What is an EtherCAT port?
EtherCAT stands for “Ethernet for Control Automation Technology.” It is a protocol that brings the power and flexibility of ethernet to the world of: industrial automation, motion control, real-time control systems, and. data acquisition systems.
Can you use an Ethernet switch for EtherCAT?
There is no restriction on the type of Ethernet device that can be connected within the EtherCAT strand via a switch port. Devices with fieldbus interface are integrated via EtherCAT fieldbus master terminals.
What is the difference between EtherCAT and Ethernet?
Ethernet, as stated previously, is able to route data through many different nodes, in a master/slave configuration, sending and receiving based on requests. With EtherCAT, the master sends data, possibly only a single frame for the entire node network that will pass through each node.
Why is EtherCAT so fast?
EtherCAT is significantly faster than shown, since several EtherCAT features were not taken into account: EtherCAT can use the same bandwidth for input and output data (full-duplex usage of the frame). EtherCAT can send the next frame before the first one has returned (pipelining of frames).
Does EtherCAT require special hardware?
No special hardware is required to implement an EtherCAT network. External switches are not used in an EtherCAT network. Instead, each EtherCAT device embeds a switch. Each device has two RJ45 ports.
How many wires is EtherCAT?
4 wires
Cables and connectors EtherCAT uses 4 wires for signal transfer. EtherCAT uses RJ45 connectors. The pin assignment is compatible with the Ethernet standard (ISO/IEC 8802-3). Due to automatic cable detection (auto-crossing) symmetric (1:1) or cross-over cables can be used between EtherCAT devices from Beckhoff.
What is the maximum transmission range for EtherCAT?
Flexible Topology In addition it its speed, an EtherCAT net- work can support up to 65,535 devices without placing restrictions on their topol- ogy: line, bus, tree, star – or any combina- tion thereof. Fast Ethernet Physics allows two devices to be up to 100m (330 ft.)
Does EtherCAT require IP address?
EtherCAT, by design, does not use IP addresses. Each device is defined by the order of network wiring. Each slave device has an In and Out port – no managed switches are required. Star and tree topologies are supported with EtherCAT Extenders.
Is EtherCAT faster than Ethernet?
EtherNet/IP is simply the implementation of CIP over Ethernet TCP/IP. EtherCAT has some significant advantages over EtherNet/IP: It’s fast – blazingly fast. It supports integrated black channel safety.
What is Ethernet over EtherCAT?
Ethernet over EtherCAT (EoE) transparently tunnels standard Ethernet communication via EtherCAT. Tunneling allows the master device to optimize Ethernet communication without affecting the process data communication. EoE enables communication with network devices.
Is EtherCAT open standard?
3.1 EtherCAT is an open technology.
What is ads over EtherCAT?
ADS (Automation Device Specification) is a protocol developed and disclosed by Beckhoff for data exchange between hardware- or software-based devices. The structure of these ADS telegrams can be viewed in the Beckhoff Information System or the ETG standards.
Are external switches used in an EtherCAT network?
External switches are not used in an EtherCAT network. Instead, each EtherCAT device embeds a switch. Each device has two RJ45 ports. One RJ45 is connected to the previous node in the network and one is connected to the next node. Somewhat unique to Ethernet is the EtherCAT concept of self-terminating networks.
What type of Ethernet does electethercat use?
EtherCAT uses Standard Ethernet (IEEE 802.3 – Ethernet MAC and PHY) without modifications. The EtherCAT protocol is optimized for process data and is transported directly within the standard IEEE 802.3 Ethernet frame using Ethertype 0x88a4.
How do I connect to EtherCAT?
Any Ethernet device can be connected within the EtherCAT segment via switch ports. The Ethernet frames are tunneled via the EtherCAT protocol, as is normal for internet protocols (e.g., TCP/IP, VPN, PPPoE (DSL), etc.). The EtherCAT network is fully transparent for the Ethernet devices, and the real-time features of EtherCAT are not disturbed.
What is the EtherCAT protocol?
The EtherCAT protocol is optimized for process data and is transported directly within the standard IEEE 802.3 Ethernet frame using Ethertype 0x88a4. It may consist of several sub-telegrams, each serving a particular memory area of the logical process images that can be up to 4 gigabytes in size.