It wasn’t long ago that I disdained YouTube as the place people went to catch up on the latest in amateur videos featuring cat antics, bad rap and, well, worse. Shows what little I know. Now, I count online videos among my go-to sources for information on the latest in tech. L-Tron even has a growing library on YouTube videos, although we’re still more likely to share our thoughts here in writing than to brave standing in front of a camera. L-Tron technology partner, Advantech, also posts informative videos regularly to YouTube, and I’m amazed just how much information it manages to share in its typically-concise format.
A prime example covers Advantech’s DVP video-capture card options in a fast-paced 1-minute, 30-second video that details selecting the optimum card for transportation, medical-imaging, in-vehicle, digital-signage, multi-media or surveillance applications by evaluating five critical criteria:
- Resolution: high-definition versus standard definition;
- Compression: software versus hardware compression;
- Channels: 1, 2, 4, 8 or 16 channel systems;
- Host Interface: PCI, PCIe, PCI-104, USB, Mini-PCI, or Mini-PCIe; and
- Video Input Interface: YpbPr, HD-SDI, HDMI, DVI, BNC, S-Video, or RCA.
The video covers more than 20 video-card selections, including SoC and Ti DSP-based platforms supporting operating temperatures ranging from -20°C to 70°C, and I learned all of this in less than one-minute-thirty, including that each of these DVP video-capture options ships bundled with a full-function A+ SDK!
Another of my Advantech favorites demonstrates using its for optimal medication security. With more than one loved one recently enrolled in nursing-home care, I’m only now becoming aware of the prevalence of medication errors in some medical-care facilities. While the statistics are indeed frightening, technologies such as the AMiS medical cart have the potential of improving patients’ odds drastically. AMiS is designed to integrate with a wide range of specialized accessories, including a medication storage and scanning system specifically designed to address this challenge. The video details a five-step process that ensures redundant verification of a patient/medication match. Bottom line: The appropriate medication drawer will not open until the patient’s ID wristband has been scanned. And I learned all of this in less than 2 minutes of entertaining video.
In one of its longer entries, lasting just over 5 minutes, Advantech demonstrates its PROFINET remote I/O and WebOP human-machine interface products. The video demos a Siemens controller connected to an ADAM-6117PN module daisy-chained to an ADAM 6160PN daisy-chained to an APAX 5071 PROFINET coupler which is finally daisy-chained to a WebOP 2070T WVGA operator panel. The controller is demonstrated controlling the remote I/Os without the added complication and expense of additional switches. The video manages to demonstrate the individual and collective functionality of the featured component with a viewer investment of slightly more than 5 minutes, plus, it sure beats watching out-of-focus cats!
New Advantech videos are added frequently, so chances are there’s one that addresses your latest automation challenge. You can also visit L-Tron’s Youtube channel and watch our latest product review videos.