What's in my repetoire?
I've used AB and Unitronics PLCs, and VLC soft PLC.
I've used AB, Yaskawa, and AD servos.
I've used Ultrmaster/IQ 2000 positioning drives and Trio 206 motion controllers.
I've used Exor HMI's, and am planning to buy a C-more.
I've used Wago and Numatics devicenet remote IO, and Beckhoff serial modbus RTU remote IO.
Preferences:
Unitronics - better cost/features ratio, huge communications capacity, easier to program, free software and support. AB is not dramatically overpriced, and has a faster scan, but is more difficult to proram and fewer features for the dollar. VLC, put succinctly, sucks donkeys.
Trio - very similiar to the Ultramasters in some respects, just newer and more advanced. Latest project was a blow-out success (THANKS PETER AND KEITH!!)
Where a Trio would be overkill, I go AD if possible - modbus makes it a natural fit for Unitronics PLCs. If that just won't do, Yaskawa beats AB in price. For devicenet (duh) I use AB.
Exors are okay, but slower than mud. Unitronics have a built-in HMI, so I haven't bought an exor for a new project in several years. I'm looking at a C-more for my next job because the HMI of the Uni is just too small for the info I need to display, but a comparable PV+ costs double the c-more.
Wago IO - no complaints, trouble-free. Numatics IO - avoid this like your in-laws. I replace comm modules every few months. Beckhoff IO - rock-solid, almost comically easy to set up, Unitronics compatible, fast, noise-immune (fiber optics! gotta love it) and IP-67 rated with lots of specialty modules that expand my Uni's capabilities in directions Haim and Avner never foresaw. And a great price.
I won't slam AB anymore, because overall, I think they have good products, and their prices, while high, are still in the range of fair. However, I generally have little trouble finding something comparable at a better price elsewhere, and I'm more hung up on performance than brand.
My two bits.
TM
