OPC UA Delivers Real-Time Data

Symboticware offers real-time intelligent monitoring systems that operate in rugged environments. The SymBot platform offers bi-directionality, store-and-forward capabilities, data standardization, and remote configuration.

The SymBot has been used to monitor engine, air quality, production, and maintenance data in mines, weather data in the northern reaches of Canada, water quality data on several lakes, and as an asset tracker. These situations place the SymBot under many different types of duress, including extreme heat, cold, shock, and vibration. The customer base includes industry leaders in mining, research, and mining innovation.

SymBot Platform

The SymBot is a ruggedized, versatile device used for data collection. The SymBot runs Java and C/C++-based software to collect, process, log, and forward data. The SymBot has built-in support for analog and digital I/O, Modbus, CANbus, OPC UA, satellite communication, and Wi-Fi access.

In a recent application, a SymBot was placed on several underground mining vehicles used for production needs in mines. The SymBot was used to relay air quality and engine data to the surface. In a mining-based application, wireless connectivity is intermittent and often unavailable for extended periods. We also had to account for the sudden loss of power that would occur when the engine was shut off.

The Prosys OPC UA SDK for Java allowed us a lot of flexibility in creating our OPC UA system. Prosys OPC gave us the capability needed to implement a store-and-forward system within the components of their OPC UA SDK for Java to ensure that all of the collected data was delivered to the surface.

Prosys OPC UA SDK for Java

Symboticware chose Prosys OPC because of their excellent reputation for customer support and their ability to function within a Linux-based operating system. The support team at Prosys OPC has been very responsive and provided excellent service. They have answered our questions very promptly and thoroughly. Prosys OPC was also very accommodating in implementing the requested features into their SDK.

From a software development standpoint, the Prosys OPC UA SDK for Java was straightforward to comprehend and implement. Prosys OPC also provided thorough examples and documentation on their product that allowed us to implement a server and a testing client in a timely manner. The Prosys OPC UA SDK for Java has been reliable and performed well in our system benchmark testing.