The term of PAC (programmable automation controller) was coined by the ARC (Automation Research Corporation) advisory group to help users to define their application needs for next generation upgrade of the traditional PLC. PACs combine the functionality of a PC with the reliability of a PLC.
The WinCon-8x4x series embedded controllers from ICP DAS are derived from the existing WinCon-8x3x series. This evolution includes dual USB host ports to support more connectivity to USB I/O devices, dual Ethernet 10/100 M ports to provide higher network performance, network security, and redundancy capability, and a rotate switch to configure one's system and applications.
Dual Ethernet ports usually help customers with the flexibility and extensibility. System integrators can implement their network redundant policies, or plan their business systems and industrial Ethernet network in two separated network segments to gain more network security.
Best features of a PLC
The WinCon-8x4x series PACs are composed of COTS (commercial off the shelf) industry-grade components to provide reliability and availability like a PLC. The core inside the MCU (main control unit) is a RISC CPU running at 206 MHz, along with large sufficient SDRAM, these PACs provide better performance for system runtime and user applications execution. Like their predecessors, the WinCon-8x4x series PACs also support all sorts of ICP DAS PLC-style I/O modules including the company's I-8000 series, I-87K series, and I-7000 series for digital input/output, analog input/output, motion control, and multiserial ports.
Best features of an industrial PC
A popular embedded hard realtime operating system, WindowsCE.NET, is built in internal non-volatile memory to provide fast boot up, determinism, and to prevent system crashes. Along with the application development features of WindowsCE.NET, these ICP DAS PACs are also equipped with PC interfaces such as VGA output, USB host, Compact Flash memory card, Ethernet, and serial interfaces to provide the best features of an industrial PC.
The PLC software
An IEC-61131-3 compliant PLC software, ISAGRAF, is embedded in WinCon-8x47 series controllers to provide PLC style programming environments.
The PC software
The WinCon-8x4x series PACs are also compliant with all WinCon SDK (system development kits), including OPC server, Modbus libraries, libraries to access PLC-style I/O modules, XML for data exchange, Internet services for web-based applications, and SQL CE server for database applications. The WinCon-8x4x series PACs provide advanced programming language like embedded Visual C++, Visual Basic .NET, and Visual C# .NET for complex application development and communication to business systems.
HMI solutions
To use the embedded VGA port for display, the WinCon-8x49 series PACs are embedded with InduSoft runtime to provide HMI/SCADA solutions.
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