August 4, 2016 -The manufacturer of CODESYS, 3S-Smart Software Solutions, now offers off-the-shelf SoftPLC systems for standard platforms in the CODESYS Store. New to the product range is a SoftPLC for the BeagleBone Black. This popular board is ideal for use in the industrial environment, as opposed to other embedded platforms such as the Raspberry Pi which also has an available CODESYS SoftPLC. The onboard CAN interface in combination with the CANopen stack (also included with the SoftPLC) turn the system into a CANopen master.
Moreover, the SoftPLC supports Ethernet-based fieldbus systems such as EtherCAT, EtherNet/IP, and PROFINET. Therefore, the board does not need any additional hardware in order for it to act as a master, a scanner, or a controller in the network. With the OPC UA server integrated in the SoftPLC, the system is even turned into an Industry 4.0-capable communication server that also processes control tasks. Users can extend the SoftPLC with desired functions by means of add-on products from the CODESYS Store.