OT-New Hobby Project- PLC

[nettogrisen]

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.

I was working on the exact same project when I was a bartender. Never got further than the sketching though.

 

[surferb]

It works well, even for non-geeks - that surprised me.

I was working on the exact same project when I was a bartender. Never got further than the sketching though.

 

[nettogrisen]

I was goning to use a small plc like a ML, I just needed enough outputs so that there was one for each bottle, and planned on using a big PV or something. I got stuck on how I should dispence the alcohol. Via solenoid valves and timers, or messure how much weight was in the glass or something else?

How does yours work?

 

[surferb]

It uses a peristaltic (positive displacement) pump that's pretty accurate at "detecting" flow based on the pump signal we send. It works very well with liquids of varying viscosities. This was tricky to get right, because you normally don't consider surface tension and other factors to throw off your measurments. There is a simple priming process when you get started, but it works out fine because that's the same time when you tell the device what ingredients you have. We use pinch valves and food grade tubing all the way through - one value per potential ingredient and with a couple of extras. Big problem is that that valves are expensive.

The other major design out there uses a pressurized system, which is great in many ways, but we didn't want to have to fill sealed bottles. Ours allows you to use/re-use whatever bottle the ingredient came in.

I was goning to use a small plc like a ML, I just needed enough outputs so that there was one for each bottle, and planned on using a big PV or something. I got stuck on how I should dispence the alcohol. Via solenoid valves and timers, or messure how much weight was in the glass or something else?

How does yours work?

 

[nettogrisen]

Very nice!

Actually I thoght about the pressurized system, but decided that it would be too much trouble changing bottles.
The peristalitic pump idea is very clever, I didn't know that they existed. I'm sure that I can use that in some project in the future.
As for the drinkdispenser-project - I don't tend bars anymore, so I don't have to spend the whole night mixing the same few drinks. I'll let the current bartenders figure out an easier way

 

[Joe_WaZoo]

Craig,

What about the TURCK BL67 Programmamble Gateway on ModbusTCP connected to a Red Lion G3 for the display. I wonder if possibly that would be a pretty cool little demo. Here are some photos of the BL67 in action.

BL67 On Machine

Thanks,
Joe_WaZoo

 

[surferb]

Ours isn't intended for a commercial application. Expensive systems exist that go in a bar behind the scenes and allow push button mixtures. The intent there is to save owners money from bartenders overpouring - LAME! Ours is designed to be able to sample/choose a huge variety of drinks in small quantities. More of a frat party application. We could do a pretty nice builtin system to a home, but it's more of a high price novelty. We have ideas of internet inabling units with webcams and having a myspace-esque portal site. Who knows. Fun projects like that are a lot of work - and money sinks.

Very nice!

Actually I thoght about the pressurized system, but decided that it would be too much trouble changing bottles.
The peristalitic pump idea is very clever, I didn't know that they existed. I'm sure that I can use that in some project in the future.
As for the drinkdispenser-project - I don't tend bars anymore, so I don't have to spend the whole night mixing the same few drinks. I'll let the current bartenders figure out an easier way

 

[surferb]

Craig - I was going to offer software support. I could probably hook you up with a works package of FactorySQL/PMI if you decide to run a PC with a touch screen terminal. Overkill, maybe, but you could create the coolest automated BBQ ever.

 

[craig_avanzar]

Just A Little Update

Well I thought that I would give all those interested a little update on our progress.
The project is 90% complete and will be finished to show by the end of the weekend. I will include pictures of all of the wiring areas, plc, etc. We bought a surround sound at a local pawn shop and soldered a few wires to the start and stop portions of the board and used relay contacts in the plc to start the show. This brought the music into sync with the lights for the bubba music. It worked out really nicely. We have little wooden whistles to hand out to the kids that resemble a train whistle.
I hope that I can get a video of the show and post it on youtube so that you can see the end result. Thanks to all for your input and help.
img]http://www.plctalk.net/qanda/uploads/Update.jpg[/img

 

[craig_avanzar]

Pics