As Industry 4.0 emerges, manufacturers need flexible systems that can quickly and easily adapt to changing requirements, all driven by shifts in consumer behaviors and demand. As a result, they can no longer rely on fixed, large-scaled systems designed for mass-market products and predictable demand. Instead, flexible systems that can be reconfigured quickly with minimal downtime and capital investment are required. With ADI’s software configurable I/O, manufacturers can more efficiently implement new projects and achieve more flexible automated control, resulting in reduced design and installation costs, as well as reduced commissioning delays.

 

In using software configurable I/O, manufacturers can develop a platform that replaces multiple aging fixed function I/O modules or be applied across multiple customer applications where the I/O dynamic changes with each installation. For systems traditionally reliant on control cabinets with multiple I/O modules and specified wiring for each channel type, the need for hardware diminishes as end users can now install a single module type programmable from the control room, helping to decrease logistic, manufacturing and support costs. Software configurable I/O also acts as a bridge to Ethernet-based control networks, as it can further be applied to brownfield installations requiring updates to 10BASE-T1L industrial ethernet systems. It enables development of standardized, configurable field I/O units capable of translating between installed HART-enabled 4-20mA sensors and actuators and 10BASE-T1L or 100M Fibre backhaul.