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 Multiple Scale Control

 

 

Typically, in an automation project, we're asked to control, in addition to various material handling components, a number of bulkweighing and platform scales.  

COMPU.SERVER

is the backbone to multiple scale control.

 

The Compu.Server is designed to dramatically improve the productivity of facilities using multiple Compudraft Series controllers. The Compu.Server allows the controllers to be operated remotely, from a single location. This permits one operator to gain complete control over as many as 8 bulkweighing applications simultaneously.

Why buy the Compu.Server from CompuWeigh? Based on our intimate knowledge of the Compudraft series controllers and our years of communications experience, we have developed our own optimized system. The update speed is better than twice per second and provides excellent control of the scales and real time updates to the automation interface.

In the past, a number of engineering companies have undertaken the task of writing the communications driver to the controllers, but typically the results have been disappointing to them. The project took far longer than expected, was more expensive than their original estimates, and the update speed was poor (5 to 20 seconds per update). Purchasing the Compu.Server directly from the controller manufacturer, CompuWeigh, bypasses all these problems, and provides the end user with a tested, proven system right out of the box.

This program is responsible for both handling all information received from the scale controllers as well as sending and receiving scale information on up to 8 scales in real time. It has the following capabilities:

  • All key scale information is written directly to disk. This is ensures that all important information is saved and that when the disk is made "read only" there cannot be any manipulation of the scale data.
  • Using an ultra fast Net DDE the server broadcasts all the scale information across the network.
  • The server accepts scale instructions from the workstations and passes this information on to the bulkweighing controllers.

Typically our Compu.Server software combined with our chip set will provide a 500% improvement over systems written by third parties.

 

The Compu.Server may be purchased alone or as a complete system.

The Compu.Server alone consists of:

  • Updated EPROM chips for the Compudraft 2000s
  • Industrial Server (Pentium 200 w/32 meg RAM w/15" Monitor)
  • Compu.Server software
  • Instruction manual on the Net DDE communications protocol to the server

 The Complete system consists of:

  • All the items above, plus
  • Customized Wonderware InTouch HMI interface that provides complete control of the of scales required for your application
  • Grain Management System for data entry and processing
  • Wonderware Intouch application program, including "dongle"
  • Industrial Workstation (Pentium 233 w/64 meg. RAM w/17" Monitor)

This system is highly modular. Additional Grain Management System modules like grading, inventory, blending and reporting can be added at any time and the HMI scale interface can be expanded to control additional scales and other components in the elevator.

 

Multiple Scale Control

The Multiple Scale Control System uses Wonderware InTouch as the operator interface and communicates to the Compu.Server at optimized speeds using Wonderware’s enhanced Net-DDE. This system is the "traffic cop" between the user and the scales. The server has the following attributes:

  • Can handle up to eight scales simultaneously.
  • Graphical interface shows exact status of each scale, including gate positions and amount of grain in each weigh hopper.
  • Alarms are immediately displayed with a record kept of when they occurred, who acknowledged the problem and the time they were corrected.
  • Scales can be started and stopped at any time with no restriction on how many of the scales are in operation.
  • System is extremely flexible allowing for easy future expansion into plant automation and automated weights monitoring.

 

Grain Management System

This system is designed to handle all the scale information (as compared to Wonderware which provides the control). The system is fully integrated into Wonderware. The system has the following attributes:

  • Fully relational database, written in Microsoft Visual FoxPro, that can be served by SQL, if required
  • 32-bit object based system; additional components can be added at any time without affecting the existing code
  • Ties into our very powerful Wizard! reporting system – providing easy to use, but powerful reporting capability.
 

For more information, contact:

J. H. Menge & Company, Inc.

jhmenge@jhmenge.com

Post Office Box 23602
New Orleans, Louisiana  70183-0602

Louisiana:  1-504-733-4871; 1-504-734-1880 FAX
Texas:  1-713-224-9750; 1-713-224-2711 FAX

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