“Automation or process-control end-users are increasingly moving to PCs for control and visualization of their high-speed custom systems. Our turnkey, all-in-one solution facilitates this shift by offering user-friendly configuration engineering software that enables quick development of communication applications without having to know complex industrial protocols,” said Eric Gory, product manager, Molex.

The system meets a large range of connectivity needs for both legacy and more recent Ethernet fieldbus protocols including PROFIBUS DP, CANopen, DeviceNet, Modbus TCP, EtherNet/IP and PROFINET.

Because the protocols have the ability to function in both master and slave modes, the cards can act as either a controller or a device on the network. The system supports up to eight cards plugged into a single PC and can run on various operating systems including the latest Windows versions (XP, 7, 8) as well as real-time OS (Linux, VxWorks, QNX and IntervalZero RTX).

It features a single development library, which allows for one user application across all fieldbus protocols. Additionally, the onboard Ethernet port enables remote configuration and diagnostics in non-Windows operating systems while the simulation mode simplifies user application testing.