The EtherCAT Terminals from the EL3xxx, ES3xxx, ELM3xxx, ELX3xxx and EM3xxx series process the most diverse analog signals. The typical standard signals encountered in the automation industry, such as 0 to 10 V, ±10 V, 0 to 20 mA and 4 to 20 mA, are supported and pre-processed along with other measured variables such as resistance, pressure or temperature. The product portfolio additionally includes analog EtherCAT Terminals for the connection and evaluation of special sensors such as strain gauges, thermocouples, resistance thermometers and accelerometers. Special analog EtherCAT Terminals are also available for measurement tasks in energy and power measurement.
Beckhoff offers the right product for every application in its product portfolio of analog EtherCAT input terminals. Due to a comprehensive selection of terminals with different numbers of channels, resolutions and measuring accuracies, the right product is available for every application, from simple industrial applications to high-precision measurement technology. There are also different product categories for some application areas. For example, the analog input terminals from the ELX3xxx series are specially designed for potentially explosive atmospheres and the products from the ELM3xxx series with their low measurement uncertainty are especially designed for measurement applications with high requirements.
Distributed clocks and XFC for speed and precision
Some analog EtherCAT Terminals support the XFC technology (eXtreme Fast Control), which enables rapid, deterministic reactions in the µs range. This technology enables fast I/O response times, oversampling of the input signal and precise time measurement for events at the input with a resolution of 1 ns. Highly accurate synchronization of all distributed clocks-capable devices in the network is attainable with a synchronization accuracy of << 1 µs with the EtherCAT distributed clocks, which are implemented in many EtherCAT analog terminals.
Calibration to control the measurement chain
Calibration certificates (factory calibration or calibration to ISO 17025/DAkkS) are also available for some EtherCAT analog input terminals. If Beckhoff EtherCAT Terminals are part of a measurement chain and therefore subject to special requirements for the reproducibility and traceability of measurement results, a calibration certificate can be issued to the user for certain terminal types for quality assurance purposes. The certificate is issued for individual terminals, enabling a more precise definition of the entire measurement chain as proof of the exact measurement deviation of the terminal and thus reducing the measurement uncertainty. In the context of the uncertainty assessment of a measurement, the possible influence of the Beckhoff terminal can be reduced in this way.
Advantages:
- robust measurement of analog signals with long-term availability
- fine scalability of channel density and functional scope
- extensive adjustment and diagnostic options in the terminals via the EtherCAT bus
- distributed clocks for the precise acquisition of the timestamp of an input signal and synchronization of the network
- optionally calibrated terminals for precise acquisition of the measurement uncertainty
Areas of application:
- production machines
- test systems
- condition monitoring
- energy generation systems
- Reset all filter values
- Results: