Loading... Please wait...
Blog
Recent Posts
Industrial Ethernet Guide - “Hard” and “Soft” Real-Time Control
The following is part of A Comprehensible Guide to Industrial Ethernet by Wilfried Voss.“Hard” real-time (HRT) control systems are designed to support specific response times, and thus, they are highly deterministic, but they depend on stable cycle time. A missed deadline may post a safety hazard or other serious consequences.“Soft” real-time (SRT) systems deliver a best-effort response, and there is [...]
Industrial Ethernet Guide - Execution Speed and Determinacy
The following is part of A Comprehensible Guide to Industrial Ethernet by Wilfried Voss.High-speed and high-precision manufacturing equipment such as, for instance, a robotic arm utilizes electric components like motion controllers, programmable logic controllers (PLC), feedback devices, and more, and it is mandatory for the machine’s performance that these components work together in a synchronized fashion. [...]
Industrial Ethernet Guide - Ethernet TCP/IP and Real-Time Performance
The following is part of A Comprehensible Guide to Industrial Ethernet by Wilfried Voss.The demand for Ethernet as a real-time communication network has increased continuously in the past due to the benefits of employing a single network technology throughout the manufacturing facility, from office to plant floor.However, the unpredictable nature of Ethernet TCP/IP’s timing (which will [...]
Industrial Ethernet Guide - Network Segmentation
The following is part of A Comprehensible Guide to Industrial Ethernet by Wilfried Voss.When too many devices are attached to a single-cable network, it is advisable to break up the network into separate, smaller network segments, and thus creating Multiple Collision Domains. The primary reason for segmenting is to increase bandwidth and to span the network over [...]
Industrial Ethernet Guide - Limitations Of Ethernet
The following is part of A Comprehensible Guide to Industrial Ethernet by Wilfried Voss.There are, in fact, only few limitations to Ethernet as a standard networking technology, and those that exist can be rectified easily.There are practical limits to the size (physical network length, number of devices) of a complete Ethernet network that shares a single [...]
Industrial Ethernet Guide - Ethernet, CSMA/CD, TCP/IP, and UDP
The following is part of A Comprehensible Guide to Industrial Ethernet by Wilfried Voss.The following chapter explains, in brief, the functionality of Ethernet, CSMA/CD (Carrier-sense multiple access with collision detection), TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol), and UDP (User Datagram Protocol).EthernetEthernet represents the physical protocol layer, i.e., it covers the physical medium (e.g., cables, RJ45 ports, LAN cards, [...]
Internet-Of-Things (IoT) Development Board With Cortex M4 Core And Arduino Expansion
The LPC54018 IoT module, developed by NXP in partnership with Embedded Artists, is suitable for applications that require online and cloud access. It also includes software that allows your application to interface with AWS IoT Services. The module is based on NXP’s LPC54018 microcontroller, which comes with a Cortex-M4 core capable of operating at up to a 180 [...]
Industrial Ethernet Guide - Ethernet and TCP/IP Basics
The following is part of A Comprehensible Guide to Industrial Ethernet by Wilfried Voss.Note: This chapter can only provide a rudimentary overview of the underlying Ethernet technology. There are already a significant number of works on TCP/IP available (see also the “References” appendix) that explain the topic in great detail.Nevertheless, the information in this chapter is [...]
Texas Instruments Introduces MCU With EtherCAT, Ethernet, And CAN FD Connectivity
Texas Instruments (TI) has introduced their F2838x MCU, designed for AC servo drives and other industrial automation devices. The 32-bit MCU is part of the C2000 micro-controller family. The MCU allows designers the utilization of a single chip to achieve serial connectivity, including EtherCAT, Ethernet, and CAN FD. Devices equipped with such communication ports frequently necessitate an external [...]
Industrial Ethernet Guide - TCP/IP Protocol Positions Within OSI Reference Model
The following is part of A Comprehensible Guide to Industrial Ethernet by Wilfried Voss.The TCP/IP layer model follows the OSI 7-Layer Reference Model to a certain degree as demonstrated in the image documenting the Ethernet TCP/IP protocol layers. The similarities to the OSI model are apparent.However, they do have their subtle differences. After all, OSI is [...]