Wired, Wireless o what else?

[asteroide]

Hello Friends

I have 8 towers in the plant (200m X 100m). Every tower has 4 lights for production team.

It´s very important to turn on the same light at the same time in the 8 towers.

For example:
09:00 All towers - Green Light
10:00 All towers - Amber Light
12:00 All towers - Blue Light
14:00 All towers - Red Light

I am thinking in a Compactlogix with remote Ethernet Point I/O

A main PLC would decide, accordig with the time, when turn on the light and the remote PointI/O in every tower would turn on that light.

So a Ethernet network should be installed in the plant. In the futur the plant would be expanded.

What do you think? or is better a wifi network? or another system?


Thanks in advance

 

[nonuke]

Siemens and Werma supply lamp towers with AS-I communications. You can go with this solution. You just need an AS-I master, an AS-I Power Supply, an AS-I cable and some simple accessories. One AS-I network can go up to 600m with repeaters and extension plugs.

http://w3.siemens.com/mcms/industri...ignaling/signaling-columns/pages/default.aspx

 

[Firejo]

Have an AB PLC (EtherNet/IP or DF1) or a PLC that communicates Modbus communicating with the Protocol to I/O master and have an I/O remote at each tower. The PLC would message the appropriate registers within the Protocol master which in turn would drive the discrete outputs on the I/O remotes.
P.S. There is a 2.4GHz version as well
http://www.data-linc.com/cixfamily/cix6400.htm

 

[mk42]

Ethernet sounds like a good choice to me. Most networks would work as well, but I'm a fan of Industrial Ethernet.

Don't use wireless unless you really have to. It makes sense in cases when things are moving around, but you shouldn't use it for IO unless you CANNOT use wires for what you need to do.

 

[Firejo]

I have to respectfully disagree with MK42’s position on wireless. While it’s true you want to avoid wireless Produce/Consume that does not mean wireless in general should not be trusted. The Data-Linc wireless Ethernet, serial and I/O products are as rock solid as it gets. Other wireless products from companies like FreeWave and Xetawave are just as capable. Having said that it is a “you get what you pay for” industrial data communications world and you can get products that do not perform well at all in harsh RF environments. Basically if you can buy it for only a few hundred dollars you’re more than likely going to get ****. Given what it costs to install and maintain communication wires wireless usually makes more sense for anything outside of very short distances.