UBOX  Machine control unit

The UBOX was developed by Ukelo and is programmed and applied by Baker Automation. This is one of the most powerful micro-controllers available. Having two processors in a master-slave arrangement the UBOX is suitable for a very wide range of applications in industrial control and monitoring.

The case is only 25 mm thick and can mount directly on to the front of control panels or wall panels. This can save a lot of space inside the panel and also protects the UBOX from electrical noise.

The front panel is completely configurable and new keypads/front panels can be created in a few hours to suit any application.

The 2-line, back-lit, Blue, LCD display can provide enough operator information for most industrial applications. A high-integrity version of Pascal/assembler is used to program the UBOX. This is the same Pascal Language as used by the European Space Program and other aerospace applications

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Ukelo/Baker Automation always keep a stock of 100 raw UBOX units. This allows us to deliver replacements or new systems within a few days and to meet
increased demand immediately.

The basic unit has:

5 Relay Outputs (6A, 230V)
1 High power PWM Output
1 10 bit Analogue Output

8 Opto-isolated Digital Inputs (5 - 50V)
4 8bit Analogue Inputs

1 RS232/485 serial Link
1 I2C high speed link for I/O expansion
Complete Real-Time clock and Calendar with battery backup.

The Unit has a built-in Flash-Ram system and can be programmed and re-programmed on-site easily. Powered by 24V D.C. and providing 15V D.C. and 5V D.C. auxiliary supplies for encoders and sensors.

Present application include Data-Logging, CNC control, Humidification Control, Machine Vision Systems and Cut-to Length systems.
The UBOX can be found in the most demanding applications through-out the world and has a proven track record for reliability.

We have built a large library of application software for this controller and most new applications only require some modifications to existing software. This can save
 a lot on development costs for our customers.

If you are interested in this device for your OEM machine or application or If you need more information then please contact us for immediate attention. When we understand your application we can advise on suitability and arrange programming to your exact requirements ---- fast!

UMODULE  Interface and Control

These are small Din-rail Modules, often containing microprocessors, that we use in our own systems but also supply to other OEM customers. They cover just about every kind of digital, Analogue and Data  interfacing requirement. Some are complete controllers for specific applications while others are signal processors.

Over the years we have built up over 1000 variations on these little units. Theprogrammable units can be modified within hours to suit your application. Even the circuit boards can be modified quickly. No delivery takes more than a week.

The pictures shown opposite are examples of modules produced using surface-mount technology and conventional through hole technology. We now have the ability to produce and program modules using FPGAs and CPLDs and this greatly increases the capabilities of these little units.

Our best selling UMODULE is a Digital Potentiometer. This replaces old motorised potentiometers, is mains, 230/110v a.c., powered and has a 0--10V D.C. output.The same Up/Down buttons used for the motorised pot. can be used for our
electronic version which makes this a convenient drop-in replacement.

Like all our products, the Digital Pot is configurable to suit your application.

UCUT Computerised cutting for textiles and metal

This system links a standard PC to an S7 Siemens PLC, Hohner Encoder and Dymo printer to produce a complete control system with production, batching and machine control software. The PLC is used to control all physical parts of the machine i.e. Flying or static shears, clamps and sensors etc.
Complete integration of the Dymo range of ticket printers produces sophisticated prints such as pictures and bar-codes of any type.

The software is configurable via set-up screens and maintains a continuous record of production including down-time, changes and waste.
As usual, with all our products, we are happy to modify any part of the system to suit your exact requirements. You may be surprised to know that a typical complete system can be supplied for around £1000.00 ex VAT !!

UCAM Configurable Line and Area Camera for machine vision

This device was developed for use in our own Machine Vision projects. It is built in modular form and can be made longer or shorter to suit different lens, image chips and other special requirements.

We use this camera as a sophisticated sensor for low cost applications such as length and width measurement or line following applications. It can also be used for defect detection but we have other cameras which compete in this kind of application so it is not always the best choice.

The UCAM can be configured as a Line camera (128 to 2048 pixels resolution) or an area camera 240X240 pixels.

A very nice application for the UCAM was controlling 7 servo-motors to follow and cut pattern edges in carpets completely automatically. This used 7 UCAMS and one PC + UBOX. and produced a system that was 10 times cheaper than the nearest competitor.

Power supply is 5V D.C. and the signal is RS485 based. Normally 256 bit grey-scale

This camera is a good choice for cost sensitive applications and integrates well with our UBOX to make complete systems.

Shown opposite are the cameras made by Vision Components. We keep a stock of these to complement our own products.
These cameras are 'Smart' because they contain a complete high-speed vision system. They have a built-in Analog Devices Digital Signal Processor and flash-memory for program storage. Once programmed they become a complete system. Three of our major products are based on these cameras which is why they are included here.

The main advantages are their high speed, completeness and quality of build. The manufacturers supply development software and libraries in C and assembler and we have all the development hardware and software for all the cameras along with the experience of a large number of successful projects and products.

It is quite possible to make a complete vision-driven control system using only these cameras and a servo etc.

If you are an OEM considering building a new machine which could benefit from machine vision then we would recommend considering this product particularly the through-hole version (shown bottom, opposite) which manages to be low-cost, high-quality and easy to use without any compromises on build quality or robustness.

We have found these cameras to be particularly suitably for high speed pattern matching and location and have ready-made software which could be configured for your application. Contact John Baker for more information.

Some pictures (including a hot John Baker) of our 100 Machine Vision systems installed at the Agio Cigar Factory in Sri-Lanka. Our largest development and installation of own-make Machine Vision. We programmed and made everything including the camera !

FILO-MATIC Thread-break and tension detector with shuttle run-out indicator

The Filomatic-system was developed for Textile Enterprise Corporation and has become a standard part on all their Industrial quilt-stitching machines. We have sold all product rights to them but can arrange sales for non-competitive applications on their behalf.

The device makes use of microprocessor technology and unique mechanical/electronic strips which monitor each thread. The device monitors the movement and vibration of the threads and feed the information to a PC. Up to 400 threads can be monitored simultaneously.

The state of each thread is shown graphically on the computer screen and the Filo-matic strips have an Led to indicate thread-break instantly. The Led leads the operator to the position of the broken thread. If a shuttle is becoming empty the machine will be stopped and the Led will also indicate the position of the empty shuttle.

The method of manufacture which actually embeds the microprocessor and electronics in the mechanical supports is the subject of many copy-rights and has led to this product being very economical to make and install. The filo-matic strip is shown running along the centre of the picture above.

In partnership with Textile Enterprise Corporation, we can arrange sales of this product to other machine manufacturers or users.

ION-BEAM Plastic Detector For detecting plastics and contaminants in organic products

This was a major development for which we have assigned all patents and copy-rights to a third party

The machine is able to separate plastic contaminants from organic material at high speed (12 metres/second belt speed) and can fit directly into process lines for food products etc.

The machines use arrays of ion-beams and our patented detectors to separate plastic contaminants as small as 5mmX 5mm from the main product.

The picture shows John Baker standing beside the first machine that we made. This in now in U.S.A. undergoing further development.

No further information can be given at this time due to confidentiality agreements with our sponsors but watch this space!

UCAD  CAD/CAM system for textiles and metalwork

Again this is a product developed for a specific customer. In the complete form it is a multi-axis, servo-controlled CNC system specially for industrial stitching and embroidery. It has CAD entry using a complete graphics drawing system or using numerical entry. The graphics and numerical system work together. Part of the design can be done numerically and part graphically if required. The software system runs on an industrial PC (eg XYCOM) and has a complete set of screens for operating the machine from pattern design to final production. Graphical techniques are used throughout and a touch-screen version is available as an alternative.
The production screens and software integrate easily with our FILO-MATIC product. All of this system can be easily modified for different applications.

The following images show some parts of the software suite with short descriptions. If you are developing a machine which would benefit from the techniques shown then contact John Baker who is particularly interested in developing this system for alternative uses.

This is the main running screen for the Quilting machine.

A pattern has already been selected and is shown graphically in the bottom right corner.

Faults and machine status are shown on the bottom left. Any faults will automatically stop the machine.

Details of the axes movements are shown top left and various parameters are shown and can be changed in the six displays on the top right.

As shown, the filing system, which contains the patterns is locked to protect it from unauthorised users.

A touch-screen version is also available.

This screen shows the pattern selection and design system which is actually on the machine.

Patterns can be designed,modified, tested and viewed before loading for manufacture.

Of particular importance for quilt-stitching, the needle positions are shown graphically for each pattern

It is worth noting that a speed can be associated with any part of the pattern during design. This allows the machine to slow down when making intricate parts or speed up during non-critical parts of the manufacture.

A scrolling list of ready-made patterns is shown at the bottom of the screen which allows an operator to quickly select a proven pattern for manufacture.

When the machine is in manufacture mode all operations are controlled by just 5 keys.

This screen simply shows that the complete repeat pattern can e tested and shown from within the design software.

The screen below shows the main graphic design screen. This can be used instead of the numerical entry screen. As can be seen, many special facilities are provided that are particularly useful for quilt designing. These facilities can be changed to suit any application. During normal drawing, only the mouse is used. A right click brings up a menu with most of the often-used functions on it. This is shown below.

      The screen below shows the needle position bar visible ready for setting or reading.

This last screen shows some drawing information tables made visible so that exact movement coordinates can be checked for each vector shape.

The complete system makes use of Control Techniques (Emersons) MC206 motion controller connected digitally via their new SLM technology to
 3 servo drives. The PC connects to the MC206 via an USB link. This makes the whole system completely digital. There are no analogue parts in the system and this leads to low noise, fast response and greater accuracy.

It would appear that we were the first to create this system. Control Techniques are boasting about it in emails to their customers and it was featured over two pages in their prestigious year-book ------ this year!!!!  Did we mind debugging their firmware and finding their hardware faults? Naw! We are just nice --- too nice!

Here is a picture of the MC206 motion controller made by Trio-Motion and used in the UCAD/CAM system. We have become very experienced in the programming and application of this controller which certainly represents the state of the art in this field. Combined with Control Techniques AC Servo-drives and their SLM technology it is possible to provide more sophisticated and reliable control at greatly reduced cost.