Bronkorst EL flow meters with Laptop-Urgent

[newtonsguru]

Hello all,

I need to carry out some experiments on gasification units and it is equipped with Bronkhorst EL flow meters. I want to know which cables/devices I need to use inorder to connect the flow meters to my laptop (Specifications: Windows Vista Ultimate, 160 GB, HDD, 1.73 Ghz, 2 GB Ram ). I am aware of the software LABView but I have never used it before. The electrical specifications of the meter are

Power supply : +15…24 Vdc
Power consumption : meter: 70 mA;
controller: max. 320 mA;
add 50 mA for Profibus, if applicable
Analog output/command : 0...5 (10) Vdc or 0 (4)…20 mA
(sourcing output)
Digital communication : standard: RS232
options: Profibus-DP®, DeviceNetTM,
Modbus-RTU, FLOW-BUS
Electrical connection
Analog/RS232 : 9-pin D-connector (male);
Profibus-DP® : bus: 9-pin D-connector (female);
power: 9-pin D-connector (male);
DeviceNetTM : 5-pin M12-connector (male);
Modbus-RTU/FLOW-BUS : RJ45 modular jack

My laptops has a SVGA port (15 pin). I want to know which connector I need to buy and any additional devices that I would need in order to connect my laptop to the flow meters. If you can help me asap it would be really useful.

Regards,

Ranadeep

[Stephen_Moore]

Hi Ranadeep,

You do not really give enough information about what you want to do, and this is not really a RT issue.

To control a Bronkhorst flow meter with a laptop the easiest mehtod is to use 232 communications.  If all you are doing is controlling a single meter.

Bronkhorst sell a suitable lead with a t-connectoe to pick up the 232 lines.  Bronkhorst also supply a software package that was written in labview that eanbles you to control and set up a meter.  Otherwise you can use labview and the 232 interface on the meter, you might not have a 232 interface on your lasptop, in which case you will need a USB to 232 adaptor.  THe meter will need an external power supply, choose either 15 or 24 v DC.  Bronkhorst give the relevent 232 commands in one of their pdfs that is on their CD.

More information is in this thread http://forums.ni.com/ni/board/message?board.id=280&message.id=3263&query.id=274294#M3263

You could also control the meter using analogue signals (0-10Vdc or 4-20mA) be aware that the control is current sourcing and the feedback signal is current sourcing.  This would use something like USB DAQ a USB 6008 or USB 6009 could control and monitor 2 meters.

You might need to use the 232 interface on the meter anyway, as that is way to change the mode of operation of the meter from Analogue to digital etc.

 Cheers

Stephen

[newtonsguru]

Hi Stephen,

Thanks a lot. I have not done any work before with such meters and devices so probably thats why I could not frame my questions properly.

In my set up there are 5 Bronkhorst EL flow meters 2 of which are digital and 2 are analogue and tha last one has been added now but all of them have the RS232 ports. The digital read out used is E-7000 and the 4 channel analogue read out is E-5700. Now I have to control all the flow meters using my laptop and a suitable software as you said labview along with the software provided by Bronkhorst. 

So I wanted to know exact model number of the cables which I will need to connect all the flow meters to my laptop (i.e. RS232 to USB) and if anyother decive is needed apart from this inorder to make the connections. My lab already has labview and I can arrange to get the softwares from Bronkhorst but there is no one to give the details that is why I had posted the question. 

Cheers

Ranadeep

[Stephen_Moore]

Hi Ranadeep,

You still have not given enough information.  As you have 5 meters using the analogue values for control and monitoring might be expensive.

One possible method would be to use five NI USB-232 and a USB hub, you would also need to make up/buy from Bronkhorst five t-adaptors and a 24V dc power supply suitable for powering the 5 meters.  If you have 5 controllers then at 320 ma each you need a supply for approx 1.6 amps a PS4 from NI or another supplier, if you only have meters then a smaller power supply might suit.  You will need to tee in the 232 signals into the plug for the meters.

You could try a USB to 485 for your laptop and use a 485 to 232 converter on each of your meters/controllers.  If you are only controlling one or two controllers and the others are meters then the analogue route may suit.

Unfortunately there is no a single obvious choice to give you a defined shopping list.

Your options range from 5 NI USB-232 and a PS4 with some other bought in bronkhorst/self made leads, to using 3 NI USB 6008/6009 for analogue control and reading (6 AO channels).

NI also do a USB to 4 232 ports NI USB-232/4.

Cheers

Stephen

[newtonsguru]

Dear Stephen,

I did a mistake they are all flow controllers of the EL flow type. If you could specify what kind of information you need may be I can contact my colleagues and repost my question so that you can help me in a better way.

Thanks for replying so soon.

Cheers

Ranadeep

[Stephen_Moore · Accepted solution]

Hi Randeep,

How are you going to control your controllers? You have three choices, 1) all digital, 2) all analogue, 3) digital and analogue mixed.

If you go down the digital route are all the controllers only 232 or do they also have a bus interface?  If they all have a bus interface are they all the same bus or different busses?

You will need to supply power to all the controllers therefore you will need a power supply capable of at least 1.6 amps.  Are you going to power anything else? Control anything else?

If you are using 232 you will need leads.  Either Buy or make them.

I attach Bronkhorst's hookup diagram for 232 interface, you will need a Bronkhorst T-adapter cable 7.03.366 for each controller, a NI USB-232 for each controller and a custom lead 9 pin Sub D-connector cable part female with flying wires connected to pins 4 to the 0V of your power supply and 7 toeh the +24V of your power supply.

You can then use labview to operate each usb-232 connector to control each flow controller.

This is not necessarily the best route.

I am sure that if you think about it you can work out what you need.

Cheers

Stephen

[newtonsguru]

Dear Stephen,

Thanks a ton for the reply. This is what I exactly wanted. I have to control all my controllers using the laptop. The controllers already have the necessary power supply cables connected to them. 2 of my controllers are digitally controlled and the others are analogue controlled but now I need to use Labview to control them instead of using the digital and analogue controllers. My controllers(digital type) only have a RS232 and a port to connect the digital read out and does not have a bus interface. I think I will buy the  5NI USB232/4 and a uSb hub as this seems best to me.

Thanks again.

Cheers

Ranadeep

[TapanTandon]

Ranadeep,

I came across this thread while researching. I have similar kind of mass flow meters but not from Bronkhurst. I am connecting it to a PC using a USB-RS232 adapter. The software that came with the flowmeter isn't good and they don't have any kind of labview application. I am wondering if you were ever able to solve your problem and develop a labview application for it. I would appreciate if I could look at it and use it as is or modify it to suit my needs.

Thanks

Tapan