This video demonstrates how OEMs can utilize IXXAT’s Industrial Ethernet Module (IEM) to support multiple Industrial Ethernet protocols with a single hardware platform. Via SPI or Parallel-Bus your device will interface to the IEM and have access to EtherCAT, EtherNet/IP, PROFINET RT, POWERLINK, SERCOS III and Modbus/TCP networks. You will see how a simple IO board can communicate with both an Ethernet/IP network and an Ethernet POWERLINK by simply swapping the EtherNet/IP configured IEM for a POWERLINK configured IEM. The firmware inside the application CPU can support all of these protocols at once, and allows the OEM to quickly reach end users within many different markets.

Click here for more information about the Industrial Ethernet Module. North American customers please call 603-471-0800 x101 (for other countries +49-751-56146-0)

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With the new one-day real-time Ethernet seminar IXXAT presents a topical theme and enables de-velopers and decision makers to get a quick overview of the important currently available pro-tocols as well as the specific features and char-acteristics at the implementation.

During the seminar, the protocols EtherNet/IP, Profinet RT & IRT, POWERLINK, EtherCAT, and SERCOS III are introduced. Besides functional criteria, e.g. the level of real-time capability, modeling of process and parameter data as well as data transmission functions, also implementa-tion options, extendability, flexibility and popularity are discussed.

All this criteria are important for selecting the right protocol for a specific application.
Furthermore, the fields of application as well as the strong and weak points of the protocols are introduced.

The seminar provides a comprehensive, quick and open-minded overview of the new industrial Ethernet fieldbus technologies in a compact for-mat.

Since more than 20 years, IXXAT offers seminars in the area of industrial and automotive data communication. The real-time Ethernet seminar, as well as further seminars e.g. for CAN, CANopen, EtherNet/IP and FlexRay, are offered as in-house seminar in English or German language in a customized version on request.

Seminar dates: March 25, 2010 and Sept. 22, 2010.

For further information about the new real-time Ethernet seminar please visit www.ixxat.com/seminars.

The IEM implements a cost efficient and flexible solution to adapt to various Industrial Ethernet technologies. The IEM is based on a powerful Altera Cyclone III FPGA which includes, besides an integrated 32-bit CPU, PHYs, magnetic modules and RJ45 jacks, the new 3-port switch IP for Profinet, EtherNet/IP and Modbus-TCP.

The switch IP has been developed by IXXAT in close co-operation with one of the world’s leading experts in switch technologies. The IP implements a store-and-forward switch and is explicitly designed for real-time Ethernet networks. An implementation as cut-through switch is already in preparation.
The switch IP makes use of the priority information to transfer real-time Ethernet frames with lowest latency and jitter (in the range of a few microseconds).
The switch IP comes with integrated MACs which support 10/100 Base-T, half and full duplex. To make use of features like static or dynamic address table, aging mode, routing mode, etc, the customer can configure the IP by using its management interface. On top of this, the internal port supports filters and backpressure to reduce the load of the connected system.

The switch IP is also available as a product, based on Altera Cyclone III (further FPGA types on request). Furthermore, IXXAT also offers the development of fully customized adaptations of the switch IP on a project base.

Read more about the Industrial Ethernet Module

As one of the first devices, the IXXAT POWERLINK Starterkit Controlled Node (CN)
receives the official certificate of the EPSG POWERLINK Conformance Test. The Starterkit consists of an IXXAT Industrial Ethernet Module, a carrier board, a CPU module as well as a demo application. The IEM, as base hardware for different real-time Ethernet protocols, is based on the IXXAT POWERLINK stack, in the protocol variant for POWERLINK, and comes with an integrated Ethernet hub for the 2-port network connection.

The certificate ensures the conformity to the latest POWERLINK DS301 V1.1.0 specification. In addition, the Industrial Ethernet Module passes herewith the Multi-Vendor Test at the first attempt, which approves the interoperability with managing nodes of various vendors. The interoperability test shows again, that the guaranteed performance of the IXXAT IEM is a substantial characteristic of a POWERLINK module. Especially the very low response jitter below 250 ns as well as the guaranteed cycle time of minimal 400 µs enables the stable and error free operation of the Industrial Ethernet Module with almost every POWERLINK control unit.

The POWERLINK IEM is the optimal basis for an easy implementation of CN solutions, which also demonstrably works reliable in inhomogeneous systems. Due to the FPGA technology used, future enhancements, like POWERLINK High Availability (EPSG WDP 302-A) or Multi Poll-Response, can be made available to the customer without hardware modifications.

Besides POWERLINK, IXXAT supports the Industrial Ethernet Module also with firmware for PROFINET, EtherCAT and EtherNet/IP. SERCOS III and Modbus-TCP will follow soon. To change the used protocol, only the firmware including the FPGA IP has to be exchanged.

For an integration into customer devices the Industrial Ethernet Module can also be produced with customer specific form factors. Besides this, IXXAT also offers the design-in of the FPGA based Ethernet connection directly on the customer hardware. All variants are supported with appropriate services, like consultation, system design and development services.

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Today, the industrial automation market for Ethernet-based communication is increasing in demand. As with classical field busses, several protocol standards are available for Industrial Ethernet, which have to be supported by device manufacturers. Since these different Ethernet standards vary in their hardware and software requirements, a specific protocol solution for their integration into a device is required.

Despite the efforts of IAONA to find a common solution for industrial communication over Ethernet, disparate protocols emerged that were sponsored and promoted by a number of classic field bus suppliers. Eleven concepts to achieve Ethernet relevant for industrial communication are currently standardized within IEC 61158. Similar to the so-called “field bus wars” in the eighties, in the end, some of the eleven Industrial Ethernet solutions will be accepted in the market.

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At the upcoming SPS/IPC/DRIVES fair in Nuremberg, IXXAT will present the new Industrial Ethernet Module, which enables customers to easily connect their devices to networks based on an Industrial Ethernet standard.

The new Industrial Ethernet Module was designed from the ground up to support various protocol standards.
At this, a powerful Altera Cyclone III FPGA is used and low manufacturing costs for the module were a focus of attention.
As a result, the new Industrial Ethernet Module is more powerful, lower priced, smaller and can be used more flexible than its predecessor.

IXXAT’s Industrial Ethernet Module will be offered for Powerlink, PROFINET, EtherNet/IP, EtherCAT and SERCOS III. Some of these protocols will be already available on the module at the SPS/IPC/DRIVES fair.
The contents of delivery include a protocol independent Host API, which enables the customer to switch between the protocols very easily by making only slight changes to the application. Among other things, IXXAT plans to offer an Ethernet switch, which is integrated into the Module FPGA, until end of this year.

IXXAT supports the module with an evaluation kit, which includes, besides software and documentation, a carrier board and an adapter board for the connection of various CPU modules.

If the form factor of the Industrial Ethernet Module is not suitable for integration into the customer device, IXXAT offers a design-in solution. Furthermore IXXAT also offers the development of fully customized solutions on a project base.

[Read more on the IXXAT webpage]

The new, multilingual technology pages provide an overview of the IXXAT product range in English, German, Spanish, Italian, French, Swedish and Japanese language.

This enables visitors to get a brief description of the desired product in their mother language, with the possibility to switch to a detailed product description in English language.

Besides the IXXAT weblog and the RSS feed, which provide the latest information about products, updates and events, the new international pages are another step forward in the improvement of the IXXAT webpage to provide product news easier and more comfortable for our customers.

Information about CAN, CANopen, DeviceNet, J1939, Powerlink, EtherNet/IP, Profinet, FlexRay, LIN, IEEE 1588 on the international technology pages:

[EN] [DE] [ES] [IT] [FR] [SE] [JP]

Due to the benefits of high performance and low cost, the use of Ethernet-based communication protocols, like PROFINET, Ethernet/IP, EtherCAT, Powerlink or SERCOS III, is growing rapidly in the industrial market. However, despite the fact that they are all Ethernet based, many of the protocols in use today are incompatible, leaving the developer with the problem of how to cost effectively support multiple standards.

Some protocols use standard Ethernet hardware and only require different software, while others require additional hardware. Using traditional methodologies, the only way to resolve this issue is to design a custom solution for each protocol. This is expensive to develop and support, and does not address the problem of ASIC supply or how to support newer versions of protocols that require different hardware.

With FPGA devices and soft processor cores, like Altera’s Nios II processor, it is possible to create a single hardware platform that is capable of supporting all Ethernet-based industrial protocols, for example Powerlink, PROFINET RT, EtherCAT, EtherNet/IP, SERCOS III and Modbus/TCP. To support any of these protocols, all the developer needs is a single FPGA based programmable hardware platform and the appropriate IP package (software and hardware) from a vendor like IXXAT.

Altera and IXXAT have developed a solution to provide a set of off-the-shelf Industrial Ethernet solutions that allow the developer to quickly, easily and cost effectively support many Industrial Ethernet protocols. Targeting low- to mid-volumes and leveraging Altera’s Cyclone III FPGAs, IXXAT’s FPGA based Industrial Ethernet communication module can be easily built into a product to add flexible Industrial Ethernet capabilities – to support a different protocol all you need to do is download a different FPGA configuration. The module connects to the existing processor in the developers system and is programmed through a protocol independent Application Programmer`s Interface (API) – this means that no application changes are required to support different Industrial Ethernet protocols. The form factor of the communication module can be tailored to fit customer specific requirements or, for higher volume projects, the module design can be integrated directly into the developers system.

IXXAT pre-verified IP modules deliver fast development times with reduced cost and risk. Altera’s low power Cyclone III FPGA reduces development costs and increase designer productivity by allowing multipe features and functionality to be easily integrated into the design. The flexibility of the IXXAT solution enables developers to support multiple protocols and easily update equipment to support new protocols, or new protocol variants, simply by re-programming the FPGA – even if the product is deployed in the field.

With the proved “Industrial Ethernet Module” from IXXAT devices can quickly and cost-efficiently be adapted to various Industrial Ethernet technologies.

Beside the already available version for Powerlink Controlled Node the module now supports PROFINET RT IO-Device, EtherCAT Slave and EtherNet/IP Adapter. Further technologies like SERCOS III and Modbus/TCP are in preparation.

Industrial Ethernet Module Flyer

more details

With the PROFINET Development Kit IXXAT enables simple implementation of PROFINET IO devices according to the PROFINET standard including real-time (RT) operation support. PROFINET RT uses the possibility of prioritization and optimization of the protocol stack to enable high-performance data transmission with standard components of automation technology. On request, IXXAT also offers implementation of PROFINET in customer-specific devices.

more details about PROFINET Protocol Stack