September 4, 2012 – Red Lion Controls announced G304K2 and G307K2 panels that provide Human Machine Interface (HMI) functionality for PLCs, motor drives and other communications-capable devices.
The 4” G304K2 includes an Ethernet port (10 base-T/100 base-TX) and supports up to four Ethernet protocols from a list of over 70 supported protocols. Two serial protocols – chosen from a list of over 150 – may also be assigned to the unit’s RS232 and RS485 ports, allowing it to communicate with an unlimited number of disparate devices simultaneously.
The 7” G307K2 offers a WVGA wide screen with a resolution of 800x480 for organizations who require a larger display. The high-definition display supports 32K colors to provide clarity for detailed user interfaces. The panel supports up to four Ethernet and three serial protocols simultaneously.
Both models excel at protocol conversion, which allows integrators and system designers to seamlessly integrate disparate equipment. The ability to easily integrate devices from different manufacturers enables machine builders to select the most cost-effective PLCs, drives and motion controllers while end users leverage components for the task at hand. End users are also able to use the Ethernet port to upgrade existing serial-based control systems, which avoids the risk and downtime associated with traditional PLC upgrades. Red Lion’s Crimson 3.0 software, which includes access to over 220 communications protocols, comes standard with either model for easy deployment and programming.
This allows customers to cost-effectively standardize on one HMI for all of their machines, regardless of the PLC or drive manufacturer used.