I am just getting familiar with the OPTO-22 system and I am looking to design a system into an old (60 year old) parlor coach. I have SOME idea of how this is supposed to play out but I am stuck on several things that just need clarification. (Like learning to swim, kicking is important, arm motion is important-but telling the student to refrain from breathing when your head is underwater is important too)
I will need many I/O’s at the rear of the coach for lights, engine functions, temp sensing, air pressure measurements in the 10psi range, etc etc etc. Some of these will be simple ON/OFF inputs while others will be a variable thermister input and variable pressure inputs.
My question is this, when choosing an I/O module with a large number of I/O’s (say 32) can the INDIVIDUAL I/O ports be configured for the various varieties of inputs required of the application?
In the case of analog inputs, be sure and subscribe to Opto News, its an email news letter than will keep you uptodate with all things Opto and there will be some exciting news announced in there soon.
For now, you need to pick the right analog input module to match the signal that your sensor provides.
Same with digital. (However, once you look at the digital stuff, I think since you are coach bound, you might find most if not all of your digital inputs will be able to be covered by the same digital input module).
So in other words, for the most part, the modules need to be selected for the voltage / current of the sensor.
One of the ways I check what modules match what signals is to use the online configurator.
Simply click on the tab ‘I/O Modules’ and then you can click on your signal type and it will fill out the module type. Its a huge time saver.
Also, you did not ask, but I want to throw it out there… We have a pretty cool operation mode that might be of interest to you…
Its called mirror mode. You hook all your signals up to inputs at the back of the coach, run a single Cat5 cable to the front and have a rack of output modules and BOOM, your signals are mirrored from the back to the front every few milliseconds.
The only programming required is the module configuration and how often you want the signals sent.
You can read about it on pages 97 to 101 in Document 1704.
Just a couple other things to add to Ben’s comments… you can individually configure, say, one thermocouple point as type-K and the next as type-J, on the same module. Also adjust scaling point-by-point. But you couldn’t have one point be an analog input and the next point on the same module as a digital input.
Since you mentioned temperature sensing, also be sure to check out this white paper for more details and considerations when making those hardware/sensor selections.
You might also want to try out [B]groov for free here[/B], as a nifty option for your user interface – we have small touch-screens around the building (both android and Apple) – and on a number of yachts. For those two applications, the small tablets and iPOD Touch devices are mounted on the walls instead of a clunky/bulky old light switch + thermostat + video camera monitor!
Also don’t be shy about contacting our friendly and knowledgeable pre-sales team. They can walk you through that nifty I/O Configuration tool Ben mentioned, and even give you a live demo of the yacht, if you’d like to see that.
Do you ever cruise through Southern California in one of those coaches? We’d love to see!
Thank you both for your quick response. Ben, the mirror mode you described is EXACTLY what I had in mind. This is essentially the layout of the Gillig Coach, (SLK processor, power supply, scanner, and I/O’s) as manufactured in 1999 up in Hayward, CA . I am proposing (WAS proposing) a 16ga twisted pair shielded cable running the spine of the coach and meeting up with a MicroLogix controller and other paraphernalia like fuse blocks, relays, and other harnessing. My nephew put me onto the Opto-22 system and he recommended the CAT 5 approach too. Eliminating the fuse and relay middleman seems more efficient so now I am just reconfiguring my brain as to what is needed in your system
“Do you ever cruise through Southern California in one of those coaches?”
No, but the VL-100 and the Clipper are well represented in that part of the world. I am East Coast bound unfortunately (not that I won’t ever get there) but we just had our bi-annual rally in Loudonville, OH (Flxible was in continuous operation there from 1913 thru 1996) Flxible Bus Rally Parade in Loudonville Ohio 2014 - YouTube. We will hold our bi-annual rally for the West Coast in July of next year, probably at Quartzite, AZ. As you can see the coaches are in various stages of restoration. The smooth fronted coaches are the Vl-100’s, Flxliners, Hi-Levels and the bug-eyed coaches are Clippers, Visa-Coaches and Starliners. The FLAT fronted coaches are the more modern ones called Model 870’s and METRO’s. Even an aficionado like me needs a scorecard to keep up with them.
Thank you for the invitation, information and the links. I have a lot to absorb here but I am motivated.
Here is a better video production of the 2010 Flxible Rally. The old Buick at the end is actually a Flxible product from that era. They purchased commercial cars from GM and converted them to ambulances. This was done for 30 years ending in 1964. The Gold and black coach actually runs on French Fry Juice (cooking oil) and is called the Conscientious Cruiser while the doughnut bus (KK Kruiser) still runs on gasoline. Enjoy. Flxible 100 year bus rally-Loudonville, Ohio - YouTube
