Industrial Ethernet Module

The IXXAT Automation provides a flexible and cost-efficient interface which allows users to easily connect automation devices to Powerlink networks or other Ethernet-based fieldbus systems. Since central development goals included suitability for a wide range of protocol standards and low production costs, the new module is smaller than its predecessor model and provides a better performance at a smaller price. The module is based on an Altera Cyclone III FPGA. An integrated CPU executes the Industrial Ethernet protocol and ensures data transfer via the host interface. Users can easily integrate the module into their existing systems via the host CPU’s open programming interface (Ethernet Module Interface - EMI). The counterpart on the module, the Bus Protocol Wrapper (BPW), abstracts the functions of the currently used protocol, allowing users to configure applications independently of the underlying protocol via the EMI.