Custom-designed controllers offer optimal answers

An Orchid Technologies Engineering and Consulting product story

Edited by the Electronicstalk editorial team Aug 28, 2008

Orchid's custom electronic controls can solve the most demanding requirements.

There are many applications for industrial controllers.

Many of these applications are satisfied by the use of programmable logic controllers (PLCs).

The use of general-purpose PLCs can be an expeditious way to achieve a particular control objective.

But general-purpose PLCs can be expensive, physically difficult to package, missing special or precision analogue electrical interfaces, and awkward to program.

In short, a general-purpose PLC approach is often not the optimal solution.

Orchid Technologies has assisted many of its clients in the design of low-cost, optimised industrial controls.

These are microcontroller-based product which incorporate custom packaging, custom analogue interface electronics, custom digital I/O and custom embedded software design.

Custom design industrial controllers from Orchid Technologies solve many of the problems associated with a PLC implementation.

Orchid Technologies builds its custom industrial controller designs around microcontrollers from Freescale and NXP.

Using these microcontrollers, Orchid adds its proprietary real-time operating system kernel to produce a custom controller that responds to specific control requirements.

Complete with general purpose I/O, precision analogue interfaces, USB ports, CompactFlash disk, Ethernet, RS232, RS485, motor controls, and more, Orchid's custom electronic controls can solve the most demanding requirements.

Over the many years that Orchid Technologies has been designing custom electronic products, the company has performed numerous custom industrial controller designs.

Among the success stories are cryogenic pump controllers, water purification controllers, drug discovery controllers, automotive motion controllers, heating system controllers, moving door access controllers and more.

The company reckons that it is the design of custom industrial controllers with rapid design cycles, demanding technical requirements, and unforgiving schedules sets Orchid Technologies apart.