March 13, 2011 – Pepperl+Fuchs introduces ENX Series AS-Interface Gateways. The ENX series supports both Modbus/TCP and Ethernet/IP protocols for seamless communication with standard and safety networks in a single gateway. They also include a number of advanced features for enhanced network performance and diagnostics retrieval. With ENX gateways, 992 I/O are handled asynchronous to the Ethernet traffic. These fast gateways also scan every AS-i node in 150µs, which enables up to 62 safety e-stops, magnetic switches, and safe outputs to be in one easy to use safety program.
Single master, dual master and dual master with built in safety monitor versions are available to satisfy various AS-Interface application requirements. All models come standard with integrated duplicate address, noise, and ground fault detection functionality. Dual network versions feature redundant power supply connections where either power supply can fail, and the gateway will continue to run while reporting the error to the upper level system. Options of note include a16-channel safety version with up to 4 onboard safety channels, where up to 16 channels can be remotely activated using safe output modules.
An available memory card enables users to quickly and easily program remote gateways, and to transfer a gateways configuration and safety program from a failed gateway to a replacement.