PLCnext Technology on an IPC

Phoenix Contact's EPC 1502 and 1522 edge controllers combine the features of the AXC F 2152 with the advantages of a powerful chipset, large memory, and additional communication ports of an IPC. The EPC device elevates the IIoT message of PLCnext to a higher level.

The EPC can be programmed to do machine control via a free installation of PLCnext Engineer, allowing the programmer to use the traditional languages of ladder, function block, and structured text to program. The EPC does not have local I/O, but it can control remote I/O via PROFINET and Modbus TCP. If desired, the programmer can also code in Python, node-RED, C#, C++, and other higher-level languages to create applications that utilize the Yocto Linux OS. Another option is to utilize the PLCnext Store to reuse work that has already been done by others.

EPCs have up to 4 GB of RAM and up to 128 GB of memory, as well as the Intel Celeron chipset. This product utilizes a built-in WLAN connection, two separate Ethernet ports with IP addresses, USB ports, and DisplayPort. Docker is preinstalled on the EPCs and enables the quick deployment of applications and databases.