August 14, 2013 - Sercos international released a free iPad app “sercos tube racer.” The game is available in the iTunes Store and shows in a playful manner how the common network infrastructure for sercos III and EtherNet/IP works. sercos telegrams, CIP messages and TCP/IP messages can coexist within a network without requiring additional cables. To keep the cyclical and clocked communication of sercos III intact, the CIP messages and TCP/IP telegrams are transmitted in the Unified Communication Channel (UCC) which is an integral part of the sercos transmission method. The game involves these three types of data packages moving down a single cable.
A common network infrastructure enables machine builders and users to reduce the cost and complexity of machine integration while retaining the ability to utilize their preferred product suppliers and automation devices. Successful attributes in this casual game are speed, precision and concentration, attributes that also characterize the sercos technology! The player has to click on the data packages at the perfect time to achieve high scores and to reach the next level. The top high scores are listed online unless the player played anonymously.
In addition to being fun, participation is worthwhile because sercos international uses this app from time to time to encourage prize draws. The first prize – an iPhone 5 – was handed out at this year‘s Hanover Fair where a prototype of the app was tested.
About sercos international
sercos international is an association of users and manufacturers that is in charge of technical development, standardization, conformance inspection, certification, and marketing for the sercos automation bus. Conformance tests ensure that the implementation of sercos is in accordance with standards and thus allows the combination and integration of devices from different manufacturers. Based in Germany, the organization presently has more than 70 member companies located around the world, and has liaison offices in North America and Asia.
About sercos
The SErial Realtime COmmunication System, or sercos, is one of the world’s leading digital interfaces for communication between controls, drives, and decentralized peripheral devices. sercos has been used in machine engineering for more than 20 years and is implemented in over 4 million real-time nodes. With its open, manufacturer-independent Ethernet-based architecture, sercos III is a universal bus for all automation solutions.
