HMIs outdoors (again)

Rson

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Jun 2017
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Michigan
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How many of you design or work with machines that have HMIs outdoors?

I finally got through to my company to start using PLCs & HMIs instead of relay logic, and I've been given full control over the products for an upcoming job as a 'pilot'.

However, it is an outdoor install and I remember having this issue before with finding an HMI that works outdoors. The only ones I'm aware of are these:

https://www.ezautomation.net/HMI-Human-Machine-Interface/ezsunlight/ezsunlight.php?cat=312

Otherwise, I was thinking of putting the HMI behind a plexi-window/door with a few holes around it to allow the panel heater to heat the front of the screen as well. I imagine the panel will fog up in the winter time, though.

Any suggestions? I could also go pushbuttons with PLC control - but I know there are some things that need to be adjusted and I'd like to make them adjustable without needing to program the unit.
 
What is the environment when you say outside? (like a lot of dust, water, humidity, dry, hot, sunny, would it have to deal with seasons, etc.)

I'd suggest having the HMI covered from water/snow and not in direct sunlight so you can read it.

I don't remember if HMIs had issues at cold temps but I know the touch screens I used started throwing a fit around 0ºF.
 
The environment could change - this will be for a skid unit that will be rented to different companies. It could be in Alaska, Texas, etc so it needs to be versitile. Not an explosion-proof environment, though.
 
I say use whatever but cheap and have one on hand so you can send it out at a moments notice, I have never installed one but I have replaced several

One good idea someone had was hanging a piece of THICK rubber above and letting it cover the HMI, when they needed to use the HMI they would lift the cover/rubber and use it... this also helped them see it when the sun was bright

I have replaced several at a peach plant that was the harshest environment, Hot, humid, corrosive and in a washdown area, nothing lasted there... not even me
 
We've used the Magelis STU range in most of our waste water pumping stations for years. Mounted through a 22mm hole same as a pilot light, decent gasket etc keeps the panel sealed.

Ours do spend most of their life covered though, as the pump station switchboard is mounted within a powdercoated aluminium outer enclosure so it's only exposed to the elements when an operator is on site.

The thick rubber flap cover that geniusintraining suggests I've also seen, which keeps the sun off the HMI (biggest killer of screens).

I use a high contrast colour scheme which looks ugly but keeps things readable.
 
Mitsubishi GT25 Rugged
20 ℃ to 65 ℃
1000 cd/m2
Shock resistance 40G
But the price is 2x
 
I would have this as my preference:

https://www.redlion.net/product/graphite-7-modular-hmi-outdoor

Red Lion Graphite is their Cadillac so will not be the least expensive model you can drive, but the feature set and time you can save in engineering can offset that almost every time. Unless you are building dozens or hundreds of identical systems, then it may make sense to use a lesser grade product.

I would also cover any outdoor HMI with one of these:

https://www.alliedmoulded.com/?sfid=19660&_sf_s=hmi cover

"Outdoor rated" != "weather proof".

You see terms like sunlight resistant, but no one ever claims to have a product that is "sunlight proof".

It would be like a forklift proof guard rail. They don't exist... I have seen some really good fabricators attempt to build one too.
 
Last edited:
I know this doesn't help but...

Rental and PLC/HMI combos would scare me. A place I was at rented the same compressor (the size of an entire trailer) several times over the three years I was there. Once it showed up with the control transformer knocked off the back plane and shorted out on the door. We had to make several bush fixes to that thing and it looked like many more had been done over the years. I'd be worried some hammer mechanic would tear it up trying to "fix" it. I suggest a locked panel and some kind of penalty if the lock is removed for any reason.
 
geniusintraining said:
I like it... much better than the rubber red neck method, but it worked also.

If I used the Allied cover I would also get some 3m tint that blocks UV, I had two sides of my house done with it and it works great
Click to expand...

We've always used the solid versions, but if we wanted to use the clear or tinted model, that is a good idea.
 
For our outdoor HMI, we typically use the X2 Extreme from Beijer. They have a temperature rating of -30C to 70C. As others have noted though, reading in daylight is one of the biggest obstacles to overcome. We have used these in the past with good results but they are on the expensive side:
https://shadeaide.com/


We recently found out that Moxa has some panel mount PC that come with Ignition Edge installed that are good for the extreme temperatures.



Not sure what industry you are in, but most of our outdoor HMI's are for oil and gas. I usually install a screen protector from these guys:
https://www.photodon.com/SFNT.html


We all know that the best thing for an HMI screen is an operator/truck driver with gloves soaked in frac water pressing buttons on it.....
 
Another vote for the Redlion Graphite Outdoor version, I use them on rental/sales machines that go round the world. They have roller shutter doors to protect the panels from malicious damage when not in use. They are inside the machine by about 10cm so less subject to direct weather. They seem to survive direct sunlight as you get in evening or morning, in the midday they are protected by being just inside the machine. I wouldn't class them as expensive, not the cheapest, but it doesn't break the bank if you have to swap one out, besides the renter pays for damage like that. Don't know about Alaska, it gets to -40F/C and lower.
 

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