Hi, I am currently looking into a project where specialized gas sensors will be used. These sensors unfortunately only have an USB interface, and I was wondering if there are posibilities to communicate with these sensors using a AXC F x152 control. After searching the forum I find that the USB C port at the PLCnext control cannot be used for this purpose. I wonder if enyone in the community have tips or knows a way to accomplish whats described above, eaven if additional HW is required?
Hi, I think the best that Phoenix Contact can offer is an industrial PC with USB ports. If you have not committed to the AXC F x152 controllers, and if you can wait a while, then you could consider the EPC 1502, which is an Industrial Edge Computer that you can program using PLCnext Engineer. This device has two USB 3.0 ports, so if your gas sensors have a USB driver for Linux, then you should be able to install those drivers on the EPC, and then (somehow) get the data into PLCnext Engineer. The latest I’ve heard, these will be launched at the Hannover Fair in April. ~ Martin.
Hi, which operating system runs on the 1502? I’ve read about some Windows 10 version, but I can’t find a clear statement.
Hi ingfu, All PLCnext Control devices, including the EPC 1502, run a custom operating system based on a Linux kernel. Other PCs from Phoenix Contact have the option of shipping with Windows, if that’s what you prefer, but these will not include the PLCnext Runtime. Hope this helps. ~ Martin.