Advice on Temperature Controller Design

Hey guys,

I'm looking for a temperature controller that can control a device locally with a physical interface on the device as well as the option to be remotely controlled. Currently I'm using an Inkbird ITC-1000F to control the device, but I'm looking for a way to be able to remotle montior and change the temperature if needed.

I'm building brewing devices that customers will buy and they I can monitor and change the cooling or warming functions remotely.

That said - Im not sure about the best way to do this? Is this something that exists, is this something that a PLC would need developed for with a software interface? Just thinking if this grew to 100 users how would each person have access as well as myself to their unit.

Sorry if this is not the right forum, but I didnt know where to start.

Thanks in advance!

Micah
 
The buzz words in the industry IoT (Internet of things), IIot (Industrial Internet of things) and Industry 4.0/Factory 4.0 are, in my opinion, sales campaigns to sell services and hardware to put customer's production data on the web so customer people can see the data through a web browser. The sales pitch includes promises of increased productivity through digitalization.

In the few actual documented cases I've run across, this takes the form of getting data from existing devices via industrial protocols and then using gateways and the internet to get the data onto a web page, which can then be viewed on a PC or a cell phone. There are web sites that host these types of web pages if the field devices have Modbus. They use a specific gateway to get data on the internet.

The web portal always involves security user names and passwords and the ability to make data read-only or read/write. If you need remote setpoint changes then the setpoint has to be read/write and the person making the change needs permission through security settings to do so.

The temperature controller you have does not have any means of getting the temperature value out of it or writing a different set point to it. Someone has to be in front of the controller to push the buttons. That controller has no digital communications option, which is a starting point for what you want to do.

So either you start with a temperature controller with an optional digital interface (typically Modbus) or you build your own temperature controller (which being ON-OFF instead of PID is probably quite doable) with one of the inexpensive Arduino, the newly introduced Arduino PLC or the Raspberry PI chip controllers, all of which you custom program for what you want it to do and have a digital communications port that can get digital data into or out of the chip. I'm ignorant of specifics, so I have no idea what the hardware (thermistor input or relay outputs) is available or which comm protocols are available, but there are dozens of user fora on the web that cater to these roll-your-own devices.

Then you look at how you get digital data from the controller onto the internet and how it gets hosted on a web page. It might be a number of learning curves depending on your current skill set, or you partner with a geek who knows this stuff. Best of luck in your brewing enterprise.
 
Thanks so much David! My weakness is the hardware -> web connection, but you simply pointing out that there are devices that have a digital interface gives me an area to look into. I also appreciate you pointing out the Arduino as that was where I first started, but I have little experience with the board. From what I hear, Raspberry PI's are becoming hard to find and come by but knowing that their processing could be the part that executes the task I'm looking to do is helpful. I clearly have a lot to learn as I seek to develop this which probably starts with the Modbus Protocol and then working through the rest of your suggestions.

If you have any other suggestions for groups or forums where this type of development is already occurring please let me know.

Thanks so much

The buzz words in the industry IoT (Internet of things), IIot (Industrial Internet of things) and Industry 4.0/Factory 4.0 are, in my opinion, sales campaigns to sell services and hardware to put customer's production data on the web so customer people can see the data through a web browser. The sales pitch includes promises of increased productivity through digitalization.

In the few actual documented cases I've run across, this takes the form of getting data from existing devices via industrial protocols and then using gateways and the internet to get the data onto a web page, which can then be viewed on a PC or a cell phone. There are web sites that host these types of web pages if the field devices have Modbus. They use a specific gateway to get data on the internet.

The web portal always involves security user names and passwords and the ability to make data read-only or read/write. If you need remote setpoint changes then the setpoint has to be read/write and the person making the change needs permission through security settings to do so.

The temperature controller you have does not have any means of getting the temperature value out of it or writing a different set point to it. Someone has to be in front of the controller to push the buttons. That controller has no digital communications option, which is a starting point for what you want to do.

So either you start with a temperature controller with an optional digital interface (typically Modbus) or you build your own temperature controller (which being ON-OFF instead of PID is probably quite doable) with one of the inexpensive Arduino, the newly introduced Arduino PLC or the Raspberry PI chip controllers, all of which you custom program for what you want it to do and have a digital communications port that can get digital data into or out of the chip. I'm ignorant of specifics, so I have no idea what the hardware (thermistor input or relay outputs) is available or which comm protocols are available, but there are dozens of user fora on the web that cater to these roll-your-own devices.

Then you look at how you get digital data from the controller onto the internet and how it gets hosted on a web page. It might be a number of learning curves depending on your current skill set, or you partner with a geek who knows this stuff. Bet of luck in your brewing enterprise.
 
Thanks for the suggestions! The only reason I dont what to use the wifi enabled version is because its clunky and doesn't work with some of the other RIB relays I have built into the "brain". I'll check out the PID's which are admittedly something I need to learn about - the one thing I need any controller to control is ON/OFF relay function... This temp control is either going to turn on a water chiller, or a heating probe and doesn't need modulated or pulsed power to the devices.

Thanks again for the links, headed that way now!

 
I developed a very universal control system for this a few years ago. It is successfully in use by many small and micro breweries in the Netherlands and Belgium. It is so universal that also companies use it for making soup/sauces etc.

It also has a recipe manager function if you use many different recipes. It also has waiting steps between the steps in order to be able to add herbs/hops before continuing to the next process step.
Optionally it can be fitted with a pulse-flowmeter for filling up automatically with the desired amount of water.

See our "kettle manager". Can also be operated remotely with smartphone/windows PC with a standard app.
Kettle Manager

Below on the page you see the manuals, P&ID drawing as well as the IO signal specification.
 
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