Product category:
Smaller-Sized PLCs
News Release from: Vipa | Subject: Speed7-CPU
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 22 October 2004
PLC boasts speedy Step7 processing
Vipa's new Speed7-CPU PLC system is billed as the fastest rail-mounted Step7 programmable controller in the world.
Vipa's new Speed7-CPU PLC system is billed as the fastest rail-mounted Step7 programmable controller in the world With a minimum cycle time of just 100us, full support for the Siemens' Step7 instruction set and a scalable memory from 64Kbyte to 16Mbyte, it is certainly set to take the UK automation industry by storm
The Speed7-CPU has been designed for time critical automation applications with a processing capability of over 50K instructions in under 1ms, far outstripping other PLCs available today with over four times the overall performance of the Siemens S7-416.
The new system also features a unique modular memory system, known as MCC (memory configuration card) which allows scalability for both large and small automation projects.
Users purchase only the memory they require for their application and if and when their requirements change, additional memory can be purchased without hardware changes.
This keeps costs to a minimum with the added advantage that the Speed7-CPU PLC can be applied across a wide range of automation applications from small to the very largest with the clear benefit of programmers and engineers gaining familiarity with just one system for all their needs.
In addition to increasing memory, the swappable MCC offers users a convenient way to store source code, programs and firmware updates.
The Speed7-CPU system is available in four models covering a wide range of interfacing and packaging requirements extending to Profibus DP (Master) and Ethernet CP343, MP2I and USB-B with din rail and backplane mounting as well as a PCI-board based version.
Peripheral cards for I/O, fieldbus and power supplies can be selected from the comprehensive Vipa System-300V range (pin-compatible with Siemens S7-300) for the majority of requirements and third party modules can also be added for specialist needs such as servo drives.
Additionally a new ultrafast, parallel bus known as Vipa-Speed-Bus is available on certain models allowing options such as Fast Profibus-DP, Interbus-Master, CANopen-Master/Slave, CP 343 Ethernet as well as high-speed digital and analogue inputs for registration and very precise control requirements.
This dual interfacing system is unique to automation devices in this class and will allow for up to 32 Vipa System 300V modules on the serial bus in combination with 16 parallel Vipa Speed modules offering a truly versatile and flexible automation platform.
Compatibility with Siemens Step7 extends to SFCs and OBs and as some 25% of PLCs use this well-accepted programming language (Siemens quoted figure), the minimal cost to switch to the faster system and the availability of programmers familiar with the language will certainly not pose any problem to existing users.
Programming is also possible with other Siemens languages such as LAD, FBD, STL, SCL, Graph7 as CPU-Type 300 or 400 as well as WinPLC7 from Vipa.
Minimum processing times for bit operations are 14ns, word operations 14ns, fixed point arithmetic 14ns and floating point arithmetic 84ns.
Execution time for a typical 100K instruction mix is typically 2.1ms.
These results have been established using a calibrated Step7 program which has also been benchmarked against a selection of Siemens S7 PLCs; the results and complete specifications for the Speed7-CPU range are available on a dedicated website at www.speed7.com.
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