Ethernet port multiplier

The CU2508 ethernet port multiplier enables precisely timed transmission and reception of ethernet frames by means of distributed clocks for real-time industrial ethernet networks.

In addition to ethernet, the device supports EtherCat, TCP/IP, Profinet and EtherNet/IP, enabling several protocols to be operated simultaneously on one controller.

The device has a gigabit uplink and eight independent 100 Mbps output channels, each able to support any of the real-time ethernet protocols using a built-in multiprotocol driver. The port multiplier analyses each packet and according to the frame prefix transmits the data to the appropriate 100Base-Tx port in a time-controlled manner.

The device is primarily designed for large industrial ethernet networks or for the use of different ethernet protocols on one controller. For extremely high demands, an EtherCat installation can, for example, be distributed to up to eight separate networks in order to multiply the performance. The distributed clocks of all of the EtherCat networks are synchronised.

EtherCat cable redundancy can also be realised using two ports of the device.