Schneider / Modicon M340 and M580

BMXP342000 and BMXP342020 differ by one digit. One has Ethernet and one does not. And on the M340 a trailing H is a severe environment version, which is not what H means on the M580.

M340 and M580 are the current Modicon controllers, programmed in EcoStruxure Control Expert, formerly Unity Pro. These are what a legacy Premium or Quantum system migrates to.

The prefix tells you the platform

One letter apart and different platforms. A BMXXBP0800 and a BMEXBP0800 are both eight slot racks and they are not the same rack.

Some modules are shared between the two, and many are not. Send the whole part number.

The function code decode

Once you know the pattern, most Modicon part numbers read themselves.

The digits are the channel count

Consistent across the range and genuinely useful.

So you can read the I/O count and rack size straight off the number.

The K suffix

Note that the 32 and 64 point modules carry a K, as in BMXDDI3202K. The higher density modules use connectors rather than screw terminal blocks, because there is no room for 64 screw terminals on a module face.

That means the field wiring is different. A 32 point module needs the matching connector or a pre-wired cable such as the BMXFCW series, and those are separate parts.

The M340 processors

Two things in that table

The digit after P34 is the capability level. A BMXP341000 is a Level 1 CPU at 512 discrete I/O; a BMXP342000 is Level 2 at 1024.

And BMXP342000 against BMXP342020 is Ethernet or no Ethernet. Same I/O capacity, same level, one digit different.

If a machine talks to a SCADA system or an HMI over Ethernet and you fit the 342000, nothing communicates. That is a real and easily made mistake.

BMXP342020 in full

Note the single rack figures are much lower than the multi-rack ones. 704 discrete against 1024, and 66 analogue against 256.

So a CPU rated at 256 analogue I/O will only carry 66 of them if everything sits on one rack. If a system is growing, the constraint may be the rack count rather than the processor.

The H suffix means different things on the two platforms

Worth being careful about, because the letter appears in both families in different positions.

On the M340 the H is at the end. On the M580 it replaces the P near the start. Different position, different meaning.

What the M340 H version gives you

That is a considerably wider temperature range and a hazardous area rating. Relevant in New Zealand for unheated buildings, outdoor cabinets and any Division 2 area.

Same idea as the ABB XC extreme conditions modules on our AC500 page. If the existing module is an H version, the standard one is not a valid replacement, and it will look identical on the shelf.

The M580 processors

The digit after 58 is the performance level, running from 1 up to 6. So a BMEP586040 sits well above a BMEP581020.

Send us the full number and we will confirm the variant, because the trailing digits also vary the I/O and communication capability.

Hot Standby is a pair

A redundant M580 system uses two Hot Standby CPUs, a primary and a standby, so the plant continues if one fails.

If you are replacing one half of a redundant pair, the replacement must be the same Hot Standby part. A standalone BMEP58 will not take its place, however similar the number looks.

Tell us if the CPU is part of a redundant system.

Racks and power supplies

Power supplies run BMXCPS2000, BMXCPS2010, BMXCPS3020, BMXCPS3500 and BMXCPS4002.

The power supply occupies rack slots. An eight slot rack does not give you eight I/O modules once the CPU and supply are in. Count the slots you actually have left before ordering modules.

Rack extension uses the BMXXBE bus extender modules and BMXXBC extension cables, both separate parts.

The memory card is a separate item

Modicon memory cards carry the BMXRMS prefix, for example BMXRMS008MP and BMXRMS004GPF.

On M340 the memory card holds the application. So when a processor is replaced, the card matters as much as the CPU.

If you are buying a used processor, ask whether a card is included. If you are replacing a failed one, keep the card.

Same principle as the PCMCIA card on Premium processors, covered on our Schneider overview.

Remote I/O

A remote drop is a rack of I/O away from the CPU with an adapter in place of a processor. The adapter is what makes it a drop rather than a main rack, and it is a different part from the CPU it reports to.

M340 and M580 work together

Schneider positions the M340 as usable on its own but also as a companion to the M580.

So a plant does not have to be all one or all the other. A common arrangement is an M580 as the main controller with M340 stations on machines, and that is a legitimate architecture rather than a migration halfway done.

Software

Both platforms use EcoStruxure Control Expert, previously called Unity Pro.

They are the same product under two names. If a site has Unity Pro licences and documentation referring to Control Expert, that is a rename rather than a different tool.

A replacement processor arrives without your application. The memory card may carry it; the licence for the software is separate again.

What to send us

The full part number. BMX or BME, and every digit.

Whether it has a trailing H, since that is the severe environment version.

Whether the CPU is part of a Hot Standby pair.

Whether you need the memory card.

For a high density module, whether you need the connectors or pre-wired cables.

What we can supply

Current production. The full M340 and M580 range. Processors, racks, power supplies, discrete and analogue I/O, counters, event modules, Ethernet and serial modules, remote drop adapters, terminal blocks, cables and memory cards. Quoted with a delivered lead time.

Whole systems. If you are specifying a new station or a migration from Premium or Quantum, send the I/O count and we will quote the rack, supply, CPU and modules as a set.

Spares. The modules worth holding are the ones you have most of. Usually that is a discrete input card and a power supply.

Related

Schneider overview, including the legacy Premium, Quantum and Momentum platforms these replace.

Altivar drives and TeSys contactors.

For controllers from other brands see Siemens S7-1500, ControlLogix, Omron NX and NJ and ABB AC500.

Send us your part numbers

One module or a full rack schedule. Watch the trailing digits, because they carry the Ethernet capability and the environmental rating. Quotes in NZD including GST.

Request a quote

Industech is an independent supplier of new, surplus and used industrial automation equipment. We are not an authorised distributor of, approved by, sanctioned by, or affiliated with Schneider Electric. Schneider Electric, Modicon, Unity Pro and EcoStruxure are trademarks of Schneider Electric. All trademarks, brand names and part numbers are the property of their respective owners and are used here for identification purposes only.