Posted to News on 6th Nov 2011, 13:01
EtherNet/IP Communications Auxiliary connects DeviceNet devices
Rockwell Automation is launching a cost-effective and versatile EtherNet/IP Communications Auxiliary. The new module connects devices on a DeviceNet network (such as the Bulletin 193 E3 Plus Overload Relays or 825-P Electronic Overload Relays) to an EtherNet/IP network so that they can be monitored remotely. According to the company, these modules are equally suitable for installing on new machinery and retrofitting to existing equipment.
The EtherNet/IP Communications Auxiliary connects to a maximum of six DeviceNet-based units with Implicit Messaging, and can bridge explicit messaging for all nodes on a DeviceNet network. An internal web server enables the module to be configured remotely, as well as the DeviceNet network itself and DeviceNet-connected units that fully support the Parameter Object. This makes the EtherNet/IP Communications Auxiliary a simple, cost-effective device for monitoring a machine's status, condition and energy consumption from any internet browser (access is, of course, password-protected). If required, the EtherNet/IP Communications Auxiliary can also be configured to send emails in response to specific events.
Rockwell Automation is offering the EtherNet/IP Communications Auxiliary with a single Ethernet port or dual Ethernet ports for RJ-45 Ethernet cables meeting CAT5 or above. There is no need to connect a separate cable for the power supply.
Ring topology
The dual-port 193-DNENCATR Module also supports a Ring Ethernet topology in which all Ethernet nodes are wired in series with one another; it can be used in a Device Level Ring (DLR) as a slave device in which the EtherNet/IP network will continue to communicate, even in the event of a network line being disrupted.
Steve Pethick, Rockwell Automation's Director of Components for EMEA, explains the reason behind the development of the EtherNet/IP Communications Auxiliary: "Many of our customers, particularly in the food processing sector and in the water industry, have asked for a way to add field devices into their Integrated Architecture solution using EtherNet/IP. This device helps them to do just that; simply, quickly and cost effectively."
Both devices support a Star Ethernet topology in which all Ethernet nodes are wired back to a central Ethernet switch, hub or router. Rockwell Automation also offers a line of managed and unmanaged Allen-Bradley Ethernet Switches with its Stratix industrial Ethernet switches. Follow the link for more information about the EtherNet/IP Communications Auxiliary. At the time of writing, the prices for the dingle-port and dual-port variants are, respectively, 221 and 275.
