Temecula, CA – March 3, 2009 – Opto 22, developer and manufacturer of the award-winning SNAP PAC System™ family of programmable automation controllers, I/O, and accessories, has released the SNAP-AIPM-3 analog input module for measuring and managing three-phase AC power usage. The SNAP-AIPM-3 mounts on a SNAP I/O rack and measures volts AC RMS and amps AC RMS. The module calculates true power, volt-amps, and power sums for all three phases of power and, when used with a SNAP PAC R-series controller or SNAP I/O brain, can play a key role in controlling and regulating equipment and facility power consumption.Part of Opto 22's flagship SNAP I/O™ system family, the SNAP-AIPM-3 analog input module monitors up to 14 parameters of data relating to power generation and consumption. The module simultaneously measures voltage and current for each of the three phases and calculates true power and volt-amps for each phase. The module also calculates true power sums for all three phases. Calculations are executed within the module and are sent to the SNAP PAC brain or controller. From these figures, other variables, such as power factor, can be easily determined, thereby providing the data needed to track overall power usage and energy consumption, maintain power quality, and potentially reduce energy costs. Opto 22 end-user customers, including PepsiAmericas, State University of New York, and Verizon Communications, as well as systems integrators like Advanced Energy Control, have all utilized the Opto 22’s longstanding SNAP-AIPM single-phase power monitoring module in their various energy management applications. Now, with the release of the new SNAP-AIPM-3, these and other customers now have an option for monitoring all three phases of power through a single module. “We’re often called upon to help large enterprises maximize their energy usage within the confines of the rate structures set forth by their power companies,” explains Josh Vander Galien, Vice President of Advanced Energy Control. “The SNAP-AIPM-3 will give us the ability to develop control systems and solutions for commercial and industrial customers looking to avoid paying peak pricing (or penalties) by monitoring, controlling, and maintaining their 3-phase power consumption within the guidelines and thresholds established by their power company.”For its six wired input channels, the SNAP-AIPM-3 has a recommended input range of 85-250 VAC RMS or 0-10 AC amps RMS. The module offers 10 millivolts of resolution with accuracy of +/- 0.2 volts for voltage inputs, and 400 microamps of resolution with accuracy of +/- 8 milliamps for current inputs. Significantly, the SNAP-AIPM-3 can also monitor AC line currents greater than 10 amps using a standard 5-amp current transformer of suitable ratio.The SNAP-AIPM-3 is guaranteed for life, transformer isolated and, like all Opto 22 SNAP modules, is optically isolated from the equipment and devices it connects to, as well as from other modules that may reside on a shared I/O rack. The SNAP-AIPM-3 comes factory calibrated and is available now, at a list price of $495 USD.For more information, visit the Opto 22 website -
http://www.opto22.com.
