Remote Monitoring a Load Cell on a Crane Hoist
With the dataTaker DT82E Environmental Intelligent Data Logger
CHESTERLAND OH - CAS DataLoggers recently provided the remote monitoring solution for a crane servicing company which needed to monitor a load cell located on the hoist of one of its cranes. The servicer also had a need for additional functionality - currently its personnel lacked a device to monitor its equipment, and only learned of problems when a motor or drive suddenly failed - an expensive way to find out about a problem! To meet these requirements, supervisors began looking for an all-in-one system which could continually monitor the load cell and also setup remote monitoring and alarming in the event of developing machine failures, and send all the data to a remote office PC as an accessible dashboard display.
The supplier installed a dataTaker DT82E Environmental Intelligent Data Logger in a control cabinet on the crane's bridge, powered from the crane itself. The DT82E featured 3 common-reference analog inputs on each of its 2 channels and supported a wide range of analog sensor types, including load pins, load cells, pressure transducers, overload safety plates, torque sensors, and more. The logger also featured 4 high speed counter channels and 1 SDI-12 channel. Users connected an analog input to the load sensor on the crane's hoist, which sent the signal to a controller; in this way operators were able to measure the crane's load down to a single pound. Additionally, 3 of the dataTaker's analog inputs were connected to 3 separate current sensors interfaced with motor drives on the crane's hoist, its trolley, and its bridge.
With the dataTaker's bi-directional channel design, its digital inputs doubled as digital outputs. Utilizing 3 of the 4 digital relay outputs, operators set up the datalogger to activate a series of fault lights which gave personnel a heads-up whenever machine problems suddenly began developing, such as a drive suddenly overloading, with a light for every motor. This way, operators had instant indications of issues rather than having to stop operation due to a costly failure. The data logger also sent an email when an alarm event occurred, and supported networking capabilities to send these warnings straight to an office, allowing maintenance workers to view the mimics from a distance. Now personnel could be out to lunch and still receive an alarm showing them when a motor was failing.
User-friendly software was included with the dataTaker in the form of the built-in dEX graphical interface. Operators used dEX to display mimics of the crane's data so that workers could keep tabs on all equipment status, using the logger's communication ports to view crane diagnostics from the remote office PC over Ethernet or remotely via Internet. Data transmission was simple - users just logged into the web interface and accessed the data (or just grabbed a USB stick) whenever an alarm went off, so they only had to review the data when it mattered.
The crane supplier benefited significantly following installation of the dataTaker DT82E data logger. Using this single solution, operators were able to measure the crane's load at extremely high accuracy. With the DT82E, users not only had load cell monitoring capability but also gained many other features including analog and digital inputs to look at the current sensors on the hoist to alert workers when a motor or drive was overloading-a major improvement over just waiting for equipment to fail. Instances of drive engine failures and other equipment problems soon decreased due to quick response times to developing issues. Additionally, the dataTaker's many versatile features enabled continual machine monitoring, alarming through fault lights and emails, communication with PCs for remote monitoring, and mimic displays using dEX software, all at an economical price.
For more information on the dataTaker DT82E environmental data logger, other dataTaker dataloggers packed with features, or to find the ideal solution for your application-specific needs, contact a CAS Data Logger Applications Specialist at (800) 956-4437 or visit the website at www.DataLoggerInc.com.
Contact Information: CAS DataLoggers, Inc.
12628 Chillicothe Road
Chesterland, Ohio 44026
(440) 729-2570
(800) 956-4437
sales@dataloggerinc.com
http://www.dataloggerinc.com
