Users who chose the new Bus Coupler series from Beckhoff will achieve automation at a particularly economical price. The new “Economy plus” couplers link Lightbus, Profibus, Interbus, DeviceNet and CANopen with the extensive, modular, expandable range of bus terminals from Beckhoff. What is more, the use of a Bus Terminal extension terminal allows up to 255 Bus Terminals to be connected at one station.

The “Economy plus” Bus Coupler range is suitable for the construction of digital and analog I/O stations with a simple structure having up to 64 terminals. However, there is an option of using an extension terminal, which expands the internal terminal bus along standard Ethernet cable. This technology permits up to 255 bus terminals to be operated at one fieldbus station.

The new generation of cost-optimized couplers BKxx20 is at home in the existing product family, consisting of standard couplers, economy couplers and Bus Terminal controllers with integrated IEC 61131-3 mini-PLC. Even the operation of the new product does not differ from that of its stable-mates. The Bus Coupler recognizes the terminals to which it is connected, and performs the assignment of the inputs and outputs to the bytes of the process image automatically. The blocks with Bus Terminal bus extensions are treated as one unit by the bus coupler. The extension is transparent for the fieldbus and higher-level systems.

The new generation of bus couplers is also prepared and adapted for the needs of automation. For instance, FMS operation has been omitted from the protocol of the BK3120 Profibus coupler, so that more user data can be transferred in DP mode. The BK3120 incorporates the Profibus-DPV1 services. This service facilitates direct access to the registers of the bus coupler and the Bus Terminals. In this way, for example, the parameterization or limit values for the analog Bus Terminals can be changed.

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