LED Annunciator/Light Box for Class 1 Div 2 Area

[dhula]

Hi,

I'm trying to find an LED annunciator/indicator panel to install on a nema4x panel in a Class 1, Div 2 environment.

All I need is visual indication of PLC outputs on the exterior of the control panel. I don't need any special annunciator functionality - essentially just a panel with an array of LEDs and an input channel for each.

I need to display 52 signals but can accommodate multiple smaller arrays if necessary.

Does anyone have any suggestions??

Alternatively, I can easily build an LED board, but need a large enough windowed explosion-proof enclosure that I could also mount onto the face of the control panel.

Something low profile (short depth) would be preferable. I have about 6" of clearance behind where I intend to mount this LED display.

Thanks!

 

[DM2-Inc]

You could try "PanAlarm" annunciators. They have a Model 910 that fits on a backplane with 10 LED's. I suspect they can be ganged up. The problem is that it's 10" deep.

They also make a model AN-3196B that you may also be able to gang up and it appears to be only 6" deep.

You may find that you'll have to go to someone like HR Kirkland, Space Age Electronics, or LED Incorporated and have them build you a face plate that you can put into either your box or their box, and then purge it. These 3 companies specialize in graphic annunciators, but they could build an array of LED's with labels below each LED to facilitate your needs. If you have some kind of interface board with relays, you could send it to them and they'll mount it on a back pan and wire the LED's to the relays as needed.

It's been my experience that with this many LED's you may be better off using a VGA Display from someone like Red Lion. According to their G Series Brochure Their G303, G306A, G308A, G308C, G310, and G315 series products are all listed for Class I, Division 2 locations. You'll have to do some programming and would need a serial interface to the PLC and a MODBUS Output from the PLC. These units are more expensive, but I've found that the cost of an LED type annunciator is about 1/2 the cost of one of these units. With the savings in labor to pull and terminate all of the wiring You may be better off going this way. Also, if the LED type annunciator is built wrong, it's more time consuming and costly to change than a graphics display. If you find the local Red Lion rep in your area, they may be able to recommend someone to write a program for you, if you're not comfortable with programming one of these.