Control Components for System Integrators | Charter Controls

[INSERT IMAGE: Real system integration or automation control panel featuring PLC, HMI, VFD, industrial Ethernet and remote-access equipment. Use genuine Charter Controls products or an authentic installation photograph only.]

Control and automation products for system integrators

System integrators have to make products from different parts of the control system work together. The requirement may include PLC control, operator interfaces, variable-speed drives, remote communications, monitoring and the supporting components inside the control panel.

Charter Controls represents manufacturers across these functions and holds key products in UK stock. That allows system integrators to source several parts of an automation architecture through one supplier while retaining access to technical support on the products we supply.

Whether you are developing a single system or applying a common architecture across several installations, we can review the specification and identify where Charter Controls products can support the project.

PLC control for automation systems

WECON PLCs provide programmable control for machine and process automation applications.

The WECON LX Series provides a scalable PLC platform for applications requiring digital and analogue I/O, communications and integration with operator interfaces and other automation equipment.

For system integrators, using a common PLC family across related projects can also help create consistency in engineering, programming, commissioning and future support.

[INSERT IMAGE: WECON LX Series PLC and expansion modules. Source: WECON PLC range.]

HMIs for local operator control

WECON industrial HMIs provide the local interface between operators and the automation system.

The range covers different display sizes and communications requirements, allowing an HMI to be selected to suit anything from a compact machine interface to a larger process or site-level display.

Where the application requires a larger industrial touchscreen, the WECON PI8102IG provides a 10.1-inch display with Ethernet and serial communications.

[INSERT IMAGE: WECON PI8102IG or another genuine WECON HMI displaying an industrial process screen. Source: WECON HMI range.]

Remote access and IIoT connectivity

System integration increasingly extends beyond the equipment installed inside the control panel. Engineers may also need remote access for diagnostics, commissioning, data collection or ongoing support.

The WECON V-BOX IIoT range provides gateways designed to connect industrial automation equipment to remote services.

For sites requiring cellular connectivity, the WECON V-BOX H-AG provides a 4G-capable industrial IIoT gateway for remote access to connected equipment.

This can give integrators another route to diagnosing equipment without making every investigation dependent on an immediate site visit.

[INSERT IMAGE: WECON V-BOX H-AG IIoT gateway connected to PLC/HMI equipment. Source: WECON V-BOX H-AG product page.]

Compact programmable control with GIC Genie PRO

Not every part of an integrated system requires a full machine-control PLC.

The GIC Genie PRO provides compact programmable control for smaller automation, monitoring and sequencing requirements.

GIC positions Genie PRO as a compact PLC. Charter Controls lists the products within its expandable smart relay range, reflecting the role it can play between conventional relay logic and larger PLC-based control systems.

Depending on the selected model, the range combines digital I/O, analogue-capable inputs, high-speed inputs, relay or transistor outputs and communications in a DIN rail format.

For system integrators, that creates an additional control option for auxiliary processes, local sequencing and smaller standalone sections of a wider automation system.

[INSERT IMAGE: GIC Genie PRO compact PLC/smart relay with expansion modules. Source: GIC Genie PRO range page.]

Motor and motion control

Veichi variable frequency drives provide motor speed and process control for machinery, pumps, fans, conveyors and other motor-driven equipment.

The range includes the Veichi AC10 and AC310 series, allowing system integrators to select a drive platform appropriate to the motor and application requirements.

Variable frequency drives can form part of a wider automation architecture alongside PLC control, HMIs, remote connectivity and motor monitoring.

[INSERT IMAGE: Genuine Veichi AC310 variable frequency drive. Source: Veichi inverter range.]

Use the motor as a process sensor

Motor-driven equipment can provide useful information about the process it is driving.

Unipower motor load monitors measure the load on a motor and can be integrated into control systems for process monitoring, machine protection and condition information.

The Unipower HPL500MB measures true motor power in kW and provides relay outputs, an isolated 0/4-20 mA analogue output and RS-485 Modbus RTU communications.

This gives an integrator several ways to bring motor-load information into the wider automation system.

The wider Unipower HPL and APM ranges provide additional options where motor power, load or process information needs to become part of the control strategy.

[INSERT IMAGE: Unipower HPL500MB with motor and process graphic showing motor load data feeding PLC/SCADA. Use genuine HPL500MB product photography. Product source: HPL500MB product page.]

Industrial networking

Once PLCs, HMIs, drives and remote gateways are connected, the network infrastructure becomes another part of the control system.

Charter Controls supplies Smartbyte industrial Ethernet switches for DIN rail installation, including unmanaged Ethernet and PoE options for industrial networks.

These can be used to connect Ethernet-capable PLCs, HMIs, gateways and other industrial devices within a machine or control panel.

[INSERT IMAGE: Smartbyte DIN rail industrial Ethernet switch connected to PLC, HMI and V-BOX. Use genuine Smartbyte product photography.]

Build a repeatable automation architecture

For a one-off project, component selection is primarily about meeting the requirements of that installation. Across repeat machines or multiple sites, consistency becomes increasingly valuable.

Using common product families can simplify drawings, software development, panel construction, commissioning, documentation and future maintenance.

Charter Controls can help system integrators review which parts of an automation architecture could sensibly remain common across projects while leaving application-specific engineering decisions where they belong.

This might include:

• a common PLC family;
• a consistent HMI platform;
• standardised remote-access gateways;
• common variable frequency drives;
• consistent motor monitoring;
• and common supporting panel components.

The objective is not to force every installation into the same design. It is to reduce unnecessary variation where a proven product family can be reused.

More than the automation hardware

A complete integration project normally requires considerably more than the PLC and HMI.

Charter Controls also supplies supporting control-panel products including Connectwell DIN rail terminals, Shenler relays, DIN rail power supplies, thermal management products and Esbee panel control and indication products.

This gives system integrators the option to consolidate more of the panel specification alongside the main automation products.

[INSERT IMAGE: Complete system integrator component spread using genuine WECON PLC and HMI, WECON V-BOX, GIC Genie PRO, Veichi AC310, Unipower HPL500MB, Connectwell terminals, Shenler relays and Smartbyte Ethernet switch. Real product photography only.]

Why Charter Controls?

• UK stock: key control and automation ranges are stocked in the UK.
• Direct manufacturer relationships: Charter Controls acts as a manufacturers' agent and direct OEM importer.
• Technical support: discuss product selection, communications, accessories and application requirements with our technical team.
• Multiple automation functions from one account: PLCs, HMIs, IIoT, drives, motor monitoring and supporting panel components.
• BOM review: send your existing specification and we can identify the products and ranges Charter Controls can support.
• Rated Excellent on Trustpilot: independent customer feedback provides additional evidence of the service behind the products.

Frequently asked questions

Can Charter Controls support automation projects across multiple sites?

Yes. Charter Controls can review the control and automation products required across a programme and identify product families that could be used consistently between sites. Individual site requirements still need to be assessed separately, but using common PLC, HMI, communications, drive and monitoring platforms can reduce unnecessary variation.

Is the GIC Genie PRO a PLC or a smart relay?

GIC positions the Genie PRO as a compact PLC. Charter Controls lists it within its expandable smart relay range and describes the products as smart relay PLCs. In practical terms, it provides programmable control for applications that need more capability than conventional relay logic without necessarily requiring a larger PLC platform.

Can Charter Controls provide remote access to equipment across multiple sites?

WECON V-BOX IIoT gateways provide remote-access options for compatible connected automation equipment. The appropriate communications method and system architecture depend on the equipment, network, cybersecurity requirements and individual application.

Can motor condition or load information be integrated into a PLC or SCADA system?

Yes. Products such as the Unipower HPL500MB provide analogue and RS-485 Modbus RTU outputs in addition to relay outputs, allowing motor-load information to be incorporated into a wider control or monitoring system.