Industrial Shields, a manufacturer of industrial controllers based on open-source technology, has launched Ardbox Q, the first industrial programmable logic controller (PLC) with Arduino UNO Q. It brings together in one device two tasks that are still separate in many installations: controlling a process and understanding what happens in it.
PLCs are everywhere, even if hardly anyone sees them: they run production lines, pumping stations, irrigation systems, building climate control, and thousands of other processes. Yet in many installations, measuring, storing, and analysing data still requires another device, usually a computer or a Cloud service. And adding artificial intelligence usually means adding one more piece of equipment.
Ardbox Q does it inside the PLC itself. One processor handles real-time control. A second one, running the Linux operating system, logs data, shows dashboards, communicates with other systems, and runs artificial intelligence models on the device. The two parts work separately: if a data application fails, control keeps running.
This opens the door to uses that until now required more equipment and more investment: detecting that a pump or motor is behaving abnormally and warning before it fails, checking products with a camera, monitoring a remote tank, and sending an alert only when something changes, or spotting unusual energy consumption. All with the data kept where it is generated, without sending raw data to the Cloud.
Industrial Shields developed Ardbox Q in collaboration with Arduino. It comes in two versions: Analog, designed to measure and regulate processes, and Relay, which switches motors, pumps and valves on and off directly. Prices start at €225 excluding VAT, and it is available now from the company’s online store.
“A PLC no longer has to just carry out orders. With Ardbox Q, the same device that controls an installation can understand what happens in it, with open tools and no licence fees,” said Albert Prieto, CEO of Industrial Shields.
Key technical facts
- Two processors: STM32U585 microcontroller for real-time control and a quad-core 64-bit processor running Debian Linux for data, dashboards and AI models
- 20 I/O per version. Analog: 4 digital inputs, 6 analog or digital inputs 0 to 10V, 4 digital outputs and 6 analog or PWM outputs 0 to 10V. Relay: 4 digital inputs, 6 analog or digital inputs 0 to 10V, 8 relays and 2 analog outputs 0 to 10V
- Communications: RS-485 (Modbus RTU), RS-232, SPI, Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.1, USB-C
- Memory: 2GB RAM with 16GB eMMC, or 4GB RAM with 32GB eMMC
- Programming: Arduino IDE with the Industrial Shields boards package; Arduino App Lab, Python, Node-RED and Docker on Linux
- 12 to 24 Vdc supply, DIN rail, 100 x 45 x 115mm, IP20, CE marking
More information: https://www.industrialshields.com/ardbox-q-arduino-uno-q-plc-ai
