Product Description:

The BC5250 is a compact programmable Bus Coupler produced by Beckhoff for the BC Bus Terminals series. It combines a small controller with an integrated fieldbus interface so that local digital and analog I/O terminals can be linked directly to higher-level networks inside an industrial automation cell. Acting as a micro-PLC, it handles basic logic, exchanges process data with a master, and eliminates the need for a separate rack-mounted controller in distributed control panels.

The unit accommodates up to 64 standard terminals on its integrated I/O rail, and the DeviceNet protocol handled by the fieldbus controller appears on the network as a DeviceNet slave node. User code executes from 48 kbyte of program memory and stores dynamic variables in 32 kbyte of data memory, while a maximum variable area of 16 kbyte sets the size limit for individual global objects. Only one task runs concurrently, simplifying scheduling when cycle-time determinism is required. Communication for diagnostics or local parameter loading is available through the COM1 port, which follows an RS-232 signaling standard. Hardware flag memory of 4 kbyte accelerates bit-level manipulations without consuming the main data pool.

An extended bus mode raises terminal capacity to 255 channels, enabling a single coupler to support large modular stations before another node is needed. Application source code can be archived inside the device thanks to its 128 kbyte source code memory, and user data that must survive power loss resides in 2 kbyte of retain memory. The controller exchanges 2 kbyte of PLC input data and 2 kbyte of PLC output data with the master at every DeviceNet cycle. Dimensions remain installation-friendly: the housing spans 44 mm in width, projects 68 mm in depth from the DIN rail, and stands 100 mm tall, so it fits shallow control enclosures alongside standard terminal blocks.