Customisable master solution for EtherCAT, CANopen and Powerlink

The IXXAT Econ 100 is a universal ARM-based platform with a Linux operating system that comes as a standard version already with four Ethernet, two CAN and two USB ports.
Whether "out-of-the-box" or adapted to specific customer requirements, the IXXAT Econ 100 is the right choice for various applications in terms of performance, flexibility and price.

For the implementation of EtherCAT and CANopen master applications or Powerlink Managing Nodes, special application development kits are available for the IXXAT Econ 100. These kits include a comprehensive board support package and, pre-installed on an SD card, the corresponding master software package and the Linux operating system.

For the enclosed sample applications, also a suitable IO module is included in the scope of delivery, as well as a detailed documentation, enabling the fast and easy start of the development.

The EtherCAT Master functionality is provided using the proven protocol software from acontis for EtherCAT Master Class A and B devices. A specially optimized link layer allows the IXXAT Econ 100 to operate with cycle times of less than 1 ms.

The CANopen master implementation is based on the CANopen master/slave software from IXXAT, which enables the Econ 100 to act as a multi-channel CANopen controller.

Powerlink has been implemented based on the IXXAT POWERLINK-master/slave software. Due to the integrated hub logic the managing node implementation also supports the typical Powerlink line topology.
Redundancy features, such as redundant master or line redundancy, enable the IXXAT Econ 100 to operate as highly-available Powerlink communication solution.

By combining the various master software packages, powerful controllers for heterogeneous systems with CANopen, EtherCAT or Powerlink can be easily implemented. Typical operation areas of the IXXAT Econ 100 are customer-specific control applications and gateway solutions in which the IXXAT Econ 100 is acting as master in one network and as slave within a superior network.

The remarkably high degree of flexibility by using the IXXAT Econ 100 is achieved by the unique combination of extension interfaces, FPGA, software and services.

In addition to the interfaces of the base version, custom interfaces or enhancements (e.g. digital and analog IOs, DVI output) can be added quickly and easily via expansion slots and the integrated FPGA. This makes the IXXAT Econ 100 the perfect device for customized solutions.

During the development of the IXXAT Econ 100, special attention was paid to the requirements of the various fields of application. Thus, the unit has, despite of its fanless design, an extended temperature range from -40 ° C to + 70 ° C.

The used CPU is a dual core Cortex A9. The internal RAM memory has a standard size of 256 MB and can be extended up to 1 GB. The operating system and programs are stored in flash memory on an SD card.

Besides the version within the robust metal housing, IXXAT offers the IXXAT Econ 100 also a board-level product for space-saving integration into already existing customer applications.