Built for engineers who already speak Modbus.
Keep your PLCs doing what they do best. Use AppBlocks to get their data to MQTT and the cloud, watch remote sites and send alarms, or handle the small control jobs that don’t justify a PLC. You build the logic as a flowchart, and it runs on DIN-rail Tibbo hardware or Zephyr boards.
The parts of automation you know, without the integration work.
AppBlocks isn’t a PLC replacement for the whole plant. It’s the connected controller that sits next to your PLCs, or stands in for one on a small job.
Modbus RTU and TCP
Poll PLCs, drives, and meters as a master, or answer SCADA as a slave. Function codes 01–06, 15, and 16.
Logic you can read
Conditions, timers, schedules, and math as blocks. Anyone on the team can follow the flow, like a well-commented rung.
Values that survive power loss
Settings live in non-volatile memory, so setpoints and counters come back after an outage.
A local HMI on every device
A generated Web Console in the browser, LCD and keypad menus on Tibbo hardware, and setup over Bluetooth from a phone.
Alarms that reach people
Send SMS and email, log timestamped events, and escalate with Cloud Workflows.
Hardware for the panel
Tibbo devices with relays, isolated inputs, RS-485, and 4G LTE, in DIN-rail enclosures tested to IEC 60068 for shock and vibration.
Four jobs automation engineers use AppBlocks for.
Get PLC data to MQTT and the cloud
Put an AppBlocks gateway next to the PLC. It polls the registers you choose over Modbus TCP or RTU, scales them, and publishes them to your MQTT broker, an HTTP API, or AppBlocks Cloud. The PLC program stays as it is.
PLC to MQTT gatewayWatch remote sites and raise alarms
Pump stations, tanks, generators, and shelters nobody visits every day. Read inputs and PLC registers, then send SMS and email when something’s wrong, over Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or 4G LTE.
Remote monitoring and alarmsAdd I/O and sensors to an existing PLC
Make an AppBlocks device a Modbus slave. Its variables become registers the PLC or SCADA can read and write, so you can add inputs, relays, and sensors at the far end of an RS-485 run without another I/O rack.
- Variables are linked to registers automatically
- RTU on RS-485, or TCP on port 502
- On Modbus Received fires whenever a master writes
Run small control jobs without a PLC
Ventilation on a schedule, a pump on a level switch, a cold room on a thermostat. For simple, non-safety control that also needs to be online, a connected controller is often enough.
AppBlocks vs. a PLCStart from what you already know.
Pages written for engineers who come from PLCs, SCADA, and panel building.
Try it before you put it in a panel.
Questions, answered.
Is AppBlocks a PLC?
No. AppBlocks builds firmware for connected controllers. It handles monitoring, gateways, alarms, and simple control well, but it is not a safety controller and it doesn’t run a deterministic scan cycle. Keep safety functions and fast machine control on your PLC. AppBlocks vs. a PLC.
Which PLCs can AppBlocks talk to?
Any PLC, drive, or meter that speaks Modbus RTU or Modbus TCP. PLCs that only speak another fieldbus need a Modbus option or a protocol converter.
Do I need to know C or another programming language?
No. You build logic as a flowchart in the browser. AppBlocks generates readable Zephyr C code, which you can inspect but never have to write. How ladder logic maps to blocks.
What hardware does it run on?
Tibbo Project System devices, which combine a mainboard, plug-in I/O modules, and a DIN-rail enclosure, plus Zephyr boards such as ESP32, nRF52840, and Raspberry Pi Pico W. Supported boards.
Do I need AppBlocks Cloud?
No. Devices run on their own and serve a Web Console on the local network. They can publish to your own MQTT broker or HTTP back end, or use AppBlocks Cloud for fleet management and OTA updates.
Ready to build your first firmware?
Start free in your browser, follow the tutorials, or book a free one-on-one session. No board yet? We’ll demonstrate everything on ours.