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Datalogging Using Open Source? 21

Posted by Cliff from the information-acquisition dept.
trd79 asks: "I am responsible for setting up a system to monitor various parameters on a factory production line (mainly chemical flow rates and temperatures). I am currently using a datalogger from dataTaker and using their software (on a WinXP box) to graph the data in real time and download the data from the logger at the end of a shift. I would like to make the system more robust and reduce the need for user intervention. Does anyone know of open source data acquisition systems which are able to interface to popular datalogger brands? The ability to produce real time plots of the data during logging would be an advantage. Buying a new logger would not be a problem."
"I don't really want to have to rely on the current XP system, as I don't believe it will survive being left on its own on the factory floor for long. Automation is key, as the line operators often forget to start/stop/download the logger. I would be interested to know if anyone have set up similar systems and if so, how well it worked."
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Datalogging Using Open Source? More

Datalogging Using Open Source?

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  • As long as you have documentation on the data structures coming out of the datalogger, you could probably build your own.

    Disclaimer: I haven't actually used a datalogger before, but I have looked at documentation for one or two.
    This is slashdot, what do you expect?
  • Key problems:
    "I don't know how to setup windows XP so it runs reliably"
    "The existing/included datalogging sw requires user interaction"

    First of all - data logging companies make expensive hardware, and supply software to suit the user's needs. If your current company cannot provide sw that requires no user intervention (ie, has triggers based on time, events, etc) then I suggest you talk to other equipment makers. You will undoubtedly get a response. This solves the second problem.

    If you have no
    • You said:
      <br><br>
      <i>"I don't know how to setup windows XP so it runs reliably"
      <br><br>
      If you have no experience in setting up windows XP so it runs reliably ...</i>
      <br><br>
      Sorry, but you lose. The poster said:
      <br><br>
      <i>I don't really want to have to rely on the current XP system, as I don't believe it will survive being left on its own on the factory floor for long.</i>
      <br><br>
      In no way does this imply that he/she doesn't
    • If it is really to be left all alone then perhaps booting from read-only media is a good idea.

      Linux / BSD can happily boot a minimim config from a small capacity CF card (I have FreeBSD booting from a 64Mb one for instance).

  • Hmmmm.... (Score:5, Informative)

    by CommanderData ( 782739 ) * <kevinhi@yahoGINSBERGo.com minus poet> on Sunday November 13, 2005 @01:09AM (#14018720)
    I run a business in Industrial Automation, and have written some substantial data logging, plotting, and reporting systems for clients due to the fact that it's not easy to find products that do what they need (or can do it at an affordable price). Sound's like you're running into that same wall. Most of my programming is middleman code between PLCs and SQL Server or Oracle, with the occasional logging to Access or a Text file.

    Unfortunately I can't share my projects due to NDAs. I don't have any open source projects of note to point you toward either, the Industrial world is closed to the extreme. It's a bitch sometimes just getting communications protocol info for a device. Anyway, like the old saying goes- "If you want something done right, do it yourself". I noticed the manufacturer of your device has an ActiveX control [datataker.com] available to help you create your own software, so you're one step ahead already! You should download it and code away... It's not hard to find sample code on the web that shows how to write to a db/file format of your choice. The same goes for plotting data points.

    Finally, if that XP Computer is not in an enclosure try to get it off the production floor. If you don't have Ethernet capability in your device, run a couple hundred meters of shielded twisted-pair wire and communicate over RS-485 from the saftety of an office. If you have a lot of these boxes floating around, try to create several runs of a few devices each back to a RS-485 multiport card/box to keep the 485 network snappy (try ConnectTech [connecttech.com] if you don't know where to start). I did a power monitoring system for a particle accelerator just like that in the late 90's and it is still in use today.

    Sorry I couldn't be of more help :) If you have any more specific questions, ask away!

    • Re:Hmmmm.... (Score:1, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward
      If you take the time to download the Active X component and read the "datataker.txt" file. It will describe the functions provided by the control. From the file:

      "Allows dataTaker RS232 and TCP/IP connection details to be created and saved by connection name"

  • pipe ASCII into gnuplot (Score:5, Informative)

    by max born ( 739948 ) on Sunday November 13, 2005 @01:26AM (#14018765)
    According to a datataker forum post [datataker.com] in response to a question about the DT515 Linux:

    The dataTaker transmits and receives simple ASCII commands. You can use any simple terminal program to program and recive data from a Datataker data logger.

    Wonder if this would work for the DT80. If you connect using a serial cable you can use the Linux cu command (something like "cu --parity=none -s 115200 -l /dev/ttyS0") to capture the ASCII data.

    From there you can probably pipe into gnuplot [gnuplot.info]

    Always happy to help anyone move to Linux.

  • MRTG? (Score:2, Interesting)

    by jimmypw ( 895344 )
    I am not sure if this is entirely what you are looking for but MRTG [ee.ethz.ch] is an open source SNMP monitor. It may work in your situation if the logger supports snmp. It can be a ittle tricky to use so recomend looking for configuration tools or the configuration file help on the MRTG website. On the plus side it will create 5 real-time graphs updated every x minutes for each variable you monitor, going all the way back to daily averages for the year. It works on windows xp and is easily migratable because it is w
    • I might be missing something here, but "realtime" and "updated every x minutes" is not the same thing, is it? Unless you want to find out that you have a toxic chems buildup in the system say...x minutes after it happens? :)
      MRTG only graphs as fast as your scheduler goes.
  • I wrote a pretty good article on how to do this for Circuit Cellar awhile back. You have to buy the article, but a summary and all of my source code are available online here:

    http://www.nyx.net/~smanley/palmadc [nyx.net]

    The code isn't the greatest, but it will get you started. The article is also linked to, and isn't TOO out of date.

    The AVR has a open-source compiler based off GCC, the schematics are there, the palm stuff is open source.. it doesn't get much easier than that. You need a very basic opamp buffer and aw
  • Gnuplot is pretty flexible, open source, works on Windows XP, and you can interface to it easily from C code, as well as other languages. The code is a bit of a mess, but I've made a few changes to implement backbuffering for real-time plotting. That way you can easily do 50 fps, without screen flicker. Of course you do have to write the interface code yourself, to grab the data from the hardware, and push it out to the plot. In my experience all hardware vendors provide decent libraries for talking to

  • Take a look at www.abacus4.com [abacus4.com]. Sorry we're not open source, but we are cheap, and would probably do this job for you in a nice, simple way.

    ABACUS4 is a process control and SCADA system which runs under the Linux Operating system on industrial PC hardware using a large range of industrial process I/O subsystems.

    We can supply anything between the system software alone, up to a complete turnkey packaged system.

    Contact me if this is interesting to you. Good luck!

  • The ability to produce real time plots of the data during logging would be an advantage. Buying a new logger would not be a problem.

    In the open source world, I would look for small tools which satisfy your need when setup together in concert.

    For producing real time plots, my choice would be RRDtool:
    http://people.ee.ethz.ch/~oetiker/webtools/rrdtool / [ee.ethz.ch]

    cheers.

  • Well, if your requirements aren't too beefy (technical term) try labjack. They have kernel drivers for the cheaper model ($119) and the pricier one ($399) uses ethernet and works over TCP/IP. There are links to Perl/Java/.NET/MATLAB interfaces, among others, on their site. The cheaper U12 model support a dozen analog inputs, 20 digital I/O, and 2 analog out. The pricier model has PWM output and support for various timers and whatnot.

    http://www.labjack.com/labjack_u12_downloads.html [labjack.com]
  • When shopping for a new data logger, look for the ones that are able to communicate with other devices using open protocols. I'd look for a device that supports Modbus TCP (Modbus Ethernet). I don't know about data loggers, but there are lots of automation devices (Programmable Logic Controllers, Remote Terminal Units, Human Machine Interfaces) that support either Modbus RTU (serial) or Modbus TCP (ethernet).

    Modbus is an open protocol, you can get the specs at this website. [modbus.org] I don't know if there is an o

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