Hardware Comparison: VersaMax Micro and Nano Controllers vs the PACSystems RX3i

Introduced in 1998 by General Electrics Fanuc, the VersaMax line of products is advertised as a way to reduce costs in every stage of its life cycle, thanks to its modular and scalable architecture, and ease of use. One of the most important trademarks of its current lineup is, without a doubt, the small footprint of the current models, which brings the possibility of installations in small spaces, without sacrificing the functionality that everyone expects.

            On the other hand, the PACSystems RX3i are powerful and reliable programmable automation controllers (PAC) which were brought to the market for the need of a modern and natural evolution to what the 90-30 series was, and this is done without disrupting the existing system, this is an incredible advantage since, in the industry, migrating from a system to another would cost a considerable amount of money and time.

VersaMax Micro and Nano Controllers Specifications and Features

            VersaMax brings a perfect solution for situations in which all three: space, power and cost, are priorities. This line provides a broad range of programable logic controllers (PLC) characterized by their small size without having any important hit on their performance. We have 3 subcategories:

• VersaMax Nano
• VersaMax Micro
• VersaMax Micro Plus

Together, they offer a wide range of different features to be able to act in many situations, even small dispensing machine where the VersaMax Nano, with its 10 points, would be incredibly useful. It is important to notice the availability of optional expansions units, which brings the possibilities of adding more features to the CPUs, from ethernet connection to up to 320 I/O extra points in the VersaMax Micro PLUS.

CPUs

                All the models that come from this line of controllers are available for AC and DC power, and most differences are subcategorized in the 3 groups that were mentioned before:

VersaMax Nano 10

                This hand-sized PLC is the most compact product on the series and it is perfect for applications where just a few I/O are needed and performance is still an important factor to have in mind, but this are not the only advantages, the small and less expensive package, and its ease of use reduces the cost of the initial stages of a project, and even its life cycle, since the process of installation is really easy as well.

List of principal features:

• 6 inputs and 4 outputs (Built-in discrete I/O)
• 1 analog input in some models
• 2K words of program memory and 256 words of registers
• 1.3 ms/K of scan time
• One RS-232 serial port
• Up to 3 type A counters or 1 type A and 1 type B counters

VersaMax Micro

                As every other subcategory in this line of products, VersaMax Micro is offered to provide great functionality with the additional advantages of a small footprint, and a cost-saving installation and life cycle, but it takes a step further to functionality and power to what the VersaMax Nano offers. This is a true “all-in-one” with the possibility of expanding its capabilities with a wide number of optional expansions.

            In this case, there are three different range of functions separated by the following products:

VersaMax Micro 14

• 8 inputs and 6 outputs (Built-in discrete I/O)
• Up to 126 I/O
• Up to 4 expansion units
• 9K words of program memory and 256 words of registers
• 1.3 ms/K of scan time
• 1 RS-232 serial port
• Up to 4 type A counters or 1 type A and 1 type B counters

VersaMax Micro 23

• 13 inputs and 10 outputs (Built-in discrete I/O)
• 2 analog inputs and 1 analog output
• Up to 135 I/O
• Up to 4 expansion units
• 9K words of program memory and 2K words of registers
• 1.1 ms/K of scan time
• 1 RS-232 serial port and 1 RS-485 serial port
• Up to 4 type A counters or 1 type A and 1 type B counters

VersaMax Micro 28

• 16 inputs and 12 outputs (Built-in discrete I/O)
• Up to 140 I/O
• Up to 4 expansion units
• 9K words of program memory and 2K words of registers
• 1.1 ms/K of scan time
• 1 RS-232 serial port and 1 RS-485 serial port
• Up to 4 type A counters or 1 type A and 1 type B counters

VersaMax Micro Plus

            This is what the VersaMax line offers as the best they can offer, high capability controllers with an even greater productivity boost compared to the VersaMax Micro, enhanced by more memory, high precision motion and an advanced instruction set. The different models of the VersaMax Micro Plus also support additional functionalities like a Memory Module which can connect to the controller to download the changes of the program without the need of a PC, and online programming.

            The features offered are separated in the following three basic options:

VersaMax Micro 20

• 12 inputs and 8 outputs (Built-in discrete I/O)
• Up to 276 I/O
• Up to 4 expansion units
• 24K words of program memory and 32K words of registers
• 1.1 ms/K of scan time
• 1 RS-232 serial port and a second optional RS-232, RS-485, USB or Ethernet port
• Up to 4 type A counters or 1 type A and 1 type B counters
• Up to 4 type A_32 counters or 1 type A and one type B_32 counter

VersaMax Micro 40

• 24 inputs and 16 outputs (Built-in discrete I/O)
• Up to 296 I/O
• Up to 4 expansion units
• 24K words of program memory and 32K words of registers
• 1.1 ms/K of scan time
• 1 RS-232 serial port and a second optional RS-232, RS-485, USB or Ethernet port
• Up to 4 type A counters or 1 type A and 1 type B counters
• Up to 4 type A_32 counters or 1 type A and one type B_32 counter

VersaMax Micro 64

• 40 inputs and 24 outputs (Built-in discrete I/O)
• Up to 320 I/O
• Up to 4 expansion units
• 24K words of program memory and 32K words of registers
• 1.1 ms/K of scan time
• 1 RS-232 serial port and a second optional RS-232, RS-485, USB or Ethernet port
• Up to 4 type A counters or 1 type A and 1 type B counters
• Up to 4 type A_32 counters or 1 type A and one type B_32 counter

Modularity

                As it has been said a few times by now, the VersaMax line offers a wide range of expansions to improve the already capable and compact controllers, which helps them to fill the features in which the fall short. In the case of the VersaMax Nano 10, sadly, there is no expansion unit available, but it is possible to use ethernet communication thanks to the VersaMax SE which is a powerful serial to ethernet module, which can be used as well with the other models of this line.

            Thanks to the RS-232 serial port, the VersaMax Micro and Nano can be used for:

• SNP slave
• Modbus RTU
• Serial I/O

For the models that have available a RS-485 serial port, the following functionalities are added:

• SNP master
• Modbus master

It is worth mentioning, that there are over 40 expansions available which add discrete and analog I/O, and MicroMotion for the VersaMax Micro and Micro Plus, and there is a full line of text and graphical operators that can be connected to the controllers. All these options give to the VersaMax family a good range of modularity, which goes really well to their other advantages.

PACSystems RX3i Controllers Specifications and Features

The RX3i is a step forward in the history of GE Fanuc, bringing to the market a seamless migration from the highly used GE Fanuc 90-30 series. The RX3i shares the principal characteristic of the PACSystems family, a single control engine their universal programming environment, which facilitates application portability between multiple hardware platforms.

CPUs

                The fast processors used in the RX3i family, allow the different models to be able to carry with the most complex applications, and with the addition of more processing cores in some of the models, it ensures a great performance even in a system with a high number of processing-hungry applications. This processing power is accompanied by a large and fast memory which will help it keep a great performance.

            The different options in this family share features like built-in ethernet ports with the capability to use gigabit communication, built in serial ports, the ability to store application files right on the control, universal backplane, and others, most of the differences between the different CPUs will be addressed in the table below.

Energy Pack provides power during power failure while data is written to NV RAM
*Requires additional and seperate module
**Available later
***1 USB 2.0 for PREDIX / PACEdge, 1 USB 2.0 for PACSystems (available later)

            As we can see in the table above, the most obvious differences between all the models are the CPU and memory configurations, and the remote I/O availability. It is worth noting that the CPE400 and CPE410 work as powerful standalone CPUs that don’t even need an expansion for the use of PROFINET. There is, as well, a considerable difference in performance and memory between the first three models (CPE302, CPE305 and CPE310), and the later three (CPE330, CPE400 and CPE410).

Modularity

                The RX3i family, as it was with the 90-30 Series, was made with modularity as one of its main features, looking to give the user the possibility to adapt to any needed situation no matter how big the project is. In the case of I/O, RX3i have a great scalability, being able to expand its I/O locally or remotely, with the possibility to support as few as 8 I/O points to up to 32k I/O points in a single system.

            With the addition of other expansions modules dedicated for extra communication interfaces, and special tasks like pulse tests, high speed counters, pulse width modulation, strain gauge and other, makes the RX3i a line a product with the fair amount of modularity that any project would need.

Comparing the VersaMax and the PACSystems RX3i controllers

            These are two lines of products that clearly differentiate from each other with clear pros and cons, for instance, the VersaMax family is clearly the best for projects looking for a cost-effective and small solution, with a good range of options in case that the smaller models look too limited in features, and enough communication solutions for a comprehensive use.             On the other hand, RX3i is a full featured PAC solution with a clear advantage in communication protocols and scalability, it is really good as well that it offers a painless migration from one of the most successful PLCs, the 90-30 Series. With up to 32K I/O points, more advanced communication solutions, and modules for high level specialized task, the RX3i is the best for projects where performance is the most important thing

Tags: GE PAC, Hardware Comparison, RX3i hardware, Versamax hardware

This entry was posted on January 15th, 2021 and is filed under GE Fanuc, Hardware Comparison, PAC, PLC, Technology, Uncategorized. Both comments and pings are currently closed.