Been watching for some time wanting to control a couple of MCC's (start/stop) from a 5/04. I've looked at Flex, 1794's, and Micro's on a 485 link. What's the least expensive option? I'm leaning toward micro's basically running as slaves on a 485 but can do DH+ if required. I do question the ability of 485 to operate the distances required.

Want to start/stop and possible monitor current later on. The AB guys have tried to sell me on SMP-3's with the devicenet option but it seems really expensive and would require remote mounts in the 100 starter cans (and a devicenet scanner in the 500 rack). Each MCC contains from 4 to 7 starters (size 1-2).

Any advice would be well appreciated..

Thanks,

John Kelley

 

Have you thought of the Devicenet Point I/O?
It may not be as cheap as you wish, but is a very nice solution. They have 2 point In/Out/Analog
modules. But you will still need the SDN scanner module in the SLC rack.

mjv

 

I have used Flex I/O and find it pretty reasonable price wise and very easy to setup, if you're familiar with Allen-Bradley's remote I/O protocols. This way you only need to run the remote I/O cable at the required distance and it is more than capable of that distance. You'll also need a scanner module for your main rack, which is about the price of the Devicenet scanner module, but you don't have to buy special Devicenet software or interface cards for your PC/Laptop.