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HOMEHISTORY : The TRAX Series microcontrollers have been around for about 10 years. A product of the mind of engineer Dan Pachulo, (now retired from Hitachi Inc.) President of Control Technology, they have proven themselves to be the most inexpensive, versatile, and reliable products for general purpose data acquisition and process control available in the marketplace today. The Trax controllers are used in a variety of applications from temperature sensing and meterological instruments, to control systems for university telescopes and automated process control applications of almost any description. The MTBF (Mean-Time-Between-Failure) rate of these controllers ranks as the best in the industry, due to quality components and superior workmanship. The technology used is proven reliable, and the units are simple to repair if required, using standard electronic technician's tools.
FLEETRAK'S MARKET STRATEGY : As a small company, Fleetrak Inc. cannot possibly develop all the applications for which there is a demand. Even if we hired a thousand people tomorrow, we could not even scratch the surface of the demand. So, we have positioned ourselves one step further down the "food chain" so-to-speak. We will provide the technology and the "guts", to the market of engineers and developers, who will use our products - microcontrollers and GPS engines, to develop their own applications, and contract with the industry to develop custom applications for customers with the demand for these products and services. By positioning ourselves in this manner, we open the market for our equipment, not only to the GPS / GIS /AVL markets, but to any and all who have process monitoring, data acquisition, and data telemetry applications.
We are offering a GPS APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT KIT for those wishing to develop GPS-based applications. Controllers are also available separately - SEE OUR CONTROLLER PRICE LIST.
Select a Plug 'n Play GPS / Vehicle
Tracking System or Surveilance System.
Contact DEVELOPERS in Fleetrak's
GPS Application Development Program.
DATA ACQUISITION :
Perhaps the most
common use of these devices is the monitoring of switches, temperature,
fuel levels, pressure, and electronic signals via a set of TTL-compatible
I/O lines on the controller. I have personally used one of these devices
for gathering performance
data for IBM 3890 check sorters, back in the days when I worked for
Big Blue.
The versatility and configurability of the device, made it easy to develop
and test the application while the controller was attached to the
equipment it was monitoring. The data was sent to an attached PC,
which stored the data in a Lotus 1-2-3 compatible format on a floppy disk.
With the new PCMTRAX controller, the data is
stored locally, on an S-RAM card built onto the controller. The capacity
of the card would be more than enough for any DAQ application, even when
left un-attended.
PROCESS
CONTROL : Any
industrial, commercial, or residential process can be controlled and monitored
by these controllers. The TTL outputs can be optically isolated from high-voltage
equipment by OPTO-22 devices, or the TTL outputs can drive a SOLID STATE
RELAY or the 5-volt coil of a DIP relay directly.
REMOTE
MONITORING AND CONTROL : In
order to monitor and control a remote process, there has to be two-way
communication and interaction between the process being monitored, and
the operator wishing to monitor and control it. There are several methods
available to the TRAX controller user, depending upon what system components
are selected. Our new Stinger VCM card is one
way to accomplish the task. A TRAX controller
attached to Stinger VCMwould be able to originate
and answer telephone calls over a standard RJ-11 compatible phone system
(landline or cellular). The program in the controller, and the conditions
being monitored determine what the VCM module will do. In full interaction,
a problem with the remote process is detected by the controller - let us
say that the problem is a fuel tank that is running low on fuel. The TRAX
controller then sends commands to the VCM device, and causes it to
pick up the phone and dial the number for a service technician. When the
technician answers, the system prompts him for an access code, which he
punches in on the phone's DTMF keypad. The problem is then related to him
in spoken words (any language spoken on the planet). Depending upon the
sophistication of the program in the controller, the technician can then
command a valve to open and fill the tank, by pressing a few buttons on
the phone.
ALARM
SYSTEMS : One
huge potential use for these controllers in conjunction with the Stinger
VCM module is the alarm industry. Not only can the controller be programmed
to call a set of numbers, but it can be set to verify that the call was
actually received and acknowledged, by prompting the person answering to
press a key to acknowledge receipt of the message. The remote party can
then, depending on the program, take some action such as shutting off the
audible alarm, triggering some other event to take place such as notification
of alternate parties, or turning on an audio monitoring system to monitor
the sounds in the location being serviced. Since the TRAX
controllers all have serial ports, LCD display and keypad ports, the equipment
is already "set up" as the most sophisticated "alarm brain" ever conceived.
Alarm installers can custom-tailor a controller program to meet the specific
requirements of every single customer, without having to "make do" with
off-the-shelf alarm systems. The alarm data can also be sent over the ARDIS
network to a central monitoring station.
MISCELLANEOUS AND SUNDRY USES (These are just some of the ideas that have occured to us):
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