EPCI - PCI Managing or Controlled Node for Ethernet Powerlink

A Managing Node (MN) for the real time Ethernet protocol Ethernet Powerlink (EPL).

The card has a powerful 32 bit micro-controller on board to handle the real time data transfer. The configuration and real time data exchange with the host is done via a large dual-port-ram (DPR) of 512KB (EPCI.2) or 2MB (EPCI.3).

The DPR makes it extremely easy to access the board under different operating systems. A sample source code with a demo application program is included for Windows and Linux.

The PCI-MN board has an integrated hub with two Ethernet ports for the EPL network, an optional third port is available for a second EPL network to reduce the cycle time or divide the functionality into separate networks. The networks can be can be synchronized over multiple EPCI cards.

The EPCI card can also operate as a Controlled Node to implement a real time data transfer between several PCs in form of a "reflective memory" or to connect a PC as a virtual I/O-Module for additional control functions or visualization features.