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Figure 1. IPOC-1747
tion in some factory automation applications. Instead, plus new vendors taking advantage of the open archi-
system designers migrate toward a second solution tecture and using their own sales and support chan-
path, PCs. This alternative offers the attraction of a stan- nels. SBS GreenSpring, for example, offers the IPOC-
dard development platform, available high-end appli- 1747 IndustryPack carrier which facilitates easy inte-
cation software, comfortable and standard program- gration of their IndustryPack I/O modules with the
ming languages and familiar graphical user interfaces. Allen-Bradley 1747-OC Open Controller.
In industrial environments, however, PCs face reliability
Another middle ground approach is to add soft PLC-
risks and expansion limitations. Adding a board can
style software to a PC in order to move it closer in func-
be difficult and the results unpredictable. PCs are not
tionality to the traditional PLC. Companies such as
known for their deterministic real-time behavior.
WonderWare have found success developing such
The same PC hardware vendors and software devel- software. This approach has been extended to the
opment vendors that offer low prices are not prepared
hardware side via manufacturers such as SBS
to offer the time of support-or product longevity-that the
GreenSpring with the IndustryPack PCI-40 boards,
industrial user needs. Desktop hardware is not rated
which facilitate easy-to-integrate, modular, flexible, I/O
for wide temperature operating range nor rugged envi-
functionality. System designers can now obtain
ronments with vibration, shock and high temperature
gradients. There are a number of middle-tier hardware rugged PCs in a variety of configurations from vendors
vendors that are now offering standard PC architecture such as Teknor, Compaq and Hewlett-Packard, and
products, at reasonable prices, but with rugged speci- combine them with the soft PLC and IndustryPack
fications and support required for the factory environ- hardware for a full-featured PC based solution that is
ment. Still, standard, even ruggedized, PCs are no backed by sophisticated, industrial-level support. Most
match for the mechanical simplicity and ease of hard- of the weaknesses of the PC channel are overcome in
ware expansion that PLCs offer. DIN rail mountable this manner, although integration of multiple vendors is
hardware; fuses, LEDs, and screw terminal on every still required.
line; hot insert-these are a few of the standard PLC The alternatives of obtaining a PC-based PLC from a
mechanical features not readily available on PCs. leading vendor versus adding PLC software and hard-
Consequentially, the advantages of flexibility in soft- ware to a PC are both viable, and they are converging
ware and GUI familiarity are at the expense of the over time. Regardless of the chosen path, vendors
mechanical side and the rugged components. such as SBS GreenSpring make I/O integration easy,
The dilemmas posed by these two accepted paths for with over a hundred standard IndustryPack modules
implementing factory control cells are significant, both and carrier boards for both platforms. IndustryPack
posing major disadvantages along with benefits. As a modules can be plugged into the PC with Windows
result, there has been progress in developing a middle NT drivers and drivers for soft PLC packages; or an
ground between the PLC and the PC, a combined IndustryPack carrier board on an Allen-Bradley 1747-
solution that incorporates PCs into PLCs. In previous OC Open Controller backplane extend the bus to a
cases, the PC was added in, or bolted on, or an inter- diverse range of specially I/O from ANSI-VITA-4 com-
face was added for cross-development to a PC. A third
pliant vendors.
and more recent approach--demonstrated by the
Allen-Bradley Open Controller family--is to actually
base the PLC on a foundation PC. The Open J. Borges graduated from Boston College with a B.S.
Controller has a dual backplane, including a PCI bus in accounting. He obtained his MBA from Harvard,
along with the traditional PLC bus. While some aspects and his B.S.E.E. From Northwestern Polytechnic
of the chassis are still proprietary, the most important University in Fremont, California. Borges was the
aspects--the PCI bus and the standard operating sys- Founder and President of Stryco Industries, a manu-
tems are open to third party value-added. This allows facturer of computer-controlled welding systems
configuration of all standard PCs boards, plus boards based in Livermore, California. He was the Vice
that are PCI based, running under a Windows NT President of Sales and Marketing for two Silicon
application environment -- all sharing the same power Valley-based companies, ACI Computer and Racom
supply and enclosure, with additional hardware added Corporation, prior to joining SBS GreenSpring
from both the Allen-Bradley sales and VAR channel, Modular I/O as the Director of Factory Automation.
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72 Real-Time Magazine 97-4