DNR-ECAT-1200: 12-slot EtherCAT I/O chassis, rack format
The DNx-ECAT series of I/O chassis is based on the popular DNA series Cubes and UEI’s DNR RACKtangles, but includes a specially designed CPU module to operate as an EtherCAT slave. The DNx-ECAT series offers all the I/O flexibility of DNA Cubes and RACKs, including compatibility with over 60 different I/O boards while offering full EtherCAT compliance. EtherCAT developers can now harness the power, flexibility and robustness of the UEI DNx family. EtherCAT chassis are ideal for a wide variety of industrial, aerospace and laboratory data acquisition and control applications.
In general Ethernet is not ideal for real time monitoring and control response although there are a number of ways to do this in real time. EtherCAT is a special implementation of Ethernet designed to support real-time applications. (Note: UEI’s DNx series standard cubes and racks also support real-time I/O systems using our powerful DMAP/VMAP control protocols.)
EtherCAT chassis are typically configured in two ways, with MDP or fixed configuration ESI files. MDP allows the EtherCAT master to query the UEI-ECAT chassis and automatically determine which cards are installed and what functionality they provide. Alternatively, some EtherCAT masters require only one ESI file for each device. UEI supports both methods.
The CPU module occupies the top of the cube or central RACKtangle slot and provides the processor, Ethernet controller (NIC), LEDs, configuration ports, and internal power. It is the brain of the Cube and controls the unit’s operations, including interfacing with the host controller (and other cubes), as well as supervising I/O card activity. CPU module also includes rotary switches that define the explicit identification of the chassis EtherCAT device. If the switch is set to ECAT ID 0, the unit address is programmed by any EtherCAT master. In addition to connecting to other UEI chassis, the DNx-ECAT series can be installed in any chain with ETG compliant devices.
The rest of the chassis is dedicated to I/O slots. These slots are populated with the I/O modules selected to match your process or test application. With over 60 different I/O boards available, we’re sure to have exactly what your application needs. We currently offer: A/D boards for measuring voltage, current, strain gauges, thermocouples and more, D/A boards with ±40V or ±50mA outputs, I/O interfaces Digital / S for logic and “real” signal levels, counters and timers, quadrature encoder inputs, RVDT / LVDT and communication interfaces for RS-232, RS-422/485.
The EtherCAT master/host communicates with the cube via standard CAT5e/6/7 serial cables. One of the selling points of EtherCAT is that it does not require Ethernet switches/routers for multi-chassis connectivity. The EtherCAT network is a daisy chain where an input cable comes from the host/master, then an output cable goes to the next EtherCAT device in the chain. EtherCAT requires sub-microsecond propagation for data analysis through a device to maintain system throughput and synchronization. Other key EtherCAT specifications include: built-in watchdog timers, safe state default conditions, and cable redundancy.
