Valve actuators have undergone tremendous changes over the past fifty years. What started out as a "muscle machine", capable only of opening and closing valves in response to a manual switch, has evolved into an intelligent "brain machine" that handles both traditional open/close (block) as well as precise setpoint (modulating) commands, all over a dedicated digital highway. Understanding this evolution will help the Customer understand today's systems and their benefits.

Controlinc is EIM's revolutionary digital control system, utilizing onboard microprocessors located in every Controlinc equipped actuator, for control and monitoring of multiple valve actuators. EIM was the pioneer in using this technology for control of valve actuators. The first model was introduced in 1985 in response to market requirements for Smart valve actuator control via a twisted pair Local Area Network (LAN).

An optional CONTROLINC Network Master module can enhance system performance even further by offloading processing and network management tasks from the host computer. This compact 19" rack mount or desktop unit supports up to four hosts and functions as a master on a master/slave network. Parallel networks, ring networks, and fully redundant networks are all supported as standard at speeds up to 115,200 baud and distances of up to 200 miles.