ethercat for emotron ac drives

September 7, 2012 - A new EtherCAT option board provides Emotron FDU/VFX AC drives with a very fast industrial Ethernet interface in combination with a high level of reliability. All AC drive parameters can be accessed via the network using the CoE (CANopen over EtherCAT) application protocol. This makes it possible to easily control, monitor, adjust and configure the drive.

EtherCAT is an open industrial protocol which has been developed with focus on time critical applications, using the available bandwidth in a very efficient way. This is achieved through the protocol implementation as well as a fast integrated ASIC in every node, removing the need and cost for external switches. The ASIC takes care of the process data exchange “on the fly”, which minimizes the telegram delay in each node, creating a very rapid bus system.

The EtherCAT network topology is very robust, since it forms a “virtual ring” by using both pairs in an Ethernet cable. Using a PLC with two Ethernet ports allows you to create an even more robust redundant ring network.

The specification of the protocol is maintained and developed by EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG) and its members.