I/O-Box provides wireless connection for standard switches

Up to four such devices can be connected to each I/O-Box. Power is supplied by either a battery or a 24V DC connector. The wireless system facilitates signal transmission to and from moving parts, such as grippers or tools, without the need for potentially vulnerable signal cables. This simplifies design and construction, as well as increasing the availability of the overall machine or plant.

The I/O-Box collects the signals from up to four mechanical switching devices, which can be from any manufacturer; the only prerequisite is that these devices do not need their own power supply. With the battery version, an alternative option is to connect steute inductive sensors, for example from the RF IS M8-M 30 series. These have been developed especially for operation in battery-based wireless networks and require a voltage of 3.6V. The 24V DC version of the I/O-Box can also process signals from all commercially available 24V PNP sensors.

With this new development, steute aims to assist applications which to date have been using cabled switching devices on moving machine components, requiring a costly power supply which is then susceptible to wear and tear. Another potential field is for very compact machines (or machine parts) where cable ducts are inconvenient.

To learn more about the I/O-Box go to www.4top.co.uk.