Build A Wireless Data Acquisition Network!

Today with the swift rise of WiFi and Bluetooth technologies, the wireless data acquisition network is becoming more and more a possibility. That is why; you find a number of users are moving towards a wire less system. The data acquisition system block diagram might look all the same as in the case of the wired system. That is so because; all that the wireless data acquisition network replaces is the wired network alone. It works exactly the same way only difference is that instead of transmitting over a wired network, the system would transfer the data over a wireless data acquisition network.

How does this work? In these systems, normally a transducer is fixed with a wireless capable transmitter. This transmitter will be in line with any of the standard communication protocol. There might be the WiFi or Bluetooth enabled transmitter embedded in the transducer itself. This would help the designers to get the signal from the transducer over a wire less system. In those conditions, using a standard WiFi or a Bluetooth is not possible since only digital signals could be transmitted over such networks. Therefore, these get transmitted as a RF signal. The RF signal is isolated and the value taken before making use of it at the destination point.

In the cases where the Analog to digital converter does the job of transmission, it is normally transferred in a digital mode. Under this condition, it is found that the standard forms of transmission carry more weight and it is also easy to use such data. The data would then ensure that the WiFi or Bluetooth is received using an appropriate design. In such cases it is also very easy and comfortable to provide a network since these devices also provide a plug out of its Ethernet port. This will bring the device in to the computer network without any issues. In addition to this, the software programming for capturing the input from such an Ethernet port is pretty easy as well.

You can build your own wireless data acquisition network using the relevant devices for these purposes available over the internet. There are sites that specialize in marketing such devices. Many of them have the capability to design and deliver the wireless data acquisition network depending upon your needs. On many occasions, the entire network is designed over a wireless platform. This is easier to do than the wired ones. Cost wise of course, the wired might be cheaper when you are investing into the equipments. But that is short run one; in the long run, the wireless data acquisition network will become cheaper and more comfortable to use. The reason for such a happening is that the initial investment in the wireless data acquisition network is to take care of the complete setup; since there is no involved hardware maintenance and these devices do not run through the process of maintaining such a job of network cabling, etc., There is also a reduction in the overall gain of the company in employing wireless data acquisition network.

Francisco Segura owns and operates http://www.dataacquisitioncenter.com/

Data Acquisition

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Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition

What is SCADA?

Introduction
SCADA or Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition is a large scale control system for automated industrial processes like municipal water supplies, power generation, steel manufacturing, gas and oil pipelines etc. SCADA also has applications in large scale experimental facilities like those used in nuclear fusion. SCADA systems monitor and control these operations by gathering data from sensors at the facility or remote station and then sending it to a central computer system that manages the operations using this information.

The SCADA System
The sheer size and of the operations we saw earlier demands that the control system be equally elaborate to handle the requirements. This is where SCADA scores. The SCADA system is equipped to manage anything from a few thousands to a million input/output channels. The technology is still evolving and we can expect an expansion of the market for SCADA. A full fledged SCADA system is made up of signal hardware for input/ output, networks, control equipment, user interface (sometimes called the Human-Machine Interface or HMI), communication equipment and the software to go with it all. And here we are talking about the central command system of SCADA. The central system is often miles away from where the operations take place. Thus the system also needs on-site sensors to collect and monitor data.

How SCADA Works
The measurement and control system of SCADA has one master terminal unit (MTU) which could be called the brain of the system and one or more remote terminal units (RTU). The RTUs gather the data locally and send them to the MTU which then issues suitable commands to be executed on site. A system of either standard or customized software is used to collate, interpret and manage the data. SCADA as of now uses predominantly open-loop control systems, though some closed-loop characteristics are often built in. As this is an open-loop system, it means that SCADA system cannot use feedback to check what results its inputs have produced. In other words, there is no machine-learning.

SCADA and Other Control Systems
There are several other systems that are used for similar purposes as SCADA. These are generally called Distributed Control Systems (DCS). The functions are the same; the difference is in the range. Distributed Control Systems are typically effective within a confined area like a factory complex. Thus the communication is carried out through a local area network (LAN). These networks are highly dependable and fast, and can manage closed-loop (feedback based) control. DCS networks have their limitations. They cannot cover large territories. This is where SCADA comes in handy. However the communication systems are not as reliable as a LAN, and therefore it is not viable to implement closed-loop control. Right now, the size and scope is what mark SCADA.

Riktesh Srivastava
PhD Internet Technologies
MS (Electronics and Communicatios)

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• Build A Wireless Data Acquisition Network!