Highly compact with integrated isolation barrier
With the ELX series, Beckhoff combines highly compact remote I/O modules with isolation barriers for the direct connection of intrinsically safe field devices in a single housing. These intrinsically safe I/Os allow sensors and actuators from Ex zones 0/20 and 1/21 to be integrated directly into PC-based control technology. This results in exceptionally sleek EtherCAT Terminals that seamlessly integrate the high Beckhoff measurement quality that is familiar from the non-Ex area into explosion protection. The systematic elimination of intermediate external isolation barriers results in a significant reduction in the space needed in the control cabinet and in the associated costs. With the ELX series, extremely compact and economical control architectures can be implemented for the process industry.
System advantages of intrinsically safe I/Os
- up to eight intrinsically safe inputs in a 12 mm wide terminal
- wide range of applications thanks to extensive variety of signals
- customer-specific variants can be developed
- ATEX, IECEx, and NEC/CEC certifications fulfill all industry-specific guidelines and enable use in almost all markets
- less system downtime thanks to EtherCAT's outstanding diagnostic function
Explanation of the ELX system
Set-up
An ELX Terminal segment always starts with the ELX9560 power supply terminal. The design of this terminal assures the isolation distance of 50 mm from non-intrinsically safe circuits as required by standards and the terminal also supplies the downstream ELX signal terminals via the power contacts. Any ELX signal terminals can be connected to the right of the ELX9560 in any desired combination. The ELX9012 bus end cover is used to terminate an ELX Terminal segment and to cover the E-bus and power contacts.
Extension
The combination of the ELX9410 and the ELX9560 power supply terminal is always required for each additional supply within an ELX Terminal segment. This combination allows additional ELX signal terminals to be supplied. This allows the ELX Terminal segment to be extended, for example in order to take advantage of the entire width of the control cabinet. Thanks to the front fin of the ELX9410, the minimum distance of 50 mm as required by standards is maintained from the terminals connected on the left side.
Signal mix
Beckhoff uses the principle of PC-based control technology to combine a wide range of I/O components in a single system. EtherCAT Terminals for measurement tasks, functional safety (TwinSAFE), and intrinsically safe I/Os for explosion protection can be freely combined and integrated into a holistic control system. The user thus has an efficient complete solution at their disposal for all requirements.
Communication/interoperability
Beckhoff components support various communication protocols such as EtherCAT, PROFINET, PROFIBUS, Modbus, EtherNet/IP™, and OPC UA, as well as the new Ethernet-APL standard. These standardized interfaces enable Beckhoff hardware to be integrated into all industrial process control systems. The connection can be established via appropriate fieldbus couplers or via embedded controllers from the CX series.
Redundancy
The EK1110 EtherCAT extension can be directly connected to the end of the ELX Terminal segment. This allows the EtherCAT segment to be extended with an Ethernet cable to create a ring topology. With the ring redundancy, the communication of the other devices is not affected in the event of failure of a single EtherCAT device, which reduces downtime.
- Reset all filter values
- Results: