A low-cost system for remote access and control of automation equipment

The shift towards remote access and control of equipment has become more prominent, especially due to COVID-19 lockdowns. Access to physical/real equipment for practical learning remains important for engineering studies. Thus, this paper presents an approach for remotely accessing and controlling automation equipment for engineering practical activities. Specifically, it addresses the issue of accessing and controlling machines for programmable logic controller (PLC) programming tasks. The combination of a scheduler, remote desktop access, graphical user interface, and a micro-controller allows students to work remotely on practical equipment. The lab computer can be accessed via a remote computer to select one of multiple equipment for practical activities. A prototype system was constructed as proof of concept. The prototype system functions as required