Projects:
Monitoring Forklift inside a Industrial plant and others applications
The equipment can handle as many as 255 mobile/stationary units (with expansion available) that send the data to a computer-linked base.
The monitoring system works via UHF radio in a low power data packet. The central base asks the units for status information on the way the engine is working. In case of malfunction in any unit, it generates a transmission to the central unit alerting it about the type of error. The retrieving data that reads the engine parameters is done by two microcontrollers and just a few other components.
The first microcontrollers has software that manages data transmission with HDLC type protocol and a
CRC (Error check) under ISO/IEC 3309 of 16 bits. The other one reads different parameters as: motor oil pressure, engine coolant temperature, transmission temperature, hydraulics, rpm and hour meter. It sensibly measures time attending to the way the engine is being used, like rpm and temperature variations, which enables to know the real maintenance periods, extending efficiently its life and lowering the costs.
Basically there is one microcontroller that communicates "with the outside world" and there is another that communicates "inside the system".
CHARACTERISTICS
- Wireless monitoring and telemetry of equipment for large distances or uneasy places.
-Intelligent maintenance reduces time and money.
- Remote panel board (in real time)
- In case of failure the data transmitted are stored in EEPROM memory data as a backup.
- The systems is easily adaptable to the various functioning characteristics of each piece of equipment controlled (engines) because the data is kept in EEPROM memory and are read when initializing the software.
-Virtually any UHF RF transceiver can be connected to the software and hardware.
APPLICATIONS
The system has been successfully tested on internal combustion engines and hydraulic moving parts (Genesis Forklift) among others. (It can also be applied to many other systems that require monitoring and data transmission).
NOTES:
- The radio transceivers that I used are from Abacom Technologies, Canada.
The models used are DTR-100-464 and BIM-433-F.
- I have developed the hardware and firmware for the two PIC microcontrollers (16F870 and 16F877 models) in assembler language (about 3,000 lines of code). In the 16F870 I wrote the soft for data transmission algorithm with a HDLC protocol, Manchester coded, etc., and a CRC algorithm ISO 3309 of 16 bits. I obtained the specifications for this algorithm from ISO/IEC, and I wrote it for PIC micro language assy.
- I wrote also the code for the PIC 16F877. The program sense several inputs from Pressure sensors, temperature sensor, RPM engine, etc (digital and analog). The processed signals are not only sent by wireless to a CENTRAL, but it takes local action if is necessary.
-For the interfaces with the PC computers, I use software from TAL Technologies Company: www.taltech.com. I have tested several soft and I think that the “Software Wedge” (with DDE, dynamic data exchange, for Windows environment) from TAL company is the best for my application.
-My development and debugging tools are from Microchip: MPLAB.
NOTE: This circuits has SMD type IC. I have developed another Trough hole board with type DIP IC.