> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://wiki.codeandcompile.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://wiki.codeandcompile.com/product-reviews/smart-devices/pixsys-tc620-edge-hmi.md). # Pixsys TC620 Edge HMI ## Everybody thinks this is "just an HMI." They're wrong. 🏭⚡ Most people look at an industrial touchscreen and see a pretty panel that shows some numbers on a factory wall. The **Pixsys TC620** is something else entirely: a full edge computer that happens to have a touchscreen. In this build, one box runs **real PLC logic, containerized apps, and cloud connectivity — all at the same time**, live on my desk. This article is your companion guide to the full video. Here you'll find the complete software stack, the live-demo architecture, the source code, and every step you need to rebuild this on your own bench. 👇 ## 🎥 The Full Video \---Coming soon--- ## Why the TC620 Is Not "Just an HMI" On this hardware, the HMI and the PLC are **not two separate boxes wired to each other — they live in the same box**. The CODESYS runtime runs right on the panel. That single fact is the whole story, and everything else in this build flows from it. Here's what's actually inside: {% hint style="info" %} **Compute:** Rockchip **RK3588** — 4× Cortex-A76 @ 2.4 GHz, 64-bit ARMv8, **32 GB eMMC**, **4 GB RAM**. This is an 8-core edge computer, not a microcontroller driving a display. **Note on chip options:** Pixsys offers the TC620 with an optional, older **RK3399** on some SKUs (no NPU). The unit in this video is the **RK3588** — that's the one you want if edge AI is anywhere on your roadmap. {% endhint %} The rest of the hardware that matters: * **Display:** 12.1″, 1280×800, capacitive multi-touch, 16.7M colors, 400 cd/m² — bright enough for the real shop floor, not just the lab. * **Two Ethernet ports** — one full Gigabit, one 10/100. This dual-port setup lets you **separate two networks** (more on why that matters below). * **Fieldbus support:** RS485, CANopen, EtherCAT, PROFINET, EtherNet/IP — connect directly to shop-floor equipment. * **Built-in UPS + real-time clock with battery backup** — a power loss won't corrupt your files; the device restores cleanly. * **IP65-rated front panel**, aluminium frame — you can wash it down and it won't care. ## The Software Stack 🧱 This is where it gets interesting. The TC620 is a **Linux device with a PLC runtime plus a container engine, all in one panel**. Here's the full stack, bottom to top: {% hint style="success" %} **Yocto Linux** (embedded OS) → **CODESYS 3.5 runtime** (TargetVisu + WebVisu, OPC UA server) → **Podman** container engine (Docker-compatible) → **Node-RED** + **Grafana** (each in its own container) → **Pixsys Web Portal** (device config + remote assistance) {% endhint %} {% embed url="" %} A few things worth calling out: * **Podman under the hood, Docker-compatible on top.** Your existing Docker images just work — you pull `docker.io` images straight from the UI — but it's rootless Podman running them. Keep your commands consistent: use `podman`, not `docker`, when you go to the terminal, or you'll hit stuck container states. * **CODESYS comes pre-installed.** You don't install the runtime yourself; it ships on the panel. You just start/stop it — from the IDE, or straight from the Pixsys web portal. * **The Pixsys Web Portal** is the control center: reboot, firmware updates, network config, VNC toggle, container management, a terminal, and a CODESYS start/stop tab — all from a browser. ## The Live Demo: Vibration Monitoring Pipeline 📈 On standard hardware this would be several boxes: a PLC, an edge device, a gateway. Here it's **one box doing everything**. This is the exact data flow from the video: {% hint style="info" %} **Balluff SmartLight + condition-monitoring sensor** → **IO-Link Master** → **Modbus TCP** → **TC620 (CODESYS runtime)** → **OPC UA** → **Node-RED (container)** → **MQTT** (`test.mosquitto.org`) → **Grafana (container)** {% endhint %} ### Walking the flow: 1. A **Balluff condition-monitoring sensor** measures vibration (X/Y/Z V-RMS) and temperature, feeding an **IO-Link Master**. 2. The TC620 acts as a **Modbus TCP client**, reading the sensor data directly from the IO-Link master (which is the Modbus server) over **Ethernet port 2** — the dedicated factory network. The second Ethernet port connects the laptop for CODESYS programming, kept completely separate. 3. **CODESYS** does the logic: converts the raw registers to real values, runs the threshold check, and writes back over Modbus to **trigger the SmartLight colors** when vibration crosses the limit. 4. An **OPC UA server built inside CODESYS** exposes those variables so container apps can read them. 5. **Node-RED** (running as a Podman container) reads via OPC UA and **publishes to MQTT**. 6. **Grafana** (another container) subscribes to the broker and renders the time-series dashboard. The result: **three independent visualization layers off one panel** — CODESYS TargetVisu/WebVisu, the Node-RED dashboard, and Grafana — displayed across tabs on a single HMI, with the CPU sitting around \~22% load. Plenty of headroom left for AI workloads. ## "Why route through Node-RED? CODESYS can publish MQTT directly." 🤔 This comes up every time, so let's address it head-on. Yes — CODESYS can publish MQTT on its own. I route through Node-RED **on purpose**, and it's only possible *because* of the TC620's containerized runtime: * **Decoupling** — data routing lives separate from control logic. I can change where data goes without touching PLC code. * **Multi-destination fan-out** — one incoming stream, many downstream targets, added without redeploying the PLC. * **Access for non-PLC developers** — IT/data folks can build on top of the pipeline without ever opening the PLC project. On standard HMI hardware you couldn't do this without adding a separate edge PC. Here it's just another container. That's the whole point. ## 🧑‍💻 Source Code & Resources Everything you need to rebuild this is here: {% hint style="success" %} 📦 **CODESYS project** (Modbus client, vibration logic, OPC UA server, TargetVisu/WebVisu): {% file src="/files/1oKzrfEzg900hZmyxijP" %} 🔴 **Node-RED flow export** (OPC UA read → MQTT publish): {% file src="/files/Ru5GQlkEPGuy7tAqCFRp" %} 📊 **Grafana dashboard JSON** (vibration + temperature panels): {% file src="/files/Uyv6qIR6jR4JohFSJFLG" %} {% endhint %} **Quick-reference details from the demo:** * Pixsys web portal login: user `user` / password `123456` (change this on your unit!) * Node-RED container port mapping: host → container `1880` * WebVisu URL pattern: `http:///webvisu.htm` * Device: **Pixsys TC620-A-P4-WT2** — install the device package in CODESYS to see the model under device topology. {% hint style="warning" %} **Container persistence gotcha:** `--restart always` alone won't survive a reboot on this setup — you also need `podman-restart.service` explicitly enabled. And for internet access on IPv4-unavailable units, set IPv6 DNS (`2001:4860:4860::8888`) so containers can pull images. {% endhint %} ## The Verdict So, TC620, "just an HMI"? **Not even close.** It's an edge computer, a PLC, and a gateway in one panel, and the **containerized architecture is what unlocks all of it**. If you build automation or IIoT systems, this is a category of device worth knowing about. I'm going to keep digging into this platform — there's more coming, including a look at the `logiclab-opcua.service` layer I deliberately left out of this video. **Subscribe** so you don't miss it. 🚀 ## Key notes: {% embed url="" %} ## ♥️ Work With Me I regularly test **industrial automation and IIoT devices**. If you'd like me to **review your product** or showcase it in my courses and YouTube channel: 📧 Email: or drop me a message on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/singhrajvir/)