Messaging over Plant Radio from CLX

[Ga1011]

Anyone have a recommendation for transmitting alarms, messages, etc...over radio? The alarms will be generated from a CLX platform above V21 and the idea is to have the signal be capable of talking over the local radio frequency within the plant. I am aware of messaging over email from a PLC but never radio freq. Thanks in advance for the ideas.

 

[Ken Roach]

Explain more about the "local radio frequency within the plant".

Do you have serial radio modems ? A literal voice radio system ? WiFi or 900 mHz modems for TCP/IP ?

A ControlLogix/CompactLogix with v21 or higher firmware will generally not have an RS-232 port of its own, so Ethernet is your most likely transport.

 

[Ga1011]

Explain more about the "local radio frequency within the plant".

Do you have serial radio modems ? A literal voice radio system ? WiFi or 900 mHz modems for TCP/IP ?

A ControlLogix/CompactLogix with v21 or higher firmware will generally not have an RS-232 port of its own, so Ethernet is your most likely transport.

apologies...The radios we use in the plant to communicate over. I will have to dig a little digger into the comms method in which they work. I am obviously a little out of my depth. Thanks

 

[Aabeck]

Something like trigger a specific recording on a MP3 player that broadcasts on your radio system when playing.

Not sure if a single MP3 player could broadcast multiple recordings or only one per player.

Maybe have a SCADA system trigger an audio file at a certain condition and the computer audio tied to the radio system.

The problem I see is if the radio system is in use and everyone is hearing someone would your system be able to identify it as in use and wait, or blindly try to broadcast during the existing communication?

 

[77nomad]

Cmore can use .wav files for alarms but I don't know how you'd broadcast that.

 

[Ken Roach]

The gold standard for remote annunciation of automation or SCADA alarms is a company called Win-911. They integrate with PA systems and campus paging, and email and SMS. If there's a radio integration system appropriate for your system, they've probably done it.

I agree that the most difficult part of any trunked or campus radio system is the half-duplex nature of the system; if somebody is talking do you want the annunciator to talk over them ? Do you have priority channels or channel scanning ?

Do you already have a plantwide SCADA or HMI system ? I've done local *.WAV files as an annunciator on an HMI, but never integrated them into a campus radio system.

 

[Ken Moore]

I have used topview to send emails and text before, they do audible as well. Extremely easy to setup and great support.

https://www.exele.com/software-products/topview/