Figure 3. Block diagram of the DAQ system Control and monitoring system of Small Water and Wind Power Plant Michal Kovalčík, Peter Feciľak, František Jakab Department of Computers and Informatics Technical University of Košice, Letná 9, 042 00 Košice, Slovakia michal.kovalcik@tuke.sk, peter.fecilak@tuke.sk, frantisek.jakab@tuke.sk Abstract—In the recent years there are more and more mobile devices appearing which are running Android operating system. Nowadays there is a trend of information availability anytime and anywhere. Main goal of this paper is to present the solution for interconnection of mobile device application environment and universal programmable microcontroller based on ARDUINO board with the goal of monitoring and remote control of small water and wind power plant. One of the application oriented outputs of this research is web-based solution for remote control with the ability to review measured parameters anywhere around the world. The solution is used as a learning module for understanding AD transmission of signals over the Internet. Students can create their own custom configuration of hardware components and thus monitoring system in the laboratory. Key words: Arduino, Vaadin, Android, on-line monitoring, DAQ, sensor. I. INTRODUCTION Nowadays there are number of technologies allowing transfer of the information over the network. Combining networking technologies with the information assets creates the opportunity to make technologies more intelligent with the coordination element or central point for data storing, monitoring, management, etc. The intelligent information network which is being documented within this research paper is based on the fact of internet availability and easily available modular solutions for sensor networks. Mobile devices which are running an Android platform are basically easily available and provide variety of mechanisms to reach remote information and to present it amiably to customer. Research in this area is unique with linking of individual components into a single unit. Single-chip ARDUINO microcontroller solution has been used as the center for information gathering which communicates with mobile phone application. Phone exports data over the mobile network to a remote server. Java Vaadin solution has been used in order to create web applications for remote management and evaluation of measured parameters of the sensor network. II. RESEARCH GOALS The main goals of research in this area were: • Versatility of the solution for remote administration and monitoring of sensor networks based on Arduino Development Environment,, • Reliability in export readings to a central data repository, • Price affordability of solutions with respect to SOHO solutions. Components of the monitoring system has been selected as a result of the goals analysis. The versatility of the system is the fact that any mobile device with installed Android and USB port can be connected to this system. No matter the brand, type or age of the mobile device. On the other side, the universality of the presented monitoring system is assuming that it can be used in various areas and therefore with smaller adjustments has versatile applications in various area. Affordability - We are assuming general availability of the system. Inexpensive and easy available monitoring system should be comparable with commercial systems and it can be used in a wide range of users -from the smallest home solution to the largest stations to monitor many signals and variables. Reliability is a very important criteria. The essence of reliability is the fact that the system runs on the Linux operating system. It is known with its reliability, stability, functionality and simplicity. Server that hosts the web application is on the Linux stable distribution. The center for the collection of information is programmed at the microcontroller using Assembler programming language and its basic features are speed and stability. Microcontrollers do have a function that the power off or restart of the device is not causing any interrupt, instead it will automatically start from the beginning of the code and will start to carry out inputs and outputs. Components are designed for the maximum reliability and stability when carrying out their activities. III. ANALYSIS Data acquisition (DAQ) is the process of measuring an electrical or physical phenomenon such as voltage, current, temperature, pressure, or sound with a computer. A DAQ system consists of sensors, DAQ measurement hardware, and a computer with programmable software. Compared to traditional measurement systems, PC-based DAQ systems exploit the processing power, productivity, display, and connectivity capabilities of industry-standard 235 ICETA 2013 • 11th IEEE International Conference on Emerging eLearning Technologies and Applications • October 24-25, 2013, Stary Smokovec, The High Tatras, Slovakia 978-1-4799-2162-1/13/$31.00 ©2013 IEEE