P
I'm trying to collect data from two locations in our plant. At each location I want to collect a temperature (analog - 4-20 ma) and an on/off (digital 120 V) signal.
Neither location is currently wired in any way for data collection. Ethernet is nearby, but wireless would be great as well. They are close enough together that a single wireless access point could most likely talk to both.
Other locations in the plant use networked Automation Direct PLCs. These PLCs also perform control functions. I collect data from the PLCs via the Automation direct DDE server and write it to an Access database using a <b>custom</b> Visual Basic program. This system certainly has its limitations and I'm open to another software package.
I have looked at using Automation Direct Field I/O or an additional Automation Direct PLC. For those solutions I'd be spending $550-$900 per location, plus wiring costs. It just seems like overkill to get 4 analog i/o and 8-16 digial i/o and a whole plc when I just need a couple inputs.
I'm not tied to my existing system, just putting it out there for information. So any suggestions for inexpensive network data collection?
Neither location is currently wired in any way for data collection. Ethernet is nearby, but wireless would be great as well. They are close enough together that a single wireless access point could most likely talk to both.
Other locations in the plant use networked Automation Direct PLCs. These PLCs also perform control functions. I collect data from the PLCs via the Automation direct DDE server and write it to an Access database using a <b>custom</b> Visual Basic program. This system certainly has its limitations and I'm open to another software package.
I have looked at using Automation Direct Field I/O or an additional Automation Direct PLC. For those solutions I'd be spending $550-$900 per location, plus wiring costs. It just seems like overkill to get 4 analog i/o and 8-16 digial i/o and a whole plc when I just need a couple inputs.
I'm not tied to my existing system, just putting it out there for information. So any suggestions for inexpensive network data collection?