Product Description

Beckhoff switch terminals for Ethernet have enabled the use of a modular system on the industrial floor. Specially made to be used in an EtherCAT terminal network, the switch terminals are used to connect decentralized random Ethernet devices. The Beckhoff EtherCAT terminal system uses an Ethernet connection to facilitate collision-free communication between connected devices. Note that the Beckhoff switch terminals do not require any configuration and can be positioned at any point on the EtherCAT network.

The EL6601 is a switch terminal designed and manufactured by Beckhoff. It can be used as a virtual, field distributed switch in an industrial environment to bring, among other benefits, automatic detection of crossed lines and automatic baud rate detection. The EL6601 has a single Ethernet port and a 10BASE-T/ 100BASE-TX Ethernet interface. Permissible conditions include an operating temperature range of -25 to 60 degrees Celsius and a storage temperature range of -40 to 85 degrees Celsius. To help the switch meet the demanding speed requirements during operation, it has a data transfer rate of 10/100 Mbits per second. To ease troubleshooting and monitoring, the EL6601 features LEDS to indicate operating statuses such as Run and Ethernet error.

To enable real-time and smooth communication between the Beckhoff EL6601 and other Beckhoff network devices, the network switch supports network variables (specially configured Ethernet frames). The EL6601 draws its power from the E-bus, has a typical current consumption of 310 mA, and has 500 V electrical isolation between the E-bus and the Ethernet. For the EL6601 to reach optimal performance, it has to be mounted and operated in an environment with an ambient non-condensing relative humidity of 95%.