Go-IO, Compact PLC Reference Design
Factory Subsystem Size and Performance Optimization
Suitable for smart cities, buildings, and robots due to miniaturization
Digital factories in Industry 4.0 must immediately adjust manufacturing equipment according to situations that change moment by moment.

Automobile manufacturers often produce a single vehicle model on a single line. However, if the manufacturing line is automated, multiple vehicle models can be produced on one line. In the case of food products, even if the origin of the ingredients varies, automated manufacturing lines detect and adjust for differences to maintain a consistent taste.
On the 7th, Maxim Integrated launched the 'Go-IO Industrial IoT Platform' to support these digital factories. Go-IO is the third-generation IIoT platform, following the first-generation 'Micro PLC' released by Maxim in 2014 and the second-generation 'Pocket IO' released in 2016, and has drastically reduced its size and ICs.

Go-IO provides intelligence to Industry 4.0 digital factory machines and meets the strict size and power requirements of in-factory PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers).

Globally, the growth rate of compact PLCs is about three times greater than that of large-sized PLCs. This is because the industrial sector increasingly desires smaller PLCs to realize edge computing in digital factories.

Go-IO, which integrates 17 configurable IOs in half the size of a credit card, enables self-diagnostic capabilities that maximize the potential of IIoT and improve productivity in automated factory subsystems.

For automated equipment to achieve complete industrial convergence, self-diagnosis and optimization capabilities are required. Go-IO monitors and communicates equipment status and situation information, and increases throughput and productivity.

Go-IO transfers control functions and intelligence from a single central control center to each automated piece of equipment, enabling the equipment to respond immediately to changed product specifications or manufacturing requirements.

Go-IO consumes 50% less power and is 10 times smaller than the previous generation, Pocket IO. The 28 ICs have been integrated into 12. Therefore, it satisfies the increasingly demanding size and power requirements of PLCs.

Flexible and robust open-source Go-IO has a small footprint, making it suitable not only for smart factories but also for smart buildings and robotics.

Go-IO includes 12 ICs, 17 IOs supporting multiple digital IO configurations, a 4-channel IO link master providing a universal IO interface to both analog and digital sensors, and a 25 Mbps isolated RS-485 communication channel providing a multi-drop data network.
Go-IO consists of MAX14819, MAX22192, MAX14912, MAXM22511, MAX14483, MAX14130, and MAXM15462.

The MAX14819 is a low-power dual-channel IO-Link master transceiver equipped with a sensor and actuator power supply controller.

The MAX22192 is an 8-channel digital input device equipped with isolated SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface), open circuit detection, and an accurate input current limiter, and is available in a 6mm x 10mm package.

The MAX14912 is an 8-channel digital output driver that supports a 640mA high-side switch or push-pull output. It provides 200kHz switching and inductive kickback demagnetization.

The MAXM22511 is an integrated 2.5kVRMS isolated power and digital isolated RS-485 transceiver module. It supports a 25Mbps data transfer rate with +/-35kV electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection and is available in a compact 9.5mm x 11.5mm package.

The MAX14483 is a 6-channel 3.75kVRMS galvanic low-power digital isolator available in a compact 20-pin SSOP (Shrink Small Outline Package).

The MAX14130 is a 4-channel 1kVRMS galvanic digital isolator provided in a compact 16-pin QSOP (Quarter-Size Small Outline Package).

The MAXM15462 is a Himalaya uSLIC voltage regulator IC and power module that supports industrial power devices that are smaller, simpler, and have improved cooling effects.

Robbie Galoso, Senior Research Analyst at IHS Markit, stated, “Implementing IIoT requires increasing the number of smart, connected sensors and PLCs within automated factory equipment,” adding, “Solutions that accelerate the adoption of these devices will prove their value in the manufacturing processes of a wide range of products, from automobiles and cosmetics to exercise equipment.”
Jeff DeAngelis, General Manager of the Industry and Healthcare Business Unit at Maxim Integrated, stated, “Because smart factories collect data from automated machinery, PLCs must be made smaller to fit down assembly lines or complex machinery.” “Go-IO not only increases productivity but also provides machine status and situation information necessary for important decision-making in real time,” he said.