PLC/Scada recomendation

[TireKicker 0]

So I'm putting together a project at home. I need to be able to monitor and trend temperature, humidity. And be able to control 2 fans and a heating coil. Hopefully I'd be able to control it with my computer. Right now I have nothing with about a 650 dollar spending limit(flexable). Thank you So much for the help in advance!

[Mark- 17]

Hello, PeakHMI is a low cost HMI software package. http://www.peakhmi.com/ Edited 5 Jan 2013 by Mark-

[TireKicker 0]

Thanks for the reply! Looks good for the computer interface part. With this program, what else would be needed between the HMI software and the sensors? Sorry I'm very new to this. I started brewing beer and I am trying to Perfect and automate the process(i work 12 hour days and attend college)

[Mark- 17]

Hello, >...between the HMI software and the sensors? That depends on the sensor output. You say the sensors are measuring "...temperature, humidity" but not the sensor output type. 0-20 mA, 4-20 mA, 0-10 VDC, 0-5 VDC, etc. and not the input type, AC,DC TTL, etc. One of the lowest cost PLCs on the market is the Click PLC from Automation Direct. They have many flavors. The starting cost is $99, not sure on the programming tools. It might be free. If this is your first automation project and you know nothing about PLC, programming, sensor wiring, etc., I suggest you locate someone who has experience. Even a simple project has many connection points that must be matched correctly for the system to function without error. Automating a process using machinery, electricity, and programming can be VERY dangerous and cause damage to property and loss of life. Edited 6 Jan 2013 by Mark-

[gleblanc 1]

Are you doing all-grain, or just trying to heat and cool the wort? If you want to do this with your PC, then I'd probably look at some USB I/O modules. For the fans and the coil you would just need some digital I/O. Normally temperature and time are crucial elements to brewing as well. To track temperature you'll probably need at least one thermocouple (or possibly analog) input. None of this stuff is very hard, a friend and I built a system in college using microcontrollers instead of PLCs, but that was just what we had on hand. If you post a more complete description of what you want to do, we can probably make better recommendations.

[Nathan 7]

You could use Ignition by Inductive Automation for the PC based control. Their "Panel Edition" is free and would work fine. The free OPC-UA server would probably work, depending on the PLC you end up going with. Good luck with the project! Post pics and keep us updated Edited 10 Jan 2013 by Nathan

[Chris Elston 78]

Just visited a factory using Ignition, the two guys there was VERY happy with it and how it works with everything. This was just yesterday. Thought I would give some real world feedback from some third party people.