2
1-1 What is a Control System?
A Control System is the electronic equipment needed to control a particular pro-
cess. It may include everything from a process control computer, if one is used,
to the factory computer, down through the PCs (and there may be many of them
networked together) and then on down through the network to the control com-
ponents: the switches, stepping motors, solenoids, and sensors which monitor
and control the mechanical operations.
PC PC PC
PCs
Process Control Computer
Factory Computer
Control Components
A Control System can involve very large applications where many different mod-
els of PC are networked together or it could be an application as small as a single
PC controlling a single output device.
What is a Control System? Section 1-1