OT-New Hobby Project- PLC

[craig_avanzar]

Here I go again

Ok so this time I tried to zip them. Here goes.


EDIT: So imagine if you will that on the side that my partner is standing by that there will be 2 driven wheels with a star attached to the hubs and a connecting rod going to a simulated piston box. There is plenty of room for graphics on the front panels of the trailer, a double sink w/ hot and cold running water, a generator for the power, a roof and a roll out awning on the opposite side, a camper size fridge, lights, a whistle, the crossing bars and a ticket window(replica). These were taken last weekend and our first competition is in March so you can see there is still work to be done and that is why time is a concern considering the wiring and such.
All comments and suggestions are welcome and appreciated.

 

[craig_avanzar]

OK Newb Question

There is no interface needed to go between an AB Micro 1000 and a Panelview plus for this stand alone application is there? I intend on using this to jazz it up a bit. An 1761-L32BWA and a 2711P-T6C20D. The price was right and hard to pass up. There goes the income tax check.

 

[careed_25]

Do you have the software to program the panelview plus terminal. If not you might want to reconsider. It is pricey and might be more than what you need for the application.

 

[craig_avanzar]

Oh man are you ever right. I just found out it's $695 USD. Thats alot of beer money for a REALLY fancy BBQue pit. I'll have to pass on that one. It will still do what I want just no HMI. Always being the employee I don't usually have to worry about price. That was an eye opener. The plc is coming out of some decomissioned equipment. I was going to buy the little relay controller but I started adding all of the M registers and I'm sure it doesn't have enough. It's sweet though.

 

[SNK]

Cool Train and getup Craig.
Looks like a neat project.
If you wanted a basic HMI, why not interface a cheap PV300? Or use a ML1100 with a HMI built in?

 

[craig_avanzar]

Thanks SNK

Yeah it's taking shape. This really is a labor of love. Love to eat and have fun.

I already have the PLC and if the software for the PV300 is remotely close in price with RSVIEW it's a no go. Can't justify that much for an extra bell and whistle so to speak.

But I do appreciate any suggestions so two thumbs up and a beer chug for you.

 

[craig_avanzar]

Update w/ pics and questions

This is a sampling of whats to come. We will be adding the roof (the stack will have an extention that will protrude through the roof), most of the electrical wiring and I'll start writing the program for all of the action this evening.

These were taken by my partner (shown) so the technical side of things is mostly my department. I think some of you guys might enjoy a little tribute I have planned. Don't want to spoil it too soon, the cake is still in the oven so to speak.
I had planned on trying to link somehow the stereo to the plc to try and sync the light show with the music but budget doesn't allow for more than manually trying to start both at the same time. Might try to set an LED to start a timing sequence with a push button. Any ideas?
As I said before, lights flash in rythem to music, train whistle blows and the wheels turn (about 5 mph). Maybe as the season progresses I'll add new music and such to keep the heads turning.

 

[gbradley]

Nice Work!
The Engine looks great.
Too bad you can't put domes on the boiler.
I miss Texas.
California born and raised, but I always enjoy Texas trips.
The people are nice, and they almost speak the same language.

Texas BarbeQue is fantastic. Brisket is my favorite, but you just can't get good Brisket in So. Cal.
You just can't go wrong with a Railroad and Barbeque theme.
Good luck on the project!

 

[brucechase]

Nice Work!
The Engine looks great.......


Texas BarbeQue is fantastic. Brisket is my favorite, but you just can't get good Brisket in So. Cal....
QUOTE]

It does look great. Maybe you should try to hook up with the local AB guys and see if they might be willing to "lend" a hand (or PV). You never know, it would be very inexpensive advertising for them.

As for BBQ - You have to love a good Boston Butt. Pulled pork any day over a cow!


This might be better than a which PLC is best thread.

 

[surferb]

Holy Cow, that's nice! Not at all what I imagined from your initial post - what a great project! And it screams Texas!

I have a hobby project that's an automated bar called Booze Chimp. The prototype works great, but I never got around to updating the web site - the pictures are still from the really early project stages.

It has an industrial touch screen display with a really slick interface. You tell it your ingredients and it builds a database of all the drinks that it knows how to make - filterable and sortable by popularity and ingredients. It can also do things like make a one shot "Peach Long Island Ice Tea" that has six ingredients. Did I mention that it's portable and runs on a wheelchair battery?

Unfortunately, we couldn't end up justifying PLC control. The PC had to be there anyway. It runs a Java application that controls the pump and valves via USB relay boards. Not exactly mission critical for it to run a 365 day 24x7 operation.

 

[allscott]

. Not exactly mission critical for it to run a 365 day 24x7 operation.

That's a matter of perspective.

My vote for barbeque is a good hand rubbed dry rib. I've been trying to simulate Corky's in Memphis for years now and although I think mine are good, they just aren't the same.

Looks like a fun project, good luck.

 

[surferb]

Lol, fair enough. I was referring to my project going down, not the BBQ. If the Chimp quits puttin' out we can always go to manual mode. It is quite a burdon to pour your own drinks, though.

I do miss good barbeque, though. That was one thing South Carolina had goin' for it. I did find an amazing Korean barbeque place, but all they share in common is the word.

That's a matter of perspective.

My vote for barbeque is a good hand rubbed dry rib. I've been trying to simulate Corky's in Memphis for years now and although I think mine are good, they just aren't the same.

Looks like a fun project, good luck.

 

[brucechase]

I do miss good barbeque, though. That was one thing South Carolina had goin' for it. I did find an amazing Korean barbeque place, but all they share in common is the word.

What was your favorite in SC? Depending on where you are, you can get the mustard based (Yuk), tomato based, or vinegar base stuff. Dry rubs are good. I've got a good recipe going for when I cook my butts. Nothing like the train, but I have a 55 gal drum that I turned on its side and cut open. Charcoal and 6 hours then it's eating time.

 

[craig_avanzar]

Thanks to all that visited the thread!

A couple of thoughts:

I have found that BBQue likes and preferences are very subjective. Most people in the south prefer their regional fair. Here in Texas sweet is not always a winner. I think in the Carolinas pulled pork is the real deal. All of it is good to me. I've sampled pulled pork only once in an airport in Memphis. I'm sure that wasn't a good sampling of what it's really all about. I agree that a good rib is slightly dry, has a good rub and has been slow cooked for hours around 200F to 250F. Brisket when good is unbelievable but when it's rushed is tough as shoe leather. And by all means cook with the sauce of choice, if you have to dip it when its time to eat you probably haven't found the right recipe yet.

I have started the programming and I'm not to proud of the way it looks. It functions so far but I know there is a more elegant solution but with my limited abilities/exterience I may have to make do with the ugly girl at the end of the dance so to speak. I have discovered that using timers pre=.01 doesn't mean you can use floating point in comparators at least in a Micrologix1000. Or maybe I'm way off . I just adjust the .pre and use intigers.
Anyway thanks again and I will keep yall posted.

 

[surferb]

Bruce - I can't remember the name of the place. I would stop there on the way to visit my friend in VA, I think it was off of I-95. Most places had good "barbeque" (referring to the pile of shredded pork). My preference were ribs with this sweet sort of yellow mustard sauce. IMO, all the different local barbeque stops were pretty good in Charleston.

Craig - what kind of hardware/software are you ending up with? Do you have much in the way of automation (controlled rotisserie, temperature sensors, timers, anything else that you probably don't need but would be cool to have)?