Congratulations to our winners! Josh Belcher, Richard Hedrick, and Mike Ware.
Overview
AAC is giving away 3 of Maxim Integrated’s Pocket IO™ PLC development kits to help with your next design. One grand prize winner will also win a brand new 128 GB iPad Pro! Take a look at the information below and don't forget to enter the contest.
The Pocket IO PLC Development Platform provides a quick prototyping approach to realize a broad spectrum of Industrial Control Systems by harnessing the full power of Pocket IO’s capability as highlighted below:
Compact Design
Ultra-small, compact footprint (< 10 cubic inches: 3.5" x 3.5" x 0.8")
Robust, Safe Technology
Composed of advanced industrial products all rated to withstand -40°C to +125°C, which leverage our robust, safe, fast de-mag technology
High Efficiency
Ensures a small energy signature to increase efficiency—no cooling fan is needed
Packs a Powerful Punch
Offers a full suite of 30 IO's to control an entire manufacturing node or piece of equipment, including: 4 Analog Inputs, 1 Analog Output, 8 Digital Inputs, 8 Digital Outputs, 2 RS-485 (Profibus-capable field buses), 3 Encoder/Motor Control Ports, and 4 IO Link Masters
Longer Battery Life: Pocket IO is the first, compact, portable PLC platform that can operate from "AA” / “AAA” batteries or rechargeable batteries
Programmable: Programmable via Arduino Sketch IDE tool chain for Windows, Linux, or Mac OS
Ease of Use : Arduino Sketches can be converted to an app and downloaded to an iPad® or iPhone® (which converts to an HMI panel for control of the Pocket IO)
Check out the flythrough video below, in addition to the Pocket IO YouTube Channel for more details on the platform.
If I get this board, firstly I’m gonna sell the iPad and buy a windows device and I’m gonna use the PLC board to monitor my red eared slider to understand more about their behavior.
My recent background has been in the oil and gas industry and teaching. If I had this board I could use it in place of more expensive PLCs for learning, experimentation and teaching.
I’d like to use this board and Ipad to develop automated technology for disabled people to complete physical tasks in everyday life such as operating a robotic vacuum cleaner, an electronic wheelchair, reordering groceries online automatically based on what is in the fridge, turning showers on and off and other tasks required to be able to live as independently as possible.
If I win this set, I will replace the actual PLC-based Station of automatic watering in the Institute of biotechnology at Resitencia, Argentina to have an app as user interface and an open-source hw/sw architecture.
Im a student of engineering interested in autoation and plc fautomplconunctionalities. This is a great opportunity to learn more about plc’s since these equipments are expensive for a student and we are limited to the college equipment
We are using the Velocio Branch 221V10 and Control Technologies 2600 series for our industrial automation PLC testing and development. How would the Pocket IO be better than the Velocio or other PLC system?
The Pocket IO is a very compact (< 10 cu in) PLC Demonstration Reference design that is a more complete platform vs 221V10 or the Control Technologies 2600 Controller. It contains an integrated controller based on the intel Edison processor plus 8x Digital Inputs, 8x very high performance Digital outputs (600 mA per channel continuous drive capability with unique Inductive Load kickback protection), 4x 24-bit capable Analog Inputs (2x voltage & 2x Current), 1x 16 / 18 bit Analog Output, 2x Isolated RS-485 Profibus capable Communication ports, 3x Brushed Motor Drivers ports, 3x Fully integrated Encoder receiver Interfaces, and 4x IOLink Master ports. This is a complete Industrial Control system that can take in a number of different sensor inputs, drive relays / valves / actuators, and up to 3x (9V to 32V to peak 2.5A) brushed DC motors. The Pocket IO is programmed using the Arduino Software IDE and contains its own USB or WiFi interface that can act as its own node. Pocket IO packs more punch and power than any other < 10 cu in PLC reference design in the market today.
working with large plc every day it could bee fun to try it out on my 17 feet fishingboat . too control headings and speed of the boat. and too run and control the two downrigger so they will be in the thermocline and exact dept. to catch salmon witch is an artform . and it might sell as a control board for small fishingboats.
I would like to build an automated chicken door/feeder. The chickens put themselves in the coop sometime around sunset, so automatically closing the door based on the light levels would be possible. In the morning, it could automatically open the door and trigger a feeder to spread feed every so often.
Additional sensors could be used to monitor water levels, temperature, and perhaps even a chicken counter to track entry/exit.
I would like to design a portable test set, with low level analog input, accurate 0V-1V DC output, variable sine/square wave output, TC with RTD in on platform
I will use the ipad to help my wife stay in regular contact with her family back in Europe, and use the package for myself to further my knowledge and skills of Maxim products.
I would love to try a tiny plc. Have used Allen Bradley, GE Fanuc, Modicon, AD Productivity3000. As machines are getting smaller, I would like to make the control systems smaller.
Measure vibration signals on the roller bearings of rotating equipment on overhead cranes in the steel processing industry. Use machine learning algorithms (neural networks) to process vibration signal features and predict equipment failure. In doing that one can increase the availability of equipment, reduce the maintenance cost and ensure safe operation
With the Pocket IO board I will measure vibration on the roller bearings of rotating equipment on overhead cranes used in the steel processing industry. Then using the measured vibration features I will use machine learning algorithms (neural networks) to predict equipment failure . Doing this will increase the availability of the crane, reduce maintenance costs and ensure safe operation
If I win, I will develop a controller with display using iPad for room monitoring in hospitals critical rooms and laboratory. Design a full network and communicate back to BMS.
I would like to use this IoT enabled PLC. I will use this for open source device management secure firmware project and will publish for open source community. Also as I have started my MS degree in embedded system, I would like to integrate it in my conference paper and final year project as well. Hopefully I will get hands on it.
Would love to try a tiny plc. I have been using Allen Bradley, GE Fanuc, Modicon and Productivity3000. Machines are getting smaller and so too should the control systems.
I would use the PLC to develop a real time wireless controller for kitchen appliances, like a slow cooker or a stove. Temperature control via WiFi: Never be in the doubt again whether you turned off the stove or not—just turn it off from where ever you are!
Avionex designs and manufactures electric powered paramotors. This PLC looks to be an excellent interface module between our wearable flight data system, the BLDC motor and motor controllers we use
I would utilize the board to develop a parallel monitoring and data analysis sytem for verification of existing dedicated central monitoring systems without degrading the primary functions of that system.
I would utilize the board to develop a parallel monitoring and data analysis sytem for verification of existing dedicated central monitoring systems without degrading the primary functions of that system.
I’m interested in adding this board to my home-converted Electric car, and to use an old Iphone 4 as the user interface. Right now, I need to monitor battery voltage and temperature, controller temperature and currents, coolant flow and battery charging. Future uses would be for remote lock/unlock of the doors, pre-heating or pre-cooling the cabin while connected to grid power, just before driving. After I get that done, any spare digital inputs that are left unised would be tied into the high voltage circuit of the (Open Source) controller to verify contactors opening and closing, to prevent controller start without a proper pre-charge. I need to figure out where I can get one of these boards in Canada
With this system I would look to develop a system to monitor and better understand bee-havior. This through logging weight, weather conditions and internal hive conditions.
As a Rehab Engineer for a voc rehab agency I create & customize devices to make them accessible for people with disabilities to level the barriers to employability & independence. Sometimes solutions are basic low-tech but often it requires much more intervention. I have a bit to learn on how to design & apply PLC tech but having a flexible kit like this, with a range of possibilities just might be the best way to do it & result in a life changing effect for those I work with. Thanks!
I will be able to further my learning of the latest PLC software and I hope to create innovation. I have learned to appreciate the electronics that go into these PLCs and would like to expand my resource to excel in my program.
If I win one of these boards, I will use it to see in how far it can replace the Siemens PLC’s we’re currently using in our machines. Another to-do will be to connect it to an existing Siemens-powered machine for simulation purposes. Also, some home automation might be on my list.
Nothing special or exceptional to to do like the other people in the comments, always wanted to try out embedded programming, build R2D2 from Star Wars like that one add, too poor to afford the hardware, would be cool if I won these, probably won’t, but worth a try.
If I win this board, I gonna help my dad. We don’t have enough money to buy a device to control automatically the irrigation motor. So as an Electrical Engineer I gonna develop a product with this board and will place in our form.
Once I have this kits, I hope to migrate and familarise PLC concept as well as to improves understanding how PLC solve industrial communication and devices compared to other solution.
I would use this PLC device as a teaching tool with my 14 year old son to get him interested in Engineering just like his dad! We will start with the basics of push buttons and lights and work our way on to other more interesting tasks such as temperature sensing data logging, to security and a image capture with a tethered camera. Too late for this year, but we’ll strive to create a Christmas light show timed to music for 2017.
Hello , my name is Steve W. and I am an electronic technician and design engineer by experience. I am retired and am working on several different projects for the consumer industry. One of my projects is designing a cheaper way to build an XRF analyzer. Having worked in the Metal recycling industry for 15 years and purchasing a few of these powerful, and very expensive handheld devices, it has been my dream to find a cheaper alternative to generating xrays for metal identification.Having a high efficiency prototyping PLC can increase the simultaneous testing that must be done on my way to that end.
I have done work with plc’s during my time in undergrad and I would love to continue using PLC’s on a more regular basis with some of my projects at home.
if i win this board, i want to automating my house, and starting to learning HMI interfaces… of course i want to use this board in IoT embedded system and teach my skill with thist…
I with some of my peers is working on underwater vehicles. And if we get this, it can be really helpful and useful in control system mechanism of our bot. Also as written, it has high efficiency and long lasting battery life which two factors are very important in the class of underwater vehicles. And the the possible integration of Arduino makes it really helpful in our bot.
Going to generate an EMP so big it will take us back to the Stone Age. Always fancied running around in a smelly fur loin cloth dreaming of the days of Commodore 64s etc.
I will use it with my fully automated self contained aquaponic system (combines raising fish with growing plants in an efficient matter, https://www.theaquaponicsource.com/what-is-aquaponics/ ) that I am designing to help poor communities grow food.
I will use the features of this board to teste a Monitor Radiation which will be incorporated on ESA JUICE mission.
It will be brought to its maximum capacity for sure!
I am going to add this to our industrial computers to create a complete industrial solution which would include industrial computers and PLC in a box. Plus control it with an iPAD.
when I win that board I will use it to make a small prototype of a self driving electrical car because realizing that project will help me get into a great university
I’d like to have one of these boards so that I can continue learning about industrial machinery and controls as the realm of electronic and PLC control continues to expand. I hope to earn a position in a company programming PLCs, and this would definitely give me a step forward as I would be able to use it as a learning platform for the future.
I don’t know what I’d do if I win this board. I do know it’s gonna be fun learning about. Especially with the use of the iPad Pro which will be my number one resource.
I am currently building a home automation system - but HMI has always been out of my reach, as they are too expensive. If I won this device, I would use it as a learning platform for a home automation system, but especially as a way to automate the care of my plants - I have nine bean stalks growing on my balcony, a 220V valve, some sensors, and 4 m of tubing lying around and waiting to be used to build something cool.
I love the fact that it is power efficient - I have many junk batteries that I would love to find a project for, and this might be just the thing.
I already use Arduino products for teaching, and so this would be a great thing to show my students also.
I’m a senior undergrad student and working in maxim integrated is my dream job. If I win, I will use this board to develop my sign language glove for people that cannot talk.
I as a hobbyist would like to try ” Maxim Integrated’s Pocket IO™ PLC development kit” and get more familiar with PLCs which are most important control pillars of industry, and it enable people like me to investigate the power of this kit, while I study this kit I promise to transfer my information across others who are interested in PLCs.
I am teaching a course on the Internet of Things and am incorporating as many of the various platforms as possible. The more exposure the students receive, the better equipped they are in working with them.
I will explore the possibility to use this board in Telecom sites RMS “Remote Management System” and collect the access sites external alarms and send them back to the NOC.
I would like to mention examples of the inputs and outputs that I plan for this board to handle in the Telecom sites:
1 - Diesel Generator alarms and control "Low fuel, Oil quality, Start/Stop...etc."
2 - Door Open
3 - Fire/Smoke
4 - Intruder.
5 - Flood
6 - Power Cabinets alarms
7 - Solar system alarms.
etc.
I would like to mention examples of the inputs and outputs that I plan for this board to handle in the Telecom sites:
1 - Diesel Generator alarms and control "Low fuel, Oil quality, Start/Stop...etc."
2 - Door Open
3 - Fire/Smoke
4 - Intruder.
5 - Flood
6 - Power Cabinets alarms
7 - Solar system alarms.
etc.
I have a friend who is in a band. I would like to use this to design an automated lighting controller. Maybe use the digital inputs to monitor for rhythm or cord changes to switch the lights, LEDs or lasers on the analogue side and possibly a small motor to spin a colour wheel or other mechanical lighting effects. Will just have to see what we can come up with.
Building a Prototype for Marine environment that I intended to run off Arduino. Servos, motion and RF. This board looks compact, no need for external shields.
I’d like to use this board in my engineering clubs autonomous submarine to control the pneumatics for our arm/grabber. We’re currently going for a more simple approach with plans to increase the complexity on the next iteration, but this could give us the opportunity to achieve the degrees of freedom we would like, and the low heat and power consumption is perfect for our application.
Initially I would use the development board to prototype some home automation components, then I would develop code for the components to integrate with Apple’s Home Kit. This would be fun to do with the iPad Pro. After that, I’ve got a lot of projects I’ve saved from the All About Circuits website that I’d like to start working off !!
I’d like to utilize this PLC for home automation projects like water heater control, sump pump control, and possibly control the window shades on either side of the house.
I am a tech in an industrial setting and have been using PLC’s for a long time, it would be fun to have this board to use for personal hobby stuff, I just love controls and it is amazing to see how these things have evolved thru the years. This would be a fun one to win!
I’d like to use these boards to help train our technicians in electronics and PLC’s. They are presently working through the Union hiring hall program (IBEW) and these additional training devices for them will help them pass the technical test to become in-house Communication Electricians.
They can also be used to help train our in-house technicians to apply for advanced positions such as senior communications electricians and communication electrician supervisor as these tests are more technically advanced.
I will try to build an Engine Management System for a old diesel engine (with old mechanical pump and injectors) running on vegetable oil (build around also the system to preheat the oil and filter it, monitor the diff pressure on the filter, temperature in different places, etc).
So the system will take care about the throttle, camshaft/crankshaft signals, injection pump valve, speed and vegetable oil fuel system.
I will use in my distributed embedded micro-controllers experiments to test the limit of 8081 and combine with other unit project built around raspberry pi, arduino, or netduino to securely control a PLC & HMI set over internet.
If not, please let me where to buy it maybe with some student’s discount. it will be nice if i can use it in my senior design project with an FPGA or similar. thx
If I win, I’d use it to as part of my first electric-car conversion of an old 1973 VW Bug.
Some thoughts off the top of my head:
- use the high frequency i/o for monitoring various inputs, including “WOT” demand and to respond to those inputs very quicky.
- use the DC motor drivers to “eject” battery compartments for easy replacements.
I like the approach of a PLC than a PC or linux machine box of its enclosed nature of just doing one thing and one thing only - just monitor and execute commands. Running a full Linux environment provides too much overhead.
If I don’t win, then a Linux box on something faster than a Pi would be needed.
I would design something that I could make money with and put it into production without all the nre of making my own custom board and designed for industrial use. Wow how the electronic world of electronic design is changing.
If I win will firstly create some cool entry level projects like autonomous car ,robot with diffrent sensors then use in my final year project to develop the smart waste managment robot which will clean the city area automatically,and also
I’m currently involved with designing a set of courses for students from highschool level to employees in small companies. The idea is to teach automation e.g. how to integrate different type of robots/conveyor belts/process machinery together to build (quick) specialized or flexible production. The idea of using Pocket IO, is that the small companies can get something up and running without spending much in the beginning.
If I was to win I would use these as both prototyping for automation of existing machines as well as future development of lower cost easy to use machines. Also I would use them as tools for training new technicians on PLCs and how we can use our creativity and some knowledge and truly make anything happen.
Will explore the benefits of programmed linearization and smoothing to obtain the optimum accuracy and precision for typical analog sensors and adc processes.
PLCs in general look at their input tables and user defined conditions many thousands of times a second and update their output tables accordingly. The Pocket IO looks like a departure from that way of thinking, giving way to a more object oriented programming approach with the Arduino environment. I am currently working on a magnetic block assembler process and think it would be interesting to see how easy it would be to set up a Pocket IO with pneumatic and motor processes with it vs something like an Allen Bradley 1100 or 5000.
My intended use is to program and test the PLC function on my workbench (desk) prototype and transfer the entire PLC (now pocket size) to the field for actual testing. My prototype integrates manual commands and analog inputs with camera facial recognition (identifying increased venous pressure) monitoring dialysis patients for Cardiac and renal dysfunction. Dialysis is a currently unmonitored and patients are at high risk. I am trying to develop an inexpensive reliable method to monitor patients without patient tangible products/sensors that require sanitation or consumable costs.
I am trying to develop a low cost open source PLC using Arduino. I would like to use this product in an industrial setting and see how it works in comparison.
i want to build a smart modular power supply to feed my electronic instruments via one or two cords instead of having 10 power strips and a handful of distribution racks that give potential entry points for RF, are a tripping hazard, and tangle up my audio interconnects, which I have enough to worry about before power cords enter the equation. I spend more time making custom adapters, mending broken plugs, and untangling wires than I do making music. I aim to end that and do it in an efficient, user friendly and robust package driven by your board.
I’d use this very efficiently to introduce industrial automation for an all-in-one T&M device. This will replace the need for various IO management such as bridges and translators for various inputs. For instance, the analog and digital ready IO’s will significantly reduce the space requirement due to less need of IO drivers.
I would be very glad if I could win this kit because it could be very helpful to me in creating new prototypes related to INDUSTRIAL CONTROL SYSTEMS and AUTOMATIONS.
It would be amazing to win this giveaway because if I do, not only does it help my experience as a student, it will make me really happy because I’ve been wanting to get my hands on this!!
My baby girl was just born, as a daddy newbie I would like to use it to help me monitoring my baby girl (especially while she’s sleeping)—if I haven’t been defeated by those mass.
I will use this board as smart home controller ,to control lighting ,Water heating ,Garage and gate automation,curtain and blind control ,and remote monitoring of my home.Experiment on small industrial applications as well.
I will play/practice/test with motor voltage and power control for electric vehicles and home/shop electricity usage automation. At work, industrial motors and processes (conveyors, pumps, blowers and pneumatic/hydraulic solenoid operate machinery).
Learn how to work with PLC’s, as I could not find a conventional “controller” in the video, i.e. uC, even though it can be programmed useng the Arduino interface.
Explore new horizons and see how things “click” as until now I used i2c out of preference for nearly everything.
Those are my plans IF I win this board.
Also, my FB ID is using a different email to my registered account here :)
Interesting item the "Pocket IO".
#MakeWithMaxim
How will this be overcome if we share it, but the emails don't correspond? work email used to register and FB email - private...
Thank you.
After finding details of the design, I have found that it uses the Intel Edison, for the Arduino part for programming, then an STM32 that communicates wit hteh "Arduino" part :-)
I would like to use Maxim Integrated’s Pocket IO™ PLC development kit for exploration of adaptive devices on assembly line. The target is to eliminate all manual input in tradtiional ladder programming for handling heterogeneous physical shapes. Initial design requirements include rotatable holder capable of handling irregular 3D shapes and a mechanical grabber which can lift up and put down objects in precise locations.
Power Line Communication (PLC) – Internet ofThings (IOT) interface using remote “Power Network Control” switch :
Since we all have wires running throughout our houses to provide mains power, there are a number of devices that piggyback on mains lines for communication. For this project, i will develop my own fully custom power line communication system. The basic principle of the system is to inject a signal onto the power lines at a much higher frequency than the 50 or 60 Hz of the AC power itself. Using both active and passive filters, the signal can be separated from the AC power and decoded. This system uses frequency-shift keying to encode data. This is done using an external ST7540 based modem that’s designed for power line applications. The modem is controlled over SPI by the Maxim PLC pocket IO kit. This kit also acts as an interface between the input and output sides providing a plethora of connectivity options wherein the custom build modem shall be responsible for eliminating the following issues with traditional PLC based designs-
1. Security Issues of Power Line Multi-Home Networks for Seamless Data Transmission.
2. Slow connection data rates -50 kbps to 350 kbps when operating on the old intelogis technology.
3. Use of only 110V power lines.
4. performance issues because of conventional power line cables.
5. Coloured Background Noise: Appliances and components operating at low power, collectively generates noise with relatively low power spectral density (PSD).
6. Periodic impulsive noise asynchronous to the main frequency, which is mostly caused by switched-mode power supplies.
7. Power line signals radiate into the air so have a tendency to interfere with other electrical devices like short wave and medium wave radios that share the same frequency.
8. Data encryption for a secure network.
9. Use of large wall devices to access an electrical outlet.
I would like to use the Pocket IO PLC Development Platform to develop a smart home automation system.
This PLC will be great to secure and remotely control the most critical devices in my home.
If I win this board, I’m going to learn more about modern PLC’s and how they work.
I’d like to have one of these boards for experimentation and adding new skills for my job search!
Hi! I’d use this board for motor control and power management on electric vehicle and renewabe energy applications