Data Collector

Desktop application that collects, displays and exports data from a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller).

Description

Developed for Tridium to be distributed along with Tridium's automation project for Globoinox/Globolat milk meter. This project is being sold to several dairy factories.

The Data Collector is a desktop software that collects log entries from .csv log files generated by a PLC(Programmable Logic Controller). These entries can be filtered by a date and time span. The data can be collected by one of three ways:

• Via network: The PLC has a built-in ftp server to which the Data Collector can connect to and retrieve the log files.
• Via flash drive: The PLC has an USB port so it can export data to an external device. This option allows the Data Collector to read the files from this device, once plugged into the computer running it.
• Via backup: Every time the Data Collector retrieves a log file by any of the previous methods it automatically creates a backup in the local machine running the application. These backups are searchable via this feature.

The application then allows the user to export the resulting data to a .xls file.

Technical Information

I first built this software using Java OpenJDK 12 and OpenJFX 12 and dependencies managed by Maven. In a later version I changed it to JDK 1.8 so it could run on 32 bit systems.

In developing the software I used the Template Method Design Pattern to organize the actions of importing data from several different sources, doing a general order of methods that would differ in implementation according to each case.

I also used the Strategy Pattern to make it easy for future additions of PLC models and exporting file formats.

In Use

The Software is currently running in the industry and has received comments about it's ease of use. It simplified the way the logs were collected and converted in excel files before (manually or using overly complicated software).