17/8/2018 Aside from a variety of automation tasks, our products recently found their way to academic sphere. Based on a technical specification issued by Mendel University in Brno, we developed an automation kit designed for practical automation lessons.
Mendel University in Brno (est. 1919) is the oldest agriculture and forestry university in the Czech Republic with nearly 9000 attending students. The university offers a wide range of fields including agriculture, forestry, botany, biology, food industry, economy and others.
On Faculty of Business and Economics, one of five university's faculties, a Control Systems course was recently established as a part of the Engineering Informatics study programme. For this course, a public tender was declared for a supplier of hardware intended for study purposes. The UniPi.technology was chosen as the most suitable candidate and except for hardware delivery, the university also issued a technical specification for a portable learning kit to provide students with a practical experience with automation systems.
One of the portable automation kits
The kit is based on the UniPi Neuron M503 programmable logic controller (replaced by the Neuron M523) that features digital I/Os, relay outputs, a 1-Wire bus, a pair of RS485 serial lines and a total of ten analogue I/Os. Connected to the PLC are the following components:
- a double digital switch connected to a digital input
- 230V DC power socket
- motion sensor connected to a digital input
- 1-Wire humidity sensors and 1-Wire temperature meter using the PLC's 1-Wire bus
- dimmable LED strip
- potentiometer connected through an analogue input
- Weintek 8071iP touchscreen operator panel connected through an RS485 serial line.
The whole kit is powered by a 230V DC socket placed externally. Using this kit, students have the opportunity to try out PLC control and programming, setting up components, switching devices through relays or analogue outputs and other basic automation tasks. Thanks to being built into a case, the whole kit is easy to carry, use or transport.
We are honoured that such a respected institution chose our services and we are glad our products will help to train and educate future technicians and engineers!
Are you also interested in getting a similar device? Feel free to contact us at info@unipi.technology and let us find a solution to your idea.
Pictures of the kit
