A brief history on Allen Bradley and Panelview Of all the automation machinery controllers out in the wild today, Panelview 1400e seems to be a more popular choice among North American users. The company was founded in 1903 as the Compression Rheostat Company by Dr. Stanton Allen and Lynde Bradley with an initial investment of $1,000. In 1910 the firm was renamed Allen-Bradley Company; for close to the next century it provided the bulk of discrete resistors used for electronics and other products. In 1952 it opened a subsidiary in Galt, Ontario, Canada, that employs over 1000 people. In 1985 the company was sold to Rockwell Automation for a record $1.65 Billion Dollars. Allen-Bradley is the brand-name of a line of factory automation equipment, today owned by Rockwell Automation. The company, with revenues of approximately US $6.4 billion in 2013, manufactures programmable logic controllers (PLC), human-machine interfaces, sensors, safety components and systems, software, drives and drive systems, contactors, motor control centers, and systems of such products. Rockwell Automation also provides asset-management services including repair and consulting. Rockwell Automation’s headquarters is in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The first product to launch in the PanelView Standard line was the PanelView 550 back in 1993. It was designed to fill a gap in Rockwell’s HMI product line, as at the time Rockwell didn’t have a small graphical HMI for use with it’s SLC-500s. As the popularity of Panelview line increased, bigger and stronger controls were developed to perform bigger tasks. The Panelview 1400E controller display, be it the old 14 inch CRT or the new LCD unit is one of the first components to break. This is where Monitech comes in to save the day. We have a great offer that replaces the broken LCD unit and you receive a touchscreen absolutely free! Please visit our website for more info. Also, don’t forget to like, share, comment and retweet our Social Media content to receive free ground shipping.
We deliberately destroyed the touchscreen on a Panelview 600 controller If you ever wondered how long it takes to swap out the touchscreen and keypad module (Monitech part number: MF600B) on an Allen Bradley Panelview 600 controller, well keep reading, or Watch the video. Why would anyone (in their right mind) go ahead and smash the touchscreen on a perfectly good PV600 controller? That question has 2 possible answers: They are NOT in their right mind (Clinically insane) or They are the Manufacturer / Distributor of the repair part, and they want to show you how easy and quickly this part can be swapped out using only a screwdriver. For the purpose of this writing, we did not speedup or edit the video in any way, we left every bit in for the viewer to see the number of screws we had to take out to get at the data ribbons in the controller guts, and we used the same screws (put back in) to complete the install. The hardest part of this whole process in my mind, is taking off the old touchscreen from the controller faceplate (the front bezel) – you need to use a bit of “elbow grease” to rip off the old broken keypad, clean the surface and take your time to stick the new part in place. On the new part, before you take off the backing from the peel & stick surface, match up one outer edge of the replacement part to the indent on the controller face plate, then remove the backing to put it in place the rest of the way. Once you stick it down You do not get a second chance to take it off and adjust it. In fact, that voids the warranty. So, please make sure you do plenty of dry runs before you attempt the peel & stick. Oh, and one other important thing is to fish the data ribbons thru the bezel so that you can plug them back in the controller electronics, to make the hole thing work. That’s it, simple, easy, and straight forward. You now have a new looking machine to make parts for the backlog of orders that have piled up. Next time, take the guess-work of searching for parts out of the equation. Simply reach out to Monitech, get the part in your hands the next day, install it yourself, and you are up and running again with only 1 hour of downtime. Please Contact Us with your comments and questions. Thank you. Don’t forget to visit our Social Media channels Click here.
What is an Electro Luminescent Screen An electroluminescent display makes use of the phenomenon of electroluminescence. Although electroluminescent displays are not as commonly used as other display types, they are used in industrial, instrumentation and transportation applications. EL (Electroluminescence) backlighting is also called an ELP (Electroluminescence Panel). This type of backlighting is a technology that uses colored phosphors, not heat, to generate light and can be added to many LCD technologies. Monitech carries Planar EL8358MS LCD which used in Xycom controllers displays. Monitech Industrial Electronics Design & Manufacturing also carries the Allen Bradley 1000EL Planar Systems LCD replacement kits which are used in the following controllers: 2711-T10G1 2711-T10G3L1 2711-K10G3 2711-K10G8 2711-K10G9 Allen Bradley EL640480AM1 and EL640480A4 AVG Automation PGI100 — EL640480AA1 Mectron Qualifier EL640480A4 Van Dorn Pathfinder 3000 — EL640480AM8 EL640480A4 EL640480AM1 You can visit the LCD kit webpage that will service all the above controllers, just click here. The magic potion for the EL screen is in the driver board. Monitech Engineers have developed the best products with regards to the EL technology, so that your downtime is minimized. You do not need to replace the entire controller, simply swap out the broken EL screen and you are making parts again. If you need our help during the installation, just reach out and Contact Us. Monitech has recently partnered with T2 Industrial to better market the products we manufacture. Please visit their site and poke around. We can get you a coupon code for 10% off if you are willing to Like, Follow, Share our Social Media pages. Again, use the chat app on Monitech website to connect with us or send us an email to request more info. https://www.facebook.com/MonitechInc/ https://twitter.com/monitechLcd/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/monitech-industrial-display-solutions/ https://www.youtube.com/user/MonitechDisplays/videos https://www.tiktok.com/@monitechindustrial/ (20) Industrial controller HMI (quora.com)
Fagor Automation Machinery and appliances Being a big fan of Cycling, naturally my favorite automation machinery company is Fagor. A long-time sponsor of Spain Cycling Program, Fagor first started as a home appliance manufacturer. They were practically unheard of in North America for their appliances. Not until they started producing commercial appliances like restaurant level dishwashing machines and walk in refrigerators were they known in the Americas. Fagor finally broke into the CNC and Lathe MFG operations, and the controller display monitor they used in CNC machines was not built to last. What happens when the controller HMI is not showing the right program parameters, well, simply put you could be making parts to the wrong specs, leading to customer returns and frustrations, late orders, usage of materials, resources, and machine capacity, an all-around loss for everyone involved. To fix this issue, all you need is Monitech and their line of Fagor repair parts and services. A new LCD unit will serve you well over the minimum of 50,000 hours it is rated under normal use, and you can sleep soundly knowing that you are protected by our 2 year warranty. Monitech and the affiliated businesses carry the Fagor 8025 and 8020 hard to find 8 inch display unit in the form of a 6.4 inch LCD kit that fits in the same place as the old display. Other Fagor CRT to LCD replacement screens are the Fagor 8050 controller unit with a 14-inch CRT and the rare 9-inch 8055 CNC lathe monitor which is designed and developed exclusively by Monitech. Please feel free to visit our Social Media pages and our newly created TikTok channel to see fun installation videos. #fagor #fagorCNC #FagorMonitech
Who to trust in the Industrial Parts & Service industry? Often times when we search for a product, we end up deciding to buy the cheapest one we can find. While this may save us a few dollars in the beginning, there are many factors to keep in mind before we click the final button. Smaller companies such as Monitech Industrial and Take2 Electronics spend countless hours in R&D to bring new products and all the features it serves to market. Unfairly as it may seem, bigger companies will track the competition and take this information, which is readily available on the website, and use it to put together a haphazard product, so to not lose market share. This practice is negative in 2 ways: It takes away from the original company that developed the product to recoup the cost of R&D and engineering, as well as associated materials and profits. It gives the end user a sub-par product, with very little after-sale support. This practice will reduce consumer confidence in the product, no matter who is marketing it. Things to consider before we buy While on the search for the right product that we need, there are important points to include in the research other than if it fits our purpose, stock quantity, and price. How long has the company been in service What are their return policy (if any) Do they have a technical support team Reviews matter, previous customer experience The quality of the product and Product origin Does the seller have a brick and mortar shop or are they online only. These factors, while not 100% safe from seller fraud, should be a deciding factor. It is very easy to bid high in a Google paid search to land on the top of page 1. However, care must be taken usually in the way of scrolling past all the adverts and further consideration such as contacting the seller to see how long they take to respond. Most reputable companies install a Live Chat on their website. This makes contacting the Support Team or the Sales Reps much easier than picking up the phone. On that very note, try calling them. Do you get an automated attendant or does a real person pickup the call and help you right away or connect you to the right department. As you can see, the variables in choosing the right company to work with are many, however, these factors will make the final decision easier, more logical, with a long-term mutually beneficial relationship established. If you ask any company, they nurture the current customer base very dearly, as return business is the foundation of a strong business model. Do you have a favorite restaurant? Do you order the same dish more often than you try new ones? This is return business at the most basic form. Monitech and Take2 Electronics rely on their previous customers, and on the value of Word-of-Mouth marketing. So much so that we will give you a 15% discount coupon for referring our products and services to your affiliated companies. These are the solid foundations of a business that truly cares about their customers and a company that will be here for years to come. Please visit Monitech Facebook page, Read our past Tweets, watch – Like – Subscribe to our YouTube channel, or leave us your review on our website.
Did you know that you can remotely view the status of a job running on a controller using your connected smart phone? Industrial LCD Screens | CRT to LCD Upgrades | PanelView Parts & Repair have proved and developed the software/hardware that you certainly can. You can now see the job running on a certain machine from the Golf course, or your daughter’s dance recital, or from the stands in your son’s soccer match. View the YouTube explanation here, and contact-monitech-online-sales-industrial-display-solutions with your comments or questions.
Different types of Backlights LED Strips LED sheet Old CCFL LED and Fiber Optic CRT VS LED What is a backlight anyway? LCDs are designed to work by using liquid crystals to produce an image. The liquid crystals are embedded into the display screen, and there must be some form of light source behind the thin film of Liquid Crystals to illuminate them. The light source can be several different types, such as an LED or CCFL or a flashlight even! Whether this LCD is a big TV screen in the family room where you watch superheroes save the world from impending doom, or a small 14-inch display screen inside a giant Mazak or Panelview 1400e CNC Milling machine controller – the basic concept is the same. The liquid crystals do not emit light on their own, it is the job of the “Backlight” to shine a light on them to show you the latest viral cat video on TikTok on your cell phone for example. So, where does this light come from? How do we produce the light required to show an image on an LCD? Well, this is what we are here to discuss and clear up. Before we get into the different light sources, it is important to note the “signal” that produces the image. The driver board commonly known as the video card is responsible to arrange the digital scan and signals of the image that is shown on the display – no matter if you have an old CRT or an LCD screen. LED Strips Just as there are different light bulbs for a building, there are a few different lamps for the LCD units. Some use a thin LED (Light Emitting Diode) hidden under the sides of the front bezel. This LED strips shine the light in an X or X & Y coordinates to light up the Liquid Crystals. LED Array (Sheet) Some LCDs use a sheet of LED lights like below. This allows the LCD to have a much smaller bezel all the way around and will produce a brighter image, at the cost of a higher voltage. But the concept is still the same, light up the Liquid Crystals to show an image. Old CCFL Other, older models LCDs, use the CCFL backlight bulbs. These use higher voltage and are very fragile, so they are susceptible to breakage and dimming over time. LED with Fiber Optics Lastly there is the single LED light bulb that use many fiber optic strands to carry light to the back of the LCD screen. Panelview 550 controller is a prime example of this style backlight. The OEM incandescent bulb (think regular heating element light bulb) will burn so hot that it melts the ends of the fiber optic strands and turns them brown over time, so light can’t travel through and light up the LCD. A single low voltage LED bulb that emits no heat and a new fiber optic array will fix this issue. Or why not simply swap the whole LCD with one that has an LED backlight built in (under the bezel – remember) You will never have to change the fiber optics or the silly old style light bulb again. Monitech exclusive “All-In-One” LCD screen, replaces 3 parts – The Backlight, Fiber strands , and LCD panel in one sealed unit. Very popular! LCD vs CRT Unlike a CRT where a Cathode Ray Tube (-what CRT stands for by the way) shoots electrons that excite the phosphor inside the vacuum enclosed surface to display the image, an LCD uses Liquid Crystals to show the image, but it needs a light source. Advantages of an LCD are light weight, low voltage and much longer lasting; as well, a sharper image on a flat surface is much easier to read. Moreover, the Original Equipment MFG of the Industrial Machine have long closed their doors or they no longer have the CRT screen replacement available, because no one makes them anymore! You could try and find a used one, but you are faced with the same issue if it works on your controller at all. Frankly speaking, CRT screens are out, LCDs are in. Do you remember when your parents told you not to sit so close to the TV? That is because of the Cathode Ray Gun was thought to be radioactive! In closing, let me leave you with this thought. When a light burns out at your home, Do you pickup and move to another house!! or do you simply change the light bulb. What if you could replace your light bulb with an affordable LED solution that runs on much lower current which saves you money, and it is durable and long lasting. However, there will come a time to change the whole light fixture to a flat panel LCD (Think machine controller display), we can help you with that issue also. Monitech services over 300 makes and models of industrial controller HMI displays on the market today. And if we don’t have the solution readily available on the shelf, we will develop a custom kit for your specific machine controller. Sounds to me like Monitech is your GO-TO “one stop shop” for all controller display needs. Please visit our website read our Blogs and Reviews as well, visit our social channels, Like and share, subscribe to our YouTube videos to stay informed. Often times we offer discounts and promos, to our valued customers, so that they can take advantage and save money where possible. How does that sound??
Hassel free CNC – Milltronics Partner 4 with Centurion 5 controller Milltronics has been delivering on the promise of a “hassle-Free CNC machine for years. Milltronics and their partner The Centurion 4, Centurion 5 & 6 controllers (They like to use Roman Numerals IV – V & VI) brought new technology in the 70’s and 80’s to the PLC driven CNC playing field. This was in line with the best of the best ie: Okuma OSP series – Fadal Engineering – Haas and Mazak (later on) That is 40 and 50 years ago! (I know, it’s hard to believe) So, what do you do when the Controller screen gives up and stops working, rendering an expensive machine that is mechanically sound without the means to control what job is running on it? Worse yet, you make 8000 pieces instead of 3000 pieces because the CRT is worn out and the operator makes a mistake in reading the numbers. You see the big problem now? Well, That’s where Monitech and Take2 Electronics come in. The Centurion series of CRT displays are always in stock in our warehouse across the North American continent, with overnight delivery available to get your machine back up and running quickly and “Hassle-Free”!! We offer 2 solutions, a premium version and a more affordable kit. They both come with Plug & Play power and video cables to make installation a snap! Take out the old broken screen and bolt in the new Monitech LCD and plug it in….that’s about it! Watch our youtube installation video to get the basic concept of what you have to do It’s only 2 and a half minutes long, and it relates to just about every 14 inch CRT inside a CNC machine operator control panel. You can always reach-out and Contact Us with your questions, or visit our Facebook, Twitter, Linked-in, TicTok and youTube channels to learn more about our parts and services.
All about Panelview 550 Repair Parts The Panelview line of controllers by Allen Bradley are very popular all over the world. While there are many variations of Panelviews (from 550 all the way up to 1500) this article concentrates on the Panelview 550 products and services. The 550 lines of Panelview controllers have their own variations and part numbers: Panelview 550 controller with both the touchscreen and Keypad 2711-B5A1 2711-B5A14L1 2711-B5A16L3 2711-B5A2L2 2711-B5A8 2711-B5A10 2711-B5A14L2 2711-B5A1L1 2711-B5A2L3 2711-B5A8L1 2711-B5A10L1 2711-B5A14L3 2711-B5A1L2 2711-B5A3 2711-B5A8L2 2711-B5A10L2 2711-B5A15 2711-B5A1L3 2711-B5A3L1 2711-B5A8L3 2711-B5A10L3 2711-B5A15L1 2711-B5A2 2711-B5A3L2 2711-B5A9 2711-B5A12 2711-B5A15L2 2711-B5A20 2711-B5A3L3 2711-B5A9L1 2711-B5A12L1 2711-B5A15L3 2711-B5A20L1 2711-B5A5 2711-B5A9L2 2711-B5A12L2 2711-B5A16 2711-B5A20L2 2711-B5A5L1 2711-B5A9L3 2711-B5A12L3 2711-B5A16L1 2711-B5A20L3 2711-B5A5L2 2711-B5A14 2711-B5A16L2 2711-B5A2L1 2711-B5A5L3 Panelview 550 controller with the touchscreen only 2711-T5A10L1 2711-T5A20L1 2711-T5A12L1 2711-T5A2L1 2711-T5A14L1 2711-T5A3L1 2711-T5A15L1 2711-T5A5L1 2711-T5A16L1 2711-T5A8L1 2711-T5A1L1 2711-T5A9L1 Regardless of the OEM part numbers above, pretty much all of Panelview 550 controllers use the same display and HMI (Human Machine Interface) What this means is that you do not have to go to the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) to get the right part for your broken controller. That is like going to the car dealership to buy tires – you can buy tires that fit your car anywhere. What’s important to know is that the aftermarket parts are likely made by the same company overseas anyway, the only difference is the OEM will charge you much more for the same part – that is if they even have that part in stock. It could be an obsolete line of repair parts that they do not carry any more. This is where Monitech and its subsidiaries shine very brightly. The legacy controllers and the display modules are a very important part of the entire machinery. Imagine if the LCD is so dim that you mistake an 8 for a 3, or your keypad is worn out and the touchscreen is unresponsive. Now you are making parts to the wrong specs which can cost you precious time and money. I urge you to look at the company that is supplying the aftermarket part closely. Are they an established respected company in the industry, how long have they been in business, do they have a Brick and Mortar building here in North America or are they just a buy and sell (drop ship) unknown person out to make a quick buck, do they offer warranty and Technical Support as well as a solid return policy, do they have good reviews on their website and Google? These are very important questions to keep in mind. Many times, we fall into the trap of buying the cheapest possible part for a very important device. This usually leads to more costly downtime and necessary upgrades later. Monitech is an established, trusted, source in the industrial automation display industry, with a long history of successful Sales and Service regarding the Panelview 550 touchscreen as well as the Panelview 550 touchscreen and keypad combo. Our Tampa Bay warehouse has all our products in stock for fast overnight delivery. We even carry the Touchscreen already assembled to the front bezel, easy to install, high quality products, backed by a long history of satisfied clients, and fast delivery is sure to cut your downtime to a minimum. Please contact us for more info or simply purchase online with confidence that you are well protected by the leaders in the controller display aftermarket parts and services. Facebook Page – Twitter Page – YouTube
Brilliant & Reliable? Close enough. The B&R we’re referring to is the Austrian industrial automation giant that was acquired by ABB 5 years ago. It’s B&R derived from the surnames of its founders- Erwin Bernecker and Josef Rainer. From Eggelsberg to the rest of the world, B&R’s massive product portfolio includes programmable logic controllers (PLC), industrial and embedded PCs, automation software, servo drives and motors, and safety technology among many others. In other words, they probably have whatever industrial solution you need- from customized products to large-scale series production. While “Brilliant & Reliable” can easily be attributed to B&R Industrial Automation, the same goes for Monitech and Take2– your trusty industrial display experts. And yes, we do have B&R in our long list of brands that we cater to. If you have a Provit 600-4 controller with either the 14” or 12” bulky CRT, we have the exact LCD upgrade kit you need. Not just to replace your broken display but to elevate it to a better display with a sleeker look and feel. The best part is it’s so easy to install that you can do it yourself for sure! If you have a B&R CRT that needs replacing but isn’t a Provit 600-4, worry not. We probably can still help you. Just contact us and we’ll take it from there. If you’ve known Monitech and Take2 long enough, you can rest easy with the fact that we’d engineer a solution for you. Please read our previous blog on Heidenhain – Fadal – Fanuc – Okuma – Allen Bradley – and many more. And of course, you’d also know that we’re social, too: Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
