Ethernet Based , Industrial Furnace Control and Data Acquisition

Developments in technology and the marketplace now make it possible for embedded systems to communicate in local Ethernet networks as well as on the Internet. Network communications can make an embedded system more powerful and easier to monitor and control. Ethernet solves the problem of remote communication with the embedded application. Challenges like application monitoring, control, diagnostics and data logging can all be accomplished from a remote, centralized location. With the ability to access the application remotely, corporations can eliminate the need to send a service person to the application and thus save labor time and money. The presented system enables Ethernet connectivity to the digital and analog signals in the industries so that they can be accessed from internet. This system uses Arduino Mega 2560; a microcontroller board based on the ATmega2560. Data acquisition hardware acts as the interface between the computer and the outside world. It primarily functions as a device that digitizes incoming analog signals so that the computer can interpret them. Theme of the system is industrial automation by monitoring and controlling various analog and digital signals via ethernet communication. The user should be able to get all the information about the field sensor status, status of various switches, in the real time. He should also get the information about analog signals on the field such as temperature of furnace, furnace bath level, etc. For this purpose a built in ADC should present in the system. Keywords— ATmega2560, Data acquisition, Ethernet, Internet protocol, Local Area Network, Transmission control protocol