As part of its lineup expansion of platform solutions for the R-IN32M3 Series of industrial Ethernet communication system-on-chips (SoCs), Renesas Electronics, a premier supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, announced the availability of its new Remote I/O Trial Kit – a complete hardware and software reference solution for development of Remote I/O devices typically used for I/O monitoring, communication and industrial process control. The new solution supports the EtherCAT(R) protocol and is now available.
The new reference design solution presents a further advance in Renesas’ provision of devices and development environments that reduce the system designer’s development period and provides an actual industrial equipment application as a reference design. Renesas estimates that the new solution can reduce the development steps required, from the start of product development through the design prototype completion, a process that consists of hardware design, software design, and approval acquisition, by approximately over 60 percent (source: Renesas).
The trend toward a smart factory requires that more of the I/O points need improved performance and more deterministic communication capabilities. This new crop of industrial Ethernet standards enables a network to have high-speed, real-time connectivity. However, when adopting these new industrial Ethernet technologies, large number of new development and evaluation operations are required. These include hardware design including corresponding SoC selection and circuit and layout design, implementation of industrial Ethernet protocols and application processing, functional and performance evaluation, and connection testing with master equipment such as PLC/PAC (programmable logic control/ programmable automation controller) equipment. The large number of development processes required here can lead to significant increases in the time and costs associated with the development of a new user product.
Key features of the new reference design solution:
– Dramatic reduction in development time
– Facilitates development of remote I/O equipment that supports multiple protocols in the same hardware structure
About the Remote I/O Trial Kit:
Items provided in the Remote I/O Trial Kit
• Remote I/O module
• Software
– Remote I/O application processing
– EtherCAT communication processing
– ESI file for EtherCAT communication
• Documentation (application note)
• Circuit diagrams (OrCAD data, layout pdf)
Remote I/O module hardware specifications
• 24V digital output
– NPN type: 16 channel
– Rated output voltage: 24 [V]
– Rated output current: 0.1[A] / channel, 2[A] / module
• 24V digital input
– NPN type: 16 channel
– Rated input voltage: 24 [V]
– Rated input current: Under 4[mA] / channel
• Power Supply
– Rated Voltage: 24V
– Internal consumption current: Under 100mA
• LED
– Status LED: RUN (green), ERR (red), IN/OUT (green)
Renesas Electronics Europe
http://www.renesas.com/R-IN32M3