Maxim Integrated’s Micro PLC platform aims to give designers the tools to implement Industry 4.0 with less power, parts, and total costs. It consists of five reference designs which can operate as stand-alone subsystems and can be configured and tested with a laptop’s USB port. The core building block of the platform is a programmable logic controller (PLC) that controls and coordinates sensors and machinery throughout a factory. Multiple products are interoperable with the Micro PLC platform to provide faster throughput (up to 70x faster digital I/O from previous offerings), greater power efficiency (by 50%, comparatively), a more compact size (10x reduction in form factor), and higher integration to reduce component count.
Components include: the MAX11270, a 24-bit, 10 mW delta-sigma ADC with integrated PGA to offer a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), MAX17515, a 5 A, 2.4 V-5.5 V input complete switch-mode power supply with a built-in inductor to reduce energy loss, and MAX17552, a 4 V-60 V, 100 mA, ultra-small, synchronous step-down dc-dc converter.
Maxim also released the MAXREFDES60#, a 16-bit analog output complete system design that includes a microcontroller and an isolated power architecture. It has 0 V-10 V output voltage with a typical power consumption of 240 mW, enabled by an isolated 24 V power supply. Magnetically immune data isolation prevents data corruption and precise analog output has an error rate less than 0.05% over the entire range.