Anyone doing control systems/HMI in .NET??

[derrick.signup]

Hello all;

I'm researching a control project, and I'm getting lost in the
protocols...

Want I want to do is create my Human-Machine interface (HMI) in .NET
winforms, talk to PLCs and custom hardware over "Industrial Ethernet" (
or "Ethernet/IP"), which in turn talk to devices/sensors over some
other bus/protocol combo. Also want the ability to remotely monitor
the system over the internet.

I'm not sure how to go about programming for Industrial Ethernet in
..NET. It seems to have it's own protocol on top of TCP/UDP (called
"CIP"). This spec is open, but you have to pay for it, so I'm hoping
to get a general understanding before I spend the money. I've also
come across "OLE for Process Control" (OPC), which looks promising, but
still raises a ton of questions (it's another open spec you have to pay
for). It seems that my HMI would be an OPC-client, and I'd still have
to create an OPC-Server to facilitate communications with the hardware
devices. Wouldn't this still result in coding for Industrial
Ethernet??

If anyone out there is doing this kind of work, I'd love to be able to
bounce a few specific questions off you. Please reply here or feel
free to email me directly.

Thanks!

Derrick

 

[R. MacDonald]

Hello, Derrick,

I haven't done any real control work for many years, and without knowing
the details of your requirements my first (only) recommendation may be
misplaced. It would be "Do NOT use Windows for a process control
application. It is not a real-time operating system. It might be
adequate for some SCADA-style applications, but even in this context its
lack of real-time capability should be evaluated very carefully.

Cheers,
Randy

 

[derrick.signup]

Thanks Randy.

I don't have any real time requirements for this project. The software
is not doing any of the "control", it's just talking to the devices
that are. Providing config information, and some monitoring, that sort
of thing.

What I'm trying to figure out is how to talk to the devices over the
network. Probably just going to start with Modbus/TCP, but these other
protocols sounded very interesting, and I was hoping to learn a little
more before possibly wasting money on buying the specs.

Thanks again for your input. If the software does have to do any real
control or feedback, I will definately keep your advice in mind.

Derrick