Industrial Engineer · phase 1 of 16
I/O Module
Module that interfaces the PLC with discrete or analog field signals.
The Explain card
- Plain English
- An I/O module is the card that connects real wires to the controller. It turns a voltage on a terminal into a bit the program can read, or a bit in the program into a voltage on a terminal.
- Example
- A sixteen point discrete input card takes sixteen sensors and pushbuttons. A four channel analog output card sends four speed commands to four drives.
- Why it matters
- The module type sets what the wiring must look like, so picking a sinking card for sourcing sensors means a rebuild of the panel drawings. Its channel count also sets how much of the machine one card can take down.
- Hook
- The program stops at the module and the plant starts.
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.
