Chapter 6 - Wiring Techniques

Figure 6-18 - Triac Output Unit

Figure 6-19 contains the wiring diagram for a triac output unit. As can be seen in
the diagram, the common terminal for the triacs is connected to one side of the AC source
powering the output devices controlled by the unit. Output units are available with different
voltage and current ratings. The devices being controlled by the output unit shown in
Figure 6-19 look the same as the ones in Figure 6-17. The difference is that all devices in
Figure 6-17 are DC units and all devices in Figure 6-19 operate on AC. Also notice that the
diode across K1 is not present in the triac output unit drawing. This is because the triac
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Chapter 6 - Wiring Techniques

turns OFF when the applied current crosses through zero volts. The result is that either a
very small magnetic field is present or no magnetic field is present when the triac turns OFF
and the voltage spike present in a DC system is not generally a problem. This can still be
a problem if the coil is highly inductive because the voltage and current will be so far out
of phase that some voltage will still be present when the current crosses zero. In this case
a series combination of resistance and capacitance is connected in parallel with the coil.
This series R-C circuit is referred to as a snubber. The terminal of the AC source generally
connected to the common terminal of the output unit is the neutral lead of the source.

Figure 6-19 - Triac Output Wiring

Figure 6-20 shows the schematic diagram of an output unit containing three TTL
outputs. Notice that these outputs are also optically isolated. In some cases these may
be direct and not optically isolated but the isolated units provide better protection for the
PLC. The outputs of the TTL unit have a common terminal (OUTCOM) which must be
connected to the negative terminal of the power supply for the external TTL devices being
driven by the output unit. Some TTL output units require that the 5 VDC power for the
output circuitry be connected to the output unit to also provide power for it's internal TTL
circuitry. The connection of these outputs to external TTL circuitry would be the same as
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Chapter 6 - Wiring Techniques

with any other TTL connections. The only concern with these outputs is that various PLC
manufacturers specify the outputs as positive or negative logic. How this is handled in the
ladder diagram will be affected by this specification.

Figure 6-20 - TTL Output Unit

As can be seen from the above discussion of input and output units, there are a
large variety of options available. Wiring for each type of unit is critical to the unit's proper
operation. Much care must be taken to insure proper operation of the output or input unit
without causing damage. Also, there are safety concerns which must be addressed when
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