ADI introduces the industry's first software configurable industrial I/O for building control and industrial automation

     Analog Devices announced the introduction of the industry's first family of software-configurable input/output (I/O) products for building control and process automation, helping manufacturers and industrial operators increase the flexibility of control systems while reducing product complexity. Traditional control systems employ a complex set of channel modules, analog and digital signal converters, and separate wired inputs/outputs to communicate with the machines, instruments, and sensors at the operating surface, requiring costly and demanding manual configuration.

     ADI's new AD74412R and AD74413R feature reconfigurable module channels that make it quickly and easily possible to remotely design flexible control systems without requiring extensive rewiring. This greatly increases the speed and flexibility of implementation for manufacturers and industrial operators, and enables them to make changes without significantly increasing costs and downtime.

     With the advent of Industry 4.0, consumer behavior and needs have also changed, and as a result, manufacturers need more flexible systems to quickly and easily adapt to changing requirements. To this end, manufacturers can no longer rely on fixed large-scale systems designed for mass-market products and predictable needs. Instead, they need flexible systems that support rapid reconfiguration and require very low downtime and capital investment. With ADI's software configurable I/O, manufacturers can more efficiently implement new projects and enable more flexible automation controls, reducing design and installation costs and commissioning delays.

     When using software-configurable I/O, manufacturers can develop a platform to replace multiple outdated fixed-function I/O modules, or for multiple customer applications where I/O dynamically changes with each installation. For systems that have traditionally relied on control cabinets with multiple I/O modules with specified cabling for each channel type, the need for hardware is reduced because end users can now install individual module types that can be programmed in the control room, helping to reduce logistics, manufacturing and support costs.

     Because software-configurable I/O can be further used in brownfield installations that need to be updated to 10BASE-T1L industrial Ethernet systems, it can be used as a bridge between Ethernet-based control networks. In addition, it supports the development of standardized configurable field I/O units capable of converting between installed HART-enabled 4-20mA sensors and actuators and 10BASE-T1L or 100M fiber backhaul.