Predictika · Programmable controller orders

An AI sales agent's PLC order, checked before it goes out

An AI sales agent prepares an order for a compact programmable controller: a CPU Unit with expansion units, option boards and a battery. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of Omron's published CP2E hardware rules and returns a verdict, every reason and the current and power figures it computed.

Scope: Omron CP2E compact PLCs (39 CPU Unit models of the E, S and N types) with CP1W Expansion I/O and Expansion Units, Option Boards, battery and clock, and the internal power budget. See everything this validator covers

This validator models orders for the Omron CP2E series described in the CP2E CPU Unit Hardware User's Manual, not just the scenarios shown below.

  • CPU Units — all 39 models: CP2E-E (14 to 60 I/O points, AC relay), CP2E-S (30, 40, 60 points) and CP2E-N (14 to 60 points, AC or DC, relay or transistor), each with the 5 V and 24 V current it draws.
  • Expansion — 30 CP1W Expansion I/O Units and Expansion Units (digital I/O, analog and temperature sensor units): none on 14 or 20 point CPUs, at most three in total on 30, 40 and 60 point CPUs, one I/O connecting cable, and the I/O points that result.
  • Option Boards, battery and clock — serial and analog Option Boards on N-type CPUs only, one or two slots by model, CP2W-CIFD boards in slot 1 only, one analog board at most; the battery and the clock function by CPU type.
  • Power budget — total 5 V current, 24 V current and internal power across the CPU, expansion units, option boards and a programmable terminal on the internal supply, and what is left of the AC CPU's external 24 V supply.

Any CP2E order that touches these rules is in scope — not only the scenarios pictured here. Not covered: prices (Omron does not publish list prices for these products, so this validator produces no price build-up or line-item quote), other Omron controller families, software licenses, programming and network configuration, pulse and high-speed counter limits, the ambient-temperature output derating of DC CPU Units, and the 5 V budget of 14 and 20 point CPUs (the manual gives the budget only for 30, 40 and 60 point CPUs). Assumptions: the E-type CPU list is read from the manual's model table (AC relay models only); battery support is read as S and N types, as the manual states in its model table.

The AI sales agentBuilds the PLC order from the conversation and says it is ready.
Predictika validatorChecks every rule at once and returns the verdict, each finding, and the computed figures.

7 scenarios in 3 groups · each group runs from the agent’s first attempt to the outcome · click one to switch

What the agent proposes

The AI sales agent says

Illustrative agent statement. The validator receives the structured request below.

Proposing agent: AI sales agent (scripted)

Before sending, the agent must call Recorded run

Predictika validator


      

        
        
        
      

      
Waiting for the call.

      
    

  

  
  

    
Where rules-based CPQ gets it wrong
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Our assessment of what a typical rules-based CPQ (product rules, price rules and validation rules, as in Salesforce CPQ) does with the same cases. It is a judgment about effort and reliability, not a claim that nothing can be built.

    
What the validator caughtTypical rules-based CPQPredictika
Current and power across every unit: 5 V, 24 V and total powerOnly with workarounds
Each unit needs its own current draw as an attribute, then a roll-up across all lines compared with the CPU limits; the limit that applies depends on the CPU. Doable with summary variables, and fragile when a unit is added or swapped.		Every unit's draw is looked up from the model and the three totals are checked together on every call.
What is left of the external 24 V supplyOnly with workarounds
The allowance is a derived figure (18.5 W less everything else, capped at 300 mA), so a rules-based CPQ needs chained formulas, and only AC 30, 40 and 60 point CPUs have the supply at all.		The leftover is computed from the same totals and compared with what the order draws.
How many expansion units a CPU acceptsOnly with care
None on 14 and 20 point CPUs, three in total on the others: one rule per CPU family plus a count over order lines.		The limit follows from the CPU chosen; the count and the limit are checked together.
Option Boards: N-type only, slot count by model, CIFD in slot 1, one analog boardOnly with workarounds
Slot position is rarely a modeled concept, so slot-specific and count-specific rules need extra fields and several interacting rules.		Each slot is a choice in the request and all four board rules are checked with the rest.
A stated I/O point total that must equal what the quoted units giveOnly with care
A stated figure is a free-entry field; a rule can compare it with a computed total, but only if the figure is a field on the quote, which it rarely is.		The stated total travels with the order and is compared with the computed one on every call.
Every problem returned in one answerOnly with workarounds
Rules tend to fire as the order is saved or a step is completed, so a rep often fixes one error and meets the next.		All findings come back together, whatever order the choices arrived in.

  

  

    
What this validator catches: findings from its test cases
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Every rule is checked on every call, in any order the choices arrive; one problem never hides another. Blocking findings stop the quote; approval findings need a person to sign off; everything else is computed.

    
1Expansion I/O Units and Expansion Units cannot be connected to a CPU Unit with 14 or 20 built-in I/O points; the quote has 1.
2Expansion I/O Units and Expansion Units cannot be connected to a CPU Unit with 14 or 20 built-in I/O points; the quote has 2.
3At most 3 Expansion I/O Units and Expansion Units in total can be connected to this CPU Unit; the quote has 4.
4Option Boards can be mounted only on N-type CPU Units; the quote has 1 on an E or S type CPU Unit.
5A Battery cannot be mounted to an E-type CPU Unit.
6This CPU Unit has 1 option slot(s); the quote has 2 Option Boards.
7CP2W-CIFD1, CIFD2 and CIFD3 Option Boards can be mounted only in option slot 1.
8At most one Analog Option Board can be mounted on an N-type CPU Unit; the quote has 2.
9The clock function needs the CP2W-BAT02 Battery to be mounted; the quote has none.
10E-type CPU Units have no clock function.
11Only one CP1W-CN811 I/O Connecting Cable can be used in each PLC; the quote has 2.
12The quoted units draw 1240 mA at 5 V; the CPU Unit supplies at most 1200 mA.
13The quoted units use 19360 mW of internal power; the limit is 18500 mW.
14This CPU Unit has no external 24 V power supply, but the quote draws 100 mA from it.
15The quote draws 150 mA from the external 24 V supply, which is more than the capacity left after the quoted units.
16The quote states 100 I/O points in total; the quoted units give 80.
17No 10 mm gap is provided between the AC-powered CPU Unit and the first expansion unit, so the PLC must be used at -20 to 50 degrees C; a person should confirm the ambient temperature.
18A 32-point output unit must be used with fewer than 24 outputs on at the same time (75 percent); a person should confirm the load.
19The quote draws 350 mA from the external 24 V supply, which is more than the capacity left after the quoted units.

  

  

    
Scenarios and results
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The recorded result of the validator for each scenario on this page: the request the AI agent sent, the verdict, and every finding, in the order they appear above.

    
1. Expansion units: Expansion units on a 20-point CPU Unit

    
The agent's request. Please quote a CP2E-N20DR-A CPU Unit with a CP1W-16ER 16-relay-output unit and a CP1W-8ED 8-input unit. The units will be mounted with a 10 mm gap between the CPU Unit and the first expansion unit. The quote states 52 I/O points in total. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Expansion on a 14 or 20 I/O CPU. Expansion I/O Units and Expansion Units cannot be connected to a CPU Unit with 14 or 20 built-in I/O points; the quote has 2.
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  • Stated I/O points do not match. The quote states 52 I/O points in total; the quoted units give 44.
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2. Expansion units: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote a CP2E-N30DR-A CPU Unit with a CP1W-16ER 16-relay-output unit and a CP1W-8ED 8-input unit. The units will be mounted with a 10 mm gap between the CPU Unit and the first expansion unit. The quote states 54 I/O points in total. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Order summary. 54 I/O points in total; 5 V load 470 mA, 24 V load 160 mA, internal power 6190 mW.
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3. Option board, clock and mounting: An S-type CPU Unit with an option board and the clock function

    
The agent's request. Please quote a CP2E-S40DR-A CPU Unit with a CP1W-16ER 16-relay-output unit, a CP1W-8ED 8-input unit and a CP1W-CIF11 RS-422A/485 Option Board. The customer needs the clock function. The units will be mounted with no gap between the CPU Unit and the first expansion unit. The quote states 70 I/O points in total. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Option Board on an E or S type CPU. Option Boards can be mounted only on N-type CPU Units; the quote has 1 on an E or S type CPU Unit.
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  • Clock needed without a battery. The clock function needs the CP2W-BAT02 Battery to be mounted; the quote has none.
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  • Stated I/O points do not match. The quote states 70 I/O points in total; the quoted units give 64.
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  • Spacing to confirm. No 10 mm gap is provided between the AC-powered CPU Unit and the first expansion unit, so the PLC must be used at -20 to 50 degrees C; a person should confirm the ambient temperature.
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4. Option board, clock and mounting: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote a CP2E-N40DR-A CPU Unit with a CP1W-16ER 16-relay-output unit, a CP1W-8ED 8-input unit, a CP1W-CIF11 RS-422A/485 Option Board and the CP2W-BAT02 battery. The customer needs the clock function. The units will be mounted with no gap between the CPU Unit and the first expansion unit. The quote states 64 I/O points in total. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Needs approval.

    
    
      
  • Spacing to confirm. No 10 mm gap is provided between the AC-powered CPU Unit and the first expansion unit, so the PLC must be used at -20 to 50 degrees C; a person should confirm the ambient temperature.
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  • Order summary. 64 I/O points in total; 5 V load 490 mA, 24 V load 180 mA, internal power 6770 mW.
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5. Option board, clock and mounting: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote a CP2E-N40DR-A CPU Unit with a CP1W-16ER 16-relay-output unit, a CP1W-8ED 8-input unit, a CP1W-CIF11 RS-422A/485 Option Board and the CP2W-BAT02 battery. The customer needs the clock function. The units will be mounted with a 10 mm gap between the CPU Unit and the first expansion unit. The quote states 64 I/O points in total. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Order summary. 64 I/O points in total; 5 V load 490 mA, 24 V load 180 mA, internal power 6770 mW.
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6. Power budget: A draw on the external 24 V supply above what is left

    
The agent's request. Please quote a CP2E-N40DR-A CPU Unit with three CP1W-DA041 4-output analog units and a CP1W-CIF01 RS-232C Option Board. A programmable terminal will take its power from the PLC's internal supply. 150 mA will be drawn from the CPU Unit's external 24 V supply. The units will be mounted with a 10 mm gap between the CPU Unit and the first expansion unit. The quote states 46 I/O points in total. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • External 24 V supply exceeded. The quote draws 150 mA from the external 24 V supply, which is more than the capacity left after the quoted units.
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  • Stated I/O points do not match. The quote states 46 I/O points in total; the quoted units give 40.
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7. Power budget: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote a CP2E-N40DR-A CPU Unit with three CP1W-DA041 4-output analog units and a CP1W-CIF01 RS-232C Option Board. A programmable terminal will take its power from the PLC's internal supply. 120 mA will be drawn from the CPU Unit's external 24 V supply. The units will be mounted with a 10 mm gap between the CPU Unit and the first expansion unit. The quote states 40 I/O points in total. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Order summary. 40 I/O points in total; 5 V load 870 mA, 24 V load 462 mA, internal power 15438 mW.
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Narration transcript
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The text of the narrated walkthrough, step by step.

    
    
      
  1. Welcome to a demo of Predictika's Validator. An AI sales agent prepares an order for a compact programmable controller: a CPU Unit with expansion units, option boards and a battery. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of Omron's published CP2E hardware rules and returns a verdict, every reason and the current and power figures it computed.
    2. 
      
  2. I will start with the first request by the agent.
    3. 
      
  3. The agent says. Please quote a CP2E-S40DR-A CPU Unit with a CP1W-16ER 16-relay-output unit, a CP1W-8ED 8-input unit and a CP1W-CIF11 RS-422A/485 Option Board. The customer needs the clock function. The rest of the request is on screen.
    4. 
      
  4. Before it goes out, the agent calls the validator.
    5. 
      
  5. Blocked, with three findings and one approval, all in one answer. Option Boards can be mounted only on N-type CPU Units; the quote has 1 on an E or S type CPU Unit. The clock function needs the CP2W-BAT02 Battery to be mounted; the quote has none. The quote states 70 I/O points in total; the quoted units give 64.
    6. 
      
  6. The validator returned three blocking findings and one approval in one answer. A check that reads one field at a time would pass most of this; it shows only when the choices in the quote are checked against each other.
    7. 
      
  7. What this shows: for option Boards: N-type only, slot count by model, CIFD in slot 1, one analog board, a rules-based CPQ can do this only with workarounds.
    8. 
      
  8. Now the agent resubmits.
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  9. The corrected request. It changes the CPU Unit to CP2E-N40DR-A and the Stated I/O points in total to 64. It sets the battery to CP2W-BAT02.
    10. 
      
  10. It calls the validator again.
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  11. Not blocked, but held for a person.
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  12. The three blocking findings are cleared; one approval remains for a person: spacing to confirm.
    13. 
      
  13. The agent resubmits once more.
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  14. The revised request. It changes the 10 mm gap before the first expansion unit to yes.
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  15. It calls the validator once more.
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  16. This time the validator clears it.
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  17. The earlier finding is cleared, and the validator's figure matches the quote.
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  18. Four problems caught in one call, fixed in two passes, and a clean quote. That is the value of Predictika's validator: catching mistakes before they reach the customer. Now you can try the other scenarios yourself.
    19.