Many experts are predicting that the proliferation of standard Ethernet on the plant floor, due to increasing Industrial Internet of Things initiatives, will lead to the demise of protocol-specific Ethernet networks. But ask anyone working on plant floors today and, though they may agree that such a day may one day arrive, it won’t be happening any time soon.
In the meantime, manufacturers and processors will continue to work with industrial protocol-specific Ethernet networks. In many cases they will be working with a few different ones on the same plant floor.
That’s where a device like Hilscher’s newNetTap 151可以在市场上找到利基市场。NetTap 151是一种四端口设备，通过充当协议转换器，可以在不同的工业以太网网络之间交换I/O数据。它支持Ethercat，以太网/IP，以太网PowerLink，Profinet和Sercos协议。
According to Hilscher, because the netTAP 151 is integrated as a simple I/O device into the primary network, it is compatible with any PLC. In addition, it can work either as an I/O device or control a subordinate network as a bus master. The length of the I/O data can be scaled to any application and the data transmitted can be mapped at the byte level.
“The netTAP 151 provides the ability to mix control systems and I/O, such as Siemens with Beckhoff with Rockwell, etc.,” says Victor Wolowec, national channel manager for Hilscher North America. “This allows a user to select best-in-class I/O, drives and other equipment, and not be locked down due to the controls selection. With netTAP 151, users can add lines regardless of the type of existing systems and networks, which increases options and improves independent decision-making.”
NetTap 151上的安全网络分离由两个以太网控制器提供，每个控制器都连接到带有集成开关的双以太网端口。这允许在没有其他外围设备的恒星，环和内联网络拓扑中使用NetTap 151。设备中的两个控制器都将协议彼此独立，并仅在数据缓冲区上交换I/O数据。
“Because netTAP 151 has four ports—two ports on each side, users can connect two ring topology networks together,” adds Wolowec. “In three-port gateways, a ring cannot be connected with another ring, only to a star or inline topology.”
Hilscher指出，NetTAP 151的总体数据处理时间小于10毫秒。
Built on Hilscher’s netX chip, netTAP 151 is a single-chip device with ASIC support for all common protocol-specific industrial network stacks. The netTAP 151 gateway can be ordered preloaded with firmware and license, or unloaded. Hilscher points out that unloaded devices minimize inventory costs and increase flexibility, since protocol-specific firmware can be loaded as needed. Commissioning and diagnoses of netTAP 151 is accomplished via USB connection to a PC.
