Customised boards in standard boxes: The successful modular platform concept REDline Power Boxes from Wurth Electronics ICS enables the realisation of individual power distributors with a short time-to-market and convinces by economic efficiency, optimal space utilization and customer-friendly service concept. By integrating the new CDM-A16 controller into the power boxes, they can now also be extended by numerous control and diagnostic functions.
Standard on the outside, individual on the inside
Thanks to their platform concept, REDline Power Boxes are ideally suited to implement a wide variety of requirements and applications. The customer can choose a box design from currently six available standard boxes that fits into his design and space concept. The PCB inside the box is then individually planned, dimensioned and produced according to the customer's specifications. Furthermore, the number and size of the current inputs, the number of pins and the output directions of the connectors can also be adapted very flexibly.
To expand the number of controllable functions in the REDline Power Boxes, the ICCS controllers can be integrated into the boxes. The programmable controllers from Wurth Electronics ICS can replace a large number of relays and can also be used to perform functions such as current or temperature measurement and CAN splitting. However, because their size more powerful controllers such as ICCS 64P CAN Controller can only be integrated into the largest of the REDline Power Boxes, the Twin Box.
Control & Diagnostic Module CDM-A16
The trend towards more intelligence and networking in ever smaller spaces encouraged the developers at Wurth Electronics ICS to look for ways to integrate even the more powerful controllers into the REDline Power Boxes in a space-saving manner during the design phase. The result: our new CDM-A16 controller, a vertically pluggable unit that takes up minimal space on the PCB, leaving plenty of room for additional components.
Another special feature: CDM-A16 also includes various diagnostic functions in addition to the classic and proven control system. For example, the module monitors the status of the fuses via six digital inputs. With 16 digital low-side 300 mA outputs, CDM-A16 also ensures efficient relay management. A peak-and-hold function reduces heat generation in the relay coil and thus extends the service life of the component. CDM-A16 can also manage current or temperature sensors via eight analog inputs and supply them with 5 V operating voltage. Smaller loads with current requirements of up to 2 A can also be supplied directly via the module. Four additional digital outputs are available for this purpose. The controller can communicate with several buses via two CAN connections and enables extended filter and gateway functions.
Programming environment WEcontrol Designer
CDM-A16 can be programmed easily, quickly and flexibly with the functional programming environment WEcontrol Designer. It contains numerous function block libraries that simplify and accelerate programming.
The set of powerful text and graphic editors for IEC 61131-3 languages supports programming types such as Sequential Flow Chart (SFC), Function Block Diagram (FBD), Ladder Diagram (LD) or Structured Text (ST).
Standardised protocols such as J1939 or a simple raw CAN can be used with the programming environment. The implementation of the UDS bootloader allows an easy integration into the software environment of the respective machine manufacturer.
To support the UDS protocol Wurth Electronics ICS offers the WE Flasher Tool. This can communicate with UDS via CAN and search the CAN network for the CDM-A16 in order to then upload applications or firmware updates. Due to the free programming, the module can be easily adapted to different consumer types or functions.