Next Steps

All right.

I've finally decided to move the PC back into the bot.  I have decided to put Windows on the PC, versus Debian.  This will eventually allow me to run a Kinect 2 on the PC along with Microsoft Azure and .Net. I want to really start getting up to speed on this - I might even use another Pi with Win 10 Iot on it to try it out - I want to keep up with it as well.

This will also allow me to do something else.  I can keep all of my development packages on this PC, and simply VNC into it for development.

I will also run a SQL database on the PC for a historian, and also support a GUI running MS Azure.  I will interconnect to the Pi running Codesys with the Windows PC using Modbus TCP initially, and perhaps OPC UA later.

This will also allow me to run a Secomea Sitemanager, and even a PC version of Codesys as a supervisory machine.

I will run a full time Modbus server on the machine, and will run Bonjour on it as well and run a Phidget webservice server on it.

This will be the next major addition for now.  Only one downside.  The minimum hardware requirements for the Kinect 2 is a 64 bit dual core 3GHZ class machine with USB 3.0.  My little Zotac HTPC is not at that level....  I think an Intel NUC is in the cards..