snazzy HMI suitable for outside use?

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BrianMuir

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Hey guys,
I'm handling some electrical design for a client who is developing some industrial equipment for use outside in all weather conditions. The gear is expensive and the client wants the HMI to reflect this. So far I haven't discovered a premium (in appearance) HMI to fit the bill but I am sure I have not turned over all the rocks yet. I did find some all weather windows based panel PC/touchscreen gizmos but I think for this case we prefer a dedicated HMI.

We will be looking for something 8" in size or larger, color, touchscreen. The actual control requirements are very simple by the way.

If you have some suggestion please fire it back,

cheers
 
My suggestion? Rethink it. I don't know of any HMI that end users are satisfied with for outdoor applications. Most of them need to have the contrast turned up so high to be visible in direct sunlight that the images get distorted.

If it's an absolute must do, then design a sun shield for the HMI, which will also work as a rain shield by the way. And if it were me, I WOULD separate the screen from the PC, because WHEN it leaks, and it eventually will, you only lose the less expensive and easily replaceable screen, not the entire operating system.
 
I'm a Maple Systems fan myself, but in your case I might look towards an actual waterproof sunlight readable industrial touchscreen connected to a PC running OPC/HMI software. I doubt you'll find anything suitable in a standalone HMI.

Here's one manufacturer: http://www.vartechsystems.com/products/All-Weather-Displays/VT121XAF.asp (IP67 fully submersible eh? I want one on the bottom of my pool...)

Another source would be touchscreens intended for marine use: http://www.kepmarine.com/commercial-marine/KEPlite-displays.html (shucks, only IP65)
 
Jraef said:
My suggestion? Rethink it. I don't know of any HMI that end users are satisfied with for outdoor applications. Most of them need to have the contrast turned up so high to be visible in direct sunlight that the images get distorted.

If it's an absolute must do, then design a sun shield for the HMI, which will also work as a rain shield by the way. And if it were me, I WOULD separate the screen from the PC, because WHEN it leaks, and it eventually will, you only lose the less expensive and easily replaceable screen, not the entire operating system.
Click to expand...

I agree. I have yet to find any HMI that is suitable for use in direct sunlight.

With a sun screen and judicious placement you can usually work around it, but it can be tricky and not always as obvious as you might think just how big the sun screen needs to be and what direction the screen should face. For instance, some times light reflected off nearby equipment can wash out a screen almost as bad as sunlight. Sometimes night time lighting might be an issue.

If your customer insists on putting it outside maybe a small building is in order.
 
Hi,
Thanks for the replies. We have budget to experiment with a couple of options and if none prove satisfactory then we'll revisit the requirement to include an exterior touchscreen.

The Red Lion G308K looks like it might be worth a try, but it is not specifically positioned for outdoor use so I need to check it out a bit further.

The front runner at the moment is the Panasonic GT32E. I have used Panasonic PLCs on other projects and the bang for the buck factor has been is excellent.
 
friendlyfire said:
Hi,
Thanks for the replies. We have budget to experiment with a couple of options and if none prove satisfactory then we'll revisit the requirement to include an exterior touchscreen.

The Red Lion G308K looks like it might be worth a try, but it is not specifically positioned for outdoor use so I need to check it out a bit further.

The front runner at the moment is the Panasonic GT32E. I have used Panasonic PLCs on other projects and the bang for the buck factor has been is excellent.
Click to expand...

If this really is industrial equipment designed for the typical industrial marketplace, please consider more mainstream PLCs and HMIs. Most customers just will not accept these kind of oddball products, and will often bypass equipment that has such items, or require they be changed to something more mainstream. It is very difficult for a plant to maintain the oddball stuff and keep spare parts on hand. And there is no real reason they would want to accept such things.

Do your customer a favor and select AB or whatever is most common in his customers' world.

friendlyfire said:
Hey guys,
I'm handling some electrical design for a client who is developing some industrial equipment for use outside in all weather conditions. The gear is expensive and the client wants the HMI to reflect this. So far I haven't discovered a premium (in appearance) HMI ...
Click to expand...

In any case, using an off brand PLC and HMI is not going to give the end user a feeling that it is a quality product. It is going to just look cheap to them.
 
Hi, just closing this one.

The Panasonic HMI/PLC combo has worked out really well. The screen is robust and visible in full daylight. Yes, full sun. Not kidding. The PLC is inexpensive, easy to program, and well suited for this simple application.

To the last poster. Your argument might be valid for some clients but not in this case. They are not a plant, and they have no electricians or other PLCs. They are a small private enterprise developing a product which they will lease and maintain. The gear does not appear cheap in any way. The programming tools are very inexpensive yet are still powerful. Panasonic is a huge global company and the service and support has been excellent. Try it before you knock it!
 
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