Arduino has launched its first micro PLC for building automation applications.

The Arduino Pro Opta supports standard languages including LD (Ladder Logic Diagram) and FBD (Function Block Diagram). It is designed to allow professional users to scale up industrial and building automation projects employing open-source technologies and free of potential vendor-lock-in.

To develop the new PLC, Arduino partnered with Finder, a specialist in mission-critical electromechanical and electronic components.

The Arduino Pro Opta features a range of onboard connectivity and machine learning capabilities.

The new PLC is designed to enable high performance computing, a high level of data security, rapid development and availability in three different variants to better suit end user needs.

The Opta’s STM32H747XI dual-core Cortex-M7 +M4 MCU provides the capability for real-time operations and implement predictive maintenance capabilities. It also supports OTA firmware updates and ensures data security from the hardware to the Cloud through M2M communication, thanks to the onboard secure element and X.509 Standard compliance.

Arduino has provided extensive sketches, tutorials and software libraries to accompany the Opta, designed to allow developers to implement Industrial IoT applications faster and easier.

Three variants of the micro PLC are available with incremental features: Opta Lite with onboard Ethernet and USB-C programming ports, Opta RS485 which also adds RS485 half duplex connectivity interface, and Opta WiFi, designed as most versatile option, featuring also Wi-Fi/Bluetooth Low Energy connectivity.