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Thursday, July 17, 2014

BeagleBone - Getting Ready for Industrial Applications

On 3:47 PM by Anonymous



Overview

The BeagleBone Black is increasingly moving outside of the office or workshop and into the field, with more and more industrial projects being powered by this tiny ARM platform (read more about the emergence of large-scale, industrial BeagleBone projects here).

Getting your BeagleBone Black ready for industrial application, is much like wearing a hard hat and steel-toe footwear; the right preparation can make all the difference. There are a number of things you can do to help get your BeagleBone ready for more rugged installations, including embedded applications.

What you will need

Instructions

STEP 1 - Protect Your BeagleBone

You start with a sturdy expandable steel case, in either 'safety' orange or black. The case will help protect the BeagleBone from impacts or damage while retaining access to all of the components.

STEP 2 - Mount the BeagleBone Where You Need It

To ensure that the case stays in place.


The BeagleBone is small, and when placed in the solid steel expandable case (with key-hole slots) is ideal for mounting in work locations. Because of its compact size the BeagleBone can be mounted virtually anywhere with minimal hardware. Whether you're developing a mobile solution or dealing with major space constraints, once installed in its reliable case your newly rugged BeagleBone can be installed wherever you need it.

STEP 3 - Give Your BeagleBone Wireless Capabilities

A wireless connection with an extended range antenna (like the UWN200) will ensure a reliable network connection, while removing cables that can get damage or tangled.


Installing Wifi Adapter (instructions).

STEP 4 - Add Customized Interface to Existing Equipment

The BeagleBone, with its generous GPIO (General Purpose Input/Output) connections and measurement capability is a perfect computer for collecting data, or controlling devices and equipment. There are many expansion capes that can be used to automate and simplify tasks.



The pre-punched DB9 connector allows customized interfacing control signals or adding an RS232 interface to existing equipment.

Applications

The BeagleBone has no moving parts, with solid-state memory holding the Linux operating system and file structure. The Debian Linux distribution found on the current version of the BeagleBone is also widely supported, giving the BeagleBone the combination of performance and versatility perfect for a wide range of industrial applications.

The small size of the BeagleBone means that it can easily be installed in locations where you might not typically expect to find a fully-functional computer. The flexible communication interface (SSH, VNC) means that a display and keyboard is not required to be attached to the computer.

See available tutorials including automating measurements with the BeagleBone.