The more communication ports on the PLC, the better?

This is indeed the case, the more the number and types of communication ports integrated in the device, the more flexible applications it can have.

For example, we now have two PLCs, one has only one CAN port, the other has a CAN port and an Ethernet port, and the devices to be controlled by the PLC are all network ports. Well, the first PLC can indeed control those production equipment through the CANopen bus, but no one knows how it is controlled. why? There is no visualized data for monitoring! If you want visual monitoring, you must have a display screen. What is the connection between the display screen and the PLC? In most cases it is the modbus. The modbus is generally divided into two categories, the first is modbus RTU, that is, the serial port bus plus the modbus protocol. The other is modbus TCP, that is, Ethernet plus modbus protocol. As we said above, the second PLC has a CAN port and an Ethernet port, so it can be connected to the screen through the Ethernet port, and connected to the equipment through the CAN port.

Of course, the more integrated communication ports, the more complicated the structure of the device, and the higher the price of the device. When we choose PLC, we must do what we can. We should choose the right one instead of the expensive one, which can meet our project needs.

The PLC produced by our company integrates CAN ports, serial ports and Ethernet ports, supports CANopen and modbus bus communication, and the equipment supports codesys and OpenPCS software programming. If you need equipment manuals, you can click here to contact us.