Beckhoff Real-Time Ethernet System Sets Record With 3,000 Vendor IDs
August 17, 2020
With EtherCAT, all complex and time-critical functions are integrated into the device controller chips, which are available from 12 different semiconductor producers. Simple devices require no microcontroller and therefore no software since some of the chips already come with I/O interfaces built-in. Since the EtherCAT controller is fully software-based, it only needs a conventional Ethernet port, which means that it can be implemented on almost any PC or microcontroller board with no additional hardware. In addition, there is the broad spectrum of available real-time operating systems: about 35 RTOSs are available for EtherCAT controllers.
The “Slave Stack Code” and related software tools has already been downloaded over 11,000 times.
The easy EtherCAT implementation provided by the ETG’s extraordinary ‘ecosystem’ with support from Beckhoff is the second major factor for the system’s success. It ranges from extensive implementation guidelines and the Developer Forum on the organization’s website with almost 7,000 posts about the development support provided by ETG employees. The “Slave Stack Code” and related software tools, which Beckhoff supplies to all ETG members at no charge, has already been downloaded over 11,000 times. And the Conformance Test Tool, which ensures compatibility with the standard and is also a practical development tool, is another important building block of the EtherCAT ecosystem.
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