Product Description

The Beckhoff BK5151/PL3 is a lightweight EtherCAT bus coupler from the BK EtherCAT Bus Coupler Series, weighing 100 grams or less, designed for efficient and reliable data communication in industrial environments. This coupler supports 64 bus terminals, which can be extended to 255 terminals with the K-bus extension, providing scalability for larger systems. It supports 16 Tx/Rx PDOs for data transmission and CANopen, with additional CANopen features like life monitoring, node guarding, emergency object handling, variable mapping, and store/restore, making it versatile for a wide range of automation applications.

The BK5151/PL3 automatically detects data transfer rates up to 1 Mbaud, ensuring optimal performance and reliability. The bus interface utilizes a D-sub 9-pin socket, and data is transmitted via a screened, twisted copper cable for robust communication in industrial environments. The coupler operates with a 24 V DC power supply, and includes diagnostic LEDs for power supply, K-bus, and fieldbus, providing clear and immediate status feedback during operation. With 1750 mA current supply for the K-bus, the BK5151/PL3 ensures adequate power distribution to connected bus terminals. It supports various PDO modes, including synchron, cyclic, event-driven, and polling, offering flexible communication configurations depending on the application.

The device is designed to withstand harsh environments, operating within a temperature range of -25°C to +60°C and conforming to EN 60068-2-6/EN 60068-2-27 standards for vibration and shock resistance. This makes it durable enough for industrial settings where environmental stressors may be a factor. The BK5151/PL3 leverages the EtherCAT protocol’s ability to use distributed clocks for precise synchronization, providing network-wide time accuracy with a jitter of less than 1 microsecond. These high-resolution clocks can also improve the accuracy of data acquisition timing, essential in applications where velocity calculations are derived from sequentially measured positions.