Control.com - Nerds in Control

Hi All,

Could anyone tell me which SCADA is more easily to use? I want to get more information about these.

Thank you

Gary

Try here. Free download to try.
http://www.citect.com/downloads/products/citectscada

Gary,

If you look in the control.com archives, you will find several threads on the best and worst of SCADA.

You will notice some consistent themes in each thread:

- All answers are based on personal opinion - Very few people have spent a lot of time on more than two or three packages - Each users' needs are different, the answer you get is based on how it met their needs - Each users' skill sets are different, more capable users see less usability issues with each package - The question is not specific, so the answers won't be either - Most of them have pretty much the same look and feel, when you get into things like scripting or ODBC/SQL then things start to look different

I find these rules useful (in no particular order):

1. Consider using the SCADA package tied in to your automation platform i.e., Rockwell PLCs go with RSView/32 http://www.rockwellautomation.com/ or Siemens PLCs go with WinCC http://www.siemens.de/ - pricing, training, support are all one-stop shopping

2. Consider using an independent package such as CiTect http://www.citect.com/ or Wonderware http://www.wonderware.com/ - OPC, after all, is the great equaliser

3. Consider another package such as FactoryLink http://www.usdata.com/ (survival assured since purchase by Tecnomatix? - perhaps not, if they are only interested in MES and ERP) or iFIX http://www.intellution.com/ (used to be independent, but is now owned by GE - perhaps as a prelude to them wanting to be No.1 in automation)

4. Consider using the package that is widely deployed in your target area

5. Use a Linux SCADA package to keep the Linux fan-club on the A-List happy

6. Make sure that your chosen package meets your needs!

RA

> 5. Use a Linux SCADA package to keep
> the Linux fan-club on the A-List happy

Yes, of course use our http://pvbrowser.org :-)
But you need some programming skills at least in a scripting language.

PS1: It does not only run on Linux
PS2: This posting was written with pvbrowser

Depending if your application requires monitor and or control of electrical meters and or other intelligent electronic devices such as protection relays you may wish an existing system called Power RICH.

WWW.powerrichsystem.com

Gary,

Look at this link. This SCADA is license free and is Linux based.

http://www.scadaserver.com

It looks neat but it runs on its own controller (which you have to buy, of course) and they haven't made the software or the source available as nearly as I can see.

Try WinTr SCADA. It is very easy to use, powerful and cheap. http://www.fultek.com.tr/ScadaEn.html

WinTr Scada training video:
http://www.youtube.com/user/WinTrSCADA or http://www.fultek.com.tr/ScadaEn.html

WinTr Help Online:
http://scada.fultek.com.tr/index.html

As others are pointing out there are loads of SCADA packages out there.

Most, if not all, will do what you want. Some are more heavily themed towards certain industries so that is a start.

To my mind pick a package which is widely used and supported. A cheap package may be great but if the supplier has only one person manning the support lines in one country things will be tough. If you pick one of the big 4 I think you will not really go wrong. ie.
Wonderware InTouch
Rockwell FT View
Siemens WinCC
GE iFix

They all have there limitations but at the end of the day you can be sure they will be around in 5 years (or more) time.

Hi there,

Well said by Paul. I also believe Intouch is very good and popular but then again so is a lot of other as well. At the end of the day the suggestions will vary from person to person depending on what someone is familiar with.

Paul suggested to have a look what is popular and will be around for years to come and make your selection based on that. I have to agree. If the SCADA you select is a bit more involved than another one it is just a matter of study it a bit and you will then find it easy to work with as well.

SCADA's are not rocket science. I have played more difficult computer games than SCADA systems. It is also just a big computer game, so in order to play with it you also need to do a bit of studying. Not any game or SCADA will allow you to just start playing without doing some studying first so it does not mater what you select at the end of the day as long as you are sure it will be around for a while, have a good support system from the vendor and it is powerful enough to do the job.

Hello,

Shameless plug, PeakHMI is very easy to use.

Good luck,

Mark
http://www.peakhmi.com/

Another aspect to consider when choosing is the use of 3rd party packages for certain functions. Depending for what you intend to use the SCADA system, you may want to consider using a 3rd party package for tasks such as reporting or statistical process control, etc.

So
1. you could remove that functionality from your selection criteria, but
2. add back in the selection criteria looking at what 3rd party packages are available for a particular SCADA system.

Coming from the 3rd party package arena, it's highly recommended to make the availability of "out-of-the-box" interfaces from the 3rd party packages to the top historians/SCADA systems a criterion. Often, the historians/SCADA systems will list with which 3rd party packages there is a business and technical relationship already developed.