Data Loggers

[Fresh Roaster]

Does anybody know the prices for data loggers and who's got them?

 

[pennington]

Redlion Controls sells a product called the modular controller that you can data log with. They have different modules that attach to it: 8 input thermocouple, RTD, etc. They also sell PID modules for control. It will also talk to their HMI line or you can log into it remotely via Ethernet to monitor the unit/logs. Good tech support as well... I'm currently using one to monitor temps on my Royal No.5...

http://www.redlion.net

How many inputs do you need to monitor? TC or RTD?

Matt

 

[marko53219]

Can you explain what the PID does. Would this control the heat?

Thanks,
Mark

 

[marko53219]

Could you clarify what you mean in regards to the PID and controlling? Does this mean it can run a saved profile. Sorry I just don't know anything about this stuff. :shock:

Thanks,
Mark

 

[pennington]

In a sense, yes...

Think of the PID controller like the cruise control in your car. You set the desired speed and the cruise control tries to maintain that speed. PID control is similar, but instead of controlling speed, you are controlling temperature.

I'm in the process of setting up a modular controller with a CSPID module as well as an HMI ( Human Machine Interface)... Basically, the HMI is like a touchscreen computer. It will send profile information in the form of setpoints over time. The PID module will receive these setpoints and maintain that temperature until the next setpoint is received. By changing the profile information in the HMI, you can create custom roast profiles. Add datalogging in the program and you have a pretty sweet system.

BTW, you can download Redlion's Crimson software from their site for free. There is a profile example in their application area.

Hope this helps,
Matt

 

[sdcoffeeroaster]

I just bought a YM-2 and I'm looking into adding a data logger. I have a wireless data logger from Omega (MWTC) that I used on my BBQ drum roaster. It comes with a data logging program (not customizable and not that great but adequate). Omega promises to add some new features to the program latter this year so that will help.

The receiver is like a USB thumb drive, cost $35 and the sending unit cost $79 so all of this is pretty inexpensive if you just want a simple logger. I've attempted to "sniff" what's in the USB data packets on this device so I can reverse engineer it and create my own data logger. I have figured out most of what's in the 16 2-byte words such as temperature, battery level etc. But I just don't have much time to devote to this "project". Ambex is selling me one of their dual J type probes so that should get me bean temp and I'm adding a K probe to the exhaust to be able to log that. It's pretty cool in that it's all transmitted wirelessly at 900 mHz to a small laptop. But it's still a manual process to export to something like excel and plot. I may tray to put together some macros to make that easier.

 

[Fresh Roaster]

Can you download our data logger and see if our data logger works with your stuff? Actually, we'll make it work but I'm curious. No charge for the software. I'll give you a code to get by the trial period.

www.freshroastsystems.com

 

[marko53219]

Thanks Matt, that is pretty cool. Let us know how that goes for you!

Mark

 

[sdcoffeeroaster]

Can you download our data logger and see if our data logger works with your stuff? Actually, we'll make it work but I'm curious. No charge for the software. I'll give you a code to get by the trial period.

http://www.freshroastsystems.com

Mark,would be glad to try it if you think it might work with the Omega. I think their code might be proprietary though. It behaves like com4 on the USB drive and needs some inititalization code to start. Then there are the 16 2-byte words that it transmits. I've broken the ones I would need for a logger but some of the undefined ones probably have some purpose and would have to do more work if I pursued this.

I was hoping it would work with this program I saw called Typica but that is for National Instruments and Omega is a competitor I think. The transmitter is the size of a pack of gum and I just mounted it on the end of my BBQ drum outside the heat in a tephlon enclosure. It has an onboard temperature readout that it transmits and it never got hot. You can set the transmission frequency too and it runs on a long lasting 3.6v lithium ion AA battery which I found you can recharge with an inexpensive charger.

I'm an ME not an EE so I'm a bit over my head, lol. The firmware engineer at work sort of encouraged me to try USB and Serial Mon to sniff out the packets but that's as far as I went. I did a lot of CADCAM C++ programming about 10 years ago but was thinking of writing something in labview for this. But I would have to learn it first, lol. Oh, Omega has not been very helpful in this.

 

[Fresh Roaster]

Ours was written for NI as well. It's not as proprietary as the Omega stuff and we of course own and control all of the code so we have no dependence. Right now it requires only a thermocouple reader. We've set it up for either the Extech DA-15 or the NI 9211A. But the software is specifically for coffee roasting and pretty advanced compared to what I've seen with little to no manual entry other than gas and air notations. I'm just trying to figure out what roasters really want in a logger and if we were able to accomplish that or if we have more work to do. Other than a few scattered smaller Probats it seems we've only been able to interest the industrial coffee roasting sector.

 

[sdcoffeeroaster]

I'm sure my logger would not work with your software without some work. You have to know where to look in the data stream coming from the usb port and of course you have to know what to sent to turn the USB logger on.

 

[HDowns]

Has anyone had any experience or heard of AGG Software Data Loggers? We just had a demonstration from some sales guys and it seems to be a good piece of kit. I was just wondering if anyone had any experiences good or bad with it.

--
Helen

 

[Hydrocoff]

We sell these, all product are good. But only thing is how much these DDC open and user freindly?
We have all here too. Please tell us the application e.g.
1. Inputs and outputs point list (such as 1 temperature, 1 timer, 1 on/off output with their detail information on sequances)
2. Type of inputs such as PT100 or RTD sensor type
Tell us how its work, we are tailor made machine manufaturer in Thailand with SCADA system provider. Never the less, these controller has RS232 and 485 port with TCP/IP