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On Wednesday 22 September 2004 6:03, Robin Cornelius wrote:
Hi DCLUG, SPC - (Statistical Process Control) I am currently looking at deploying headless linux boxes in some of our equipment. The purpose is that some of our equipment performs quality control checks (measurements, pass/fail status etc) and this data is available via USB/RS232 interface. I am thinking that a microATX system built inside out main equipent could log this data to a SQL database that could log all data with dates and times and make this avaiable via a LAN to "the powers that be" or automated systems or even make data avaiable via a web page. I see a number of advantages using the linux aproach a) licence fees b) simplicity of implementation (basicly a default distro install, one database table and a simple script) c) open standards so customers are not locked in to us (i think this scores brownie points) What worries me is supporting such a setup, it is typical that in the environments these systems are going into there are not many highly technical people who can fight problems and while getting people to check fuses etc in the main equipment is one thing computer problems are a whole other world. If I go for a rock solid distribution (debian stable?) that should avoid many of these pit falls (IMHO). (If systems go down in the first 12 months we fix them free anyway). I am also worried about how the customers will interface to such a system, while many people here would regard this as a trival task to access a workstation and read a sql database (over a lan) would customers? I presume if they are implementing a full SPC system they will have some programmers in to do the job so they can just read the open source docs and find out what to do? I have no idea what people are really using for SPC control/logging, our customers just want it but don't really know what they want! and I am not sure how a system such as this would fit in to a bigger picture in a factory. Anybody know anything about this, or have thoughts and suggestions that could aid me? Many thanks
if you're talking process control in a factory don't try and reinvent the wheel. go to www.advantech.com -- The Mailing List for the Devon & Cornwall LUG Mail majordomo@xxxxxxxxxxxx with "unsubscribe list" in the message body to unsubscribe.