Industrial Engineer · phase 1 of 16
CPU / Processor
Controller module that executes the user program, manages memory and communications, and coordinates I/O updates.
The Explain card
- Plain English
- The CPU is the module that actually thinks. It runs your program, keeps the tags in memory, talks to the network cards and tells the I/O when to update.
- Example
- On a ControlLogix rack the CPU is the slot with the key switch and the status lights. Pull it out and the rest of the rack is just powered metal.
- Why it matters
- Scan time, memory size and how many connections you can open all come from this one module. When a project outgrows its controller, this is the part you upgrade.
- Hook
- Everything else in the rack is waiting on this slot.
Where it sits in the deck
Phase 1: PLC Controller Hardware
The box itself, from processor and rack to the modules that plug into it, because nothing else in the deck lands until you know what a PLC physically is.
