Development of a modular analyzer using low-cost microcontrollers

Resumo

In the industrial sector, the monitoring and evaluation of machinery in continuous operation has vital
importance, principally considering the high competition and the pursuit of high-quality products without
increasing the cost of manufacture. Although, the lack of appropriate maintenance increases the possibility of
problems such as undesirable vibrations, which cause a lack of performance, several flaws in primary and
secondary systems, and unexpected downtime on their applications, increasing the manufacturing cost.
Predictive maintenance is applied to anticipate and identify these issues before that lead to the unplanned
downtime of the equipment. To apply this kind of maintenance, some analyzers are used to keep updated the
condition of the machinery, with information such as vibrations amplitudes, temperatures, and rotation velocities.
However, analyzers have a high initial cost, this does not mean a huge problem for large industries, but for small
and medium-sized ones, especially for those that go through periods of economic instability, it can be an
investment out of reality.
Taking advantage of the current expansion of low-cost microcontrollers and sensors, the objective of this paper is
to apply these programmable open-source to develop a modular data acquisition device, initially focusing to
acquire vibration and rotation speed signals with low-cost sensors. The raspberry pi 3b+ was used for that
application, and an algorithm was developed to collect and process data captured by compatible sensors, and
then applied to an experimental test bench.