The bus controller makes it possible to connect X2X Link I/O nodes to POWERLINK. It is also possible to operate the X2X Link cycle synchronously 1:1 or synchronous to POWERLINK using a prescaler.
POWERLINK is a standard protocol for Fast Ethernet equipped with hard real-time characteristics. The POWERLINK Standardization Group (EPSG) ensures that the standard remains open and is continually developed:: www.ethernet-powerlink.org.
Systems with redundant cabling can be implemented easily using POWERLINK. Unlike ring redundancy, cable redundancy does not require cable looping, which can sometimes be problematic. This allows the creation of all types of tree structures. When using a device with the link selector function, data is always transferred via the highest quality network lines. The link selector function is integrated in the bus controller.