1. Can I Control Stepper Motors?
Yes, the Fx2424 and FMD series PLCs include three channels of stepper motor controller outputs and the Fx1616-BA PLC provides two channels of stepper motor controller outputs. The Nano-10 PLC has one stepper motor channel.
However, it is essential to understand the difference between a stepper motor controller and a stepper motor driver. A stepper motor “DRIVER” comprises the power electronics circuitry that provides the voltage, current and phase rotation to the stepper motor coils. Using the built-in 1-3 channels of programmable Motion Controllers for controlling stepper motors up to 10,000 pulses-per-second on each channel, the Fx-series, FMD series, and Nano-10 'Super PLCs' generate the required number of "pulses" and set the direction signal according to the defined acceleration and maximum pulsing rate specified. For the FMD series, and Nano-10 PLCs, you will still need a stepper motor driver, which is usually supplied by the stepper-motor vendor. However, the Fx-series PLCs have built in hardware to directly drive a stepper motor on each available stepper motor channel as well as the ability to interface to external stepper motor drivers like the other 'Super PLCs'. More information is available on this in the Fx-series product User Manuals.
2. Can I Control an X-Y Coordinate Mechanical Arm?
Yes, all the Fx-series, FMD series 'Super PLCs' come with built-in 2 (or more) channels of programmable motion controllers that can control 2 stepper motors to move an X-Y table to desired coordinates. The Nano-10 has just 1 stepper motor channel, so it cannot perform multi-axis control.
However, it is not feasible to attempt to perform precise geometrical trajectory such as circular profiling motion using the two stepper motor controllers simultaneously. Such motion control requires a high end motion controller such as a CNC controller and is beyond the design objective of the 'Super PLCs'.
All Fx-series, FMD series, and Nano-10 PLCs also feature two or three channels of High Speed Counters (10KHz max), which can interface to two "quadrature encoders" to provide positional feedback of the coordinates of an x-y table.
3. Can I Control the Speed of a AC or DC Motor?
DC Motor
Yes, you can use the four PWM output channels of an Fx-series and FMD series PLC or two PWM output channels of the Nano-10 PLCs to directly control the average voltage applied to a small DC motor (< 50W) in order to vary its speed. (Note: for PLCs that only have 1A PWM output, such as the FMD1616-10, an external solid sate relay or MOSFET driver is needed to supply the required current to the motor).
AC Motor
Yes, but indirectly. The speed of an AC motor can only be directly controlled by an INVERTER, also known as VFD (Variable Frequency Drive). Fortunately, most industrial VFD provides some kind of interface to a PLC, such as analog inputs or RS232/RS485 interface. The Fx-series and FMD series 'Super PLC' would be able to control the VFD using its analog outputs or its built-in RS232/RS485 port in order to change the speed of the AC motor. The Nano-10 could use its RS485 port, but does not have any analog outputs.
4. Can I Control Temperature?
Yes, with the Fx-series, FMD series, and Nano-10 PLCs, you can easily vary the power applied to a heating element for open loop control.
You can also use the PLC's analog inputs to read the temperature feedback (see 'measurements') and perform either "bang-bang" control (i.e. turn ON or OFF a heater when the feedback temperature is beyond certain threshold) or more sophisticated PID control using the built-in PID algorithm.
5. Can I Control Building Service Utilities?
Yes, this can be done with the Fx-series, FMD series, and Nano-10 PLCs.
The Fx1616-BA (BA=Building Automation) 'Super PLC' is the ideal choice for smart buildings control and energy management. Its built-in 32 digital I/Os (expandable to 256) interface directly to 24VAC or DC power, with 8 analog inputs and 4 analog outputs that are 0 to 10V range (with direct thermistors connection!).
The Fx1616-BA's immense communication capability allows it to be used as the brain of a small BAS, or as one of the "Super DDC " controllers in a Distributed Control System (DCS). The Ethernet port on the Fx1616-BA PLC hosts both a PLC server and a Modbus/TCP server, allowing up to 6 simultaneous connections with devices such as touch panel/HMI or Supervisory computers. The controller is accessible via the Internet and able to send emails to report real time events. Its RS232 port and two RS485 ports all support MODBUS. A special set of interface pins is even provided on the PLC to allow addition of a third-party radio module known as XBEE, which in turn enables this controller to interface to futuristic ZIGBEE wireless sensors and control modules.
The Fx-series, FMD series, and Nano-10 'Super PLCs' feature a battery-back Real Time Clock option that can be programmed to precisely turn ON/OFF utilities in a building based on the time of the day, day of the week or some specific dates.
You can also connect the Fx-series, FMD series, and Nano-10 PLCs directly to the LAN network of the building and develop a customized Java applet or Web page to control the building using a web browser such as Internet Explorer or Firefox over the network or even control the utilities remotely via the Internet.
6. Can I Control Based on Data Read From a Barcode or Smart-Card Reader?
Yes, the Fx-series and FMD series 'Super PLCs' have a built-in RS232 port and a RS485 port (Fx-series have 2 RS485 ports), which can be connected to many barcode and smartcard readers that provide RS232 interface. The Nano-10 PLC can connect via RS485 directly or by RS232 if a converter is used between the PLC and device.
The PLC can receive data from these devices using its INPUT$ or INCOMM command. ASCII data string received from these devices can be easily converted into numerical data for data processing. The PLC can control a machine, a process or a plant based on the data it received from the barcode reader.
7. What Else Can I Control or Not Control With TRi Programmable Controllers?
TRi range of PLCs has been found in many kinds of applications that operate on land, sea and even the air. E.g. packaging machine, food processing machine, production conveyor system, water treatment equipment, wafer fabrication, elevator, medical equipment, security monitoring system , gold mining operation, road surfacing truck, container trucking operator, automotive manufacturing, ocean vessels fire safety monitoring, aircraft turbine speed monitoring devices (requires FAA approval) and many many other applications.
However, currently TRi does not offer any PLCs that are of the FAIL-SAFE classification, hence they are not suitable for use in equipment where failure of the PLC could lead to bodily harm or death to people. Such equipment requires special fail-safe design that incorporate multiple redundant CPUs and is not the target applications of TRi PLCs.