Hudson Sonoma's RS-485 Modbus FeatherWing Is an Open Source Add-On for the Particle Boron, Argon
MIT-licensed design comes complete with two sample firmware projects focusing on temperature controllers and PLCs.
Hudson Sonoma's Tim Bishop has launched an open-hardware FeatherWing designed to offer easy control of RS-485/Modbus devices via a smartphone app, when paired with a Particle Argon or Boron board.
"I've been installing simple apps to allow the remote control of Modbus and BACnet equipment in wineries," Bishop writes of the product's origin. "This board is a simple way to connect your industrial equipment to your phone. Connects to a simple mobile app for Android and iOS. Leverages the powerful and inexpensive/free Particle ecosystem. Open source.
"Remote control your chiller, temperature controller, industrial equipment, any equipment that has a RS-485 Modbus RTU connection can be controlled from your phone."
Designed for use with either Particle's Boron or Argon microcontroller boards — offering cellular and Wi-Fi connectivity, respectively — the board offers a half-duplex RS-485 line driver, operates between 5.2 and 36VDC, and comes with two sample firmware options: The first is designed for use with a Novus N322 or compatible temperature controller; the second for synchronizing PLC registers with Google Sheets.
The open-hardware board is available board-only for $65 or fully-assembled with pre-programmed Particle Argon for $110 on the Hudson Sonoma Tindie store; design files, Gerbers, and a bill of materials can be found on GitHub under the permissive MIT license.