Embedded PLC Systems: Build Connected Control Systems with PLCs, Sensors, MQTT, OPC UA, and Edge Computing

Industrial automation is about more than making machines run. Modern systems must also collect data, communicate across networks, support monitoring, and connect industrial equipment to digital applications. But how do PLCs, sensors, communication protocols, and edge computing work together?

Embedded PLC Systems offers a practical guide to understanding and building connected industrial control systems. Starting with PLC fundamentals and progressing toward integrated projects, this book explains how the key technologies fit together—and why their roles matter in a dependable automation architecture.

• PLC programming fundamentals, including scan cycles, ladder logic, structured text, timers, counters, state machines, and sequencing.
• How sensors, actuators, and industrial I/O connect physical equipment to controllers.
• Microcontroller concepts, embedded C, GPIO, ADC, PWM, timers, interrupts, and PLC integration.
• Industrial communication using Modbus RTU, Modbus TCP, and Industrial Ethernet.
• How MQTT brokers, topics, and messages help distribute industrial data to connected applications.
• OPC UA concepts, including nodes, tags, and information models for industrial data exchange.
• Edge gateways, local processing, data pipelines, and analytics near industrial equipment.
• HMI and SCADA systems for operator workflows, alarms, trends, and historical data.
• Cybersecurity and reliability practices, including access control, network segmentation, fault detection, watchdogs, and recovery.
• Practical connected automation projects, including a smart conveyor, tank monitoring, and a PLC-to-MQTT-to-edge platform.

The real challenge is integration. A PLC may control a motor, sensors may report operating conditions, and an edge gateway may collect data for monitoring or analysis. This book explores how those pieces communicate and how to organize them into a connected system.

Python-based simulations and protocol examples help make key concepts easier to follow. Practical projects show how control, communication, and monitoring can work together. You'll also examine a central principle of dependable design: essential control functions should remain local rather than depend entirely on continuous network connectivity.

This book is for:

• PLC programmers who want to expand into MQTT, OPC UA, networking, and edge computing.
• Automation and control engineers working with industrial equipment and communication systems.
• Embedded developers interested in microcontrollers and industrial applications.
• Python and software developers who want to understand how applications interact with PLC-based systems.
• Students, technicians, and technical learners exploring industrial automation and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).

You do not need to be an expert in every technology covered. The book progresses from foundational control concepts to connected-system integration, helping you build understanding step by step.

Modern automation calls for more than writing a PLC program. It also requires understanding data flow, communication, monitoring, security, and reliability.

If you want to move beyond isolated controllers and learn how PLCs, sensors, industrial protocols, and edge systems work together, Embedded PLC Systems provides a practical starting point.