CD1110-ru-Turck
CD1110-ru-Turck
CD1110-ru-Turck
CD1110-ru-Turck
CD1110-ru-Turck

Signal In/Signal Out

Nov. 1, 2011
Products That Connect the 'Dots' Enhance Control Systems

Earlier this year we asked our Control Design audience about their I/O use and purchasing tendencies. With a growing number of machine-mount I/O options that suppliers are introducing and increasing acceptance of digital networks instead of hardwiring among the user community, we expected some variety. Looks like we got that in some cases.

Almost half the survey respondents say they're still mostly using centralized I/O, but do have some remote I/O in their designs. About 20% are exclusively centralized I/O-centric. Roughly the same number say they're now doing mostly remote I/O, but still have some centralize need.

Of those who told us they do use remote I/O, nearly 70% install them safely inside a cabinet. About 14% say they're mounting IP67-rated boxes directly on their machines. Another 8% say they're putting IP20-rated modules directly on the machinery.

The study respondents report great variety in the types of signals they're connecting and transmitting. Roughly 37% report they deal mostly with digital signals, and an identical percentage report that it's pretty much half digital and half analog for them. Only 14% are handling exclusively digital signals, and 9% exclusively analog.

That doesn't necessarily translate into wide use of digital buses instead of a hardwired system. About 69% of respondents tell us they use hardwiring to some degree in their designs. Some 38% say that about their use of device-level networks.

Finally, the study participants tell us the majority of them (55%) buy their I/O bundled with or to match the controllers they use. The remainder say they buy I/O independent of their controller brand.

Cube to Cube
Cube20/Cube67 interface lets users combine Cube20 control cabinet modules with Cube67 field installations, and users can connect Cube67 modules within 10 m without an additional Cube67 bus node. Up to 16 I/O modules (one Cube20 bus node and 15 Cube20/67 modules) can connect to one Cube20/67 fieldbus station.
Murrelektronik
770/497-9292
www.murrinc.com 
I/O-Friendly
BL20 economy gateways for EtherNet/IP and Modbus TCP can be paired with a range of I/O slices and accommodate 32 I/O modules for a system with 512 digital I/O points or 128 analog I/O points, and a combination of digital and analog points, on a single gateway. Analog inputs and outputs are configurable by channel for current, voltage or RTD.
Turck
800/544-7769
www.turck.us
Plenty of Zip
Zipport heavy-duty, multi-wire connectors in 3A, 6B, 10B, 16B and 24B frame sizes and polyester powder-coated aluminum alloy housings have a standard profile, and PG threaded cable passages; PG thread to NPT adapters are optional.
AutomationDirect
770/889-2858
www.automationdirect.com
Save on I/O
Bulletin 931 analog signal conditioners convert a range of device signals to a standard 4-20 mA signal. Systems that transmit thermocouple signals over significant distances can take advantage of the signal conditioners to help reduce additional I/O and cabling costs with less chance of signal deterioration.
Rockwell Automation
414/382-2000
www.rockwellautomation.com
Twister
DIN-rail mount 285 series Power Cage Clamp terminal blocks terminate any conductor AWG 4 to 4/0 with the turn of a hand. Rated to 200 A with UL recognition (600 V) and a 100 kA SCCR, one twist of a hex wrench (2/0 or 4/0) or screwdriver (AWG 2) activates the spring and clamp.
Wago
800/din-rail
www.wago.us
For Extreme Conditions
Extended Temperature (ET) bus terminals with operating range of -4 to 140 °F could enable users to reduce or eliminate control cabinet heating and air-conditioning requirements. The terminals function with more than 15 fieldbus networks and protocols.
Beckhoff Automation
952/890-0000
www.beckhoffautomation.com
Thermocouple Inputs
Snap-AITM-4i thermocouple and mV input module for industrial temperature monitoring and data acquisition eliminate the need for thermocouples with expensive, built-in isolation. The module accepts four inputs from a range of thermocouples. Built-in, channel-to-channel isolation prevents ground loops that could cause interference.
Opto 22
951/695-3000
www.opto22.com
Analog Conversion
IP68/69K-rated and field-mountable, G11-style, AS-interface modules have industry-standard M12 style connectors for installation and removal under power. Housing accepts two selectable analog inputs for 4-20 mA, 0-10 V or PT100-type signals. Overall analog conversion speed of the modules is 8 ms.
Pepperl+Fuchs
330/486-0001
www.pepperl-fuchs.us
Push It
Modular, push-in terminal blocks (PIT) with added 1.5 and 4 mm2 variants allow termination of ferruled or stranded wire from 24 to 10 AWG. The terminal blocks have 250 N of pullout force—five times the IEC requirement—for high-vibration applications.
Phoenix Contact
800/322-3225
www.phoenixcontact.com
IS I/O
Simatic ET 200iSP I/O system has three modules to accommodate safety standards IEC 61508 to SIL 3 or ISO 13849-1 to PLe e. Sensors and actuators connect directly to a bus system and the I/O system can be mounted in a non-explosion-proof cabinet.
Siemens Industry
800/241-4463
www.usa.siemens.com
Channel Jumper
WDK 10 dual-level terminal is designed to reduce cabinet space and integrates two independent circuits within one terminal. Design includes jumpering channels for connection of screw-down jumpers to adjacent terminals. Depending on power distribution needs, an upper- and lower-bussed terminal can common four wires to one terminal.
Weidmüller
800/849-9343
www.weidmuller.com
Remote I/O Interface
An internal interface for Smart SoftPLC and Smart Gateway products provides connectivity to A-B Remote I/O such as 1771, 1747 (SLC-500), Flex, and other compatible networks. As a master, users can upgrade A-B PLC systems without replacing or rewiring the I/O, by exchanging the A-B PLC CPU with a Smart SoftPLC controller. As a slave, it can bridge between an A-B PLC and devices on other protocols not supported by A-B PLCs.
SoftPLC
800/softplc
www.softplc.com
Feed It Through
DIN-rail mountable AVK feed-through, screw-connection-style terminal blocks with vibration-resistant wire clamps have a plastic housing made from polyamide 6.6 thermoplastic resin with a UL 94 V2 rating for 105 °C. Available accessories include end plates, end brackets, cross connectors for bridging, and marking tags.
Omega Engineering
203/359-1660
www.omega.com
Decentralize the I/O
With IP67 protection, X67 I/O modules can be installed on the machine, and can span 100 m between modules. Users can set parameters for the digital inputs and outputs and connect to all standard fieldbuses.
B&R Industrial Automation
770/772-0400
www.br-automation.com
Circuit Detection
ERT1 EtherNet/IP Remote I/O Blocks with short- and open-circuit detection in IP67- and IP20-rated versions have high-density, 32-point, in-panel models with removable cage-clamp I/O connections and power connections. The IP67-rated, 16-point I/O models accept SmartClick and standard M12 connectors for I/O, power and network connections.
Omron Industrial Automation
866/88-omron
www.omron247.com
Remote I/O
EtherNet/IP-based remote I/O modules include Adam-6150EI with 15-ch isolated digital I/O; Adam-6151EI with 16-ch isolated digital input; Adam-6156EI with 16-ch isolated digital output; and Adam-6160EI with 6-ch relay output. They are designed with 2,500 Vdc isolation protections and are resistant to field interference.
Advantech Industrial Automation
800/205-7940
www.advantech.com/ea
SLIO. Not SLOW.
Simple, low cost, compact remote I/O system featuring a high performance backplane (48MBps), fast response time (20µs), modular flexibility, staircase wiring terminal, detachable electronic unit to leave wiring in place, and more.  Can accommodate your most popular fieldbus needs.
Vipa USA
678/880-6910
www.vipa-usa.com
Distributed and Modular
Distributed modular I/O with IP67 protection and industry-standard connectors uses standard three-conductor cables. Up to four slave devices can be connected to each master block, which communicates via industrial Ethernet to the controller. With point-to-point IO-Link, the system is fieldbus-independent and vendor-neutral.
Balluff
800/543-8390
www.balluff.com
Bridge Builder
CBC terminal blocks are designed to address control and power distribution applications where circuit bridging of two to 50 positions is required for consecutive, alternate and numerous terminal blocks in one assembly. Each terminal block can accept one or two bridges/jumpers.
ASI
877/650-5160
www.asi-ez.com
Dip It
DIP-switch configurable DSCP signal converters include seven models with spring-cage-clamp connections. An expandable Power-Bus connector on the DIN-rail guide allows power distribution to as many as 75 modules. Specifications include better than ±0.1% accuracy, 14-bit resolution, and output overcurrent protection.
Dataforth
800/444-7644
www.dataforth.com   Will You cRIO?
cRIO-908x reconfigurable I/O (RIO) has Xilinx Spartan-6 FPGAs and optional Windows Embedded Standard 7 (WES7) OS configuration. The systems have two Gigabit Ethernet ports, an MXI Express port, four USB ports, RS-232 and RS-485 serial ports, and a CPU eXpansion Module (CXM).
National Instruments
800/258-7022
www.ni.com
Justifiable Termination
TG200 Trunkguard fieldbus device couplers serve as a terminal block and use a fold-back technique to disconnect a shorted instrument, preventing segment failure. It has automatic segment termination that eliminates problems caused by over- or under-termination. Setting DIP switches is unnecessary.
Moore Industries
818/894-7111
www.miinet.com   Power and Signal Together
Brad Micro-Change M12 Circular Hybrid Technology (CHT) connector combines Cat. 5e data and power supply. Fully shielded four-pin array for the Cat. 5e lines with wrap-around metal tube allows for optimum signal integrity. The two overlapping tubes channel the signal through the connector without affecting crosstalk and EMI.
Molex
800/225-7724
www.molex.com   64 Channels
Analog input modules for EtherStax provide high-resolution scanning of 64 single-ended channels monitoring dc current or voltage signals. ES2163 and ES2164 models perform 16-bit A/D conversion and interface to Ethernet devices or controllers with Modbus TCP/IP or UDP/IP. Scanning updates all 64 channels in less than 10 ms. ES2163 accepts dc current with ±20, 0-20 or 4-20 mA ranges. ES2164 units accept ±5 or ±10 V.
Acromag
248/295-0880
www.acromag.com   Fuse the Circuit
WTB2-FB130L IEC fuse holder terminal blocks have a current rating up to 30 A, and accept ¼ x 1¼ in. fuses. They have a built-in LED circuit to indicate when the fuse blows and funneled wiring entry with finger-safe IP20 terminals. Marking system allows for fast and easy circuit identification.
c3controls
724/775-7926
www.c3controls.com   Motion I/O
Universal I/O module for multi-axis RMC150 motion controllers has two analog inputs, six discrete I/O and two high-speed Quadrature/SSI channels. The 16-bit analog inputs can be used for pressure/force control or as position or velocity reference inputs. Quadrature/SSI channels can be configured as ½-axis quadrature or SSI reference inputs for gearing or to synchronize multiple controllers.
Delta Computer Systems
360/254-8688
www.deltamotion.com   Can Two
CANopen extension module 1 SI for Simatic ET200S I/O system connects CAN 2.0A and CANopen devices with the integration of the CAN 2.0A protocol. The module can be used for transmission/reception of any CAN 2.0A frame regardless of the overlaying CAN application protocol. The module can be engineered with Step7, and allows upgrading already-existing 1 SI CANopen boards with this new functionality.
HMS Industrial Networks
312/829-0601
www.hms-networks.com   Digital I/O Handbook
The Digital I/O Handbook covers a range of devices including optically isolated inputs, relays and sensors, and has circuit diagrams and drawings, and software code examples. Learn about real-world implementation from technical author Jon Titus and company president and CEO Tom O'Hanlan. Enter promotional code CD001.
Sealevel Systems
864/843-4343
www.sealevel.com/store/ref101  

Dense-Packed I/O
Eurostyle terminal blocks have front-style plugs with a wire-entry cavity and activating screw head located on the same plane, parallel to the direction of the plug, which allows the plugs to be densely stacked, side by side. Offered in 5.0 and 5.08 mm centerline spacings, the blocks have a current rating of 300 V and 16 A, are available with 2-12 positions, and accommodate 14-24 AWG wires.
Tyco Electronics
717/986-5326
www.tycoelectronics.com