Overall

Node-Red is an open-source system that lets you build no-code, visual applications to create ‘flows’ that allow you to perform simple operations or move your data from place to place. You may be familiar with similar systems such as PowerAutomate, although Node-Red is simpler, and designed to run on very small hardware on-site or tiny virtual machines rather than in the cloud.

You can use ARDI live data, history and events as sources of information in Node-Red flows.

Example

The example flow shown is a simple technique used to write a value through Modbus to a PLC.

We’re creating an analytic value for our reports. It’s being sent out from ARDI, into an analytic tool (in this case, our ModelHost system), used to calculate its real-world position, and a ‘virtual’ position of exactly where our longwall shearer would fit on the reference map of our mine.

This is very useful for reporting, since we can draw our progress directly on the map. But our operators could also use this information – we just need a way to deliver it to the HMI & SCADA software they use.

The Node-Red flow above is a demonstration of exactly that – it reads the value out of ARDI and writes it directly to a Modbus-compatible PLC, which in turn sends it to the SCADA system and HMI.

If you’re interested, please contact us for a demonstration of the feature.

See Others

Analytic visualisations
Flow visualisations