Application Scenarios

During a refinery modernization project, the engineering team needed to add more than 200 new I/O points to an already crowded control-room marshalling cabinet. Running new home-run cables to every level transmitter and temperature element would have been costly and disruptive. Instead, the team deployed remote CHARMs I/O cabinets closer to the process equipment and used the Emerson VE4060C1​ to host the redundant CHARM I/O Card (CIOC) and connect eight downstream CHARMs bays.

Because the VE4060C1​ provides the carrier backplane, redundant power distribution, and redundant Ethernet connectivity, the plant could land field wiring locally and electronically assign each channel to a DeltaV controller. When a later project revision changed a signal requirement from a 4–20 mA transmitter to an RTD input, the technician replaced only the appropriate CHARMs device. The carrier, field wiring, and controller configuration did not need to be reworked.

The included carrier extension cable made the VE4060C1​ especially useful in tight cabinets. It allowed the carrier body to be positioned independently of the connected bays, improving DIN-rail layout and maintenance access without adding a separate mounting accessory.

Parameter

Exact voltage, current, temperature, communication media, hazardous-area approvals, and capacity values can vary by DeltaV version, CIOC type, and system configuration. The complete order code and system documentation should be reviewed before specification.

Technical Principles and Innovative Values

• Innovation Point 1: Electronic marshalling backbone.​ The VE4060C1​ connects up to eight CHARMs bays and supports the redundant CIOC pair. It consolidates power and communication infrastructure so individual CHARMs devices can be deployed and managed as part of one scalable I/O node.
• Innovation Point 2: Wiring location is separated from controller assignment.​ Emerson’s Electronic Marshalling architecture allows field wiring to terminate near the process. The signal can then be electronically assigned to the appropriate DeltaV controller, reducing long home-run cables and conventional cross-wiring.
• Innovation Point 3: One channel type can be changed without rewiring the carrier.​ Each CHARMs device defines its I/O function. If a project changes from a 4–20 mA analog input to an RTD or another supported signal type, the change can be made by replacing the CHARMs device rather than reconfiguring the entire I/O card set.
• Innovation Point 4: Redundancy across power and communication.​ The ​ supports redundant 24 VDC inputs and redundant Ethernet connectivity through the CIOC architecture. This helps protect the I/O node against single-path failures and supports continuous operation in critical process applications.
• Innovation Point 5: Hot-swappable serviceability.​ Compatible CHARMs electronics can be replaced while the carrier remains powered, helping reduce repair time and avoiding unnecessary process interruptions. The carrier backplane is designed to maintain the integrity of adjacent bays during module changes.
• Innovation Point 6: Carrier extension flexibility.​ The C1 variant includes an extension cable. This allows the carrier body to be located separately from the connected bays, which is particularly useful in compact control cabinets, remote I/O panels, and installations with limited DIN-rail space.
• Innovation Point 7: Up to 96 channels from one carrier node.​ With eight ports and up to 12 CHARMs devices per baseplate, the ​ provides a compact, high-density platform for distributed I/O expansion.