WIRELESS CONTROL TECHNOLOGY THAT HELPS TO SPEED UP HOPPER UNLOADING
CAN ALSO BE USED IN OFF-ROAD INDUSTRIAL VEHICLES
42 iVTInternational.com June 2020
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PRODUCTS & SERVICES
TOP: The Pneumat Systems
Hopper Popper railcar
BELOW LEFT: The operator
uses remote controlled
hydraulics to drive the
probe down
BELOW: The ERAU-6200
remote access unit enables
telematics for construction
equipment hydraulics
HYDRAFORCE
Unloading bulk materials from railcar and
semi-truck hoppers can be especially
difficult when meal or grains harden and refuse to
flow. To loosen bulk materials, many methods have
been tried, including vibrators, scrapers and
mechanical impact devices. Devices range from
hand-held to large hydraulic and air-operated
equipment, and operating them can be dangerous,
costly or time-consuming. Some can even damage
the hopper, railcar or truck if used improperly.
Faster and safer
Pneumat Systems has developed a faster, safer
way to speed hopper unloading called the
Hopper Popper. They were seeking a system
that would enable fine control of the arm at the
same time being able to provide remote access
to the machine all the while data logging critical
information for review after the fact.
The innovative design uses hydraulics, including
HydraForce SP10-47 four-way proportional valves,
to drive a ‘blast probe’ into the hardened material
and provide precise control of articulating motion.
After the probe is positioned, compressed air is
introduced to safely ‘fluidise’ the material, while
minimising potential damage to the hopper and
vehicle. Use of telematics, wireless control and
communication with various sensors via CANbus
provide precise motion control.
The Hopper Popper power units range
from a 20HP/15GPM pump combination to a
40HP/27GPM combination. CANbus and 4-20mA
sensors provide feedback for the position of
the arm and operational characteristics of the
hydraulic system.
Remote access unit
Working with Power Systems, their fluid power
distributor, Pneumat configured the Hopper
Popper with a HydraForce ERAU-6200 remote
access unit and CODESYS software to log data
and enable remote software updates and
troubleshooting. The ERAU-6200 is primarily
intended for use on mobile machinery and enables
telematics for mobile equipment hydraulics.
Its possibilities range from geotracking and
condition monitoring of machinery, remote
desktop control of machine calibration,
smartphone access to machine hydraulic controls
plus operator/service manuals. The ERAU-6200
allowed Pneumat to design a single controller
package with remote access capability and
telematics for both its rail and truck versions of
the Hopper Popper.
Built-in telematics
Pneumat had previously prototyped telematics
and remote access via a remote Windows PC rated
for temperature and vibration, and an additional
telematics device. However this was expensive and
impractical, and it took a long time to set up the
CANbus messaging.
With the HydraForce ERAU-6200, the telematics
and remote access are built in. Setup is simple
because all variables are local to the controller,
which is the gateway to the portal. The ERAU-
6200 provides access to parameters such as min.
and maximum currents for valve control. Fault
conditions and other parameters can be viewed
live and historically. Troubleshooting code while
the machine is running is easily accomplished.
“The Hopper Popper is used across multiple
countries and the software, as with any
sophisticated machine, can be continuously
improved,” says Cole Joos, electronics design
engineer at Power Systems. “Traditionally, software
updates and customer support would require a
trip to the field by an engineer or field technician,
but with the ERAU-6200 it can now be done
remotely. HydraForce has provided an outstanding
solution for remote troubleshooting, telematics
and minimising service calls.” iVT
Author: Cynthia Fawcett, senior technical
publications specialist, HydraForce Inc.
Easing the load
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