Embedded PLCs with Ethernet
New FMD series PLCs from Triangle Research offers low-cost processing with high connectivity.
The FMD88-10 and the FMD1616-10 PLCs are Triangle Research International's (TRi) latest Ethernet equipped programmable logic controllers for OEMs. With the new FMD series PLCs, Triangle Research says it now has a full range of highly integrated “super PLCs,” starting from the compact Nano-10 to the powerhouse F-series. This series combines the powerful and easy-to-use i-Trilogi Ladder+Basic software with a wide array of features, including built-in digital and analog I/Os, PWM, PID, encoders, stepper controls, and on-board communication ports for connecting to other devices.
As the talking part numbers suggest, the FMD88-10 comes with 8 digital inputs, 8 digital outputs, and 10 analog I/Os, while the FMD1616-10 comes with 16 digital inputs, 16 digital outputs, and 10 analog I/Os. Both models are equipped with an I/O expansion port, a LCD display interface, RS232 and RS485 serial ports, and an Ethernet port, which has become increasingly indispensable today. Triangle Research's i-Trilogi client/server software and the support of Modbus TCP/IP protocols not only make the FMD model PLCs remotely accessible for machine monitoring and OEM troubleshooting/reprogramming, but also enables easy integration into mixed-brand PLC environments and networks.
As with TRi’s compact Nano-10 PLC, the FMD models allow users to create their own graphic web page for remote interaction with the controlled equipment without the need to write any Internet program. To do a quick set-up one’s own custom-made control web page, a user simply defines a background image (e.g., a picture of the automated machine) and modifies relevant variables that define the I/O labels and their locations over this image on a browser screen.
The company says that the FMD PLC’s low price point is rare for full-feature, Ethernet PLCs in this popular I/O count range, making this PLC a particularly accessible choice for value-conscious OEMs.
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Edited by Peter Welander, pwelander(at)cfemedia.com