Industry 4.0 and IIoT are making new demands on industrial automation hardware. Yet many embedded controllers, industrial PCs and single-board computers are not meeting industry needs. They are either too big, too difficult to integrate, or have limited, hard to scale specifications. In this article, we take a look at Advantech’s new AMAX-5580 EtherCat Slice I/O Controller.
Advantech’s new AMAX-5580 Control IPC combines a PAC with EtherCAT Slice I/O and Controller to address these issues. It achieves this with the smallest programmable automation controller (PAC) in the Core i class, modular I/O, and a PCIe communication interface. It is both scalable and easy to integrate.
Users can set EtherCAT I/O modules to perform tasks such as data acquisition, detection, and machine control. The PAC’s open architecture simplifies IT/OT integration and the use of the cloud.
Advantech AMAX-5580 Control IPC
The AMAX-5580 is also the industry’s smallest and fastest open platform controller, being W13.9 x H10 x D8 cm. It uses a 6th Generation Intel Core i Celeron processor to save space while providing optimal computing performance. Its powerful CODESYS software allows program development and testing by equipment makers.
It also features a VGA and HDMI dual display interface to help equipment status visualisation. Standard DIN rail mounting simplifies installation and system installation and maintenance.
The controller comes with PCI Express and EtherCAT communication interfaces as standard. This allows users to select communication and I/O modules according to their application requirements. These high-speed interfaces support transmission speeds up to 100 Mbps for large-scale data transmissions and processing.
Edge SRP Software
The AMAX-5000 is also a platform for Advantech’s Edge SRP processing software and hardware integration solutions. It integrates with third-party software, making it easier for equipment manufacturers to develop smart IIoT applications. To integrate with machine vision and robots, users can install image recognition software on the AMAX-5580. This connects via a USB or PoE module to an industrial camera for pairing with the EtherCAT I/O module to control a robotic arm.
After configuring acquisition and analysis software on the controller, it also runs predictive maintenance applications. The EtherCAT I/O module allows operators to collect data and get equipment status and diagnostics. The addition of a data storage module and wireless network module allows storing a large amount of data locally. Exporting important data to the cloud allows it to perform predictive maintenance on the machine.
The AMAX-5580 is an ideal solution for data gateway, concentrator and data server applications. Its seamless integration with I/O saves costs and supports a diverse range of automation projects. The AMAX-5580 series users will continue to enjoy the introduction of related products in the future.
