The PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) has been and still is the basic component of the industrial automation world. PLCs are usually pretty expensive pieces of hardware, which led many people who know micro-controllers to come up with their own ideas to implement similar functionality.
Arduino is a kind of universal programmable controller, although it is only the “core” and in any case it has been built for general applications; with a little of external hardware (essentially interfaces capable of transferring signals from sensors and to actuators, reducing the EMI which may damage the microcontroller) and an appropriate software may, however, become something very similar to a PLC. For output you can use Arduino Relay modules. For input you can use varying Arduino sensors of build your own adapter for some industrial sensors.
Arduino as a programmable logic controller (PLC) tutorial we will explain how to “convert” our Arduino board in a PLC-like controller. There are several ways to turn Arduino into a Programmable Logic Controller, and Arduino as a programmable logic controller (PLC) tutorial presents two: Ladder Logic for PIC and AVR software and ladder.h Generator for LDmicro → Arduino. Also OpenPLC project has a OpenPLC Ladder Editor that can generate code for a standard arduino from a ladder diagram.
In some applications PLCs are more used as IO interfaces for SCADA systems more than doing the controlling. If you want to make Arduino board to look like PLC from SCADA point of view, you can put in software that make it to communicate with MODBUS or other suitable SCADA protocol. One easy way to experiment is to try SCADA for Arduino that includes both Arduino software and SCADA software. I tried it and you can read my experiences with it at Experimenting with SCADA for Arduino posting.
If you are worried if your Arduino based rat’s nest would survive in industrial environment or would be accepted by industrial control people, it is a good idea to to consider available Arduino compatible products designed for industrial control applications. There are now several commercial products built for Arduino PLC applications:
CONTROLLINO advertises to be first software Open-Source PLC. It is ARDUINO compatible.It started as Kickstarter project, but is now available directly from manufacturer web site. It advertises to be designed to control your Internet of Things and be CE & UL certificated. For more details check the video ARDUINO + PLC = CONTROLLINO
Industruino is an Arduino compatible industrial controller. Industruino is a fully featured Arduino Leonardo compatible board housed in a DIN-rail mountable case + prototyping area + onboard LCD + membrane panel. With this product you will be able to permanently install your Arduino application to industrial. Industruino is a pre-built solution offering a range of industrial voltage level I/O. All controlled with the ease of Arduino coding.
Industrial Shields has a selection of Arduino compatible industrial PLC hardware that can be plugges to DIN rail. The ARDBOX PLC, as it uses an Arduino UNO or Arduino LEONARDO, lets you program it through the USB. M-DUINO family is based on Arduino Mega. This PLC can be programmed using the Arduino IDE platform
BieMme Italia offers Soft PLC Arduino which is based on Advanced Arduino Relay Shield. You plug your Arduino to this shield, and it should be then industrial compatible with the control voltage and electrical protection. BieMme Italia also has Bmini All-in-one that has 4 optoisolated 24V digital inputs, 4 high quality relays, 8 analog inputs, PWM, I2C, RS485, Ethernet and more.
256 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Arduino team has announced a new piece of software for its Arduino Pro range, aimed at the upcoming programmable logic controller engineer: the Arduino PLC IDE.
Arduino PLC IDE Blends the Worlds of Programmable Logic Controllers and Arduino Sketches
Designed to support all major PLC programming languages plus Arduino sketches, the Arduino PLC IDE is a new venture for the company.
https://www.hackster.io/news/arduino-plc-ide-blends-the-worlds-of-programmable-logic-controllers-and-arduino-sketches-2b1ce3d7cc43
The Arduino team has announced a new piece of software for its Arduino Pro range, aimed at the upcoming programmable logic controller (PLC) engineer: the Arduino PLC Integrated Development Environment (IDE).
“With the demand for PLC programming rising due to the spread of automation in a wide range of industrial fields, we felt we had to step up for our community of budding and experienced engineers,” the company writes of its latest software release. “That’s why we have just launched a dedicated Arduino PLC IDE, which supports the five languages defined by the IEC 61131-3 standard: Ladder Diagram, Functional Block Diagram, Structured Text, Sequential Function Chart and Instruction List.”
The software, available to all, is designed to combine traditional PLC programming and Arduino sketch programming in a single environment. A range of libraries are included, supporting features including embedded machine learning and no-code Fieldbus configuration for CanOpen, ModBus RTU, and ModBus TCP.
The launch comes a month after Arduino launched Opta, its first-ever “micro PLC,” based on the STMicro STM32H747XI and designed for use in the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).
More information on the Arduino PLC IDE, which uses a more detailed interface than the traditional Arduino IDE, is available on the Arduino Pro site
https://www.arduino.cc/pro/software-plc-ide
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://blog.arduino.cc/2022/12/06/being-a-plc-engineer-just-became-a-lot-easier/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://opla.arduino.cc/opla/module/iot-starter-kit-maker-long/lesson/thinking-about-you-long
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/products/bus-systems-sbcs/arduino-introduces-opla-iot-kit-securing-iot-projects-2020-10/
https://circuitdigest.com/news/arduino-releases-opla-iot-kit-based-on-mkr-wifi-1010-arduino-board-to-build-custom-iot-devices
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://blog.arduino.cc/2021/05/12/portenta-machine-control-add-a-powerful-brain-to-your-machines/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://circuitstate.com/news/portenta-machine-control-new-industrial-control-unit-from-arduino-pro/
Tomi Engdahl says:
An Affordable And Programmable PLC
https://hackaday.com/2022/12/08/an-affordable-and-programmable-plc/
We’re all used to general purpose microcontroller boards such as the Arduino or its many imitators, but perhaps we don’t see as much of their industrial cousins. A programmable logic controller (PLC) is a computer designed to automate industrial machinery, and comes with protected interfaces and usually a specific PLC programming environment. Thus [Galopago]’s work with an inexpensive Chinese PLC clone is especially interesting, providing a route forward to using it within the Arduino IDE ecosystem.
Opening it up, the processor is identified as an STM32F103, and the connection needed to place it in bootloader mode is identified. Then it can be programmed from the Arduino IDE, even though its bootloader can’t be changed. Then to complete the process it’s necessary to identify the various different inputs and outputs by old-fashioned hardware reverse engineering.
Repurposing a PLC clone for use with Arduino
https://galopago.github.io/english/repurposing-plc-clone-arduino/
Attack of the clonesPermalink
These boards mention compatibility with GX software, which is manufactured by a Japanese company that makes PLC and also cars. At first sight, the compatibility is not official, as no trademark is printed. Their origin is unknown, maybe they were simplified copies based on original schematics and source code, or somehow the native binary format of the PLC was reverse engineered and an interpreter was built and runs in the microcontroller translating the code. Most of the cards are based on STM32 microcontrollers, and according to some articles and videos, the original programming software actually recognizes them as an original PLC!
Due to their low cost (around $25 USD), and for their relay isolated outputs, optically isolated inputs, RS232 serial port and regulated power supply, are great candidates for small projects as long as they can be programmed with a free multi-platform tool like Arduino or STM suite. In addition, a schematic diagram is needed to find out which I/O of the microcontroller goes to which peripheral in the board!
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.cnx-software.com/2022/12/08/arduino-plc-ide-portenta-machine-control-opta-micro-plc/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2022/12/09/arduino-kortit-teollisuuden-ammattisovelluksiin/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/12/08/an-affordable-and-programmable-plc/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Using Python to Read and Write data to Modbus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MtFLA0NW1c
Tomi Engdahl says:
From https://www.facebook.com/groups/1562990120614822/permalink/3550469188533562/
I’m looking for a new PLC to try out some automation and I/O integration for various projects and I was wondering what peoples go to or favorite PLC / Logic controllers are?
I have some “Ideal Specs” that I normally look for on a good number of projects I will list below, but if your favorite doesn’t check all the boxes I would still like to know it and what you like about it!
Ideal PLC Spec’s
- Ethernet Connection
- TCP/IP Communication (UDP is a plus)
- DC Power/Logic (12V/24V)
- High Speed Inputs (Not all but some)
- Sink/Source Outputs (Prefered over Relay)
- Analog I/O (Can be an add-on module)
- Prefer Function Block Diagram or Scripting Programming
- LCD Screen is a plus or a cheap HMI
Any and all recommendations would be great! Looking online hasn’t shown much for being able to easily compare different manufactures
I think you can get all or most of those features in just about any PLC line. Mostly comes down to which particular CPU and IO modules you select. I don’t have a huge amount of experience in this area, but for getting started without spending a huge amount of time and money check out Automation Direct. I’ve used their Click line which is very good value for money, but they have a few other lines that I think are more sophisticated, and they have great documentation right there on the website that should help narrow down what you need.
For the HMI, often those are pretty straightforward to connect as an outboard device. You’d create all of the screens in a tool specific to the HMI and then set up a mapping for registers and bits between the HMI and whatever PLC.
https://www.automationdirect.com/adc/shopping/catalog/programmable_controllers#start=0
Andrew Berry I agree with automationdirect, the Click PLCs are very easy to use.
I haven’t tried many, but if I don’t need anything coded I usually go for Siemens Logo. For relatively simple things it’s great, easy to make projects involving multiple units via network, and show and adjust parameters via the built in display. Being able to change the programming via micro SD has been a life saver. It’s not sexy or flashy, but for projects where it’s a good choice it’s probably the best choice.
If code is needed I go for Controllino, but I’m also very curious about the new Arduino Opta. (the latter is a lot more PLC-like than the Controllino, which essentially is an Arduino on a DIN rail with 12/24V IO)
Some day I’ll take the plunge into Beckhoff. Having hardware modules for stuff like DMX, DALI and AC/DC dimmers is very tempting, and they’re quite popular in the entertainment/staging space.
https://www.controllino.com/
Tomi Engdahl says:
“For those on track to become electrical engineers, this may end up being a stepping stone between the two worlds.”
Make: Magazine recently featured the new Arduino PLC IDE.
Arduino Brings PLC Features To Their IDE
https://makezine.com/article/technology/arduino/arduino-brings-plc-features-to-their-ide/
Admittedly, most makers in their workshop aren’t going to harness this. However, for those on track to become electrical engineers, this may end up being a stepping stone between the two worlds.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Arduino Opta is a micro PLC for industrial IoT applications
Arduino has recently announced the Opta micro PLC with industrial IoT capabilities adding yet another solution to the Arduino Pro family.
https://www.cnx-software.com/2022/11/17/arduino-opta-micro-plc-industrial-iot-applications/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.controllino.com/
Tomi Engdahl says:
In this video, YouTuber Jakob Sagatowski takes a first look at the newly released Arduino PLC IDE. Watch as he takes you through the complete process of installing the IDE and configuring the Arduino Pro Portenta Machine Control to run a simple PLC program.
Arduino PLC
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mq1xgubaQeA
Tomi Engdahl says:
Following the release of the new Arduino PLC IDE, Control Automation has put together a tutorial that introduces programming and understanding of the function blocks common to all IEC 61131 languages, starting with bit commands, timers, and counters.
How To: Use the Arduino PLC IDE to Build Basic Ladder Diagrams
https://control.com/technical-articles/how-to-use-the-arduino-plc-ide-to-build-basic-ladder-diagrams/
Tomi Engdahl says:
The RevPi has a strange new Raspberry Pi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVLrPqh2FFM
Thanks to Revolution Pi for sending this RevPi Connect S along with the Compute Module 4S.
Contents:
00:00 – Revolution Pi’s problem – no Pis!
00:43 – Compute Module 4, with an S
02:27 – Delidded, accidentally
03:26 – A drop-in replacement (mostly)
03:51 – DIN-rail industrial computer
04:39 – The biggest downside
Tomi Engdahl says:
Control Automation’s new Arduino PLC IDE tutorial shows how to connect various peripheral devices, such as a VFD and a six-axis robot, to the Portenta Machine Control using analog inputs and outputs.
https://control.com/technical-articles/arduino-plc-ide-tutorial-2-analog-i-o-and-external-devices/
Tomi Engdahl says:
DirectIndustry highlights three new products released in 2022 that represent a major step forward for the industries they are serving, including the Arduino Pro Opta!
“By adopting Opta, industrial engineers can implement an easy-to-use and affordable PLC in their stack without the long learning curve required by other established solutions.”
https://emag.directindustry.com/2023/01/03/best-of-2022-new-innovative-products/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Arduino PLC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mq1xgubaQeA
The Arduino PLC and the Arduino PLC IDE… there has been a lot of buzz around it since it was announced recently. I’m a long-time user of the Arduino eco-system and have been using their IDE for over 10 years for various projects. Guess if I was surprised when they released their new IDE aimed at the industrial automation industry! The Arduino PLC IDE only supports one board right now, the Arduino Portenta Machine Control, and luckily I had just been using one of these boards for another project recently, so I could try the new PLC IDE that Arduino have released.
0:00 Introduction
3:10 Download & installation
7:25 First start & impressions
15:46 Version control?
18:31 OOP
20:11 Connect to PLC
26:13 License activation
28:11 Compile & online change
34:25 Wrap-up
Tomi Engdahl says:
Check out this video to learn how Jakob Sagatowski makes an Arduino Portenta Machine Control talk to a Beckhoff Automation PLC via Modbus TCP.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=G4LdrMfbTOc
Tomi Engdahl says:
Count Up (CTU) Instructions on an Arduino OpenPLC Simulator
https://control.com/technical-articles/counters-with-openplc-count-up-instructions-on-an-arduino-openplc-simulator/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Arduino-pohjainen laite teollisuuden tiedonkeruuseen
https://etn.fi/index.php/new-products/14569-arduino-pohjainen-laite-teollisuuden-tiedonkeruuseen
Linux-pohjaisia Teollisuustietokoneita ja IoT-ohjaimia kehittävä taiwanilainen Artila on julkistanut äskettäin uuden 32-bittisen Arduino-pohjaisen ohjelmoitavan IIoT-alustan. Matrix-310 sisältää suorituskykyisen ohjaimen (ESP32) ja helppokäyttöisen ohjelmiston (Arduino IDE). Nämä yhdessä tekevät siitä monipuolisen ja vankan teollisuustasoisen tiedonkeruualustan IIoT-sovellukselle.
Matrix-310:ssä on kaksi sarjaporttia ja digitaali I/O-liitännät, mikä tekee siitä ihanteellisen reaaliaikaiseen seurantaan, ennakoivaan ylläpitoon sekä tehdassovellusten, kuten teollisuusautomaation, ympäristön valvonnan ja muiden älykkäiden sovellusten optimointiin ja käyttöönottoon.
https://www.mespek.fi/content/uploads/2023/02/Matrix-310_Datasheet.pdf
Tomi Engdahl says:
EDATEC CM4 Industrial – An Raspberry Pi CM4 computer for IIoT, automation, and industrial control
https://www.cnx-software.com/2023/02/06/edatec-cm4-industrial-an-raspberry-pi-cm4-computer-for-iiot-automation-and-industrial-control/
EDATEC CM4 Industrial is both a Raspberry Pi CM4 carrier board and a computer for industrial IoT, control, and automation that expands on the company’s CM4 Sensing and CM4 Nano solutions with more features and interfaces.
Tomi Engdahl says:
“While the Arduino organization has been making industrial single-board computers for a while, it has finally taken the plunge and produced a complete industrial product – an industrial controller called Opta.”
https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/products/bus-systems-sbcs/arduino-takes-final-step-to-industrial-automation-2023-02/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Arduino OPTA: how do we cook it?
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/arduino-opta-how-do-we-cook-davide-nardella
The last born is OPTA, a micro-PLC, developed in collaboration with Finder, which contains Portenta H7, the princess of the PRO line.
On the official website it is presented as “The secure, easy-to-use micro-PLC with Industrial IoT capabilities, supporting Arduino programming experience and PLC standard languages.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Introducing the Arduino Opta microPLC
The intersection of Industrial Automation and Embedded Systems
https://peter-ing.medium.com/introducing-the-arduino-opta-microplc-b09e7667950a
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.electronicsdatasheets.com/manufacturers/arduino/parts/a000126?fbclid=IwAR3znpduo2YfR0UGIfDS1zx1bg72U2p3xsrN-le23kpXzPUNgt0VnW9Zr9Q
Arduino Industrial 101 is an Evaluation board for Arduino 101 LGA module. The ATmega32u4 microcontroller is integrated in the baseboard. The module supports a Linux distribution based on OpenWRT named LininoOS. The board has built-in WiFi (IEEE 802.11b/g/n operations up to 150Mbps 1×1 2.4 GHz), 3 GPIOs (of which 2 can be used as PWM Outputs), 4 Analog Inputs, 1 USB, 1 Ethernet signal on pin headers and a built-in DC/DC converter. Check out the assembling guide and simply connect your board to a computer with a micro USB cable to get started.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/03/15/a-smart-home-that-can-do-it-all/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Finder Opta Advanced OHJELMOITAVA LOGIIKKARELE (PLR) Modbus+Wifi+BLE
https://www.partco.fi/fi/arduino/arduino-pro/25731-fi8a0490248320.html
Finder 8A.04.9.024.8320 – Arduino pohjainen uusi 8A-sarjan PLR ohjelmoitava rele
209,90 €
Finder Opta Lite Base OHJELMOITAVA LOGIIKKARELE (PLR)
https://www.partco.fi/fi/arduino/arduino-pro/25717-fi8a0490248300.html
Finder 8A.04.9.024.8300 – Arduino pohjainen uusi 8A-sarjan PLR ohjelmoitava rele
145,50 €
Tomi Engdahl says:
SHELLY EM WiFi RELE-KYTKIN
https://www.partco.fi/fi/iot/shelly/24893-shelly-em.html
Seuraa kaikkien kodinkoneiden, sähköpiirien ja toimistolaitteiden (valot, sähköjohdot, turvajärjestelmät, lämmitys ja jäähdytys jne.) kulutusta erikseen. Laite näyttää myös aurinkopaneeleilla tuotetun sähkön. EM sisältää myös suojauksen ylikulutukselta – rele katkaisee piirin välittömästi, jos se havaitsee kulutuksen, joka on suurempi kuin määritetty tehoasetus.
Erittäin nopea prosessori – ESP32
WiFi-käyttöinen – Yhdistyy Wi-Fi-verkkoon. HUBia ei tarvita!
Parannettu turvallisuus – Yliteho-, ylijännite- ja ylilämpösuojaus.
Tukee yleisimpiä integraatioita kuten Alexa, Google, Smart Home, Smart Things jne.
MQTT-tuki
Sisäiseen muistiin tallentuu jopa 365 päivän historiatiedot, mikäli Wi-Fi ei ole käytettävissä
Jännitteen mittaus ja konfiguroitava hälytysraportointi
Teknisiä tietoja
kantama sisätiloissa n. 30m, ulkona vapaassa tilassa 50m
kaksi itsenäistä max. 120 A mittauskanavaa
käyttösähkö 110-230VAC ±10%, 50/60Hz
kontaktorin ohjaus MAX 2A
69,00 €
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Arduino PLC IDE enables you to program the Arduino Pro Opta using the five programming languages defined by the IEC 61131-3 standard, including ladder diagram. Control Automation’s new tutorial details how to create your first Opta ladder logic program and take advantage of the micro PLC’s built-in I/O for an easy introduction to the platform.
Ladder Logic for the Arduino Opta PLC: Creating Your First Program
https://control.com/technical-articles/ladder-logic-for-the-arduino-opta-plc-creating-your-first-program
Arduino’s Opta mini PLC platform is supported by the new PLC IDE. Learn to create and download your first program and take advantage of built-in I/O for an easy introduction to the platform.
Arduino, the company known and loved around the world for introducing students and professionals to the world of electrical engineering, has made a push in the past year to capture a foothold in the industrial marketplace.
What Arduino Board Supports PLC Programming?
Two new hardware platforms have been launched recently to meet various needs in the industrial environment. One of these, the Portenta Machine Control (PMC), was the first to be officially supported by the PLC development software for which you can find tutorials for basic discrete I/O control and more advanced analog and device connections.
The second platform, the Arduino Opta, has more recently been added to the list of hardware officially recognized in the PLC IDE. To get started with your very first PLC project on this platform, follow the following program and troubleshooting steps to set up success.
Before getting started, it is recommended to download the most recent version of the IDE and the tools (both free and available from the official Arduino software site). Install both packages, which as of this writing, are version 1.0.3, which indeed supports the Opta platform.
After installation, open the software, and create a new project. Give it a name, which I will reference for my own project as Opta_Test_2 from this point forward, and be sure to select ‘Opta 1.0’ as the target.
Create a New Ladder Diagram Program
The default ‘main’ program created is structured text (ST). This is a great platform to work with, but for automation engineers, ladder diagrams are often the go-to, so this article uses ladder logic.
To create this new Ladder Diagram interface, navigate to the ‘project’ tab (lower left corner). You should see a ‘main’ up near the top, and it will have a default counter program, all in structured text.
To create the new LD program, first click on the top-level tree project name, as you can see in the image below–mine is ‘Opta_Test_2’. If you don’t select the top-level project tree, the options for ‘New program’ will be grayed out.
Select a New program, and you can choose the type, name, and how it will run. ‘Fast’ means that it will be continuously running in a cyclic fashion.
Tomi Engdahl says:
KC868-A6 Smart Home Assistant Relay Switch DIY Module WiFi/Bluetooth ESP32 Development Board MQTT TCP Web
https://m.aliexpress.com/item/1005004246120574.html?ug_edm_item_id=3256804059805822&pdp_npi=3%40dis%21USD%21US%20%249.99%21US%20%247.99%21%21%21%21%21%402141218d16820322288801096d2726%2112000028510443246%21edm%21%21&edm_click_module=alg_product_l1r2_4613098700&creative_img_ind=1&edm_log_data=edm-item-list-left-one-right-two.store-product-log-link&tracelog=rowan&rowan_id1=aeug_edm_23836_1_en_US_2023-04-20&rowan_msg_id=tomiCOWS_23836_%243084bc7d709b4bd59fcf3cc876592345&ck=in_edm_other&gatewayAdapt=Pc2Msite4itemAdapt
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://automation-insights.blog/2018/02/14/an-easy-way-to-remember-pnp-and-npn-sensor-wiring/
https://www.automation-fair.com/2021/11/12/differences-between-pnp-sinking-or-npn-source-in-plc-wiring/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://openplcproject.com/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Open Smart Kit
Open source, flexible, modular hardware modules with Home Assistant compatibility for any of your automation needs
https://hackaday.io/project/192277-open-smart-kit
Tomi Engdahl says:
“Arduino’s foray into the industrial packaging sector offers an interesting proposition for machinery builders. With a combination of open-source flexibility, rapid development, and tapping into an already Arduino-familiar workforce, their offerings align with the evolving needs of the industry.”
Read more on OEM Magazine about how the Arduino Pro product line provides efficient solutions to the challenges facing packaging OEMs: https://www.oemmagazine.org/PACKEXPO/article/22873009/arduino-brings-known-solution-to-machine-builders
Tomi Engdahl says:
HUMBLE ARDUINO AS PLC
https://hackaday.com/2023/10/19/humble-arduino-as-plc/
On the surface, a programmable logic controller (PLC) might seem like nothing more than a generic microcontroller, perhaps outfitted to operate in industrial settings with things like high temperatures or harsh vibrations. While this is true to some extent, PLCs also have an international standard for their architecture and programming languages. This standard is maintained by the International Electrotechnical Commission, making it so that any device built under these specifications will be recognizable to control engineers and maintenance personnel worldwide. And, if you use this standard when working with certain Arduinos, this common platform can become a standard-compliant PLC as well.
https://www.arduino.cc/pro/software-plc-ide
To program with IEC 61131-3, you will need to unlock the hardware with a lifetime license key, available on our Store.
Key Benefits
Enables PLC engineers to leverage IEC 61131-3 programming languages within the Arduino environment
Easy and intuitive programming experience for deterministic cyclic tasks and multitasking
No-code industrial fieldbus support (Modbus RTU, Modbus TCP, and CANopen are integrated)
Function blocks and libraries are available for a low-code approach
Quickly port existing PLC applications to Arduino hardware
Wide set of debugging tools: watch windows, breakpoints with step-by-step execution, triggers, Oscilloscope, Live Debug Mode
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/10/19/humble-arduino-as-plc/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.cnx-software.com/2023/08/23/banana-pi-bpi-6202-industrial-sbc-features-allwinner-a40i-soc-24v-dc-input-rs485-interfaces/
Tomi Engdahl says:
DIN rail mount works with all Raspberry Pi boards and compatible SBC’s with a 40-pin GPIO header
DIN rail mounts or mountable enclosures for the Raspberry Pi have been available for years with products such as the RailPi 2.0 enclosure or TerraPi’s DIN rail mount, but PlasmaDan’s DINPi RACK adds another option that happens to be compatible with any Raspberry Pi board, be it model A, model B or Zero.
https://www.cnx-software.com/2023/11/28/din-rail-mount-raspberry-pi-sbc-40-pin-gpio-header/
Tomi Engdahl says:
With added RS485 and RS232 ports, analog audio in and out, and support for M.2 NVMe storage, the ED-IPC3020 offers a lot of features.
EDATEC Launches a Raspberry Pi 5-Powered Industrial PC with Built-In M.2 NVMe Storage Adapter
https://www.hackster.io/news/edatec-launches-a-raspberry-pi-5-powered-industrial-pc-with-built-in-m-2-nvme-storage-adapter-bd736205c388?fbclid=IwAR20Fim33uBeobMZsZlcdyc0YR2ZGhy1aV7CfjUvr6IVaE-Fsq573F-Mzfo
With added RS485 and RS232 ports, analog audio in and out, and support for M.2 NVMe storage, the ED-IPC3020 offers a lot of features
Embedded and industrial electronics specialist EDATEC has announced its third product line to be powered by the new Raspberry Pi 5, a system designed for industrial computing dubbed the ED-IPC3020 — and the first to boast support for M.2 NVMe solid-state storage.
The ED-IPC3020 is, EDATEC explains, an all-in-one compact computer which houses a Raspberry Pi 5 in a rugged fanless chassis — with sufficient cooling, the company claims, to tame the board’s powerful quad-core 2.4GHz Arm Cortex-A76 processor. The Raspberry Pi’s Ethernet, USB 3.0, and USB 2.0 ports are fully accessible at the front of the device, with the two micro-HDMI ports and USB Type-C power input off to the side.
Those aren’t the only ports available, though. To fulfill its destiny as an industrial computer, EDATEC has given the ED-IPC3020 RS485 and RS232 serial ports, along with stereo analog audio out and in — the Raspberry Pi 5 having launched missing the analog audio/video (AV) jack which had been a staple of previous models in the series.
The ED-IPC3020 has launched on the EDATEC AliExpress store with prices starting at $165 for a model with 4GB Raspberry Pi 5 and 32GB microSD, or $207 to switch to an 8GB Raspberry Pi 5. More information is available on the company’s website.
https://www.edatec.cn/en/elpc/ipc3020.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://docs.arduino.cc/software/plc-ide
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://arduino.stackexchange.com/questions/53249/how-to-run-arduino-code-on-linux
https://github.com/bxparks/EpoxyDuino
https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/raspberry-gpio/c-wiringpi-setup
http://wiringpi.com/
https://github.com/WiringPi
https://pinout.xyz/pinout/wiringpi#
Tomi Engdahl says:
To enhance worker safety and precision in wastewater treatment, Optimotion developed an Arduino Pro Portenta Machine Control-based Industry 4.0 solution that’s capable of monitoring and optimizing chemical dispensing in real-time: https://www.arduino.cc/pro/case-studies-optimotion-chemical-injection/
Tomi Engdahl says:
fastLOGIC! open-source (industrial) logic control
An affordable Arduino-based board designed for fast (industrial) logic control, ideal for building small-scale automation and control
https://hackaday.io/project/194762-fastlogic-open-source-industrial-logic-control
Tomi Engdahl says:
Review of Modbus Master and Slave Simulators
https://www.dalescott.net/modbus-development/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2016/12/31/mod-your-camera-with-modbus/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Humble Arduino As PLC
https://hackaday.com/2023/10/19/humble-arduino-as-plc/
On the surface, a programmable logic controller (PLC) might seem like nothing more than a generic microcontroller, perhaps outfitted to operate in industrial settings with things like high temperatures or harsh vibrations. While this is true to some extent, PLCs also have an international standard for their architecture and programming languages. This standard is maintained by the International Electrotechnical Commission, making it so that any device built under these specifications will be recognizable to control engineers and maintenance personnel worldwide. And, if you use this standard when working with certain Arduinos, this common platform can become a standard-compliant PLC as well.
The IDE itself supports programming ladder diagrams, functional block diagrams, and other programming systems covered under the IEC 61131-3 standard.
https://www.arduino.cc/pro/software-plc-ide