EtherCAT

[kku 1]

It looks like Omron is jumping in head first into etherCAT products. The new NJ controller, G5 servo drives, GX I/O blocks, etc. Does anyone have any experience working with etherCAT? It seems like a lot of third party manufacturers are also jumping into etherCAT. I just noticed SMC has added etherCAT to their EX600 series fieldbus I/O. Any thoughts?

[BobB 58]

EtherCat is allegedly very fast and reliable. It is also possible to set up EtherCat with 2 ports per card and utilise a ring topology with detection of wire break between nodes. If you Google EtherCat you will find the EtherCat association - there are a huge number of major manufacturers who are members. I think you will see a lot more EtherCat in the near future - even peer to peer between PLCs is probably not far away.

[Michael Walsh 268]

While it is possible to implement a ring topology on EtherCAT, Omron's products do not support this configuration. All of Omron's controllers will support the daisy chain topology and the NJ5 Machine Automation Controller will also support the star topology. EtherCAT will most likely NOT be used as a peer to peer network as it is intended for device level communications. EtherCAT is a very efficient and very fast network. It will not surprise me to see many manufacturers adding EtherCAT products.

[BobB 58]

Maybe the rumor I heard was incorrect.

[Michael Walsh 268]

Bob, you never know. Just my opinion based on what I have seen so far. Have a good one.

[kku 1]

Is Omron going to stick with EtherNET IP for peer to peer?

[kku 1]

Lots of info here at the EtherCAT technology group site (especially in the downloads section). http://www.ethercat.org/en/ethercat.html Seems like a really good system. Discrete I/O control as well. SMC just came out with a EtherCAT compatible EX600 fieldbus system. http://www.smcworld.com/2010/e/NewCatalog/ek-3/ex600.htm

[BobB 58]

All the CJ2M PLCs with inbuilt Ethernet ports support Ethernet IP - just using 8 of them networked at the moment. The other Ethernet cards support it also. I would assume they will continue to support it as most PLC manufacturers have also gone that way. Yep, EtherCat looks pretty good.

[Berti Baker 7]

Hi, Yes it looks like it. The NJ comes with 2 networks ports as standard: EtherCAT for the machine network and as you say - Ethernet/IP for peer to peer. While that comes for free it seems crazy to consider anything else. (waited years for Ethernet ports as standard then 2 come at once ) BB

[Chris Elston 79]

With some knowledge of Japanese robots....I know because Omron has fully endorsed EtherCAT in China, that means EtherCAT is coming for other products that are Japan made. I was just at the iREX Robot Show in Toyko a couple of weeks ago, and I saw lots of releases of EtherCAT in several Japan made products. I saw some great motion demos, TwinCAT demos with Beckoff, as well as EtherCAT in the Omron PLC booth with third party drives. It was a nice clean, easy interface all in ladder logic. Hopefully one of these days, I'll post some videos from the robot show. You guys would be freaked out. Not really with the industrial robots, but with the Japanese service robots. (sorry that was a bit off topic).