We have some CSTR's that we want to monitor for temperature, viscosity, flow-rate, etc. and show results in an HMI tablet. I have extensive coding experience, but have never tried to interface data from say, a temperature device. How should I go about it?

1. Purchase device (easy)
2. Install it in CSTR. (easy)
3. Query device for data <--how?

Will it come with a cable and drivers I can attach to my PC, and use .NET OPC to access it?

If you could give me as much detail, would appreciate it! An exciting project

 

What protocol(s) do the CSTRs support?

-Mark
http://automatedsolutions.com

 

Hello mark,

The CSTR's don't have any sensing instruments yet. We intend to buy temperature, viscosity and depth sensors.

My confusion is how to be able to query sensor data programatically.

i.e physical sensor --> ???? --->hmi on a windows machine

Any advice will be gladly welcome

 

Raw sensor data would need to be run into analog IO modules. Something like Acromag BusWorks 900EN Series, which have Ethernet (Modbus/TCP)connectivity.

Product Page:
http://www.acromag.com/catalog/97/Ethernet___Network_I_O/Ethernet_I_O_Modules/Analog_I_O

Manual:
http://www.acromag.com/sites/default/files/BusWorks_900EN_Ethernet_Product_Guide_529_0.pdf

Once the sensor data is available via Modbus/TCP, you can use our Modbus/TCP driver for .NET to build your HMI/SCADA app.

http://automatedsolutions.com/products/dotnet/ascomm/mb.master.net.asp (remove spaces if any)

-Mark
http://automatedsolutions.com

 

Thanks!
Exactly what I was looking for.

Just so I know, what does the IO module actually do?

In what form will the signal reach the PC? For example if it's a temperature sensor, will data come in as 200C or as something else?

Will

 

IO Modules convert analog signals from sensors to digital, then make the information available via common communications protocols (in this case Modbus/TCP).

Some modules support scaling, so for example 4-20 mA signal can be scaled to 0-200. You'll need to look at the capabilities of the IO module that you select.

If scaling is not supported in module, you can perform scaling on the PC side in your VB.NET app.

-Mark
http://automatedsolutions.com

 

> In what form will the signal reach the PC? For example if it's a temperature sensor, will data come in as 200C or as something else?

If the Modbus is a floating point (FP) format, the FP value can be a very recognizable temperature value.

But the value is very frequently something else. The A/D converters in the I/O modules typically range ±32,757 counts. A thermocouple signal might span part of that range, where each degree might be 31counts. Signals are frequently converted to an industry standard 4-20mA before reaching the I/O module. Then the task is to determine what range the 4-20mA represents and then relate that to the counts in I/O device's Modbus register. The I/O device's documentation will define what relationship to the real world value is. Sometimes it is as simple as counts/20 = deg F.

 

Thanks guys, this really helped!