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POWERLINK speeds up with Intel® controller

Ultra-low jitter is a key requirement for applications with dozens if not hundreds of synchronized axes to achieve top performance. Until recently, this require-ment has not been supported by standard Ethernet controllers. The Intel® Ethernet Controller I210 is the first standard Ethernet controller to fully support the POWERLINK timing requirements. POWERLINK is a completely patent-free, vendor-independent and purely software-based communication system that delivers hard real-time performance.
?The fact that a standard Ethernet controller from a leading semiconductor manufacturer provides support for POWERLINK now makes implementation of this real-time network even easier and less expensive,? says Stefan Schöneg-ger, managing director of the Ethernet POWERLINK Standardization Group (EPSG). ?It also provides proof of its true vendor-independence, particularly when compared with networks that require proprietary ASICs.?
With the Intel Ethernet Controller I210, POWERLINK node connections do not have to be implemented in programmable hardware, further supporting the con-cept of open technology based on standard components. Standard Ethernet controllers will always be less costly than any custom solution since they are manufactured in high volumes. This reduces the hardware expenditure neces-sary for implementing hard real-time POWERLINK solutions.
Or as Dawn Moore, general manager of the Intel Networking Division puts it: “POWERLINK users can achieve high performance and predictability at lower price points with the Intel Ethernet Controller I210. Our standard Ethernet con-troller eliminates the need for expensive custom controllers, and will help cus-tomers enable POWERLINK solutions more quickly and cost-effectively.”
With an extremely small footprint of 64-pin 9×9 mm QFD package, the Intel Ethernet Controller I210 reduces board size requirements. This adds to its cost reduction potential and makes implementing POWERLINK more viable in small field devices with limited space.
Find out more in a solution brief published by Intel: http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ethernet-controllers/ethernet-powerlink-industrial-automation-brief.html
About EPSG
The Ethernet POWERLINK Standardization Group (EPSG) is an independent organization founded in 2003 by leading companies from the fields of motion control and automation technology. Its aims are the standardization and further development of the POWERLINK protocol first introduced by B&R in 2001. This high-performance real-time communication system is an advanced protocol based on the IEEE 802.3 Ethernet standard designed to ensure real-time data transfer in the microsecond range. The EPSG cooperates with leading standardization organizations such as CAN in Automation (CiA) and the IEC. Anton Meindl, business manager of Controls at B&R, is the organization-s CEO.