| Retirement
and Succession Plans for the Network 3000 Product Family |
Retirement and succession plans for Network 3000 Planning
a Retirement Party (PDF) |
When is the last date that I will be able to order a new 33XX or 3530 model?
Specifically, which products are retiring?
Is there any plan to offer new 33XX models with the CW_30 or CW_35 CPUs?
Are there any plans to offer CPU upgrades for 3305 and 3530 products?
Will Bristol offer a trade-in allowance for 33XX or 3530 units?
Is the ControlWave 586 processor being discontinued?
What about other components? Are there others that might be discontinued?
How long will Bristol support 33XX, ControlWave LP and TeleProducts?
Will I/O cards be available after September 2009 to allow field expansion of installed 33XX RTUs?
Will Bristol continue to manufacture the CPUs after September 2009?
What will happen to ControlWave if they discontinue the 586 processor in the future?
How can Bristol help me to transition to ControlWave?
Q When in the last date that I will be able to order a new 33XX or 3530 model?
A Orders for new complete assembled units will be accepted through September 30, 2009.
Q Specifically which products are retiring?
A Basically all 33XX and 3530 products with 186, 188, 386 and 486 embedded processors. That includes the following list of products.
33XX 186 CPU for 3310, 3330, 3332 and 3335
RTU 3305
RTU 3340 and ControlWave LP
TeleProduct line including TeleFlow, Tele Corrector and TeleRTU
33XX 386 CPU for 3310, 3330, 3332 and 3335
3331 I/O Expansion CPU
ControlWave I/O Expansion CPU will be redesigned with a supported processor
Q Is there any plan to offer new 33XX models with the CW_30 or CW_35 CPUs?
A No, not at this time. The CW_XX CPUs are great for upgrades of existing installed units. These upgrades preserve existing wiring, enclosures and I/O, but complete new units for new installations would be better served with new ControlWave or ControlWave Micro units.
Q Are there any plans to offer CPU upgrades for 3305 & 3530 products?
A No. Since these products are not modular, a CPU upgrade wouldnt be very practical in terms of a cost effective solution.
Q Will Bristol offer a trade-in allowance on 33XX or 3530 units?
A We really arent in a position to do this. This would be very expensive and we would not have any use for the returned products. They cant be sold as new units so they would have little value once returned. We believe they would have much greater value to you as installed units or service spares, since they are still very productive products that will continue to be serviced and supported.
Q Is the ControlWave 586 processor being discontinued?
A No. Intel is only discontinuing the older processors through the 486. We dont really see any risk with the 586 any time in the foreseeable future.
Q What about other components? Are there others that might be discontinued?
A Yes, in fact, we have been facing this for several years even though our designs use fairly current components. In most cases there are direct replacements available. We will monitor this closely and use last buy opportunities to meet our support commitments when necessary.
Q How long will Bristol support 33XX, ControlWave LP & Teleproducts?
A Typically our goal is to provide service, repair and technical support for at least five years after the last new unit ships. Historically, we have support discontinued products even longer.
Q Will I/O cards be available after September 2009 to allow field expansion of installed 33XX RTUs?
A Yes, we will continue to manufacture I/O cards, Communication cards and power supplies for the foreseeable future. This will allow our customers to continue to leverage the value of their installed products.
Q Will Bristol continue to manufacture the CPUs after September 2009?
A At this point we are not planning to manufacture CPUs after that date. We will be able to provide repair and replacement support for several years without having to manufacture new CPUs. The 33XX CPUs have proven to be extremely reliable and failures are very rare. We will maintain manufacturing capability, provided components are still available, beyond 2009 if necessary to meet an emergency event.
Q What will happen to ControlWave if they discontinue the 586 processor in the future?
A We are already well prepared to transition to the ARM architecture because we currently use that processor in the ControlWave Micro. The ARM processor family has the required performance to meet or exceed the requirements of ControlWave.
A We already have plans to redesign that communication CPU around an ARM processor. It will be available prior to June 2008.
A - Yes, that is nearly completed. The ControlWave GFC will look and feel just like a TeleFlow.
Q How will this effect pricing?
A We have already begun to experience increased cost as 33XX & 3530 volumes have decreased if favor of higher ControlWave volume. As the transition escalates, volume lowers and component availability becomes tighter, we will see greater erosion of cost efficiency. As a result, we will have to pass on some of the increased cost.
Q How can Bristol help me transition to ControlWave?
A We already offer the hardware product equivalents to take over for the retired items. The ControlWave architecture has ACCOL and BSAP at its core. ControlWave integrates seamlessly within a Network 3000 system through BSAP continuity. All of the ACCOL concepts including the ACCOL modules, alarming and historical collection are maintained. The only real difference is that WorkBench has been replaced by Designer as a programming environment. The ACCOL Translator is available to assist in translating your existing ACCOL load into a ControlWave Designer project. This allows you to utilize much of your ACCOL program and minimize your engineering time.
However, that step may appear daunting to the engineer with little time modify a program, let alone learn a programming language. We can help here too. The Bristol Application Services Group is available to provide translation and programming service to help you with the transition to the ControlWave architecture.
Updated Monday, March 19, 2007
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