Why Your Business Needs Advantech PC-Based CODESYS: The AMAX IoT Control Platform Solution

The answer lies in understanding the three critical bottlenecks that often plague traditional industrial automation systems, and how these inherent limitations directly impact your operational efficiency and overall profitability. These three fundamental challenges—slow handshake protocols, IoT integration difficulties, and vision system coordination issues—each present unique and substantial barriers to achieving truly seamless and high-performing automation.

The Integration Crisis Affecting Your Bottom Line

Traditional PLC and HMI systems suffer from slow handshake protocols that create production delays you can measure in lost revenue. When operators wait for system responses or data visualization lags behind real-time processes, you're losing the agility essential for competitive manufacturing. These aren't just technical inconveniences—they're business-critical issues affecting throughput and quality.

IoT integration challenge becomes even more expensive when you consider that traditional PLCs require costly modules and specialized CPU upgrades to support IoT functionality. This fragmented approach forces you to maintain multiple systems, each with its own maintenance requirements and potential failure points.

Perhaps most challenging bottleneck is the vision system coordination problem. High-precision manufacturing demands microsecond-level synchronization between vision systems and motion control. Traditional architectures force you to maintain separate PC-based vision systems and PLC-based controllers, creating timing variations that compromise both quality and throughput.

Where AMAX Delivers Targeted Solutions

Different manufacturing sectors experience these challenges in unique ways. In semiconductor manufacturing, you need microsecond-level precision for yield optimization—something traditional systems simply cannot deliver consistently. Electronics manufacturing requires integrated vision and motion control for high-speed quality inspection, while packaging machinery demands multi-axis synchronization with rapid changeover capabilities. Factory automation initiatives need seamless IT/OT convergence for comprehensive data analytics.

AMAX addresses these specific needs by eliminating fragmentation through a unified platform that integrates PLC, HMI, and IoT functions in a single solution. This approach delivers measurable benefits: simplified system integration, reduced maintenance complexity, and seamless IoT connectivity without additional hardware investments.

What Makes Advantech PC-Based CODESYS Special?

The fundamental difference lies in Advantech's transformation from a hardware provider to a complete IoT automation controller solution. This evolution reflects a deep understanding that modern manufacturing requires carefully integrated systems, not just powerful components.

Where AMAX Delivers Targeted Solutions

Unlike generic PC-based solutions that simply install software on industrial computers, AMAX provides deep hardware-software integration where every component is engineered to work in harmony. This creates a synergistic effect that enhances overall system performance beyond what individual components could achieve.

AMAX offers three optimized controller categories, each designed for specific applications. Panel Controllers combine processing power with integrated HMI functionality, eliminating traditional separation between control logic and operator interfaces. Industrial PC Controllers provide high-performance processing for complex applications like vision-integrated manufacturing, while Embedded Controllers deliver sophisticated functionality in compact form factors suitable for distributed architectures.

Real-Time Performance That You Can Measure

AMAX guarantees 500μs to 1ms cycle time through comprehensive optimization that addresses every aspect of system performance. This isn't just a specification claim—it's a validated capability backed by testing at dedicated verification centers. The platform achieves this through EtherCAT industrial Ethernet for deterministic communication, Intel TCC technology for real-time workload prioritization, and comprehensive system tuning.

The AMAX Studio Development Environment provides IEC 61131-3 compliant programming with advanced tools, while built-in IoT connectivity includes MQTT, OPC UA, and ODBC protocols as core features rather than expensive add-ons. This native integration enables seamless IT/OT convergence without the complexity and costs associated with traditional gateway solutions.

Does Advantech Offer CODESYS Licenses for Windows and Linux?

Yes, Advantech recognizes that different applications have different requirements, which is why the company provides comprehensive CODESYS licenses for both operating systems. This dual-platform approach ensures you can select the optimal environment for your specific needs without compromising functionality.

Understanding Your Platform Options

Windows CODESYS Runtime excels when you need integration with existing Windows-based infrastructure or require extensive third-party software compatibility. This platform provides comprehensive protocol support including PROFINET, EtherCAT, Ethernet I/P, and OPC UA, along with advanced visualization capabilities for complex operator interfaces.

Linux CODESYS Control V3 prioritizes maximum real-time performance and resource efficiency. This platform delivers superior real-time characteristics with lower jitter, making it ideal for demanding control applications. Linux implementation supports both x86 and ARM architectures, providing flexibility in hardware selection while maintaining consistent functionality.

The choice between platforms depends on your specific requirements. Windows proves ideal for integration-heavy environments, while Linux excels in performance-critical applications. Both platforms include the same comprehensive protocol support and unlimited EtherCAT I/O capabilities, ensuring you don't sacrifice functionality regardless of your choice.

How Does Advantech AMAX IoT Control Platform Ensure Real-Time Performance?

Real-time performance isn't achieved through a single optimization technique—it requires systematic optimization at every level of the system architecture. AMAX's approach addresses hardware, system, and application levels simultaneously to create predictable, consistent performance.

The Three-Tier Optimization Strategy

Hardware-level optimization begins with Intel TCC (Time Coordinated Computing) technology integration, which prioritizes real-time workloads and prevents performance degradation through Cache Allocation Technology. This foundation is enhanced by specialized hardware design that prevents common performance pitfalls like L3 cache conflicts and interrupt handling issues.

System-level optimization leverages Advantech's in-house BIOS engineering expertise to implement custom optimizations specifically for real-time control applications. This includes Intel TCC tools implementation and specialized fabric tuning that achieves a remarkable 90% reduction in maximum jitter compared to standard configurations.

Application-level optimization focuses on CODESYS integration excellence through customized Linux OS enhancements and EtherCAT master stack optimization. This level includes real-time kernel modifications and application-specific performance tuning that ensures optimal coordination between hardware capabilities and software requirements.

Validated Performance You Can Trust

These optimizations deliver measurable results validated through rigorous testing. Performance benchmarks demonstrate the dramatic improvements achieved through AMAX's three-tier optimization approach:

Proven Performance Across Platforms: The effectiveness of optimization varies by platform configuration, with Linux implementations consistently delivering superior real-time characteristics. Intel TCC CPU, optimized BIOS and optimized OS tuning are key factors to improve the real-time performance. From the below figure, it demonstrates the real-time control capability and predictability improvement through these factors.

Measurable Optimization Impact: The three-tier optimization approach shows dramatic performance improvements when comparing standard configurations to fully optimized systems. Maximum jitter reduction of 90% through BIOS and OS optimization demonstrates the effectiveness of system-level tuning, while Intel TCC features provide additional refinement that reduces jitter to the 20μs~30μs range verified on AMAX-5570 platforms.

Rigorous Validation Process: Verification centers in Taiwan and Kunshan, China conduct comprehensive two-phase testing that ensures consistent performance across all platforms. Phase I focuses on fundamental real-time performance including CODESYS + EtherCAT capabilities and Intel TCC optimization. Phase II provides comprehensive system integration testing that validates complete motion control applications and IoT automation controller functionality. This rigorous approach includes 12-24 hour continuous operation validation, ensuring every platform meets specified performance criteria before reaching customers.

What CODESYS License Features Does Advantech Offer?

Advantech's licensing approach eliminates the complexity and uncertainty associated with protocol-specific licensing. Each package provides comprehensive functionality designed to meet real-world application requirements without forcing you to purchase unnecessary features or accept capability limitations.

Comprehensive License Packages

Windows CODESYS packages range from basic runtime with complete protocol support (Code 100) to full-featured implementations including Target and Web Visualization (Code 102) and advanced SoftMotion capabilities (Code 106). All packages include unlimited EtherCAT I/O points and axes connections, along with comprehensive protocol support for OPC UA, PROFINET, Ethernet I/P, Modbus, and CANopen.

Linux CODESYS offerings prioritize performance optimization while maintaining essential protocol support. Packages scale from basic Linux control runtime (Code 200) through Web Visualization capabilities (Code 202) and SoftMotion functionality (Code 206) to complete packages with CNC & Robotics functions (Code 208). The Linux implementation provides enhanced real-time performance characteristics across all package levels.

Making the Right Choice

License selection should match your application requirements rather than general preferences. Basic I/O control applications benefit from foundational packages (Code 100/200), while machine HMI applications require visualization capabilities (Code 102/202). Motion control applications need SoftMotion functionality (Code 106/206), and advanced robotics or CNC applications require complete packages (Code 208).

The licensing includes value-added features like optional NVRAM support for data retention, version flexibility across multiple CODESYS runtime versions, and comprehensive technical support for implementation and optimization. 

 Take AMAX with CODESYS Linux Control as example:

Conclusion

Advantech's AMAX IoT Control Platform with PC-based CODESYS represents a fundamental shift from fragmented automation architectures to unified, high-performance solutions. By integrating PLC, HMI, and IoT functions in a single platform, AMAX eliminates the complexity and costs associated with traditional multi-vendor approaches while delivering superior performance and reliability.

The platform's comprehensive Windows and Linux CODESYS license offerings ensure optimal configuration for your specific requirements, whether you prioritize integration compatibility or maximum real-time performance. With proven microsecond-level precision, unlimited scalability, and comprehensive protocol support, AMAX enables manufacturers across semiconductor, electronics, packaging, and factory automation sectors to modernize their infrastructure without compromising reliability.

The three-tier performance optimization approach, validated through rigorous testing and backed by comprehensive support, provides the confidence necessary to implement advanced automation strategies that drive competitive advantage.

Ready to transform your automation system? Contact Advantech's automation specialists to discover how AMAX PC-based CODESYS can optimize your manufacturing operations and accelerate your digital transformation journey.