The so-called Information Age has
meant massive changes in virtually every aspect of our lives: from the way in
which we communicate to the way in which we consume information. By the second
half of the 20th century, every interface was undergoing a dramatic
facelift and becoming slimmer, lighter and, above all else, smarter, embracing
the Brave New World that the techno-prophets and digital pioneers in Silicon
Valley promised. CDs were being replaced with iPods, CRT with flat screen and
dial-up with fibre, and all over the world the citizens of this planet were
experiencing a connectedness that had never before been possible. Then came the
mysterious and ethereal Cloud, and the digital game changed yet again.
Suddenly, physical storage devices were going the way of the dinosaurs and
information and media started to live in the ether, mere ghosts consisting of
ones and zeros. Technology seems to be in a state of constant flux, as well it
should be if it is to remain the faithful servant of Mankind’s diverse needs.
But, in 2009, the world of access
automation was in need of a hero. Despite some groundbreaking innovations such
as battery backup and rolling code technology, it had not yet fully caught up
with the evolution that was sweeping through the technosphere. But the winds of
change were about to reach the security sector, and their arrival signaled the
birth of a true access automation legend.
The D5-Evo built upon the equally
legendary foundation of its predecessor, the original D5 - an access automation
staple if ever there was one – incorporating the same tried and tested
mechanical design. CENTURION marketing and sales director Richard Rohman
explains some of the thinking that went into the design of the original D5
sliding gate motor:
“When we were developing the D5, we
looked at the beautifully-moulded and machined Italian operators that were, at
the time, hammering some old tin box-looking operators at every turn. But we
were worried about our ability to die-cast the gearbox as well as the
out-of-mould machining still needed to be done. It was for this reason that the
injection moulders across the road from us at the time suggested we try
producing a gearbox using the latest in injection mouldable engineering
polymers. It worked and worked well, to the extent that it became the norm for
all locally-produced gate motors in South Africa”.
However, it wasn’t all smooth
sailing back in those early days, as Richard is quick to point out.
“Then came the quest to get rid of
the horrible limit switches. Pat [Dickens, CENTURION MD] and I walked a long,
hard road with this one, moving from traditional limit switches to optical
limits and then back to really robust limit switches to finally our only
locally-made limit switches, all of which were far too costly and cumbersome to
install. Hence, the development of the DOSS (Digital Origin Seeking System),
which is a story on its own”.
As the country’s security situation
continued to deteriorate and it became increasingly necessary for homeowners to
get into their properties as expeditiously as possible, speed became another
critical consideration. The engineer overseeing the development of the original
D5 was tasked with ensuring that the machine went no slower than a robust 16
metres per minute.
“[We] had to get clever with speed
control on the D5,” Richard remembers, “because it was always a complaint with
installers of competitor products that their faster machines weren’t very
accurate when it came to stopping; when the motor reached its end-limit.”
This shortcoming prompted
CENTURION’s design team, under the supervision of Ian “Roz” Rozowsky (who would
later become the Research and Development director), to design the D5’s
electronic controller – the now-famous CP80 – in such a way that smooth
acceleration and deceleration could be achieved, a feature that was perfected
with the D5-Evo.
The landscape at the time (around
1996) was somewhat desolate in terms of functionality, with the vast majority
of gate motors on the market offering little more than simple opening and
closing of their loads. However, the growing concerns around crime and home
security led to a demand being created for more versatile, feature-rich gate
operators, and this became a bit of an obsession for the CENTURION team.
According to Richard, they were
always keen on giving the client more than they could wish for in terms of
features.
“At the time, our competitors
provided row upon row of dipswitches to allow the different features to be set,
but these cost money and weren’t all that intuitive. So Roz developed the fancy
menu system using a couple of LEDs and a pushbutton. It was very cost-effective
and, once you had been shown what to do, fairly straightforward to use.”
Some 13 years later, the
aptly-named D5-Evo (short for “evolution”) took the world of access automation
by storm, packaging a plethora of incredible features – a number of them world
firsts – into one compact, easy-to-use and remarkably intelligent LCD
controller. The new machine finally ushered gate automation into the 21st
century, marking a new era in domestic security. Not only did the D5-Evo
address homeowners’ growing security concerns with innovative features such as
the built-in Intruder-detection Alarm feature-set, but it also spoke to the
needs of installers. The LCD interface made for supremely easy commissioning,
while removable terminal strips and advanced diagnostics made maintenance a
dream.
Today, some seven years after it
first came onto the scene, the D5-Evo is showing no sign of slowing down, and
seems to be holding on to its unofficial title of “South Africa’s favourite
gate motor”.
Stay tuned for part 2 of our series
on the birth of the D5-Evo, in which R & D director Robert Dickens – who
was intimately involved in its design - provides a personal account of those
exciting early days and traces the D5’s evolution in an exclusive interview.
You don’t want to miss it!
