Product Description:

B & R Automation manufactures the 5C4000.03 controller in the 5C4 PC Controllers series. The unit is a 19-inch industrial PC that fits into machine cabinets and coordinates motion, logic, and visualization tasks for automated cells. By integrating a PC-class processor with fieldbus, discrete I/O, and expansion slots, the device serves as the primary control node that sequences actuators, gathers sensor data, and exchanges status with higher-level supervisory systems.

For computing tasks, the board is driven by a 486DX4-100 CPU, so integer and floating-point instructions are executed at 100 MHz without requiring an external accelerator. An on-chip 8 KBytes internal cache shortens access to frequently used code, while a board-level 256 KBytes external cache reduces wait cycles to dynamic memory. Base RAM is 8 MBytes DRAM, allowing medium-sized control programs and recipe tables to reside entirely in main memory. A maximum electrical draw of 170 W helps with cabinet power supply sizing and thermal management. Four serial ports support terminal, programming, or modem links, and a separate math coprocessor handles transcendental calculations used in kinematic transforms.

The memory map can be expanded to 64 MBytes DRAM, a size accommodated by four 72-pin SIMM sockets so recipe growth does not require CPU replacement. Fieldbus communication is provided by an onboard Intel 82527 controller, giving deterministic CAN messaging for drives and remote I/O. Four ISA slots accept motion or communication cards and share a 16-bit bus, so legacy hardware remains directly addressable. Graphics duties are managed by 0.5 MByte of VGA RAM that drives operator HMI screens at 640 × 480 pixels. A fused input rated at T 3.15 A/250 V protects the supply path, and the integrated relay can switch 1 A loads for cabinet alarms. Up to seven keypad modules can be attached for local operator access, and the available interfaces also support peripherals such as barcode readers or printers without external hubs.