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December 21, 2022 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

EdgeBox-ESP-100 – An ESP32-S3 industrial controller with RS485, CAN Bus, DIO, 4G LTE, and more

We’ve previously covered the EdgeBox-RPi4 industrial controller powered by a Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 and plenty of I/Os such as RS485, RS232, digital inputs and outputs, and connectivity options such as Gigabit Ethernet, WiFi 5, Bluetooth 5, and 4G LTE. But if you don’t quite need the power of a Linux controller, the EdgeBox-ESP-100 industrial edge controller based on an ESP32-S3 dual-core WiFi and Bluetooth microcontroller and offering a similar set of features, albeit with twists, may be an interesting option. EdgeBox-ESP-100 specifications: Microcontroller – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3 dual-core Tensilica LX7 microcontroller @ 240 MHz with AI vector instructions, 512KB RAM Memory – 8MB PSRAM Storage – 16MB Flash Network connectivity 10/100M Ethernet RJ45 port 2.4 GHz WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0 LE via ESP32-S3 4G LTE cellular via SIMCom A7670G LTE Cat 1 module Optional support for LoRa (replaces the A7670G module) Serial & I/Os via terminal blocks […]

December 18, 2022December 18, 2022 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments

OpenPLC open-source Programmable Logic Controller Suite works with Arduino, ESP8266/ESP32, Raspberry Pi, etc.

OpenPLC is an open-source, free-to-use Programmable Logic Controller Suite, compliant with the IEC 61131-3 standard, and working with a range of hardware platforms such as Arduino, ESP8266/ESP32, Raspberry Pi SBCs, as well as Windows and Linux machines. When Arduino unveiled the Arduino PLC IDE, we noted the languages defined by the IEC 61131-3 standard were licensed, and the PLC key for the Portenta Machine Control unit sold for $17.60. One reader complained about the high license cost per device, but Massimo Banzi, the co-founder of the Arduino project, replied it was cost-effective for smaller deployments: Actually it’s not that much money compared to the cost of other PLC software (thousands of dollars per seat!). This model helps small companies with not that many devices.. It’s possible to negotiate bulk licenses for companies. But there’s also another option with OpenPLC open-source PLC suite that does not require any license fee. That’s […]

December 9, 2022December 10, 2022 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments

Lattice Avant mid-range FPGA platform features up to 500K logic cells, 25 Gbps SERDES, Hard PCIe Gen4

Lattice Avant is a new low-power and small form factor mid-range FPGA platform, manufactured with a 16nm FinFET process, and equipped with 25 Gb/s SERDES, hardened PCI Express, external memory PHY interfaces, a high DSP count, and a security engine. Lattice Semi is better known for its entry-level FPGAs such as the iCE40 which is popular in the community thanks to low-cost hardware and support for open-source tools, but the Avant platform marks the company’s entry into the mid-range FPGA market, defined by chips with 100k to 500k logic cells (LCs). Lattice Avant highlights: FPGA fabric – 200K to 500K logic cells up to 350 MHz DSP – 700 to 1,8000 18×18 multipliers @ up to 650 MHz to support the latest AI algorithms Memory 14-36 Mbit embedded memory up to 650 MHz DDR3L/DDR4/LPDDR4 and DDR5 support I/Os 4x to 28x 25 Gbps multi-protocol SERDES Hard PCIe Gen4 200 to […]

December 8, 2022 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

Arduino PLC IDE released for the Portenta Machine Control unit, and soon Opta micro PLC

The newly released Arduino PLC IDE supports the five languages defined by the IEC 61131-3 standard: Ladder Diagram, Functional Block Diagram, Structured Text, Sequential Function Chart, and Instruction List. With Arduino focusing more and more on the industrial side with its Arduino Pro family, the company unveiled the Arduino Opta Micro PLC for industrial application last month and said it could be programmed with traditional PLC languages such as Ladder and FCB as well as the Arduino 2.0.0 IDE. The company now seems to have created an all-in-one integrated development environment for such hardware with the Arduino PLC IDE supporting PLC languages with Arduino Sketches. The program now supports the Portenta Machine Control unit, but the upcoming Opta micro PLC will be added soon. The IDE integrates no-code Fieldbus configurators that allow users to manage CanOpen, Modbus RTU, and Modbus TCP communication easily, and Arduino also mentions “advanced monitoring and […]

November 17, 2022May 21, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

Arduino Opta is a micro PLC for industrial IoT applications

Arduino has recently announced the Opta micro PLC with industrial IoT capabilities adding yet another solution to the Arduino Pro family. Arduino used to focus on the hobbyist crowd, but with the launch of the Arduino Pro family in 2020 starting with the Portenta H7 board, the company switched its main focus to the more profitable enterprise market. Since then they’ve launched several other boards designed in-house, and last year started collaborating with the introduction of the Arduino WisGate Edge LoRaWAN gateways based on RAKwireless hardware. The Arduino Opta is another one of those collaborations as it was designed together with Finder, who calls their devices PLR (Programmable Logic Relays). Arduino Opta key features and specifications: MCU – STMicroelectronics STM32H747XI microcontroller with 1x Arm Cortex-M7 core up to 480 MHz, 1x Arm Cortex-M4 core up to 240 MHz, 2MB flash, 1MB SRAM (as found in all Portenta H7 boards, and […]

September 15, 2022 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

ModBerry 500 R1 industrial computer replaces Raspberry Pi CM4 with Radxa CM3 module

The ModBerry 500 R1 industrial computer features a Radxa CM3 system-on-module that follows the Raspberry Pi CM4 form factor, but is powered by a Rockchip RK3566 quad-core Cortex-A55 processor instead. The ModBerry 500 CM4 DIN-rail industrial computer with a Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 was launched in 2020, but the Raspberry Pi shortage got in the way, even for commercial customers, and Poland-based TECHBASE had to find an alternative to Raspberry Pi CM4 to offer shorter lead times to its customers, and so the ModBerry 500 R1 based on Radxa CM3 system-on-module was born. ModBerry 500 R1 specifications: SoM – Radxa CM3 module with Rockchip RK3566 quad-core Cortex-A55 processor @ up to 2.0 GHz, with 1 to 8GB LPDDR4 RAM, up to 4 to 128GB eMMC flash (up to 250 MB/s), optional Wi-Fi 5 & Bluetooth 5.0 module Storage – Optional NVMe SSD via PCIe 2.0 (mini PCIe (default) or […]

June 29, 2022 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

NORVI GSM industrial controller with WiFi and cellular connectivity supports Arduino or ESP-IDF programming

NORVI GSM ESP32 cellular industrial controller

We’ve already seen ESP32 WiFI & Bluetooth SoC combined with a cellular modem several times already, and a couple of days ago, I wrote about LILYGO T-A7068X ESP23 board with a 4G LTE modem. Iconic Devices team has made another cellular ESP32 product with the NORVI GSM industrial controller. The DIN-Rail mountable USB programmable controller is offered with a choice of SIMCOM SIM800L 2G-only modem or QUECTEL EC21-G modem adding 3G UMTS/HSPDA+ and 4G LTE cellular connectivity. It also offers Ethernet connectivity, digital and analog inputs, relay outputs, and a small 0.96-inch OLED information display with options varying depending on the exact model. NORVI GSM specifications: Main module – ESP32-WROOM-32 with ESP32-D0WDQ6 dual-core microcontroller @ up to 160 MHz with 520 KB SRAM, 4 MB flash, 2.4 GHz WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity Cellular module (one or the other) SIMCom SIM800L quad-band GSM/GPRS module Quectel E21-G worldwide 4G LTE, […]

March 15, 2022March 17, 2022 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

OnLogic announces Factor 201 Raspberry Pi CM4 industrial PC, Factor 202 controller coming soon

OnLogic has announced the launch of the Factor 201, a compact fanless industrial PC based on Raspberry Pi CM4 (Compute Module 4) for Edge IoT applications, and is working on the Factor 202 industrial controller with onboard digital and analog I/Os (DIO & AIO), as well as a capacitive touchscreen. OnLogic Factor 201 Specifications: SoM – Raspberry Pi CM4 with Broadcom BCM2711 quad-core Arm Cortex-A72 processor @ up to 1.5 GHz, up to 8GB LPDDR4 RAM, up to 32GB eMMC flash Additional storage – Optional M.2 SATA SSD (See Expansion section) Video Output – HDMI port up to 4Kp60 Networking 2x Gigabit Ethernet LAN (Optional PoE PD Input) via Realtek RTL8153 controller Optional WiFi/Bluetooth module on Raspberry Pi CM4 module + 3x antenna holes Optional 4G LTE wireless module via M.2 socket USB – 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 port, 2x USB 2.0 ports, 1x USB-C management port Serial – […]