5 ms·

Prototypes. Have 100% used arduino to PoC industrial electronics in a startup setting.

by obscuretone 2y ago

MisterTea 2y ago
Serious question: Why not use a low cost PLC?
- buescher 2y ago
  I'm not the GP but my guess is "if all I have is a hammer" - i.e. the same reasons you might prototype something with Arduino that you would make permanent with a timer relay. Why not prototype with a timer relay ffs? Well, because you don't have a timer relay, you do have an Arduino, and you want to make "progress" today.
DannyBee 2y ago
Why? Even siemens (pretty high priced) sells a $200 PLC you can use. About the only people who seem impossible to get anything reasonably priced from are Allen Bradley, who even have usb->rs485 converters they sell for $1400.
- obscuretone 2y ago
  that's $200 that could have paid the internet bill that was cut off for being three months behind.
  - DannyBee 2y ago
    Uh? If you are in that state, i hope you are not buying any PLCs?
- elcritch 2y ago
  And probably requires some crappy Windows only IDE to work with their proprietary language. It’s probably not possible use revision control or share the system with others. Try getting data out of their system into a software system reliably.
  - airbreather 2y ago
    Most PLCs now come with an embedded OPC server, or some option.
  - DannyBee 2y ago
    Maybe ask instead of asserting stuff? In this case: 1. You can program them in vscode if you want, or using their IDE 2. Their IDE supports git just fine, and that's what i use 3. The languages, like just about all major PLC vendors, are PLCOpen (IEC61131-3) languages. They are well defined. Vendors differ in what edition of PLCOpen they are up to, similar to how you'd see differences (in the past) in what version of C++ is supported by an IDE/compiler. Since PLCOpen is not trying to actively add random crap (like C++ is), it's not really a huge treadmill 4. They all have OPC/other standard ways of data access.

Prototypes. Have 100% used arduino to PoC industrial electronics in a startup setting.

MisterTea 2y ago

Serious question: Why not use a low cost PLC?

buescher 2y ago
I'm not the GP but my guess is "if all I have is a hammer" - i.e. the same reasons you might prototype something with Arduino that you would make permanent with a timer relay. Why not prototype with a timer relay ffs? Well, because you don't have a timer relay, you do have an Arduino, and you want to make "progress" today.

DannyBee 2y ago

Why? Even siemens (pretty high priced) sells a $200 PLC you can use. About the only people who seem impossible to get anything reasonably priced from are Allen Bradley, who even have usb->rs485 converters they sell for $1400.

obscuretone 2y ago
that's $200 that could have paid the internet bill that was cut off for being three months behind.
- DannyBee 2y ago
  Uh? If you are in that state, i hope you are not buying any PLCs?
elcritch 2y ago
And probably requires some crappy Windows only IDE to work with their proprietary language. It’s probably not possible use revision control or share the system with others. Try getting data out of their system into a software system reliably.
- airbreather 2y ago
  Most PLCs now come with an embedded OPC server, or some option.
- DannyBee 2y ago
  Maybe ask instead of asserting stuff? In this case: 1. You can program them in vscode if you want, or using their IDE 2. Their IDE supports git just fine, and that's what i use 3. The languages, like just about all major PLC vendors, are PLCOpen (IEC61131-3) languages. They are well defined. Vendors differ in what edition of PLCOpen they are up to, similar to how you'd see differences (in the past) in what version of C++ is supported by an IDE/compiler. Since PLCOpen is not trying to actively add random crap (like C++ is), it's not really a huge treadmill 4. They all have OPC/other standard ways of data access.