This information only applies to the input being measured.

If reliable operation is going to be assured for all

similar inputs, it will be necessary to ascertain from the
PLC manufacturer what tolerance can be expected on
those measured values.

POWER
SUPPLY

CURRENT SOURCING

measuring input thresholds

INPUT

mA

VDC

Are there other loads that act the same as PLC inputs?

2
3
4
COM

Fig. 7

CURRENT SINKING

POWER
SUPPLY

measuring input thresholds

INPUT

VDC
1

mA

Fig. 8

3
4
COM

The steps are the same for current sourcing or current

sinking inputs.
1. Starting with the resistor at its highest value, decrease the resistance until the voltmeter reads a value
equal to the voltage drop spec of the sensor that you intend to use. The input must be ON and the current must
be greater than the minimum current spec for the switch
that is going to be used.

Another interface consideration that comes up from time

to time is the interfacing of 2-wire sensors to time delay
relays and solid state relays.
These devices are typically designed with a fairly high
input impedance. These high input impedances produce
the same types of symptoms as the PLC inputs can; they
wont turn OFF and they wont draw the minimum current required by the switch.
The solution is also the same as for PLC inputslower
the effective input impedance. This can be done with an
external parallel resistor on DC or an external RC (resistor/capacitor) network on AC. A resistor can be used on
AC also, but the RC network consumes less power and
generates less heat. See figure 9.

~/+ ()
R

If DC Sensor

2. Increase the resistance until the input just turns OFF.

The current meter must read a value greater than the leakage current for the switch that is going to be used.
As mentioned earlier, if the minimum current value or
the leakage current value is too low, an external resistor
can be added as shown in figures 5 and 6.
If the voltage drop is too high, the power supply voltage can be increased for current sourcing, but there is not
much that can be done for current sinking.

~/ (+)
If AC Sensor

2 wire sensor

Fig. 9

Time delay
or
Solid state relay

Interfacing Proximity Sensors

with PLC Inputs
All Balluff inductive, capacitive, magnetic and optical
sensors will interface with practically all PLCs available
on the market.
PLC inputs are not much different than any other load
that a sensor might operate. A relay or a motor starter
needs a certain amount of voltage to activate and needs a
source of power for the current it will draw at that voltage. To deactivate these loads, the voltage must be reduced to a low level. PLC inputs are no different.
This is easier to understand when a mechanical switch
is used as an input device. The mechanical switch connects the load to the source of power and disconnects it
from the source of power. When a mechanical switch
cycles, the load voltage goes from zero volts to full voltage and back to zero. The load current goes from zero to
full current and back to zero.

The voltage dropped across a proximity sensor in the

ON state is constant regardless of the supply voltage, so
that loss is more dramatic at low supply voltages. Five
volts subtracted from 120 volts usually doesnt matter
much. But 5 volts subtracted from 12 volts makes a big
difference. An extreme example is TTL logic which works
on a supply of 5 volts. In that case, 5 volts subtracted
from 5 volts leaves zero.
A similar situation occurs with current. The leakage
current of a proximity switch is very low. But if the current required by the load when it is ON is about the same
as this leakage current, the load wont turn OFF when
the switch turns OFF. If the current required to operate
the load is high, the load is almost certain to turn OFF
when the sensor turns OFF and only the leakage current
remains.

What if the PLC input is a proximity sensor?

How is a 2-wire sensor powered?

When a proximity sensor cycles the load, the load voltage goes from some small voltage to something less than
full voltage and back to the small voltage. The load current goes from some small current to full current and back
to the small current.

The 2-wire proximity sensor gets its power from the

current that flows through the load (and, therefore,
through the sensor) coupled with the voltage dropped
across the sensor.

Proximity sensors vs mechanical switches

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Florence, KY 41042
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A lot of electromechanical loads dont care much about

the current and voltage differences; especially those that
work on relatively high voltages and relatively high currents. Electromechanical loads that work on relatively low
voltages and relatively low currents care about the differences a lot more, as do PLC inputs.
There is seldom a problem of interfacing a proximity
sensor to a 120 VAC electromechanical load or PLC input.
The problem usually shows up when voltages or currents
are low.

How does that apply when the 2-wire sensor is in the

OFF state?
When the sensor is OFF, a fixed amount of current,
called leakage current, flows through the load. Under
that condition, the sensor must have at least the minimum specified amount of voltage dropped across it. This
is the lower value of supply voltage listed in the catalog. In this case, the supply voltage is equal to the line
voltage, minus the voltage drop across the load due to
the leakage current flowing through it.

And when the 2-wire sensor is in the on state?

When it is ON, the sensor drops a fixed amount of voltage across it. Under that condition, it must have at least
the minimum specified amount of current flowing
through it. This minimum value can be found in the catalog listed as load current capacity. In this case, the current will be whatever the load draws at the voltage that is
dropped across it. This voltage is the line voltage, minus
the voltage drop across the switch.

3. All 2-wire (not 3-wire) proximity sensors leak a small

amount of current through the load when they are OFF.
This current flowing through the internal resistance of
the PLC input produces a small voltage at the input. If
this voltage is greater than the value that will allow the
input to turn OFF, the input will remain in the ON state.

Assuming that the power supply voltage is proper and

that there are no other problems, the failure of an input
to turn ON is usually due to too a high voltage drop across
the sensor. If the input will not turn OFF, the leakage

CURRENT SOURCING

CURRENT SINKING

POWER
SUPPLY
+

Connecting an input
to source voltage will
toggle the input.

POWER
SUPPLY
+

INPUT

VDC

How does that relate to PLC inputs?

What about 3-wire sensors?

3-wire sensors dont need the leakage current through
the load to get power. They get their power through a
third wire that is connected directly to the supply. Leakage through the load can be zero and the sensor doesnt
care.
When the sensor is ON, there is still a voltage drop, but
it is less than for a 2-wire sensor.
Also, there is no practical minimum current to consider.
The output can operate at very low currents.

INPUT

2
3

Lets review a couple of things about low voltage DC

inputs. If the input has to be connected to a positive voltage to turn on, its a sourcing (PNP) input. If it has to be
connected to low voltage (usually circuit ground), its a
sinking (NPN) input.

2-wire
sensor

VDC

COM

3-wire
NPN sensor

+
SIG

3
4
COM

Fig. 3

CURRENT SINKING

POWER
SUPPLY
+

POWER
SUPPLY

Connecting an input
to common will
toggle the input.

INPUT
VDC

Fig. 2

1
2
3

2-wire
sensor

1. All 2-wire and 3-wire proximity sensors drop some

voltage in their ON state. This voltage drop determines
how close the PLC input can get to the supply voltage. If
the supply voltage minus the voltage drop isnt high

POWER
SUPPLY

CURRENT SOURCING

INPUT

2-wire
sensor

VDC

This OFF spec voltage value can vary among different

PLC manufacturers.
For sinking (NPN) inputs (refer to figure 2):

1. The voltage drop across the sensor determines how

close the PLC input can get to ground. If the input voltage isnt low enough, because the sensors voltage drop
is too high, the input wont turn ON.
2. Just like in the current sourcing example, the PLC input, when it is ON, must draw a current higher than the
minimum current requirement of the proximity sensor
for it to work.

3-wire
PNP sensor

4
SIG

COM

Fig. 1
enough, the input wont turn ON. The ON voltage spec
is different for different PLC inputs.
2. The PLC input will draw a certain amount of current
when it is ON, depending on its internal resistance. For
2-wire proximity sensors, this current must be higher than
the minimum current requirement of the proximity switch
for it to work reliably. The internal resistance spec is different for different PLC inputs. However, PLC manufacturers try to keep this value as high as practical to minimize the total current that might have to be supplied to a
lot of inputs in a big system.

Fig. 4

External
Resistor

POWER
SUPPLY

COM

Fig. 5
INPUT

COM

VDC
1

For sourcing (PNP) inputs (refer to figure 1):

INPUT

3. If the voltage produced by leakage current, times the

internal resistance, when subtracted from the supply voltage, doesnt produce a voltage high enough to allow the
input to turn OFF, the input will remain in the ON state.

Determining if an input is current sourcing or current

sinking
The determination of whether an input operates on a current sourcing or current sinking condition can be made
by attaching a wire to the input and touching the other
end of the wire alternately to ground and to positive.
Whichever one turns it on determines whether the input
requires a current sourcing or sinking device. (See figures 3 and 4) Make sure that nothing else is attached to
the input when you do this.

VDC

current is too high for the internal resistance and the resulting voltage is too high to allow the PLC input to turn
OFF. This applies to both current sourcing and current
sinking inputs.

External
Resistor

1
2
3

2-wire
sensor

4
COM

Fig. 6

Are there any solutions to consider?

When the voltage drop across the sensor is too high,
the only practical remedy is to raise the supply voltage
for current sourcing inputs. There is no practical remedy
for current sinking inputs. In both cases, you can also
consider using a different sensor with a lower voltage
drop.
When the leakage current is too high or the minimum
current is too low, one solution can be used for both conditions in both sourcing and sinking input circuits. That
solution is to lower the effective input impedance.
For sourcing input circuits, connect a resistor between
the input and ground. (See figure 5).
For sinking inputs, connect a resistor between the input and the positive side of the supply. (See figure 6).
The calculated value for this resistor varies, but usually
a 4000 ohm resistor will suffice. The exact value is not
critical.

Is it possible to measure the characteristics of a PLC input?

The turn ON and turn OFF voltages and currents of a
PLC input and the input resistance are quite often not
well specified by the supplier.
These values are necessary to know with confidence that
a combination of devices is solidly engineered. Fortunately, it is not too difficult to measure these input specs.
The only tools required are a variable resistor and meters
capable of measuring current in milliamps and voltage
in volts.
The variable resistor should be a multi-turn potentiometer with a value of about thirty thousand ohms. The
components are wired as shown in figures 7 and 8.
Although this technique can be used on AC or DC, only
DC is presented here. As previously stated, high voltage
AC is seldom a problem.