Dusseldorf, August 7, 2014 – As part of its lineup expansion of platform solutions for the R-IN32M3 Series of industrial Ethernet communication system-on-chips (SoCs), Renesas Electronics, a premier supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, today announced the availability of its new Remote I/O Trial Kit – a complete hardware and software reference solution for development of Remote I/O devices typically used for I/O monitoring, communication and industrial process control. The new solution supports the EtherCAT(R) protocol and is now available.
The new reference design solution presents a further advance in Renesas’ provision of devices and development environments that reduce the system designer’s development period and provides an actual industrial equipment application as a reference design. Renesas estimates that the new solution can reduce the development steps required, from the start of product development through the design prototype completion, a process that consists of hardware design, software design, and approval acquisition, by approximately over 60 percent (source: Renesas).
The trend toward a smart factory requires that more of the I/O points need improved performance and more deterministic communication capabilities. This new crop of industrial Ethernet standards enables a network to have high-speed, real-time connectivity. However, when adopting these new industrial Ethernet technologies, large number of new development and evaluation operations are required. These include hardware design including corresponding SoC selection and circuit and layout design, implementation of industrial Ethernet protocols and application processing, functional and performance evaluation, and connection testing with master equipment such as PLC/PAC (programmable logic control/ programmable automation controller) equipment. The large number of development processes required here can lead to significant increases in the time and costs associated with the development of a new user product.
The Remote I/O Trial Kit solution will be available for limited supply to qualified system designers (Note 1) as a reference design that consists not only of an actual remote I/O module but also software, documentation, and circuit schematics. By providing this shrink-wrapped solution that has already completed all the development processes required, system designers will be able to significantly reduce the time from development to evaluation and the approval testing phase and they will profit from lower development risk and costs.
Renesas aims not only to strengthen its support for other communication standard protocols (Note 2) through collaboration with partner companies but will also continue to expand its lineup of application-oriented solutions that further contribute to reliable, fast, and timely product development of end products by system designers.
1) Dramatic reduction in development time
The new reference design solution has been developed based on an optimized system configuration to help the designers reduce BOM (bill of materials) costs of the overall system and eliminate concerns for safety standards, as well as certification procedures from industrial Ethernet communication protocol organizations. This allows the number of process steps, from the start of development to certification procedures, to be reduced by approximately 60 percent or more (Renesas estimate).2) Facilitates development of remote I/O equipment that supports multiple protocols in the same hardware structureSince the R-IN32M3 Series of SoCs used in this trial kit support protocols including EtherCAT, CC-Link IE (Note 3), Ethernet/IP, and PROFINET, it is easy for designers to develop remote I/O products that support multiple protocols in the same hardware structure.
The optimized printed circuit board in the trial kit is based on the R-IN32M3-EC device, which features integrated memory and two Ethernet PHYs. This helps to develop more compact system at lower cost.
About the Remote I/O Trial Kit: 1) Items provided in the Remote I/O Trial Kit
- Remote I/O module
- Software
- Remote I/O application processing
- EtherCAT communication processing
- ESI file for EtherCAT communication
- Documentation (application note)
- Circuit diagrams (OrCAD data, layout pdf)
The hardware information includes a power supply system structure and component values optimized for the R-IN32M3 specifications and information that both takes into account safety standards and optimized BOM costs. This can be used in end products without modification.
The software includes not only the data processing used in remote I/O equipment, but also industrial Ethernet communication processing as well. This makes it possible to quickly verify Ethernet communication operation.
2) Remote I/O module hardware specifications
- 24V digital output
- NPN type: 16 channel
- Rated output voltage: 24 [V]
- Rated output current: 0.1[A]?/ channel, 2[A] / module
- 24V digital input
- NPN type: 16 channel
- Rated input voltage: 24 [V]
- Rated input current: Under 4[mA] / channel
- Power Supply
- Rated Voltage: 24V
- Internal consumption current: Under 100mA
- LED
- Status LED: RUN (green), ERR (red), IN/OUT (green)
Refer to http://www.renesas.com/R-IN32M3 for more information on the Remote I/O Trial Kit, documentation, sample software, and development environments.
Note 1)
The remote I/O module, software, and circuit diagram data are provided without charge on a temporary loan basis.
Note 2)
Renesas’ EtherCAT protocol stack will be available beginning in September 2014. Renesas plans to release other protocol stacks as they are developed. (Availability is subject to change with geographic location.)
Note 3)
CC-Link IE is supported by the R-IN32M3-CL version. Please note that this module is assembled with the R-IN32M3-EC version.
About Renesas Electronics Europe
Renesas Electronics is the world’s number one supplier of microcontrollers and a premier supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, including system-on-chip and a wide range of discrete analogue and power devices. Established in 2010, Renesas Electronics combines the collective semiconductor expertise of Hitachi, Mitsubishi Electric and NEC Electronics, encapsulating more than 200 years’ experience.
Renesas’ products are the result of decades of research and investment into semiconductor technology and customer solutions. Today, they provide pioneering platforms for the advancement of the Smart Society, embedding intelligence, connectivity, safety and security in solutions for cars, homes, buildings and factories. In Europe, Renesas complements its cutting-edge technology with resources that foster customer proximity and span the entire product lifecycle. These include the European Technology Centre, which designs innovative solutions specifically for Europe, and the European Quality Centre in Düsseldorf, which provides technical support to customers throughout the region. Renesas also operates an effective ecosystem, comprising the industry’s largest local support network and an extensive network of over 800 hardware and software alliance partners.
Headquartered in Japan, Renesas Electronics has subsidiaries in 20 countries worldwide. More information is available atwww.renesas.eu
