table next to the controller.

The isolated serial ports and multiple Ethernet ports and MicroSD storage and USB hosts... I like the features of this device.

It looks like it will have a lot of potential. Maybe they will let the programmer configure how the indicator works, like you can with the "icons" on the CR and Graphites.

I considered using one of their modular controllers, but wasn't too excited about the way the program editor worked. I didn't explore it very much and didn't really have a real world application that begged for it, so I never put a real one into service. I will be on the lookout for a valid reason to use one of these new controllers in place of a PLC.

I had a customer reach out to me today asking about using a tablet to remote access his filter panel touchscreens from the pipe gallery downstairs. Unfortunately we used CR1000 series on each of their 5 filters which don't support remote access. Maybe I can sell them one of these devices and use its virtual HMI. They already have a NanoStation tying some buildings together and it also works downstairs to access the PLC network so the wireless is already in place.

I completely agree with you about the promo videos. Sort of a waste considering the target market of people who are more concerned about the facts than the frills.