Lil' Blackbox

General => General Discussion => Topic started by: Rx7man on December 29, 2016, 10:40:25 AM

Title: Hmm.. this looks really interesting!
Post by: Rx7man on December 29, 2016, 10:40:25 AM
Raspberry Pi interfacing
https://www.rexcontrols.com/rex
Title: Re: Hmm.. this looks really interesting!
Post by: hakcenter on December 29, 2016, 11:18:49 AM
You're so fascinated with the raspi :)
Title: Re: Hmm.. this looks really interesting!
Post by: Rx7man on December 29, 2016, 01:01:02 PM
well, it also interfaces with tablets, etc, and is a pretty powerful platform.. This software makes it kinda like a PLC, which is how I started industrial programming on controllers that were FAR more expensive and less capable
Title: Re: Hmm.. this looks really interesting!
Post by: hakcenter on December 29, 2016, 01:57:51 PM
Allen Bradley stuff ? plc5 ? slc 500?
Title: Re: Hmm.. this looks really interesting!
Post by: Rx7man on December 29, 2016, 03:02:19 PM
Yes, SLC500, first or second generation.. dang those things were slow, probably 1mhz or something.. couldn't do anything with better than 50ms resolution if you had more than the simplest of programs on them.
I did most of my work with the Micrologix family.. 1100's, etc and then went to some of the bigger SLC's that were actually very powerful and had lots of bells and whistles
Title: Re: Hmm.. this looks really interesting!
Post by: Rx7man on December 29, 2016, 03:06:33 PM
Here's a picture of one of the control panels.. didn't really like those SEW drives though
Title: Re: Hmm.. this looks really interesting!
Post by: Rx7man on December 29, 2016, 03:07:32 PM
couple vids of that machine in operation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwKZUuadjvU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQukx2IyyL0
Title: Re: Hmm.. this looks really interesting!
Post by: hakcenter on December 29, 2016, 06:48:53 PM
That stuff has to make you laugh by today's standards :)

I always found it hilarious that "industrial" grade hardware wasn't really that great, I guess it could fall from the second floor and still run maybe ? How about their networking with the SLC500s :) lol


The only thing that ever stood out to me was how people treated the dang things, like they were just your common carb'd mustang. If we jump this out, and run that wire here, etc etc..

Sure okay, don't uh go into the logic, you know just leave that ladder in place and do other stuff.. sure.. :D
Title: Re: Hmm.. this looks really interesting!
Post by: Rx7man on December 29, 2016, 09:50:19 PM
Quote from: hakcenter on December 29, 2016, 06:48:53 PM
That stuff has to make you laugh by today's standards :)

I always found it hilarious that "industrial" grade hardware wasn't really that great, I guess it could fall from the second floor and still run maybe ? How about their networking with the SLC500s :) lol


The only thing that ever stood out to me was how people treated the dang things, like they were just your common carb'd mustang. If we jump this out, and run that wire here, etc etc..

Sure okay, don't uh go into the logic, you know just leave that ladder in place and do other stuff.. sure.. :D
yeah, I totally experienced that!  That very old version I was working with.. man, that was the worst.. I only had the wrong serial cable (DH485), and that wasn't the interface it "liked" using.. so I'd have to do a eeprom reset to let me program it, I just know I spent about 6 hours on AB's help line to try and get it to work.

You can see we put a lot of effort into making neat control panels.. Sometimes I really cried when I had to troubleshoot old machines that were fiddled with, no wires labelled, etc...
Even simple things like an air compressor.. it was overheating so they took the cover off.. they didn't clean the cooling fins, they just left it off.. well the cover is an air duct so it started to overheat more.. Oh well, I looked like a genius when I made it work!
Title: Re: Hmm.. this looks really interesting!
Post by: hakcenter on December 29, 2016, 11:37:51 PM
Ya my good buddy makes panels for a living. We came in to fix a filler one day, and a 24v card was completely melted, etc. And the owners were crying oh well looks like manufacturer part problem.

Uh 24v doesn't melt, that's kind of the point of it, looks like your mechanics hooked up an AC line on the DC card thinking they could jump shit out sorry sir.

The damage was so extent, the entire panel had to be rebuilt.


The funny things people do. I will say I noticed that panel seems to be missing a disconnect ? Unless my eyes are failing me. I can't really see what's at the fuse block :)
Title: Re: Hmm.. this looks really interesting!
Post by: Rx7man on December 30, 2016, 12:57:50 AM
Right side of the small VFD's you see the 3ph fuses, on the right of the fuse holder you can see the T handle sticking out... it's got a disconnect :)
How about just put a bigger fuse in something until it stops blowing :) Makes for nice wiring harnesses when one wire melts around all the others
I hope to make my big black box that pretty looking at some point.. it's pretty ugly right now.. what can you expect, I'm actually getting close to using up the I/O's on the Mega, so I've got a lot of wire happening in a small space, and poor working conditions and connection options.. I did get a screw terminal proto board that I'll install at *some* point.. I put long pins on the Mega so I can mount it over top, and should I ever need to replace it, I don't have to undo all the wiring.. that would just be misery!
Title: Re: Hmm.. this looks really interesting!
Post by: hakcenter on December 30, 2016, 10:27:06 PM
I imagined it was next to the fuse block just can't really see it all that well :)