In a programmable logic controller (PLC), the components such as inputs, outputs, timers, and counters are typically what type of elements in the control circuit?

In a programmable logic controller (PLC), the components such as inputs, outputs, timers, and counters are typically what type of elements in the control circuit?

• A. wired
• B. programmed
• C. integrated
• D. terminated

Answer: (B)

In a PLC, the control logic is defined by software, so inputs, outputs, timers, and counters are programmed elements in the control circuit. You wire sensors to the inputs and devices to the outputs, but the behavior—when an input turns an output on, how a timer delays, or how a counter counts events—is determined by the PLC program. Timers and counters are built-in functions that the programmer configures and uses within the program to implement time delays and event counting. This is why they’re described as programmed rather than simply wired, integrated, or terminated—the logic that governs their operation comes from the software you write for the PLC.

In a PLC, the control logic is defined by software, so inputs, outputs, timers, and counters are programmed elements in the control circuit. You wire sensors to the inputs and devices to the outputs, but the behavior—when an input turns an output on, how a timer delays, or how a counter counts events—is determined by the PLC program. Timers and counters are built-in functions that the programmer configures and uses within the program to implement time delays and event counting. This is why they’re described as programmed rather than simply wired, integrated, or terminated—the logic that governs their operation comes from the software you write for the PLC.