ACC Automation: PLC & Industrial Control Learning
Practical Tips and Techniques
We will now be installing Node-RED on a Raspberry Pi 4 single-board computer. A static IP address will also be given for both the WiFi and Ethernet connections. The Raspberry Pi has quickly become a fixture in the industrial environment when utilizing the internet of things. (IoT) We will be utilizing this low-cost computer to … Read more
Node-RED HTTP Request can be used to read any BRX Do-More PLC memory area. This HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) communication will only read information from our controller. The BRX Do-More REST API is used to read information using a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) or web address. We will be using the HTTP request node in … Read more
The DHT11 is a digital temperature and humidity sensor. It uses a capacitive humidity sensor and a thermistor to measure the surrounding air and sends out a digital signal on the data pin (no analog input pins needed). Its simple to use, and the update timing of the sensor is about 2 seconds. Thermistor temperature … Read more
The ultrasonic sensor (HC-SR04) is great for all kinds of projects that need distance measurements. The HC-SR04 is inexpensive and easy to use. We will be sending signals directly to the sensor and interpreting the results without the need for a library. Ultrasonic sensor module HC-SR04 provides a 2cm-400cm non-contact measurement function, the accuracy can … Read more
We will now look at the MQTT communication capability using our Click plus PLC. MQTT stands for Message Queuing Telemetry Transport. This simple ‘publish and subscribe’ communication protocol, does not take too many resources. Constrained devices with low bandwidth are ideal for MQTT. This protocol provides machine-to-machine (M2M) connectivity which is ideal for the Internet … Read more
The servomotor, RC (Hobby) Servo is a type of gear motor that can only rotate 180 degrees. It is controlled by sending electrical pulses from our UNO R3 board. These pulses tell the servo what position it should move to. We will be wiring the servo to our Arduino UNO R3 controller on our super … Read more
We will now establish communication using four different methods from our computer to the new Click Plus controller. The click programming software version 3.00 will be used for the communication methods. Click Plus controllers allow you to program them through the micro USB port on every CPU. WiFi (Bluetooth Provisioning) is also available on some … Read more
Node-RED can easily display interactive information to the user or operator using a web browser on your phone, tablet, or computer. Any device that has access to the network in which node-red is running. We will be installing the node-red-dashboard palette. This allows us to create a live data dashboard user interface. (UI) The information … Read more
We will now look at the tilt ball switch on our Arduino Uno super starter kit. Tilt sensors (tilt ball switch) allow you to detect orientation or inclination. They are small, inexpensive, low-power, and easy to use. Their simplicity makes them popular for toys, gadgets, and appliances. Tilt ball switches are sometimes referred to as … Read more
The Click Plus PLC has now been released. This can only be programmed with version 3.00 or higher of the Click Programming Software. Version 3.00 will program all of the Click PLC CPU units and add additional features to the Click Ethernet CPU units. Features of the new Click PLUS PLC (C2-0xCPU) includes the following: … Read more