What is the purpose of this article?
This article shows how integrating Rheonics sensors with Ignition SCADA is a major advantage for modern industrial operations. Combining Rheonics sensors with Ignition SCADA provides a solution for remote data acquisition, visualization, and control. It is possible to monitor multiple Rheonics sensors simultaneously, ensuring operational efficiency, security, and real-time solutions.


1. What is Ignition SCADA?

Ignition SCADA by Inductive Automation® is a software solution that is able to connect different industrial devices. Through the Designer IDE, Ignition allows the creation of customizable dashboards and HMI screens, enabling visualization of Rheonics sensors' data. Moreover, Ignition allows the addition of modules with different advantages, such as MQTT communication, which can be utilized for remote monitoring.


2. Benefits of Remote Monitoring

Remote monitoring enables operators to view live Rheonics sensor parameters from different locations and interfaces. This enables fast intervention when readings are incorrect, and ensures operators' security by not having to enter a dangerous area. Additionally, it allows accessibility when teams are in different locations and want to visualize the sensor parameters. On the other hand, Ignition offers the option to integrate alarms and reports to have the data well-organized and alert the operators of any unusual readings.


3. Integrability with Multiple Communication Protocols

Ignition’s compatibility with multiple industrial communication standards makes it simple to integrate Rheonics sensors into a SCADA system. This makes integration with Rheonics Sensor Module Electronics (SME) straightforward, whether they communicate over Modbus RTU, Modbus TCP, or MQTT.

3.1. MQTT Integration

Ignition counts with MQTT (Transmission, Engine, and Distributor) modules that allow remote monitoring. These module lets sensor data be published to a remote MQTT broker. This means that as long as the Rheonics sensor data is sent to a broker, Ignition can subscribe to topics and display the parameters instantly, regardless of the location where the parameters were published.


4. Easy implementation with MQTT

A user-friendly way of integrating Ignition for remote monitoring is using Node-RED, which is a friendly programming tool that can be used to read data through Modbus TCP or RTU and forward this data to an MQTT broker for remote access through topics.


Figure 1: Node-RED interface

Figure 1: Node-RED interface


Using the Ignition MQTT modules, it is possible to subscribe to the topics assigned on Node-RED and visualize the sensor readings through Ignition.


Figure 2: Connection of Rheonics SME, Node-RED, MQTT and Ignition


5. Friendly interface

As mentioned before, Ignition’s Designer IDE makes it simple to build intuitive and friendly displays. For Rheonics sensors, Ignition templates are available through Ignition Exchange, which is a public library of community-developed resources. These templates can be customized to show parameters such as viscosity, density, and temperature, with graphics and alarms for specific needs.


Figure 3: Rheonics sensor template in Ignition Designer


6. Conclusion

By combining Rheonics sensors with Ignition SCADA, operators get a flexible and scalable remote monitoring solution that enables:

  • Continuous data acquisition from multiple locations.
  • Operator safety by allowing data visualization without entering dangerous areas.
  • Fast integration with other software tools, such as Node-RED, for remote visualization.
  • Parameter access via Modbus RTU and Modbus TCP communication protocols through Node-RED.
  • An easy-to-use Designer interface with Rheonics templates adaptable for various applications.

7. Resources