Best Operator Interface Poll

I
Aalhaje,

In my opinion, that would be depend on the PLC that the operator interface paired,as an example, Allen-Bradley PLC should be paired with Allen-Bradley PanelView, for Schneider or Siemens PLC, the best operator interface should be their own products.
 
S
I strongly disagree. That type thinking will lead you to NOT get the best in class on either the PLC or the HMI (or both), unless they just happen to be made by the same manufacturer.

Almost all HMI's have many many PLC comms drivers, so you really should just pair the HMI you like best with the best PLC for the project. In the unusual case where the HMI lacks a native driver for the PLC, most PLC's also support Modbus/TCP and Modbus RTU.

In my opinion that's a better design because it breaks the control system architecture down and makes it more modular. If you need to replicate a similar project, but the customer specifies a different brand of PLC, you're not forced to change the HMI and redo that programming as well. I've even done this (used more commonly supported protocols), when the HMI and PLC WERE the same brand. Just good practice IMO.
 
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