About

What is emBRICK?

emBRICK® is an open and free I/O system designed for building compact, industrial-suited electronic control systems. It works by assembling small embedded boards (called “bricks”) via a SPI-based local interface and optional remote buses such as LAN, WLAN, CAN, and RS232/485. This new class of controllers we simply call EPC (= Embedded Patch-board Controller).

Intro

emBRICK® is a modular electronic control system that can be explained as “electronic building blocks” for industrial automation. In simple terms, it’s like LEGO for industrial electronics, allowing you to snap together different functional modules to create customized control systems.

At its core, emBRICK® is an open and free I/O (Input/Output) system designed to build compact and industrial-suited electronic control systems. It works by connecting small embedded circuit boards (called “bricks”) together via a simple communication interface. These bricks can be assembled in various configurations to create tailored control systems for different applications.

The system is officially classified as an EPC (Embedded Patch-board Controller), which perfectly combines:

The cost-efficiency and customization of dedicated embedded systems
The ready-to-use flexibility of traditional PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) systems

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All advantages of emBRICK

Big picture

Topology

Modularity

emBRICK® combines the cost-efficient and tailored characteristics of a dedicated embedded system with the ready-to-use flexibility of a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) system. The system consists of:

Master boards – Core controllers with various processors (Cortex-M3/4, ARM9/11, PIC24/32)
Slave modules – Over 100 different I/O modules for various applications
Adaption boards – For connecting via LAN, WLAN, CAN, and other interfaces
Enclosures – Ready-made controllers for top-hat rail and wall mounting

How to get started

MASTER-BRICKS – THE BRAIN

Every embedded controller can act as an master (stack-codes available)
Intelligent Master (standalone) or coupling mode
Available masters platforms: PIC24, PIC32, Cortex-M3, Cortex-M4, ARM9, ARM11

SLAVE-BRICKS – THE WORKERS

typical dimensions: 44/55/66/88/110 x 72 x 10 mm
low power (typical 50mW/module)
simple cores: PIC16F15xx, PIC24FJxx (others planed)
over 100 different modules with various usage available
economic open frame solution with optional cover

Browse all bricks

Connection

emBRICK® connects controllers, I/O modules, and external devices with a flexible, high-speed and modular bus system for industrial automation:

Main Components
- Panel-PCs & Embedded-PC Bricks (like Raspberry Pi) act as controllers.
- Coupling Masters and Edge Controllers organize data flow.
- I/O Bricks (slaves) handle the real inputs/outputs.
Bus Systems
- Remote brickBUS uses Ethernet or RS485 for long-distance/high-speed connections.
- Local brickBUS uses SPI for fast, short-range expansion.
Connections
- Communication is via Ethernet or RS485 for flexible architecture.
- The system is compatible with several programming tools (Python, CODESYS, Node-RED, etc.).