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Building a Compute Block Tutorial

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   About 15 minutes

In this tutorial, we will build a compute block in Arundo Edge to calculate the total power output of two wind turbines.

The tutorial is divided into the following sections:

  • Learning Objectives - things you will know how to do after completing the tutorial.
  • Setup - set up necessary before you get started.
  • Instructions - instructions on how to complete the tutorial.
  • Finishing Up - challenges and further reading for after the tutorial.

Learning Objectives

After completing this tutorial, you will know how to:

  • Create simulators that stream sample data
  • Build compute blocks that calculate custom values
  • View the output of compute blocks

Setup

Before you start the tutorial, you must do the following:


Instructions

Now let's get started...

1. Set up a Simulator

The first step is to set up a simulator to stream sample turbine data.

a) Download the Sample Data

Download the following sample data file.

Download icon Sample Turbine Data

Save the file on your local device.

Tip

The simulator will stream data from this file.

b) Add a Sequence Interface

Add a Sequence interface in Arundo Edge:

Tip

The Sequence interface will stream the sample data into Arundo Edge on repeat.

  1. Double-click the Arundo Edge shortcut on the desktop.
  2. Log in as normal.
  3. Select Interfaces | + Add new.
  4. Select Sequence.
  5. In Name, enter "Turbine Simulator".
  6. Click Add interface.

c) Upload the Sample Data

Upload the sample data file to Sequence interface by clicking Upload CSV (highlighted below).

Upload CSV button

Then click the upload box and select the sample data file. The sample data now displays on the screen as follows:

Sample data


2. Build a Compute Block

The next step is to build a compute block on the Compute Chain screen. To do this, select Compute Chain on the sidebar and click Add Compute Block.

a) Enter Basic Details

Enter basic details for the compute block, including the name, update criteria, and refresh interval.

Enter basic details

b) Add Input Tags

Move down to the Inputs section and add the tags from the simulator we set up in Step 1:

Add input tags

c) Add an Output Tag

Next, move down to the Outputs section and add an output tag to store the value calculated by the compute block:

Add output tags

d) Define an Expression

Define the following expression to calculate the value of the Total_Output tag:

Expression

Tips

  • Enter the output tag first in the expression.
  • Click the i icon to view more information about defining expressions.

Finally, click Save to add the compute block.


3. View the Output

The final step is to view the calculated output for the compute block. To do this, complete the following:

  1. Select Viewer on the sidebar.
  2. Open the Graph tab.
  3. Select "Local" in Filter.
  4. Select Auto refresh.
  5. Click Reload.

    The output displays on the Total_Output panel under Compute:

    Total Output


Finishing Up

Congratulations! You've now built a compute block that performs a simple calculation. We hope you now understand how to use compute blocks to enhance your data analytics.

Want to expand your knowledge further? Try the following:

Challenge

Build your own compute blocks to calculate custom tag values.


Downloads

Download the sample data file used in this tutorial.

Download icon Sample Turbine Data


Last update: June 15, 2020