Bluetooth Serial adapter for PLC remote connection

[leem2209]

I'm wondering if anyone has much experience with any bluetooth serial adapters and which one to recommend...?

I need to remotely monitor the omron PLC program in a moving machine which I cannot hard-wire my laptop to...

Mucho Regardio
(Bet you didn't know I spoke Spanish!)

Mark...

 

[AshleyParr]

never tried Bluetooth but have stuck wireless routers in some kit to great success

Ash

 

[leem2209]

never tried Bluetooth but have stuck wireless routers in some kit to great success

Ash

wireless routers with a serial port?

 

[AshleyParr]

Oh dear, it's been one of those days!!
I didn't read that bit properly. Sorry

 

[leem2209]

Oh dear, it's been one of those days!!
I didn't read that bit properly. Sorry

DOH!

 

[AshleyParr]

Could always look at serial to Ethernet?
Sorry I've not done anything with Bluetooth!

 

[Firejo]

You’re going to get a much better level of reliability with something along the lines of these (see below). Bluetooth shares the 2.4GHz spectrum with all of the WiFi devices (smart phones, tablets, laptops, etc…) and is meant for very short range. Several attempts have been made to integrate Bluetooth into the industrial automation world without success (including DLG). It simply isn’t designed for that type of environment. One thing to remember when looking at wireless in the industrial automation world is you get what you pay for. That’s not to say that the $200 device can’t be made to work but they won’t be as reliable as the higher price stuff and they won’t deal with harsh noise environments nearly as well.
http://www.data-linc.com/plantlinc/plr6030.htm

 

[leem2209]

You’re going to get a much better level of reliability with something along the lines of these (see below). Bluetooth shares the 2.4GHz spectrum with all of the WiFi devices (smart phones, tablets, laptops, etc…) and is meant for very short range. Several attempts have been made to integrate Bluetooth into the industrial automation world without success (including DLG). It simply isn’t designed for that type of environment. One thing to remember when looking at wireless in the industrial automation world is you get what you pay for. That’s not to say that the $200 device can’t be made to work but they won’t be as reliable as the higher price stuff and they won’t deal with harsh noise environments nearly as well.
http://www.data-linc.com/plantlinc/plr6030.htm

Thanks....

I shouln't have said specifically bluetooth, I meant any sort of wireless serial function. It's only intended for short term use. I currently want to online monitor a PLC which sits inside a remote guided machine and travels up a track about 30m maximum. I can follow it with laptop, and I am currently chasing a dangling lead and connecting to it when I can. Its already run over the lead once and chopped it in half!

 

[Ken Roach]

In my experience a Bluetooth serial link is a little slower and less reliable than a serial cable. But it's less likely to be run over !

I did some work with Parani/Sena brand units a few years ago and they could be charitably described as junk.

GridConnect and Siig don't tend to sell bad stuff, but I have no direct experience with their serial dongles.

 

[Lare]

bluetooth range can be problem, it is 10 meters or less usually.
More reliable could be serial to ethernet adapter and connect it to wireless router.
Or get special router which have build in serial. (e Won or similar)

 

[BobB]

You can buy Promi Bluetooth stuff from Omron. They work really well and the receiver picks up is power voltage from the Omron serial port. I have had 5 online at once to PLCs at a distance of about 40 metres. The PLCs were in a plant room - then through a couple of corridors and I was sitting at a table in the outdoor barbeque area having a coffee and smoke. I did not use the laptop inbuilt Bluetooth though but one that plugs into a USB port - greater range. A bit slow but works fine. Here is what it is http://www.senaindustrial.com/download/datasheet/wireless_plc_sena_bluetooth_omron.pdf and the manual on the device http://www.omronkft.hu/nostree/pdfs/plc/networks/bluetooth/manual_promi_sd205_oa-v1.0.0.pdf I do not use the power supply but let the device get it's power from pin 6 on the serial port. This thing has good range as well. I have 6 of them.

 

[Pudden]

Hi Leem2209,

Non industrial Bluetooth is good for 10meters, but Industrial such as the Anybus Wireless Bridge Serial - Bluetooth is good up to a few hundred meters. Can be used in pairs or one connected to your PC.

My 2 cents

//Me

 

[BobB]

Then there is the problem Omron serial ports are not standard.

 

[geniusintraining]

I sold one in the past but they were not big sellers... the reason I bought one in the first place the PLC was in a clean room and it was a lot easier to connect on the outside and I would not need to get dressed for a simple look at the program, it work ok for that but anytime I needed to see something in real time or at high speeds then I would need to connect direct

What is the PLC type? can you do a wireless ethernet router?

 

[leem2209]

You can buy Promi Bluetooth stuff from Omron. They work really well and the receiver picks up is power voltage from the Omron serial port. I have had 5 online at once to PLCs at a distance of about 40 metres. The PLCs were in a plant room - then through a couple of corridors and I was sitting at a table in the outdoor barbeque area having a coffee and smoke. I did not use the laptop inbuilt Bluetooth though but one that plugs into a USB port - greater range. A bit slow but works fine. Here is what it is http://www.senaindustrial.com/download/datasheet/wireless_plc_sena_bluetooth_omron.pdf and the manual on the device http://www.omronkft.hu/nostree/pdfs/plc/networks/bluetooth/manual_promi_sd205_oa-v1.0.0.pdf I do not use the power supply but let the device get it's power from pin 6 on the serial port. This thing has good range as well. I have 6 of them.

Sounds great, will look into these further. I have just ordered some easily available bluetooth serial devices. I also found a SENA promi SD205-0A device lying around amongst some dusty stuff. Couldn't connect to the laptop in-built bluetooth though and wondered if I needed 2 devices, one on the machine and one on the laptop? I also couldn't connect through PromiWIN software as per instructions. Maybe its a duff unit!