EtherCAT Slave Module

The ECS200 EtherCAT slave module from Bachmann electronic enables M1 controllers to be connected as slaves to a higher-level EtherCAT network. This is used when the M1 is used to control an autonomous and intelligent subsection of a plant or machine. The actual connection status of the slave to the EtherCAT master is indicated in the program via a variable. In this way, the slave can run any programmable response to a network interruption. The MIO, SVI interfaces and the process image give the M1 application programs complete access to all incoming and outgoing cyclical process data. They can also be synchronized with the external EtherCAT bus. In this way, the applications also run independently in the same interval in the event of a network fault. The module is configured in the Bachmann SolutionCenter. This enables the number, size and direction of the process data units transferred via the EtherCAT bus to be defined and passed on to the master as an ESI file. As the M1 controller represents a 'module device' with a static object dictionary, any further configuration is unnecessary. The LEDs on the two EtherCAT ports simplify any diagnostics required in the field. The module enables an autonomous and intelligent subsystem to be implemented very easily with a connection to an EtherCAT network.