PROFIBUS connectivity for industrial PCs

The IXXAT INpact PCIe and PCIe mini card series enables PC-based industrial applications to communicate with fieldbus and industrial Ethernet systems. Already available for PROFINET, EtherCAT, EtherNet/IP, Powerlink and Modbus-TCP, INpact is now extended to cover PROFIBUS DPV1. This enables straight-forward integration of PC-based, embedded or mobile device applications into PROFIBUS-based systems. Typical use cases are coupling of devices/subsystems with higher-level networks, visualization of process data in control rooms or machines, implementation of flexible gateway solutions as well as data acquisition in test stands, test systems or service tools.

PROFIBUS complements the INpact Industrial Ethernet offering

The new member of the INpact series comes as a ready-made PROFIBUS DPV1 slave interface in a PCIe mini format. The PROFIBUS communication is ensured by proven Anybus technology from HMS, where the FPGA-based Anybus NP40 network processor includes all functions required to handle the communication between the PROFIBUS DPV1 network and the PC-based customer application. The low latency and a deterministic real-time behavior of the solution makes it ideal for demanding industrial applications regardless if communication is done on Industrial Ethernet or PROFIBUS.

Economy of scale through a standardized PC application interface

The IXXAT INpact is supplied with a comprehensive driver package for Windows and Linux, which allows fast and easy development of customer-specific applications, regardless of INpact card used. Thanks to the standardized programming interface, the user can select and use the INpact card and protocol of choice without having to change the application software. This leads to increased flexibility and significantly reduced development costs. Support for real-time operating systems such as RTX, Intime, VxWorks and QNX is available on request.

Flexible PROFIBUS and industrial Ethernet connectivity

INpact for PROFIBUS is equipped with a 9-pin D-SUB bus interface, while the industrial Ethernet versions come with RJ45 Ethernet interfaces (10/100 Mbit) or SC-RJ connectors (for PROFINET Fiber Optic). The dedicated versions for each industrial Ethernet network are complemented with a flexible INpact Common Ethernet version, into which the desired Ethernet protocol can be flashed by the user.