The first PC-based machine controller delivered by Beckhoff Automation in 1986 was a simple controller for a double mitre saw, which included a single-axis positioning controller with some machine sequence functions. The saw was a standard machine that became a sales success for the machine manufacturer thanks to the then new PC-based control technology. The combination of IT functions and automation technology in one control system was a revolution. For example, research data could be read directly into the machine control system using floppy disks. This was a real step forward in productivity in 1986.

1986: The first PC-based machine controller from Beckhoff.

© Beckhoff

The PC-based control concept was expanded in the following years: Multi-axis NC functionality and a complete, integrated software PLC enabled the PC-based control of even highly complex machines and systems. Nothing fundamental has changed in this concept since then: The abstraction of the control function from the device hardware and the consistent use of mainstream technologies from the IT world to converge with the principles of automation technology lead to an ever-increasing increase in performance and functionality on the one hand and to continuous cost reduction on the other.

The birth of the PC as an initial spark

The development of PC-based control systems went hand in hand with the general progress in PC technology and found its expression in a variety of devices that made the flexibility and universality of this platform available to the industrial world. The birth of the PC as we know it today was in 1981, when IBM launched the first PC with an x86 CPU: the IBM PC type 5150 had an 8088 processor with a clock frequency of
4.77 MHz clock frequency. At the time, IBM opted for this processor for cost reasons, as it allowed the connection of low-cost 8-bit peripherals, in contrast to the more powerful 8086. It was also intended to counter the increasing market success of the Z80 and Motorola 68000 processors. The x86 architecture became increasingly popular because it promised a large community with compatible and easy-to-use hardware and software, including a gigantic 10 MB hard disk for mass storage at the time. This meant that the tedious task of storing programs on audio cassettes was finally a thing of the past. The new DOS operating system from Microsoft also contributed to the success, which allegedly only found its way onto the IBM PC because IBM and Digital Research (the manufacturer of CP/M) could not agree to sign a so-called NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement).

The author: Andreas Thome is Senior Product Manager PC Control at Beckhoff Automation.

© Beckhoff

In addition to IBM, there is another name that immediately springs to mind in connection with the PC: Intel, founded in 1968 by Gordon Moore and Robert Noyce. The two original founders were joined shortly afterwards by Andy Grove, who served Intel as CEO until 1998 and as Chairman of the Board until 2004. He initiated the decisive change from a manufacturer of memory chips to the development and production of processors. This new path began with the first processor 4004 (4-bit, 1971), followed by the 8-bit successor 8008 (1972) and the first PC processor 8080 (1974). The first x86 processor was the 16-bit processor 8086, which appeared in 1978, but for cost reasons - the 16-bit peripherals were still too expensive at the time - it was not until 1979 that it found its way onto the PC mass market in a slimmed-down 8-bit format, as the 8088 processor.

IPC technology with own motherboards

1998: The control panels as remote operating and display elements.

© Beckhoff

The aim of PC-based control technology has always been to combine the best of two worlds - information technology and automation technology. Powerful Industrial PCs form the hardware basis for this. Beckhoff was one of the first to implement the complete machine control functions with a PC: the PLC function for sequence control, motion control, communication, data storage and the HMI for operator guidance. Today, even image processing and artificial intelligence in the form of machine learning
are integrated.
To achieve this, the PC had to be designed for industrial use. Beckhoff made the decision to develop and manufacture its own motherboards for this purpose in 1989, as it was clear that different requirements had to be met for industrial applications than for office applications. This could be taken into account much better with in-house motherboard development than by buying in. Beckhoff was able to realize more special boards and more compact form factors, i.e. integrate more functions on one board. This in turn resulted in housing designs that were more suitable for industrial applications, as well as better coordination with customer requirements in terms of performance and safety in monitoring.

IPCs plus software

With the first control programs that could run on a PC, Beckhoff provided its customers with PLC and motion control functions, including CNC, as early as 1988. The real-time capability of the PCs under the DOS operating system was achieved by a self-developed real-time extension. The actual controller was programmed in a programming language similar to Step 5. Even then, parts of the application, such as the visualization, could be written in C. The switch to the Windows operating system and a new programming philosophy began in 1995. Since 1996, Beckhoff has bundled the entire world of automation, from the I/O level to PLC, motion and CNC, in the TwinCAT platform. The platform realizes real-time, i.e. the deterministic, virtually jitter-free execution of tasks on a PC with a Windows operating system.

A revolution in the engineering sector is the use of Microsoft Visual Studio, which Beckhoff uses as a framework for the TwinCAT engineering tools. The globally accepted Visual Studio integrates the TwinCAT components for system configuration and PLC programming and allows the use of existing languages, such as C and C++, for real-time tasks. This means that extensive existing source codes in C/C++ can be used. The .Net programming languages, such as C# or VB.Net, are also available for non-real-time applications in the same programming environment. This means consistent engineering for the user: Visual Studio forms the common framework for all languages and all configurators. In addition, a range of add-ins are available for Visual Studio, such as the option of source code management.