Opto 22, a developer and manufacturer of hardware and software for industrial automation, remote monitoring, and data acquisition projects, has released the SNAP-PAC-S2. The standalone, multiserial port, dual Ethernet interface programmable automation controller (PAC), is the newest addition to the company’s SNAP PAC System of software, controllers, brains, and I/O.
Multiple serial and Ethernet ports are ideal for modern control system architectures
The industrially hardened, compact control platform has four serial ports, each of which is fully configurable for either RS232 or RS485 serial communication, making it ideal for connecting to machines, devices, instrumentation, I/O subsystems, and other equipment with serial interfaces – including weigh scales, vibration monitors, RFID and barcode readers, display terminals, and printers. An RS232 point-to-point Protocol (PPP) modem connection for communication over leased lines, radios, and cellular networks is also supported.
In addition to its four configurable serial ports, the unit also features two 10/100 Mbps Ethernet interfaces for host and I/O communication over Ethernet networks. These two independent interfaces can be used to create dual Ethernet networks for segmenting I/O and host traffic, or to design redundant Ethernet links for critical applications.
“The six communications ports built into the SNAP-PAC-S2 clearly place it at the head of the industry and make it perfect for today’s hybrid applications, where serial networking and communications combined with digital and analog signal processing, PID loop control, data acquisition, motion control, and other control system functions are often required,” says Opto 22 CEO Mark Engman.
Well-suited for deployment in any Opto 22 distributed control system architecture, the new controller is also ideal for existing Opto 22 customers seeking to upgrade older, serial-based Opto 22 control systems utilising mistic controllers (the forerunners to today’s PACs). Combined with PAC Control Professional programming software and its ability to import control strategies from older FactoryFloor based control programs, the SNAP-PAC-S2 provides the multiple serial ports longstanding Opto 22 customers require in the quest to migrate to more powerful controllers, while keeping the field wiring and I/O intact.
Other SNAP-PAC-S2 features include a 32-bit multitasking processor with floating point unit, 32 MB of RAM, 16 MB of flash memory and 8 MB of battery-backed RAM. The controller supports multiple communication protocols, including TCP/IP, SNMP, FTP, Modbus and OptoMMP.Free developer toolkits add support for Data Highway, Modbus ASCII, and Modbus RTU.
The controller is capable of multitasking up to 32 PAC Control flowcharts simultaneously.
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