ICP DAS has released a new EtherCAT module for stepper motor control - ECAT-2094P. The module allows the user to control 4 motors. The ECAT-2094P can be directly connected to pulse motor drives that have a pulse output.
In addition, the device has four built-in incremental encoder interfaces. They allow the input signal of external incremental encoders to be read at a high frequency. For example, encoders can be used to find the zero position and check for consistency.
There are three digital input channels for each motor: left and right hardware home limit switches. Hardware limit switch that automatically stops the motor when activated and all three digital inputs can be used for home positioning.
The device requires an EtherCAT master to operate as the ECAT-2094P is a standard EtherCAT slave. Module configuration is performed by a wizard and a configuration application. Controllers supporting the EtherCAT protocol can act as masters.
ICP DAS has also launched EMP series EtherCAT controllers, which provide high speed and response due to the use of high-speed EtherCAT bus.
Also, as a master device, you can use ECAT-M801 series embedded PCI Express boards.
Key features of the new ECAT-2094P module:
- Support for CiA402 protocol
- Independent 4-axis control with pulse output up to 4 MHz
- Serial connection support
- Supported distance between modules up to 100m (100BASE-TX)
