Do More With Remote Access for Banner Safety Controllers
Safety controllers hold a respected position in automation, relaying critical information between field and plant-level systems. Banner Engineering’s line of XS26 controllers has been optimized for networking.
Safety isn’t just a mantra, often repeated by companies to boast low injury rates. The safety industry spurs entire product lines and policies into development and promotes new innovations throughout every workplace. It doesn’t just appear on hanging signs, it shows up, announcing itself in bright yellow, red, and orange coloring inside many control cabinets.
Banner Engineering has recently provided a new method of configuring and visualizing the data received by its line of safety devices by embedding networking capabilities directly into the XS26 safety controller lineup.
Banner Engineering’s XS26
Safety controllers are a middle ground in the world of safety processing.
At a lower level, safety relays receive redundant inputs from emergency field devices (E-stops, safety pull-cords, light curtains, etc.) and provide a double-checked output coil to ensure that any anomaly safely and immediately stops any motion action.
Safety PLCs are one of the highest level CPU-driven safety devices, storing backup programs and often containing local or distributed safety I/O modules, ensuring that not only are the signals from the field safety devices received properly, but that the program is being run safely as well. Obviously, from the repetitive use of the word safety here, it’s clear that the design engineer would include such devices if the regulatory requirements of the system demanded it.
Banner Engineering’s new XS26-2DE with built-in display and embedded Ethernet port. Image used courtesy of Banner
The XS26 line of expandable safety controllers from Banner is designed to provide several embedded I/O terminals, as well as allow expansion of both I/O and communication (network) capabilities.
Network Developments of the XS26 Catalog
Two new products entered the XS26 series, both denoted with an ‘E’ at the end of the part number to indicate Ethernet capability.
The XS26-2 (original version) provides a standard 26 inputs with options for modular expandability. Two pairs of PNP outputs are provided for redundant safety signals to a sinking input module from an external controller. Interface to the controller is accomplished with a USB cable, configurable with the controller PC software from Banner, since this model lacks an on-board display screen.
The new XS26-2E builds on this previous success by adding an embedded Ethernet port on top of the previous specifications, allowing the user to transmit data over common Ethernet protocols, including EtherNet/IP, Modbus/TCP, PROFINET, and PCCC (a protocol using DH/DF1/DH-485 over Ethernet).
A second new product in the lineup, the XS26-2DE, builds on the original XS26-2D, which is identical to the previously described product, but with the addition of an on-board display that provides access to network and I/O configuration and messaging, as well as user preference parameters (brightness, contrast, etc).
What Benefit Comes From Networking?
Network connections are familiar to almost all engineers in the modern automation environment. PLCs and IPCs have been remotely accessible for years, providing options for configuring, programming, and monitoring I/O from any location, even geographically separated. For safety controllers, the programs are not altered, but the data can be visualized, and the CPU can be configured. This would normally be done with a USB cable which means the operator must be close by.
Networking for controllers allows remote access and configuration. Image used courtesy of Banner
The embedded Ethernet port allows monitoring and visualization for faster response and immediate diagnostics, while also allowing configuration. No longer does the engineer need to walk through the facility to each controller for this access.
Lower Downtime, Higher Productivity
Assessing safety issues can be a time-consuming process. A safety relay trips and the search begins: what terminal was triggered? What devices exist along that circuit? What is the current state of each of those devices? Safety controllers can speed this assessment by providing separate inputs for each device, and with remote monitoring capabilities, the at-fault device can be pinpointed immediately. The problem is solved, and the system is back up and running as quickly as possible.
