Lab equipment · PLC training station
Basic CPU Module
Beckhoff CX9020 embedded PC running a PLC training kit with sensors, actuators and motors — the station where students wire, program and watch industrial control loops come alive.
The controller
Identification plate
Educational & research use
Safety information
Hazard — electrocution
The kit is fed from a 220 V mains supply. Never touch terminals, open wiring or the power block while the station is energised. The kit’s power supply steps this down to the 24 V DC that feeds the CX9020.
Precautions
No knocks or shocks to the screen, and no disassembly of the kit. Report any damage to the coordinator before use.
How to use the station
Look before you power
Check that the CX9020 is clipped on its DIN rail, that every terminal, sensor and actuator cable is seated and none is pinched or bare, and that nothing rests on the screen. Damage found now is the coordinator's problem, not yours — report it and do not switch on.
Switch on
Turn on the kit's mains supply. The 24 V DC feed starts the controller automatically: the operating system boots and every connected I/O module is configured. Wait for PWR to settle to steady green and HDD to stop flickering before you do anything else (about a minute).
Connect your PC
Plug an Ethernet cable into port X000 or X001. The controller takes its address by DHCP and answers to the host name CX-xxxxxx, where xxxxxx are the last three bytes of the MAC address printed on the nameplate.
To check it is alive, open https://CX-xxxxxx/config in a browser (Beckhoff Device Manager). The lab coordinator provides the login.
Open TwinCAT and pick the target
In TwinCAT 3 create or open your project, then SYSTEM › Choose Target › Search (Ethernet) and select the CX9020 by host name. Once linked, the TC LED reports the controller's mode from your PC's point of view.
Configure, then run
Scan or declare the kit's I/O, write your PLC program, and Activate Configuration: the controller goes to Config mode (TC blue). Login and Start put it in Run mode (TC green). Watch the sensor and actuator behaviour on the bench, not only in the online view.
Stop and shut down properly
Stop the PLC in TwinCAT, shut down the operating system from the Device Manager or TwinCAT, then switch off the mains. Never cut the power first, and never remove a microSD card while the controller is on — the program image lives on it.
Leave the station as you found it: cables tidy, PC disconnected, bench clear.
Reading the status LEDs
Do & don't
Do
- Work with a trained person nearby during your first sessions.
- Keep the 30 mm ventilation gap above and below the controller free.
- Save your TwinCAT project on your own drive before you leave.
- Log anything unusual — a red LED, a hot module, a stuck actuator — with the coordinator.
Don't
- Never touch wiring or terminals while the kit is energised.
- Never reverse supply polarity or disconnect 0 V while powered.
- Never open, unclip or disassemble any module.
- Never pull the microSD card or the power with the controller running.
This is a quick-start guide. The station's SOP and the USEK Laboratory Guidelines take precedence wherever they differ.
Before you start
This checklist is a personal reminder on your phone — it does not replace the coordinator's sign-off.