As discussed in a prior article on our Excel Automation website, Werma introduced several versions of their WIN wireless signaling products. Not only is wireless an obvious alternative to a wired system in terms of cost, where long runs of cable are required, but also labor. Wireless can mean the difference between a project being approved or “on-hold” for lack of available time and personnel to perform the system installation. In some applications, wireless may be the only option due to limited access created by existing physical barriers.
Recently, a compounding pharmacy came to us requesting custom signaling between their two [2] pharmacists and their several compounding personnel. In general, the compounding personnel worked in one or more of the four [4] separate lab rooms. When each compounding person’s task was completed, they would need to signal to either one of the two pharmacists to have the pharmacist come to their lab room and approve their competed work. Each of the [2] pharmacist had an office where they were most likely to be during the day, and management wanted the signaling to be displayed in each of those two offices. Each office needed to indicate which of the four lab rooms is requesting their assistance. However, since the two pharmacists may be anywhere in the building at the moment that they are requested, management needed any signaling for a pharmacist to remained “on” until the pharmacist was able acknowledge that they are requested, and arrive at the respective lab room. At that time, the signaling could be turned “off”.
They wanted the signaling not only to be visible to the compounding personnel within the lab that initiated the request, as a confirmation that the Werma WIN signaling system responded to their request, as well as visible into the adjacent hallway outside their lab door, so that if a pharmacist may happen to be in the hallway, the pharmacist would clearly see they are being requested, and which lab room is requesting him.
When I first visited the facility to meet with management and understand their needs, it was quickly notice that every lab room and each of the two locations where the pharmacist was likely to be, all had large windows into the adjacent hallway. So, although the walls may have attenuated the wireless signaling between lab rooms and pharmacist locations to some degree, the windows were beneficial to overall communications.
A very custom request, but the Werma WIN (Wireless Information Network) System was able to handle every detail, as follows, and everything was identified and purchased by Excel Automation:
- Each lab room was given a latching foot switch, one located by each compounding person. The foot switch allowed the compounding person to signal “hands-free”.
- Each lab room had a single Werma stack light with a one colored element and a WIN transmitter element. When the foot switch was depressed, the single color in the stack light would turn “on”, and the Werma WIN transmitter in that stack would send its signal (to the single receiver; explained later). The stack light was strategically located by the window that faced the adjacent hallway, so both the compounding person that initiated the request and, if a pharmacist were in the adjacent hallway, they could also see the same signal through the window. Only one stack light per lab room was necessary, but any of the compounding persons in that lab room could activate the stack light, as all foot switches in a given lab room were wired in parallel. It did not matter which compounding person in a given lab room requested the pharmacist’s assistance, as each lab room was relatively small.
- Each of the two pharmacist offices had single Werma stack light, with four colors and a WIN Control transmitter. Each color in the stack light corresponded to a different lab room. When any lab room requested assistance, the respective stack light in each of the pharmacist offices would tun “on”.
- In one pharmacist’s office, they had a single Werma WIN receiver, connected a laptop via USB port. Although the Werma WIN system receiver is available with an Ethernet connection via a RJ45 connector, the customer chose the Werma WIN receiver model with the USB connection instead, since they wanted this to be a stand-alone system.
While an attempt to explain all of this may sound complex, the request was very unique, and the Werma WIN Signaling System was the total solution. If wires had to be run between each lab room and each of the two pharmacists’ offices, the solution may not have been acceptable to the customer, for the additional cost and labor required.
Excel Automation / Eagle Sensors & Controls are Authorized Distributors for the Werma product line. Contact us for technical, application, or sales support.