A chatty microcontroller

PLC controllers typically operate as a "black box" in the control cabinet. The various connected sensors and actuators perform their tasks silently. Gaining insight into their operation requires a considerable amount of effort. The new PLC family of compact controllers from DISPLAY VISIONS is particularly communicative: The controller itself features a color touchscreen that can address up to 50 remote satellite displays – for supervision, setup, and highly customized visualizations. The central control unit of the PLC family is simply called "Core" and communicates its measurement and process data via a brilliant 2.8-inch IPS display. This display has a touchscreen for inputting control commands and parameters. Networking with the satellite units is automatic. The Core has Ethernet and an RS-485 interface for this purpose; it can also communicate wirelessly via WLAN. The measured values ​​and parameters are updated automatically. The satellite terminals' function is not tied to a specific location but is assigned via software – allowing, for example, process data to be visualized on any connected display or parameter data to be entered via another device. Depending on the complexity of the input and output data, users can choose between displays of different sizes for the satellites. Initially, a 4.3" display is available; the product range will soon be expanded to include seven versions with sizes between 2" and 10.1". All variants are characterized by excellent readability, even in sunlight, and a wide viewing angle of 160 degrees. Versions for various mounting options (wall, flush-mounted, DIN rail) are available. The core unit is designed for DIN rail mounting and can therefore be easily installed in any control cabinet. The free Windows tool PLCdesigner is available for programming.