23-10-2020 | STV Electronic | Subs & Systems
STV Electronic has released a smart digital I/O expansion module for its Raspberry Pi 3 B+ based DIN rail PC. The new I/O Module 16, which can be operated remotely from the system via RS-485, offers four digital inputs, four digital outputs, and eight flexible interfaces, configurable either as digital input or digital output. The Smart Manager 4.0 can control up to eight of these expansion modules via RS-485, making it feasible to offer a total of 16 to 128 flexibly configurable digital I/Os. The I/Os are galvanically isolated according to IEC 61131‑2 and support up to a maximum of 2,500Vrms according to DIN VDE V 0884-11:2017‑01. The digital I/Os, which can be controlled conform to IEC 61131-3 using free CoDeSys libraries, are excellent for many digitalisation and edge computing applications in mechanical and plant engineering, as well as industrial and building automation solutions in small flush-mounted distribution boxes with maximum installation depths of up to 70mm according to DIN 43880.
The I/0 modules use the API of the Raspberry Pi 3 based Smart Manager for configuration and evaluation. The Smart Manager 4.0 also offers a web interface for configuring and viewing the status of the modules remotely. If utilising only the inputs of the I/O module, no separate 24VDC power supply is needed. In this case, the module is powered straight through the Raspberry Pi DIN rail PC interface. If several I/O modules are connected via RS‑485, each module is assigned its own address via the coding switch on the front. This enables flexible system expansions with up to eight I/O modules for up to 128 configurable digital I/Os. If only one module is needed for expansion, the I/O Module 16 can be connected wirelessly to the Smart Manager 4.0. Further modules are attached via RS-485 daisy-chaining.
“Just like with the Raspberry Pi DIN rail PC, we offer OEMs and system integrators a robust industrial design and long-term availability of at least 10 years for the new I/O modules, too. This includes full Linux OS customisation, comprehensive software and integration support, as well as continuously updated security patches. This makes our industrial open source solution extremely attractive for many edge computing tasks in building automation and industrial control technology, especially since we support all common interfaces and will also continuously add new expansion modules to our range,” explains Markus Hühn, managing director of STV Electronic.
