System Overview - Beckhoff CX50 0 Series Hardware Documentation

Product overview
2.2

System Overview

The system
The CX5000 series devices are DIN rail-mountable, fanless Embedded PCs with direct connection for
Beckhoff Bus Terminals or EtherCAT terminals. In contrast to the other CX device families, the CX5000
series has a fixed, non-expandable number of system interfaces. The housing design for this series is
optimised for robustness and compactness. No modular expandability for the left-hand side is provided.
Although EtherCAT integration offers a wide range of expansion capability. Further master/slave fieldbus
connections (PROFIBUS, CANopen, DeviceNet) or communication interfaces (RS232, RS422/RS485) and
all other signal types accessible via EtherCAT can be directly connected as EtherCAT Terminals. Two
independent Gigabit Ethernet ports and four USB 2.0 interfaces are available. A Beckhoff control panel or a
commercially available DVI monitor can be connected to the DVI D interface. A serial port (RS232/RS422/
RS485) or a fieldbus connection with master or slave function can be added as an optional interface as
required. An interchangeable Compact Flash card located behind a flap that is accessible from outside is
used as boot and storage medium. The built-in capacitive 1-second UPS ensures secure backup of
persistent application data on the Compact Flash card. The date and time are buffered via a replaceable
battery. The operating system can be Windows CE or Windows Embedded Standard. The TwinCAT
automation software transforms a CX5000 system into a powerful PLC and motion control system that can
be operated with or without visualisation.
EtherCAT as a fast I/O system
Like all Embedded PCs from the CX series (except CX100x), the CX5000 was developed for optimum
interaction with EtherCAT. One of the two independent Ethernet interfaces of the CPU module (X001) is
intended for EtherCAT mode. The primary EtherCAT connection is generally established via terminals. Both
can also be configured as a ring in order to achieve line redundancy.
Interestingly, EtherCAT offers several options for connecting conventional fieldbus systems to the CX50x0:
As EtherCAT device in terminal form, for example the PROFIBUS master as EtherCAT Terminal EL6731. In
practice, this means that the PROFIBUS master can be positioned exactly where it is required within a
machine. It no longer has to be implemented as a plug-in card in the IPC or a master controller in the control
cabinet.
PLC, Motion Control and visualisation
As a DIN rail IPC and in conjunction with the TwinCAT software from Beckhoff, the CX50x0 offers the same
functionality as large Industrial PCs. In terms of PLC, up to four virtual IEC 61131 CPUs can be programmed
with up to four tasks each, with a minimum cycle time of 50 μs. All IEC 61131-3 languages can be used.
Moreover, functionalities are available for Motion Control applications, such as simple point-to-point
movements.
In addition to real-time execution of control tasks, the TwinCAT real-time kernel ensures that enough time
remains for the user interface (HMI), to communicate with the real-time components via software interfaces
such as ADS or OPC.
CX50x0 Version: 1.9 9