Electronic device and communication unit

An electrical power supply device for an electrical power supply of electrical components from a power source, the power supply device comprising:

• at least one communication unit via which the power supply device is designed for data communication with an external computer device;
• connections for supplying the electrical power for the power supply of the electrical components;
• at least one controllable digital or analog output connection and/or at least one digital or analog input connection as a further connection, wherein the controllable digital or analog output connection is adapted to be controlled by the external computer device via the communication unit and an input value from the digital or analog input connection is adapted to be read by the external computer device via the communication unit,
• wherein the power supply device has a parameter memory in which parameters for defining a functionality of the power supply device are stored, and wherein a functionality of the digital or analog input connection is set by at least one parameter and/or a functionality of the controllable digital or analog output connection is set, and
• wherein the functionality of the digital or analog input connection is set via at least one parameter at least to a fixedly predefined standard input function and/or the functionality of the controllable digital or analog output connection is set by at least one parameter at least to a fixedly predefined standard output function.

An electrical power supply device for an electrical power supply of electrical components from a power source, the power supply device comprising:

• at least one communication unit via which the power supply device is designed for data communication with an external computer device;
• connections for supplying the electrical power for the power supply of the electrical components;
• a remote I/O unit though which a remote I/O functionality of the electrical power supply device is provided, whereby the power supply device acts as a digital external station;
• as a further connection, at least one controllable digital or analog output connection, which is an output of the remote I/O unit, and/or at least one digital or analog input connection which is an input of the remote I/O unit, wherein the controllable digital or analog output connection is adapted to be controlled by the external computer device via the communication unit and an input value from the digital or analog input connection is adapted to be read by the external computer device via the communication unit, such that neither the controllable digital or analog output connection nor the digital or analog input connection directly communicate with the external computer device,
• wherein the at least one controllable digital or analog output connection and the at least one digital or analog input connection are part of the electrical power supply device and are separate from the at least one communication unit.