Integrating reTerminal in Building an Efficient Water Management SCADA System
Project Summary
In this project, the reTerminal was used for a water management SCADA system, which involved integrating the self-developed SCADA system into the system for data acquisition and monitoring of water engineering projects. The system was designed to collect various types of data from sensors on-site and transmit them to the cloud via 4G communication, triggering alerts when necessary.
Key Info
Seeed Solution: reTerminal
Industry: Water Management
Pilot Project: Malaysia
Project Background
The project involved building a remote terminal unit (RTU) system for the water management, with a human-machine interface (HMI) that could display various data detected by sensors on-site. This RTU system was required to be compliant with IP65 standards and operate under maximum conditions of 95% humidity and 55°C.
Challenge
The RTU system needed to be deployed on-site, and industrial protection was required, including IP65 standards.
The system was required to have a compact screen to be installed in an electrical box.
Solution
Seeed Studio provided custom services based on reTerminal to the customer. The reTerminal was equipped with a waterproof case that met IP65 standards, which was generated by Seeed’s partner through 3D printing. They also developed an electronic board, equipped with the necessary industrial interfaces like SDI 12 and RS 485/232, responsible for sensors and other hardware devices. This board works with the reTerminal to collect data from various sensors, such as upstream water level and rainfall, and transmit them via wired communication to the main system. The main system then transmitted the data to the cloud via 4G communication and triggered alerts when certain preset conditions were met, reminding downstream personnel to evacuate, etc
Hardware:
The reTerminal was used as the HMI interface and embedded server, allowing for fast and convenient sensor data acquisition, processing, and display. A Raspberry Pi 4G expansion board was used to enable 4G communication. The reTerminal also provides interfaces such as GPIO and serial ports, which facilitate connecting to sensors and other peripherals.
Software:
The water management software platform, was self-developed by the customers and integrated into the reTerminal to achieve water management intelligence, including data acquisition, transmission, analysis, and management. This system collects and transmits hydrological monitoring data such as water quality, water quantity, and water level, supports importing and analyzing various data formats, provides real-time data query and analysis functions, and supports water management-related functions, such as inspection management, maintenance management, and task management, which effectively improves the efficiency and level of water management.
Why reTerminal
This partner Seeed works with had been using Raspberry Pi solutions for many years, but due to supply issues with the Pi4 and their need for a screen to enable human-machine interaction, they decided to switch to reTerminal. After testing, they found that reTerminal was well-suited to meet the needs by achieving the following functions very well:
– Sensor data collection:
Various sensors such as level sensors, flow meters, and weather sensors are used to detect upstream water level, water quantity, and weather data. The collected data is transmitted to reTerminal through an interface.
– Data processing:
As an embedded server, reTerminal can use programming languages such as Python to process and analyze data received from sensors.
– Data transmission:
The main system transmits the processed data to the cloud through a 4G module, where it is stored and processed.
– Alarm processing:
The main system uses the processed sensor data to trigger alarms and sends data to the cloud via 4G communication when predetermined conditions are met. The Raspberry Pi 4G extension board can be used to achieve 4G communication.
– Displaying data:
reTerminal serves as an HMI interface, displaying sensor data and system status, and receiving and displaying data transmitted back from the cloud.
Results
By configuring Winsplatform in reTerminal, a high-efficiency and stable remote telemetry system for water management was built, enabling real-time monitoring and alarm of water level, water quantity, and other data to improve water management efficiency and safety.
Additionally, “the reTerminal built-in screen eliminates the need for an external display, while also taking care of the heat issues that are common with ordinary Raspberry Pi boards.” words from the project leader.
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