Building a Programmable Logic Controller with a PIC16F648A Microcontroller

Abstract

Programmable logic controllers (PLCs) have been used extensively in industry for the past five decades. PLC manufacturers offer different PLCs in terms of functions, program memories, and the number of inputs/outputs (I/Os), ranging from a few to thousands of I/Os. The design and implementation of PLCs have long been a secret of the PLC manufacturers. Recently, a serious work was reported by the author of this book to describe a microcontrollerbased implementation of a PLC. With a series of 22 articles published in Electronics World magazine (http//www.electronicsworld.co.uk/) between the years 2008 and 2010, the design and implementation of a PIC16F648Abased PLC were described. This book is based on an improved version of the project reported in Electronics World magazine.