EtherCAT® implementation in next to no time with Infineon XMC4300 and XMC4800 microcontrollers and certified development kits

Munich and Nuremberg, Germany – March 14, 2017: The cost-efficient implementation of EtherCAT® applications gets even easier – with Infineon’s future-proof and application-optimized ARM®-based microcontrollers. At the Embedded World 2017 Exhibition and Conference, Infineon Technologies AG (FSE: IFX / OTCQX: IFNNY) presents its new development kits that help cutting down EtherCAT development time to three months: the XMC4300 Relax EtherCAT Kit and the XMC4800 EtherCAT Automation Kit. Both kits passed the EtherCAT certification test and are available.

The XMC microcontrollers with integrated EtherCAT node, XMC4300 and XMC4800, target factory automation, I/O modules and robotics. All XMC4800 microcontrollers are AEC Q100 qualified, making them also well-suited for use in commercial, construction and agricultural vehicles.

The XMC4300 Relax EtherCAT Kit for EtherCAT slave applications

The kit is designed to evaluate the capabilities of the XMC4300 (in LQFP-100 package) especially in EtherCAT slave applications. The XMC4300 uses the ARM® Cortex®-M4 processor and has 144 MHz, up to 256 Kbytesof embedded Flash memory and 128 Kbytes SRAM.

The XMC4300 Relax EtherCAT Kit offers an EtherCAT node with standard magnetics plug, IN and OUT interface via RJ45 jack and cabling as well as an optional EtherCAT node with PHY to PHY connection. Evaluation of mixed networks is easy with its CAN transceiver and CAN connector via D-SUB 9 plug. The kit has an Arduino hardware compatible pinout with voltage level shifter for 3.3 V and 5 V Arduino shields. The unit price of the kit is about Euro 50.

The XMC4800 EtherCAT Automation Kit for networked industrial automation and Industrie 4.0 applications

The on-boardXMC4800 microcontroller is based on an ARM® Cortex®-M4 processor. It features a 144-MHz-CPU, integrated EtherCAT Slave Controller, up to 2 MBytes of embedded Flash memory, 352 Kbytes of RAM and a comprehensive range of peripheral and interface functions.

The XMC4800 EtherCAT Automation Kit eases development of networked industrial automation and Industry 4.0 applications. For designers to improve system integrity and data security in networked production, the kit features an additional Infineon security microcontroller: the OPTIGA™ Trust E addresses, for example, embedded authentication. With its 1-way authentication mechanism, OPTIGA Trust E helps to better protect networks by authenticating communication nodes. For fast read-out, the XMC4800 EtherCAT Automation Kit offers a SPI FRAM of 64 Kbytes. A further novelty in the development kit world is its SDRAM of 64 Kbytes non-volatile memory which can be linked to a parallel interface. In addition, the kit is equipped with the Infineon ISOFACE™. This is a galvanic isolated, 8-channel high side switch for 24 V industrial control and automation applications. The ISOFACE isolates the low-voltage, control side components of an industrial controller from the output channels directed to the shop floor. The unit price of the kit is about Euro 200.

Both kits come with suitable software development tools. For both, there is the DAVE™ development environment with libraries for low-level drivers and apps free of charge. For EtherCAT, DAVE uses SSC (Slave Stack Code) from Beckhoff. In addition, commercial EtherCAT slave stacks are on offer from established third-party manufacturers.

Infineon at Embedded World 2017

Infineon will demonstrate its microcontroller novelties and semiconductor solutions for the smart factory, smart home and smart vehicle at Embedded World 2017 Exhibition & Conference (Nuremberg, Germany; March 14-16, 2017). Infineon exhibition highlights are available at www.infineon.com/embeddedworld or at booth 231 in hall 3A.

Product information on XMC microcontrollers with EtherCAT capability is available at www.infineon.com/xmc and at www.infineon.com/ethercat.

Details on the free integrated development platform environment DAVE™ are available at www.infineon.com/dave and www.infineon.com/xmc-dev. DAVE is for all XMC microcontrollers. It makes development of application-oriented software user-friendly and eases transition between the XMC1000 and XMC4000 families.

www.ethercat.org offers additional information about EtherCAT (Ethernet for Control Automation Technology).