Does anyone have experience on how to program an Omron Zen relay. The Zen relays are programmable relays that are reasonably cheap. The way I see them, they are a bare-bones PLC device with a few inputs and outputs.
Are there limitations on what you can do? Aside from the limited number of IO which is easy to see...
My thoughts on programmable relays are that you get what you pay for. They are basically a simplified PLC with some limitations. I think if you are using them for very basic control circuits they would be fine.
As for Zen relay programming, I have never programmed one of these but it seems like it would just be a basic ladder style software. Does it come with a software package or do you have to go to Ormon's website and download it?
I bought a Zen relay starter kit from one of the big name electronics suppliers a few years ago. It came with the Zen programming program. I wasn't overly impress that I would keep buying them, but it didn't work.
The only negative thing i can remember was that the programming package was cumbersome and i think that was why I got discouraged. The relay I bought is still in use today incidentally.