I am a little new and learning so please excuse my lack of knowledge with the devices. I have an e-commerce business selling small items online and want an efficient way to manage my inventory and make employees really efficient when picking out items out of the small bins for each order.
Requirements:
Need to be able to support a load cell sensor to measure the weight of the bin with inventory in it.
There will be over 70 bins so I think ideally a wifi connection to the network with a dc connection for power would be great for installation.
Id like each bin to have a pretty bright LED light so the user can see to pick something out of the bin that has a lit up LED light.
Id like each bin to have a little display at least 2x2 inches to display how many items to pick out of the bin for the order and basic product information for the contents inside the bin.
Idea:
A Load Cell with the HX711 board hooked up to a board of some sort that has wifi.
A display and LED light also hooked up to the board.
The board runs code so my node.js server on the same network can ping it for weight information and to also to control display and LED Lights on/off
I am hoping I can get this done at around $30 or less. I came accross this on youtube, could I maybe take the same exact approach?
Well, I need an accurate method to weight the whole batch of products in the bin so I can accurately show the number of items in there. Also, Wifi is really easy for me to set up but if you really think its possible that I might have issues then I won't go with that method because I want great reliability. Do you think there are any solutions out there that will keep me under $40 per bin and support poe where I can get away with just running a single cat 6 cable to each bin?
lastchancename:
I have a customer doing exactly this type of project as a business.
Many stock bins - each with a Tiny and load-cell
--- 20g claimed resolution (actual <5-10g) - then dirt becomes an issue!
I2C / RS485 (choose) multi-drop back to a controller.
Controller Wi-Fi to a propriatery application server
Works like a charm - Developed in Queensland, Australia.
Really? A large number of devices connected to a network via wifi is not an issue for him? What do you mean by "then dirt becomes an issue!"? Over time the sensors won't be accurate because of dirt buildup? Is it bad enough that inventory count is not accurate on things like a small jewelry piece? What kind of controller is he using and how much is his cost at per bin?
Really? A large number of devices connected to a network via wifi is not an issue for him?
What do you mean by "then dirt becomes an issue!"?
Over time the sensors won't be accurate because of dirt buildup?
Is it bad enough that inventory count is not accurate on things like a small jewelry piece?
What kind of controller is he using and how much is his cost at per bin?
Only one wifi connection per approx 80 bins.
Dirt / scraps accumulating in the bins will affect expectations if resolution is <10g
Resolution is fine, but individual rings etc might be too light for consistent results... you could choose different bin sizes/strain gauges for smaller items.
Dirt/wear always needs to be adjusted by periodic recalibration... also accommodating variations in product & packaging.
Current project uses bins approx 120mm wide by 400mm deep, 100mm high.
NodeMCU (ESP8266) is the node controller, supporting ‘n’ bins on multi-drop link.
It all works fine, but I can’t say more due to NDA
