LED Status Board for Diesel Generator Starting Panels

Overview

The LED board is a status display for the low-voltage (LV) starting panel of a diesel generator. It was designed in 2013 and is part of the diesel controller boards. The PLC output signals come to this board, and one LED lights up for each signal. On the panel door, the operator sees whether the unit is healthy, or which alarm or failure is active.

How it works

The 24 V signal from a PLC output reaches the circuit of its channel and lights the LED of that channel. The board has 20 channels:

• 1 green LED: power status

• 2 LEDs: failures

• 17 LEDs: alarms

What each LED means is set by the label we put on the front panel. The same board therefore fits any panel and any set of alarms; only the label text changes.

Specifications

• Operating voltage: 24 V DC

• 20 LED channels in green, yellow and red

• Input from PLC outputs, through two terminal-block connectors

• Double-sided board, through-hole parts

• Designed in Altium Designer

Production and use

More than 100 of these boards have been built and installed in diesel generator starting panels at different sites. The pictures below show an installed board and the panel front.

Result

A simple, repeatable board that puts many status channels in a single part. It is quick to mount and wire, and it has been used in practice in a large number of panels.