Industrial Shields use cases
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Industrial Shields Arduino PLCs, ESP32 PLCs, Raspberry Pi PLCs, GateBerry gateways, TouchBerry Pi panel PCs and moduleX I/O modules are used in real industrial and infrastructure projects across sectors including HVAC, building automation, smart cities, warehousing, food and beverage, agriculture and industrial machinery. The following use cases document how these products are applied, which hardware and communication protocols are involved, and what technical problems each installation solves.
HVAC control and monitoring with Ardbox PLC and TouchBerry Pi
Automated HVAC system with PID temperature control and relay output
An automated HVAC control system reads indoor and outdoor temperature sensors and applies a PID control loop to regulate the air conditioning relay. The system supports day and night scheduling, adaptive setpoints and automatic relay activation based on real-time temperature data. The Ardbox Relay PLC handles all field I/O and relay switching, while the control logic runs entirely on the PLC without dependency on the HMI panel.
Remote HVAC supervision and alarm management via SCADA on Raspberry Pi
A SCADA interface running on the TouchBerry Pi 10.1" Panel PC gives operators full visibility of the HVAC system: current indoor and outdoor temperatures, system status, active alarms and PID parameters for day and night modes. The panel PC runs Linux (Raspberry Pi OS), which allows open SCADA software to be deployed directly on the industrial display without additional servers.
I2C communication between Ardbox Relay PLC and TouchBerry Pi Panel PC
The Ardbox Relay PLC operates as an I2C slave. The TouchBerry Pi Panel PC acts as I2C master and sends relay commands based on operator input or SCADA automation logic. The I2C bus allows up to 128 slave devices to be connected to a single TouchBerry Pi, making the architecture scalable for larger building automation installations.
Products
- Ardbox Relay PLC (Arduino Leonardo based) — relay output control, temperature sensor inputs, I2C slave
- TouchBerry Pi 10.1" Panel PC (Raspberry Pi based) — SCADA HMI, I2C master, Linux software execution
Sector
Building automation / HVAC
Full case study
HVAC System activated through a SCADA
Automatic car wash automation and monitoring with Arduino PLC
Automated car wash cycle control with sequential logic and sensor inputs
An Arduino PLC manages the full automation cycle of an industrial car wash installation: sequential activation of washing phases, water flow control, detergent dosing and drying. The PLC reads position sensors and flow meters to control the timing and sequencing of each stage without manual intervention.
Remote monitoring and fault detection for car wash operations
The system provides remote monitoring of the installation status, active faults and operational parameters. Operators can access system data remotely via Ethernet, reducing the need for on-site visits and allowing faster response to equipment failures.
Products
- M-Duino PLC (Arduino Mega based) — sequential control, digital and analog I/O, Ethernet connectivity
Sector
Industrial services / car wash automation
Full case study
Automatic car wash — control and monitoring with Arduino PLC
AI-based access control for office buildings with Raspberry Pi PLC
Facial recognition and presence detection for automated building access
An AI camera with an integrated presence sensor detects and captures facial images of people approaching building entrances and floor access points. The image is sent to a system that compares it against a database of authorised faces stored on a local server. If the person is recognised, the door mechanism is activated automatically. If not, an alarm is triggered and security officers are notified.
Raspberry Pi PLC as the central industrial controller for access control logic
A Raspberry Pi PLC coordinates the full access control workflow: receiving image data from the AI camera via sockets, querying the authorisation database, activating door mechanisms and logging access events. The system includes an internal database for offline operation when internet connectivity is unavailable.
Products
- Raspberry Pi PLC — central controller, socket communication, database queries, door mechanism activation
Communication
- TCP/IP sockets between AI camera and Raspberry Pi PLC
- Local server database for authorisation comparison
Sector
Building security / access control / AI integration
Full case study
Animal feeding automation with M-Duino PLC, load cells and MQTT
Automated feed dispensing with load cell sensors and Arduino PLC logic
An M-Duino Arduino PLC controls an automated animal feeding system for livestock farms, horse stables and cattle facilities. Load cell sensors installed in each feeder measure the weight of food dispensed and send data to the PLC. The controller processes this data and activates the feeding system to dispense the correct amount of food, medicine or cleaning fluid according to predefined schedules.
Remote monitoring and MQTT data integration via Panel PC running Node-RED
All feeding data is sent via MQTT to a broker running on a Raspberry Pi based Panel PC, where Node-RED is used to monitor, visualise and analyse the information. The system is accessible remotely via Ethernet and VPN, allowing farm managers to check feeding status, adjust parameters and receive alerts from anywhere.
Products
- M-Duino 19R PLC (Arduino Mega based, Ethernet) — feed control logic, load cell data acquisition, feeder activation
- Panel PC (Raspberry Pi based) — MQTT broker, Node-RED monitoring dashboard, remote access interface
Communication
- Ethernet between M-Duino PLC and Panel PC
- MQTT for data exchange
- VPN for remote access
- Node-RED for data visualisation
Sector
Agriculture / livestock automation
Full case study
Automate animal feeding — control and monitoring with Arduino PLC
Wine fermentation quality control with wireless temperature sensors and Modbus
Automated fermentation temperature monitoring with WiFi and LoRa wireless sensors
SI-WINE is a wine fermentation control software by Sira that runs on the TouchBerry Pi Panel PC. Wireless temperature sensors inserted inside fermentation tanks monitor temperature continuously via WiFi or LoRa, transmitting readings every two minutes around the clock. Food-grade stainless steel probes allow direct contact with the wine without contamination risk.
Automated cooling control via solenoid valves and refrigeration machine management
The TouchBerry Pi Panel PC running SI-WINE manages solenoid valves on the cooling jackets of each tank and coordinates the refrigeration machine to keep fermentation temperatures within the required range. An energy consumption monitor tracks the electricity cost of the fermentation process.
Modbus integration, SCADA compatibility and multi-channel alert system
The system is Modbus RTU compatible and integrates with third-party SCADA systems. One unit supports up to 32 sensor devices. Alerts are sent automatically via email, Telegram or WhatsApp if a fault is detected. Full temperature traceability is exported as CSV.
Products
- TouchBerry Pi Panel PC (Raspberry Pi based) — runs SI-WINE software, fermentation control interface, solenoid valve management, energy monitoring
Communication
- WiFi and LoRa (wireless sensor communication)
- Modbus RTU (SCADA integration)
- Email, Telegram, WhatsApp (alert notifications)
Sector
Food and beverage / wine production
Full case study
Ensuring wine quality with SI-WINE by Sira
Conveyor belt motor control with Arduino PLC and frequency inverter
Asynchronous motor speed control via RS485 frequency inverter and Arduino PLC
An Arduino PLC controls the speed and operation of a conveyor belt by communicating with a frequency inverter over RS485. The PLC sends speed commands to the inverter, which drives the asynchronous motor at the required speed for each stage of the conveyor process.
Industrial Arduino PLC as the central controller for conveyor automation
The Arduino PLC manages the full conveyor control logic: start and stop sequences, speed ramp-up and ramp-down, emergency stop handling and integration with upstream and downstream process signals. Programmed with Arduino IDE.
Products
- M-Duino PLC (Arduino Mega based) — conveyor control logic, frequency inverter communication via RS485
Communication
- RS485 between Arduino PLC and frequency inverter
Sector
Manufacturing / conveyor and material handling
Full case study
Conveyor belt control with Arduino PLC and frequency inverter
Automated warehouse management and control with Arduino PLC
Warehouse automation with Arduino PLC: inventory control, conveyor management and sensor integration
An M-Duino Arduino PLC manages the automation of an industrial warehouse: controlling conveyor belts, activating sorting mechanisms, reading sensors and managing storage and retrieval sequences through digital and analog I/O.
Remote monitoring of warehouse operations via Ethernet
The Arduino PLC communicates via Ethernet to a supervisory system that monitors warehouse status, active processes and fault conditions in real time.
Products
- M-Duino PLC (Arduino Mega based, Ethernet) — warehouse automation logic, conveyor and sorting control
Communication
- Ethernet for remote monitoring
- Modbus RTU for field device communication
Sector
Warehousing and logistics / industrial automation
Full case study
Automated warehouse with Arduino PLC
Industrial machinery retrofit with ESP32 PLC: food packaging line digitalisation
ESP32 PLC retrofit of an ageing food packaging line with limited connectivity
A food packaging line had reached the limits of its existing control system: insufficient processing capacity, no connectivity, and no ability to integrate with other industrial systems. The retrofit replaced the old controller with an Industrial Shields ESP32 PLC, enabling integration of sensors, actuators and control devices across the full packaging line.
Production data acquisition at line, phase and product level for OEE measurement
The ESP32 PLC collects production data at four levels: overall production, line performance, phase or machine within the line, and individual product behaviour. This feeds into a Business Intelligence platform, giving production managers real-time visibility of line speeds, stoppages, energy consumption and yield by shift.
Node-RED and Arduino IDE integration for zero-licence-cost system connectivity
The retrofit was implemented using Node-RED and the Arduino IDE. The open nature of the ESP32 PLC and its compatibility with these tools made integration with the customer's existing systems straightforward and eliminated software licence costs.
Products
- ESP32 PLC (Industrial Shields ESP32 based) — packaging line control, multi-level data acquisition, system integration
Communication
- Node-RED for data flow and system integration
- Arduino IDE for PLC programming
- BI platform integration for production analytics
Sector
Food and beverage / industrial machinery retrofit / Industry 4.0
Full case study
Industrial machinery retrofit with ESP32 PLC
Automated warehouse inventory and logistics control with ESP32 PLC
ESP32 PLC for connected warehouse automation with native WiFi and Ethernet
An ESP32 PLC manages automated warehouse operations — inventory tracking, conveyor control, storage and retrieval sequences — with the added benefit of native WiFi connectivity. The ESP32's dual-core architecture allows the control logic and communications to run independently.
Wireless and wired connectivity for distributed warehouse monitoring
The ESP32 PLC communicates with the warehouse management system via Ethernet or WiFi, transmitting real-time data on inventory levels, conveyor status and process events.
Products
- ESP32 PLC (Industrial Shields ESP32 based) — warehouse control logic, native WiFi and Ethernet connectivity, dual-core processing
Communication
- WiFi (native ESP32)
- Ethernet
- MQTT for data reporting
Sector
Warehousing and logistics / connected industrial automation
