San Jose, CA—April 13, 2015—Designers now have a single platform to develop their own IO-Link master and multiple industrial sensors. The MAXREFDES79# from Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. (NASDAQ: MXIM) allows manufacturers to bring IO-Link factory automation designs to market faster.
For more information about MAXREFDES79#, visit www.maximintegrated.com/en/design/reference-design-center/system-board/6095.html.
As the first ever IO-Link master reference design, MAXREFDES79# reduces the cost and time required to develop and evaluate both IO-Link master and IO-Link sensor systems. While previous IO-Link master development units featured only one port, Maxim’s MAXREFDES79# IO-Link master allows up to four sensors to be tested at one time. As an IO-Link compliant system, MAXREFDES79# works with any IO-Link sensor on the market today. MAXREFDES79# complements four Maxim sensor reference designs (MAXREFDES23# light sensor, MAXREFDES27# proximity sensor, MAXREFDES36# 16-channel digital input, and MAXREFDES42# RTD temp sensor) to make the process quick and easy for customers to simulate factory operation.
MAXREFDES79# is a highly integrated development platform with software stack. The system has four ports, one for each IO-Link master (MAX14824) and integrates power supply products. MAXREFDES79# uses the industry’s fastest (400µs) COM 3 communication, comes with an adapter, and is enabled with a microUSB data connection.
Key Advantages
- Flexible and highly integrated: 4-port master with software stack can test any four IO-Link sensors
- Faster time to market: easy to plug in and quickly evaluate external sensors
- Affordable: significantly reduces both IO-Link master and sensor development time
Commentary
- “Maxim leveraged its expertise in IO-Link technology and analog integration to develop MAXREFDES79#, the industry’s most flexible and economical IO-Link master development platform for industrial automation,” said Timothy Leung, Senior Business Manager at Maxim Integrated. “IO-Link sensor developers now have a readily available reference design for quick evaluation to get ahead of the curve in Industry 4.0.”
- “Historically, the industrial sector was overlooked because of its complexity, but this is changing as the market potential increases,” said Colin Barnden, Principal Analyst at Semicast Research. “Maxim’s MAXREFDES79# reference design is an original approach to advancing an emerging technology like IO-Link to address the industrial market’s surging growth.”
Availability and Pricing
- The MAXREFDES79# board with software stack is available for $500. The initial unit costs $415 at Maxim’s website and select franchised distributors. Hardware and firmware design files, as well as test data, are provided free and available online.
- An unlimited software license is available for $85 from TEConcept:www.teconcept.de/index_en.php.
- For information on other reference designs, please visit Maxim’s Reference Design Center.
About Maxim Integrated
Maxim is the leader in analog integration. From mobile to industrial solutions, we’re making analog smaller, smarter, and more energy efficient. Learn more at www.maximintegrated.com.
