To simplify the EtherCAT network setup, EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG) announced a new EtherCAT P standard in 2016 to enable one to use a single standard 4-wire industrial Ethernet cable not only for data transmission, but also for two electrically isolated, individually switchable 24V DC/3A power supplies (Us for system and sensor supply; and Up for actuator peripheral voltage). The two individual 24V DC/3A power supplies (Us and Up) are daisy chained (cascadable) through the EtherCAT P Ethernet magnetic power circuits of EtherCAT P devices.

The EtherCAT P is 100% EtherCAT-compatible, and all EtherCAT features such as 100Mbps Full-duplex, Processing On-the-Fly, Distributed Clocks, flexible network topologies (star, line, tree), etc. are fully applicable to EtherCAT P devices.

On typical EtherCAT applications, each EtherCAT system board, sensor and actuator require separate power supplies; users need more time and more installation space to setup the EtherCAT network environment. Using the EtherCAT P One Cable solution, each EtherCAT system board, sensor and actuator can get the required power from the EtherCAT P cable directly; users can more easily setup the EtherCAT P network environment and need smaller installation space.