The PLCs are designed for large standalone machine control applications that require flexible communications and I/O capabilities. They offer PTO (pulse train output) motion, embedded Ethernet ports and expansion I/O modules. The Micro850 controllers provide up to 192 I/O points, while the Micro870 PLCs provide up to 304 I/O points.
The controllers support the DNP3 protocol – a set of open standard communication protocols for precise data reporting in Scada and remote monitoring applications. The controllers also have expanded DF1 support, two-way simultaneous and two-way alternate communications, to improve CIP serial communications through full- and half-duplex and radio modem modes.
These connectivity capabilities will address more application requirements, especially in the water/wastewater industry, Rockwell says. The extended protocol support also reduces the risks of converting from MicroLogix to Micro800 controls when modernising installations. The company adds that users will be able to boost productivity with the improved controller execution and I/O response performance, speeding up the design process for faster project development.
The improved capabilities of version 20.01 of the Connected Components Workbench software make configuration easier and address more water/wastewater applications with expanded DNP3 and DF1 support, including half-duplex and radio modem modes. The software can also improve system security through new password set/verify and user project encryption/decryption functions in the plug-in memory module.
The software also promises a more secure programming environment with enhanced encryption between it and the new controllers, and increased protocol authentication with Secure Authentication version 5 (Sav5) in DNP3 communication.
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