Applications
Picobox Critical Alarm Monitoring System; are input monitoring devices which can control and manage equipments or devices.. It also has control and event logging functions. It thus will perform any supervisory function. The applications are very wide and will serve the industry at large.
With Picobox devices, you can quickly deploy an econimical and efficient solution to monitor your critical operation and processes. Using short messaging system (SMS). you can be alerted of any event instantly via your Mobile phone. Picobox are plug and play standalone products that require no programming or computer to operate.
To help customers understand better, we list some area of application to illustrate the use of Picobox with existing equipments.
New application and ideas are welcome for a dicussion.
Data Centres
Data centres and computer rooms comprises of file servers, web / mail servers integrated together to provide for and support to information users of all sorts.
Ancillary equipments like air-conditioning, UPS, standby power generators, fire alarm systems, temperature meter and water leakage detector ensures the computers are not over-heated, or due to faulty air-con leakage, hardware and software do not crash, and operating efficiently.
Any force entries can be detected through door lock detector then SMS message which is pre-define would be sent to the authorize personnel involved.Any breakdown to any single component in the data centre can spell disaster to the organization or the community. 24x7 monitoring is almost a must with these computers and equipments.
Picobox helps monitor every single aspects of the operation. It can even report to the System Administrator of a computer hang-up or abnormal operation. Some data centre operates in remote location or in overseas that is unmanned. The MIS can be anywhere, even traveling or at home. He or she will be notified of a problem and can reboot the hung-up server from the mobile phone or home computer.
Facility Management
All buildings, large and small will have basic essential services provided for the comfort and safety of its occupants. Lightings, HVAC (heating, ventilation, air-conditioning), lifts, fire protection, emergency power generator, security, CCTV, Public address systems are basic facility necessary to support the building. Poor air quality, under performing air-cons, inefficient use of electricity, stoppages of lifts cars or faulty fire alarm system will lower the quality of services, causes inconveniences or even affecting the safety of human lives.
With Picobox installed to monitor the proper functioning of these equipments, any faults or alarms raised by any of the facility, support personnel like owner, technicians and vendors are immediately notified and suitable actions may be taken.
Cost of maintenance can be greatly reduced with such a setup. Standby technicians need not be physically present to monitor the facility. Vendor can respond more quickly because actual fault condition is received via SMS on his mobile phone. Downtime is reduced or removed. Comfort level will be raised.
Telecommunication
Telecommunication infrastructure consists of equipments located all over the country connected by cables, fiber optics, satellites and other wireless links to provide voice and data communication anywhere in the world. Many installations are unmanned. Troubleshooting a problem can be hugely complex and time consuming.
Picobox can be installed at key installation and in unmanned locations to monitor equipment condition, incoming power failure, power generators or batteries. Technical crews are immediately notified via SMS with clear description of fault and location of such failures. They can also log into Picobox from a remote location to view the details of the problem so that they can respond with the right tools and parts. Picobox is flexible enough to direct different types to the correct people.
Machine Automation
Manufacturing plants depends heavily on machines and high level of automation to products parts at lower costs and improved competitiveness. Downtime of machines lowers productivity and reduced revenue and delay in deliveries to customers.
Picobox interfaces with production equipment to provide instant messaging to production managers, engineers or technicians of an impeding problem or breakdown or stoppages due to no raw materials. With add-on modules, remote automation is possible for organization with multiple manufacturing plans locally and in overseas.
HVAC Monitoring
Air-conditioning and hating systems represents the highest power consumption equipment of any residential and commercial buildings or factories. Improperly maintained systems increase power consumption. Air-con running at too low a temperature or a heating system overheating also increase consumption. Breakdown of HVAC equipment causes temperature to rise or drop to uncomfortable level. Close monitoring of problem area can reduce the cost of repairs and lower electricity usage.
Picobox will instantaneously report failure of HVAC component to maintenance team so that immediate action can be taken to correct faults. Adding I/O modules keep track of running hours of equipments like AHU, fan coils, compressors so that preventive maintenance can be applied. Temperatures at different parts of a building can be monitored to prevent offices or areas to be overcooling or overheating.
Aquariums
Marine livestock depends on sufficient oxygen in the water to stay alive. Water quality, correct lighting, right ph levels are just some of the conditions to keep fishes healthy. Power failure stops air pumps from oxygenating the water. Marine lives will die in a matter of hours.
Picobox monitors the air pumps and gauges. Aquarium owners are notified via SMS of air pumps failure or contaminated water or any deviation of operating condition. Thousands of dollars can be saved with quick action.
Cold Rooms
Cold rooms are in many ways like air-conditioning systems except that it keeps food frozen or chilled. Frozen food is kept at -20 deg C typically. When power failure occurs, the temperature takes a long time to rise. Sometimes it takes half a day to rise to -10 deg C. In such instances temperature monitoring of the frozen meat may not be critical. Monitoring of the refrigeration equipment may be important as repair of the equipment can be a full day's job or longer.
For chilled produce like fresh flowers, specialty vegetables, fresh fish, fresh milk need to be kept in very controlled temperature environment. Deviation outside the acceptable temperature range will damage the produce. There is a know case here that a fresh food suppler discovered in the morning that all his stocks in the chiller room were damaged due to a faulty thermostat. The temperature falls to -8 deg C and "froze cooked" all the specialty vegetables. The damage done was SGD 40,000/-
Sometimes, cold room doors are inadvertently left opened for long hours leaving the compressors to run continuously, pumping up utilities bills. Picobox will be a useful tool for the owner as well as the cold room supplier to monitor the product (fresh food) and refrigeration equipment. As can be seen, failure in any component in the equipment can cause losses to businesses.
Signals available in a cold room refrigeration system for monitoring are: - compressor pressure and temperature, condenser fan motor overload, evaporator fan motor overload, room temperature, door contacts, etc. Monitoring can also be done over the Internet.
