Omron in Japan has announced the imminent arrival of new range of programmable controllers designed to meet user demands for increasing intelligence and flexibility, while maintaining competitive prices. The CJ2M controllers, due to go on sale from 1 April, will complement the company’s recent CJ2H models which offer similar benefits for high-end applications.

The new controllers are based on Omron’s CJ1 PLCs, used in tens of thousands of applications around the world. The CJ2M products will offer a wider choice of CPUs, faster operating speeds, larger memories and enhanced communications, including optional integrated support for Ethernet.

Consistent architecture across the range means that it will be quick and easy to upscale or downscale applications. The controllers offer upgraded support for function blocks, allowing blocks of program to be developed for common functions, and then re-used when required, either in the same project or in new projects. This will lead to big reductions in the time needed for programming and testing, Omron says.

The CPUs start at 5K steps program capacity plus 64K words memory, and extend up to versions offering 400K steps and 832K words. All have USB ports for programming, maintenance and troubleshooting, and come with a choice of either an RS-232C serial interface (above, left) or an integrated Ethernet port with an Ethernet/IP Data Link function (right). The Ethernet models have a slot that can optionally be fitted with an RS-232C/422/485 port.

To complement the PLCs, Omron has introduced several high-speed I/O devices including analogue input modules with a conversion time of 20µs, and fast digital I/O, the data from which can be accessed instantly using special program instructions. The CJ2 PLCs can also be connected to CJ1 I/O, making it easy and inexpensive for users to upgrade or expand existing installations.