OT - Me playing with a large Tonka Toy

PeterW · Jan 17, 2013

Had to share :nodi:

This was me at my last job doing the General Jumbo impression, testing a big Tonka Toy. I worked on the development of the software for the control of the monster. All Siemens Step 7 I am glad to say.

Didn't realise they put it on youtube

Flexiveyor <= CLICK

Anyone else got some neat action shots?

BryanG · Jan 17, 2013

Neat. I always fancy having a go with these things:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNnxCJfStAc

But I am going to have to build a very large control panel to be able to justify it!!!

Peter Nachtwey · Jan 17, 2013

How are all the different sections of the conveyor powered? I worked on a similar system but each section had two drive shafts. One drive shaft powered the wheels and the other powered the conveyor. The drive shafts could mesh up with the conveyor in front and the drive shafts were powered by hydraulic motors outside the mine. As the miner bored into the mountain more sections of the conveyor were added. This way one could have a very long conveyor but it couldn't bend like the one you worked on.

TurpoUrpo · Jan 17, 2013

That is real nice looking system.

ps. you that nerd in extacy in around ~1/2 of that video with controller?

surferb · Jan 17, 2013

That is SWEET!

PeterW · Jan 17, 2013

TurpoUrpo said:
That is real nice looking system.

ps. you that nerd in extacy in around ~1/2 of that video with controller?

That's me, you got it

PeterW · Jan 17, 2013

Peter Nachtwey said:
How are all the different sections of the conveyor powered? I worked on a similar system but each section had two drive shafts. One drive shaft powered the wheels and the other powered the conveyor. The drive shafts could mesh up with the conveyor in front and the drive shafts were powered by hydraulic motors outside the mine. As the miner bored into the mountain more sections of the conveyor were added. This way one could have a very long conveyor but it couldn't bend like the one you worked on.

There were different models depending on height and width, as this mine had plenty of room the axles were driven by electric motors via AB VFD's.

The conveyors were simple direct on line motors.

Each car had a S7-314C with exception of the discharge car which has a 317, so each car controls itself. Interlock signals and tracking information were via profibus.

Hydraulics on this were simply for steering and belt tracking. I couldn't convince them to go to servo's to rid it of hydraulics, probably too expensive.

Other models with restricted height would have hydraulic axles, we were experimenting with control valves for speed control.

WainDude · Jan 17, 2013

Nice looking machine, potash mine no doubt. Anyone have any issues with reliability of a PLC in an application like that, high dust, vibration, high temperature?

If you are looking for something tougher look at IFM Mobile PLC's, IP67 rated, and built for mobile. I have never had a failure in service.

WainDude · Jan 17, 2013

I recently got to do the controls on an all electronically controlled Tracked Machine. I got to test the heck out of it one night, it was like driving a big snow machine, I was plowing over snow drifts at 40Kmh. I chased a coyote out of his bed with it, pretty fun stuff. I used all IFM Controls for driving the engine and hydraulics.

RussB · Jan 19, 2013

PeterW said:
Had to share :nodi:

This was me at my last job doing the General Jumbo impression, testing a big Tonka Toy. I worked on the development of the software for the control of the monster. All Siemens Step 7 I am glad to say.

Didn't realise they put it on youtube

Flexiveyor <= CLICK

Anyone else got some neat action shots?

Very COOL looks like a fun program to write.

PeterW · Jan 19, 2013

RussB said:
Very COOL looks like a fun program to write.

It was also a naughty one ☯

As it was seen as a machine in development they were very concerned that a competitor would try to lift the code so asked me to write it in a fashion that would be difficult for anyone to understand.

So I ended up indirectly moving all the IO into instance DB's. So anyone doing a cross reference for the IO would not find one and without the symbols and comments it would very hard to suck from a machine and dissect.

Each car is linked mechanically and driven independently, so setting the VFD's was difficult to stop them tripping each other.

Tharon · Jan 19, 2013

Just curious about how that works... you steer the front lead car, and the others follow the same path as they pass the same location. Kind of like a virtual rail that the operator creates with the lead car?

PeterW · Jan 19, 2013

Tharon said:
Just curious about how that works... you steer the front lead car, and the others follow the same path as they pass the same location. Kind of like a virtual rail that the operator creates with the lead car?

Funny you should say that, the sales guys used to use a similar term, invisible rail. We hated it because it gave false expectations to the customers.

Its basically a tracking system, wheel positions passed down arrays. The distance to walls was also measured.

Peter Nachtwey · Jan 20, 2013

That is cool. Good show.

OT - Me playing with a large Tonka Toy

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