Control panels are often flat, organized areas where control instrumentation is installed. They are usually mounted in a secure area and are used in factories or machines for control and monitoring. Some control panels have touch screen interfaces, while others use different instrumentation devices such as gauges, meters, and push-button or touch screen controls. Sometimes a touch screen interface is mounted in the control panel door, allowing users to interface with the control equipment or read instrument values from outside the panel without having to open it. Control panels often include communication equipment that allows them to communicate with other systems or back to a control center for remote access. They are used in many industries, including transportation, energy, communication, building automation, security, oil and gas, mining, manufacturing, food and beverage, and automotive.
Railway system control panels are installed in harsh, high-vibration environments that must withstand extended operating temperatures. Railway cars often travel through extremely hot or cold climates. Railway control panels typically include power controls, momentary switches for remote turnout control, toggle switches for controlling sections of track, and lighting controls. They also include data communication equipment so the panel can communicate with other local systems. Industrial Ethernet switches like the NSM-208PSE-R are designed to meet railway standards and include MIL-SPEC conformal coating protection, allowing them to operate in extended temperature ranges. Other industrial Ethernet switches for railway systems, such as the NSM-208-M12 or NSM-208PSE-M12, use M12-type connectors that screw in rather than plug in, making them ideal for high-vibration environments.
Home and building automation control panels often need to control lighting, audio, video, and temperature systems. These control panels are usually installed in indoor, temperature-regulated environments. Controls are often touch screen interfaces installed on or inside a wall. Some control systems can mount on the wall or in a light-switch-style outlet, such as the TPD-433-H touch screen PLC with RS-485 and Ethernet ports. It can be used to control Modbus devices like drives, motors, or data acquisition equipment. The VP-4238-CE7 can be mounted in a wall or in a control panel and has I/O slots for digital or analog data acquisition modules for monitoring or control. It also includes a web server for publishing data when access from devices such as cell phones is required.
