Fieldbus & Industrial Networking


Profinet bus coupler enables line topology

June 2007 Fieldbus & Industrial Networking

In addition to a wide range of Profibus products, Beckhoff now also supports Profinet, the Industrial Ethernet fieldbus. The new Profinet-certified BK9103 bus coupler allows users to employ the versatile Beckhoff I/O system with more than 200 different signal types.

The new bus coupler integrates Beckhoff's modular bus terminal system as a slave in the Profinet network. The device features an integrated 2-port Ethernet switch, which enables flexible topology configuration. For example, I/O nodes can be configured with a line topology, instead of the traditional star topology. This reduces the wiring effort in many applications, leading to a significant reduction in installation costs.

The BK9103 supports Profinet RT. It is addressed via a DIP switch meaning that no memory card is required for storing the address name, and no additional configuration software is required.

Profinet is now available for other products in the company's range. The IP67 Fieldbus Box family supports the Industrial Ethernet version with the model IL230x-B903 coupler box. The Profinet device interface for its TwinCAT automation software adds Profinet capability to Beckhoff's CX embedded PCs.



Credit(s)



Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

Comprehensive solutions for the food and beverage sector
RS South Africa Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
RS South Africa is reinforcing its commitment to the country’s dynamic food and beverage sector, backed by a comprehensive portfolio of over 800 000 products, extensive technical expertise and end-to-end service capabilities.

Read more...
PC-based control for a food capsule and pod packaging machine
Beckhoff Automation Editor's Choice
For TME, a machine builder specialising in the packaging of powdered foods, Beckhoff’s PC-based control technology offers unlimited opportunities when it comes to performance and innovative capacity in terms of flexibility, scalability and openness.

Read more...
Case History 198: Cascade control overcomes valve problems
Michael Brown Control Engineering Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
A large petrochemical refinery asked me to perform an audit on several critical base layer control loops. This article deals with a problem found on a valve controlling the flow of fuel to a heat exchanger.

Read more...
Improved networking technology for fire and gas detection
Omniflex Remote Monitoring Specialists Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Critical alarm and event management technology supplier, Omniflex has worked with the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation to upgrade equipment providing digital and analogue signals for its safety critical fire and gas alarm systems.

Read more...
Multi-touch panel generation in a smart design
Beckhoff Automation Operator Interfaces, Switches & Relays
Following over 25 years of successful in-house panel production and 12 years of expertise in multi-touch design, Beckhoff is bringing out a new smart panel design, the Next multi-touch panel generation.

Read more...
Next-generation PLC technology with advanced chatbot functionality
Beckhoff Automation IT in Manufacturing
Beckhoff is taking automation technology to the next level with TwinCAT PLC++. Both engineering and runtime are noticeably faster, without compromising on TwinCAT’s signature strengths of seamless integration, compatibility and openness.

Read more...
German Chancellor visits Beckhoff at Hannover Messe
Beckhoff Automation News
As part of the traditional Hannover Messe opening tour, Federal Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz visited German company, Beckhoff Automation. Hans Beckhoff, managing director and owner of Beckhoff Automation, presented his company and its comprehensive expertise in the field of software and AI.

Read more...
PC-based control for fertiliser
Beckhoff Automation Editor's Choice Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
On a farm in the USA, valuable ammonia is extracted from slurry and processed into ammonium sulphate. NSI Byosis has transformed this complex process into a flexible modular system. This modular approach requires an automation solution with flexible scalability in both hardware and software, which this Dutch company has found in PC-based control from Beckhoff.

Read more...
Loop signature 28: Things to consider when tuning.
Michael Brown Control Engineering Editor's Choice Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
I was giving a course at a remote mine in the middle of the Namibian desert. We were discussing tuning responses, and as I always do on my courses, I mentioned that in my opinion ¼ amplitude damped tuning is not desirable, and is in fact not good.

Read more...
New modules for distributed integration of intrinsically safe signals
Beckhoff Automation IS & Ex
Beckhoff provides a compact acquisition solution for intrinsically safe signals up to zone 0/20 with the IP67-protected EtherCAT Box modules of the EPX series.

Read more...