This technology was destined to happen eventually. It gives plant technicians the ability to monitor and control AC motor drives from their cell phones — whether they are on-site or halfway around the world. It is especially useful for drives mounted in remote locations, such as pumping stations, windmill farms, or oil fields. This functionality comes from a small Ethernet adapter mounted in the same control cabinet with the drives. It connects to the cell phone system so that it can send out messages whenever they are needed — and accept instructions back from the cell phone-wielding technician if he/she needs to make a change. Read the rest of this article »