Beckhoff Integrates EtherCAT Interface Directly into Power Supplies

Beckhoff has expanded its broad portfolio of PS power supplies with the new PS2000 device series featuring a built-in EtherCAT interface. The PS2000 power supplies can remotely collect additional measurement and device diagnostics for comprehensive system monitoring, which can increase availability and reduce downtime. As a result, the feature-filled power supplies combine compact design and high performance with predictive maintenance functionality for the first time.

The new PS2000 variants combine high-performance power supply units from Beckhoff with the ultra-fast EtherCAT communication standard. This allows the control system to directly process extensive measurement data and internal device diagnostics information and establish remote access to power supplies. It also provides advanced monitoring features for the DC output (for system monitoring) or the AC input (for source monitoring).

In the case of system monitoring, important operation parameters such as output current and voltage are transmitted in real time and continuously updated. This enables transparent data exchange and, subsequently, automatic detection of additional load in the system. Furthermore, voltage, current and temperature data can be added to the monitoring scope – for example, to monitor heat generation in the device and collect basic plant data such as the number of switch-on operations or operating hours. By monitoring the single-phase input voltage, fluctuations such as under- and over-voltages are detected. Another special feature is the detection of high-voltage spikes in the power source.

Status information, error messages and warnings are also available directly in the control platform via EtherCAT, providing the best possible conditions for analyzing the operating status of a plant and detecting any errors at an early stage. Warning thresholds that can be set in the control system (to indicate overcurrent, for example) allow users to define the signaling conditions and to adapt the power supply to specific application requirements. Remote access via EtherCAT also makes it possible to specifically shut down sections of a plant in the event of machine downtime or a fault.

Beckhoff offers single-phase, 24 V DC power supplies as both 10 A and 20 A variants with an output power of 240 and 480 W, respectively. A 10 A variant with 480 W is available for the 48 V DC power supply. A state-of-the-art electronics layout achieves high efficiency of more than 96%. In addition to inrush current limitation and active harmonic correction (PFC), Beckhoff power supplies offer a flexible wide-range input voltage suitable for worldwide use on the input side.