EK EtherCAT Coupler Series

The Beckhoff EK EtherCAT Coupler Series (EK Series) provides a comprehensive line of couplers designed to seamlessly integrate EtherCAT Terminals into EtherCAT networks. As the intermediary between the EtherCAT protocol and the terminals, these couplers perform the crucial task of converting the telegrams passing through the Ethernet backbone from 100BASE-TX to the E-bus signal representation compatible with the terminals. The series offers a diverse selection of coupler models, each equipped with distinct features to suit different application needs. For example, the standard EK1100 coupler has two RJ45 ports for network connectivity as well as an optional connection point for additional devices. It supports up to 65,535 terminals in the overall system with a maximum 100-meter distance between nodes. Meanwhile, the EK1101 adds three hexadecimal ID switches allowing customizable topologies by assigning unique IDs to terminal groups positioned freely within the network. For lengthy extended runs, the EK1101-0010 boosts the distance to 300 meters when both ports employ Extended Distance mode, expanding EtherCAT's reach.