Configure industrial sensors and actuators faster, safely and reliably with sensor/actuator boxes
Author : Rolf Horn, Digi-Key Electronics
01 February 2022
Designers of modern industrial automation (IA) equipment can appreciate how quickly they can expand to stretch across hundreds of square feet inside a facility.
Running separate cables between the control computer and any proximity sensors and mechanical arms in the process area can clutter the facility floor and slow the time it takes to configure that equipment. In addition, replacing or reconfiguring an existing sensor or actuator can require running another cable between the process location and the control computer, slowing maintenance. The problem only expands with the push to connect more systems to the Internet of Things (IoT), to track them on a remote dashboard via the cloud.
To simplify these connectivity problems, designers of industrial systems can use sensor/actuator boxes. Using these devices, many sensors and actuators can be connected by running one master line from the control computer to a box that terminates in many connectors at the process location, simplifying floor wiring.
Read the full article in the February issue of DPA
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