Industrial Automation Magazine India

New IDEC HMI uses smartphone-type glass touch panel

Published on : Wednesday 16-03-2022

Advanced technology touchscreen displays in a popular-sized form factor make this HMI a leading choice for many applications across a wide variety of industries.

Sunnyvale, CA, March 2022 — IDEC Corporation has expanded its HMI product family with the new HG2J Series 7" touchscreen HMI. Hardware and software advancements incorporated into this HMI make it easier to integrate and use for any type of industrial application.

The HMI's projected capacitive touch panel (PCAP) technology saves space, improves performance, is wear-resistant, and provides a long life. PCAP glass requires fewer layers than traditional analog resistive plastic films, and the self-capacitance technology can also prevent accidental input due to water droplets. It is also more resistant to scratches, won't turn yellow in the sun, and has a higher tolerance for dirt deposits, and for contact with cleaning or washdown chemicals. Fewer layers and better light transmission ratings mean less backlight power is needed and provides an industry-leading 500 cd/m2 brightness level and 50,000-hour backlight life.

With a TFT LCD display resolution of 800x480 pixels, the HG2J HMI is conveniently sized for applications both small and large, and it provides smooth font rendering within its large high-visibility display area. This PCAP display does not require the large bezels of standard IR displays, allowing the bezel to be slimmer and sleeker in appearance for a small installation footprint, and the overall HMI depth is just 30mm, substantially less than the 40mm or more depth required by competing products.

Operation with an input voltage of 12-24 VDC makes the HG2J HMI suitable for a wide variety of industrial, solar, and vehicle applications. The HMI is rated for operation in an exceptionally wide temperature range of -20 to +60°C, and it carries IP66/67, UL, and CE ratings, with a Class I Div 2 hazardous location rating.

HG2J HMIs feature a full complement of connectivity options, including two USB A ports, serial connectivity (RS485/422 and RS232C), and an Ethernet port. Push-in wiring connectors are used for power and serial connections, providing easy installation and service. The USB ports enable connectivity with Linux-compatible accessories such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth dongles, speakers, and barcode readers.

A single reset button is used for rebooting the unit, and a multifunction front LED light provides status information for the hardware, boot mode, and OS operating mode. Maintenance is simplified because the HMI requires no batteries, it uses MRAM to maintain data stored in internal data registers in the absence of power, and it features a hypercapacitor to maintain clock operation for up to two weeks without line power.

The HG2J HMI supports over 100 serial and Ethernet industrial communication protocols, including Modbus, providing connectivity with most PLC makes and models and making it ideal for industrial internet of things (IIoT) applications.