Controlling the Rotation of the Space Needle with Maple Systems Industrial PCs and Aveva Edge Scada Software
Ken Roach, Senior Controls Engineer at Fives Lund, tells us about their choice of a Maple Systems Industrial PC for controlling the new, rotating glass floor in the Space Needle.
Project Scope
In September 2017, the Space Needle commenced construction on the largest renovation project in its history, “The Century Project.”
Guests are now surrounded by two breathtaking, multi-level, floor-to-ceiling glass viewing experiences including an outdoor observation level with open-air glass walls and Skyriser glass benches. The upper observation level is now connected by the Oculus Stairs to The Loupe below, the world’s first, and only, rotating glass floor.
The Solution
What functions does the Industrial PC perform at the Space Needle?
“The function of the Maple Systems Industrial PC is pretty straight-forward. It allows the operators to set the speed and direction of the rotating glass floor, and gives us monitoring of any faults or warnings and a view into the load-sharing by the twelve AC motors that spin that turntable,” said Ken.
“We chose a Maple Systems Industrial PC because it was sold bundled with Indusoft Web Studio (IWS) (now known as Aveva Edge) , so we were confident that it would work with that embedded OS. We’re running an ordinary Indusoft Web Studio 8.1 application with the softkey activation.
“It’s been very reliable for us. At the very beginning we ran into a bug during startup and there was a minimum of finger-pointing before IWS figured out what was causing the runtime to crash in that revision of their software, but only on Windows 7 Embedded Standard platforms. We had a patch installed the next day and it’s been running for months now without issue.
“Because we focus on unusual applications, we aren’t a volume OEM. I’ll always pay more for a quality product that gives me enough extra power and flexibility to accommodate the inevitable increase in scope or performance our customers tend to need. This could have been done with a 4” Red Lion if all I wanted was a “Go” button and a fault indicator.
“It’s a heck of a view, isn’t it? I spent two weeks freezing and clinging to the central girders last February, but I’m very proud of the designers and the riggers who assembled the turntable frame perfectly round and level.”
Our Value Promise
Long renowned in the Industrial Automation industry for the quality of technical support we have provided for decades, Maple Systems has a reputation for connecting customers with someone who knows our products inside and out. Whether it is one of our trusted System Integrator partners, Distributors, or our own engineering team, we are happy to connect you with a knowledgeable engineer dedicated to understanding your application.
Application Engineering
In an industry where every advantage counts, collaborating with a trusted partner will get your project where you want it to be, fast.
Supported Products
Industrial Panel PCs
Industrial PCs are designed to resolve your toughest automation challenges in manufacturing, processing and fabrication environments. Our Panel PCs come with Windows®10, Windows®7 or Ubuntu® Linux® OS installed, touch screens, and are full-strength industrial computers that can operate any Windows® Software.
SCADA Software
Award-winning AVEVA™ Edge 2020 is a powerful HMI/SCADA software package that enables you to create custom industrial control applications for your unique industry. With easy-to-use commands/tool bars and a Microsoft Windows® environment, AVEVA™ Edge 2020’s feature-rich application puts you in the driver’s seat of creating your industrial process.