Tibbo’s modular approach to automation solutions
March 2015
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
Tibbo offers a building-block automation solution consisting of I/Os, modules, and enclosures.
‘Take what you need, leave out what you don’t’ is the slogan for the new project system featuring Tibbit I/O modules. Tibbits (as in ‘Tibbo Bits’) are blocks of prepackaged I/O functionality housed in colour coded plastic shells. The functionality covers ADC, 5 V power supply, RS-232/422/485 ports, PoE, PWM, and more.
Tibbits are divided into Tibbit modules and Tibbit connectors, and can be placed on programmable Tibbo Project PCBs. Only bare essentials are provided on each board: There is a CPU, an Ethernet port and a power supply. The rest of the board’s functionality is defined by the Tibbits that are plugged in. The system is programmable in a language called Tibbo Basic, a programming language designed specifically for control, automation and networking applications.
Tibbo Basic is complemented by a set of programming objects, e.g. for socket (TCP, UDP, HTTP) and serial communications, Wi-Fi, GPRS, file data storage, LCD and keypad control, and many other functions.
Tibbo Basic applications are created using the free Tibbo IDE software, which features a built-in debugger allowing users to upload applications to the board and debug it through the Ethernet LAN without the aid of any special hardware such as a JTAG board or an ICE machine.
The Tibbo Project Box is the enclosure kit and the top and bottom walls of an assembled project box are formed by two rows of connector Tibbits. The front cover is made of translucent plastic to show the status LEDs of Tibbit modules installed inside. The front panel also accommodates paper inserts similar to those found on office telephones for marking wires and ports of a TPS-based automation device.
To aid users in the evaluation and creation of TPS-based automation products, Tibbo designed an online configurator. Name a project, select a TPP board, place required Tibbits, and the Configurator will notify of potential problems and even calculate the projected power consumption. Validated configurations can be immediately ordered at the online store and optionally shared with the Tibbo user community.
Remote monitoring and device management – AggreGate platform
AggreGate is a white-labeled Internet of Things platform that employs modern network technologies to control, configure, monitor and service different electronic devices. It also helps users to aggregate device data into the cloud, where it can be sliced and diced according to needs, as well as letting other enterprise applications access it.
AggreGate saves costs and cuts time-to-market for companies providing remote monitoring and intelligent device management services for a large network of devices and computers which are spread over a local network or the Internet. It introduces new concepts in M2M technology, making it ready for the IoT.
It provides a rich set of features for managing/monitoring device networks, processing and visualising collected data and optionally integrating with other enterprise systems using open-source APIs. The core components are Java-based and may be deployed on most present-day hardware and operating systems.
For more information contact Andrew Hutton, RF Design, +27 (0)21 555 8400, [email protected], www.rfdesign.co.za
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