Product Description:

B&R Automation produces the X67DS438A remote I/O module within the X67 Analog Input Output Modules series. This unit mounts directly on machinery to connect analog and digital field signals to a central PLC over the vendor's deterministic X2X bus. By relocating signal conditioning outside the cabinet, it streamlines installation, shortens cable runs, and supports real-time monitoring and actuation in distributed industrial automation systems. Its distributed layout also helps place I/O closer to sensors and actuators, which reduces the amount of field wiring that must return to the main enclosure.

Module addressing follows the X2X Link Position, so the controller locates the slice by its physical order on the trunk. During cyclic data exchange, the bus operates in Synchronous mode, so input sampling and output refresh occur at the same point in every network cycle. Each sensor channel uses a 3-Wire connection that carries signal, reference, and 24 V supply, and the cabinet-free device uses a M12, B-Keyed connector that locks against vibration. The digital section supports Inputs/Outputs, allowing individual points to be assigned as sourcing inputs or low-side switches. The integrated IO-Link master has 4 ports for point-to-point diagnostics and device setup without additional gateways. This arrangement supports mixed field devices on the same module while keeping wiring compact at the machine.

Communication with those ports complies with V1.1, enabling fast download of device profiles and extended process data. Time stamping for distributed events reaches 1 µs granularity, and the built-in NetTime function aligns each time stamp with the global controller clock across the X2X domain. Data moves over a shielded copper line, and the module's daisychained backbone provides one X2X input port and one X2X output port to maintain ring or line topologies without repeaters. That timing behavior helps the control system compare events from remote devices within the same machine cycle.