Software configurable I/O for building control and industrial automation

Analog Devices has released the industry’s first Software Configurable Input/Output (I/O) product line for building control and process automation, enabling manufacturers and industrial operators to obtain greater control system flexibility while diminishing their own product complexities. Traditional control systems need costly and labour-intensive manual configuration, with a complex array of channel modules, analogue and digital signal converters, and individually wired inputs/outputs to communicate with the machines, instruments, and sensors on the operating floor. The company’s new AD74412R and AD74413R allow flexible control systems to be created with reconfigurable module channels fast, easily, and remotely without needing extensive re-wiring. This dramatically improves the speed of implementation, flexibility, and the capacity to make changes without notable cost and downtime.

As Industry 4.0 emerges, manufacturers require flexible systems that can promptly and easily adapt to shifting demands, all driven by shifts in consumer behaviours and need. Consequently, they can no longer rely on fixed, large-scaled systems created for mass-market products and predictable demand. Alternatively, flexible systems that can be reconfigured promptly with minimal downtime and capital investment are needed. With the company’s software configurable I/O, manufacturers can more efficiently execute new projects and deliver more flexible automated control, resulting in decreased design and installation costs, as well as lessened commissioning delays.