Almost every industrial machine builder’s customers face mounting pressures to increase production while reducing waste and maintenance downtime — all with a shrinking workforce. To meet these demands, customers are looking to their OEM partners for flexible control systems that perform multiple operations requiring minimal troubleshooting and maintenance.
Siemens Energy & Automation has filled these control system needs with the LOGO! TD text display HMI (Human Machine Interface), the newest addition to the company’s LOGO! line of programmable relays.
The LOGO! TD text display panel provides an affordable HMI for equipment builders and their customers, even on the simplest relay control systems. By having a display panel with built-in operator functions and diagnostic messages customized for their process, end users can now make quick adjustments or easily troubleshoot failures.
Paul Ruland, Siemens product marketing manager, says the LOGO! TD addresses the challenges OEMs face when migrating a basic hardwired control design (pushbutton/pilot devices, rotary timers, counters, and cube relays) to a programmable controller. In most cases, only a programmable relay with a simple interface is needed for operators to adjust settings and view status.
“Small programmable relays are appealing for OEMs when upgrading from hardwired controls, but can sometimes unnecessarily force a simple design into a full PLC system when an operator interface is also required,” Ruland says. “The LOGO! TD satisfies OEMs requirements for eliminating hardwired controls and providing smaller enclosures with fewer pilot devices. End users enjoy simplified operator control, machine status readings, and improved diagnostics for easy troubleshooting.”
The LOGO! TD text display is a backlit LCD with a 128 x 64 pixel resolution capable of displaying four lines of text with up to 12 characters per line. With a built-in horizontal and vertical bar graph display feature, viewing options are not limited to text only. The bar graph display modes can be configured to represent any numeric value in the LOGO! controller, including an attached tank level sensor, flow rate, rpm, counts, time, cycles and more.
Additional display capabilities include a text ticker feature that can scroll up to a 24 character text message horizontally across the screen. The LOGO! TD also includes six buttons for screen navigation and data entry, along with four user function buttons configurable for any desired equipment operation. The LOGO! TD is designed in an IP65 case rated for NEMA 4/4X indoor wash down environments and is certified with industry standard agency approvals including cUL US, Factory Mutual Class 1 Div 2, and C-Tick.
The LOGO! TD text display is part of the company’s seventh generation LOGO! line that includes the new LOGO! Soft Comfort version 6.0 Windows configuration software. All LOGO! control functions and LOGO! TD screens are developed in a single Soft Comfort user program, eliminating the need to maintain separate PLC and HMI programs.
Additional software enhancements include special analog math functions, increased message and program memory, improved software simulation features, and built-in PWM (pulse width modulation) function for heater control applications.
The international popularity of LOGO! has also been enhanced with a new message display configuration for up to 10 different languages. Other hardware additions to the LOGO! product line include base models that have been expanded to four channels of 0-10V built-in analog inputs, and four channels of configurable 5Khz high speed counting inputs. LOGO! systems can now more easily be specified on industrial applications for assembly equipment, conveyors, machine tool, press and pumping equipment, and also for commercial applications such as HVAC equipment, door/gate controls, and lighting or signaling control.
“Programmable relays are a great fit for highly mechanical equipment applications where only a little electrical control is required,” says Greg Marsh, Siemens senior application engineer. “These equipment providers are often able to develop a entire control system based on the new LOGO! TD display. Now they can focus on their core technologies of their businesses and eliminate the time and money spent on programming PLCs or contracting out for PLC services.”
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.: Design World :.
Filed Under: Factory automation, Relays, ELECTRONICS • ELECTRICAL