todd99

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About todd99

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  • Birthday 02/23/70

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  • Location Illinois
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  1. http://www.cognex.com/products/Checker/default.asp Have any of you guys used this? I got a demo from a salesmen the other day, if this thing works as promised there are a lot of places I could use it. The sensor and accesories (including software, cables, breakout board, lens kit) is under $2500. I haven't much experience with vision systems, and it was a few years ago, but I know they used to be pretty expensive. Any thoughts?
  2. I am happy to report that the customer agreed to have this shipped without any changes. Perhaps it was not as important as they origiinally thought. Gravitar, what they originally asked for was a GO/NO-GO but after it was built they wanted a kind of a GO/NO/GO/GO AGAIN. They wanted to see the continuity through lamps and they wanted them to light. As with some of my projects wiht a new customer I have a tendency to get prematurely nervous. My bad..... Thanks again for the help....I look forward to posting here again....
  3. Thanks for the suggestions. I never really thought about going the analog route. I think I can do this with minimal wiring and programming, if they are willing to pay for the changes. I expected to here back from them by now, but haven't heard anything. The automotive company was supposed to check with the manufacturer to see if this is indeed required. It's just frustrating when you are asked to do a job and it works out perfectly, faster and cheaper than what I had initially committed to (although I didn't mention the cheaper part). And then they want to make changes, that I would consider to be extreme, considering the the simplicity of this project. But as they say in The Godfather "this is the business we have chosen". I'm sure you all have the same stories. Thanks again for the help.
  4. I have been a member of this forum for months, and have read many posts, but this is my first. I have received great information here and am hoping to get some input from some of you to explain something to a customer. The project I am doing is for a shop that is building a checking fixture for automotive bumpers. It is a fixture that holds the bumper while the operator installs the license plate lights. This shop specializes in machining, fixing things, basically a job shop. They do not have anyone with an electrical or controls background, and as far as programming or automation, forget it. What they asked for was a control package that verifies continuity through the two lamps to call the part good. If there isn’t continuity through both lamps the part is bad. I achieved this by sending 12VDC through the lamp to drive a relay and used contacts from the relay to send a 24VDC input to the PLC. They made an assembly that holds the mating socket on the end of a cylinder rod to stroke out and touch the lamp socket. In essence, sending 12VDC through the lamp base, through the filament, back through the base and turn on the relay. If both lamps are good, clamps open and the part can be removed. If one or both lamps are bad the sequence stops and it requires a keyed selector switch to be manipulated by a supervisor to open the clamps to remove the part. First pass it worked great. If a bad lamp was installed or no lamp was installed, it would not release the part. Indicator lights on the control panel showed which lamp was bad. Now their customers come in for a look; what they are asking for is to have a visual indication that the lamps are good. They want to have the license plate lamps light up for 5 seconds, while at the same time getting the input to the PLC and verify the continuity. I cannot make them understand that what we are trying to do are two different things that require two different wiring conventions. Lighting the lamp requires +12VDC and -12VDC. Receiving an input to verify continuity to turn on the input requires a +12VDC signal going out the to lamp through the filament and back to the PLC. In effect making the lamp a switch, if the switch is true you have voltage through it ,if its false you don’t. Is there are any suggestions you all have that could explain this problem any simpler or any way to achieve this that I haven’t thought about please let me know. Thanks for any and all help Todd99\