Hi all,
Is there intention to make more variants of the PFC300? Currently I see there is only a two port ethernet + one RS485 configuration. This limits applications substantially, especially when integrator wants to use Ethercat ring configuration.
I would like to use the PFC300 with an Ethercat ring for redundancy, and then have at least one other ethernet port available for normal TCP/IP to HMI network, ModbusTCP, etc…
I am doing this with the PFC200/750-8210, but I would like to step up to the PFC300 to improve performance and especially network latency to the HMI, by using the 1000Mbps connection instead of the limited PFC200 10/100Mbps.
This configuration should be standard and would be the logical release instead of an antiquated RS485 module instead of the other potential 2 ethernet ports…For a product that is supposed to future proof the PFC200/750 IO range it seems like a strange chocice.
Whats the explanation here? When will the PFC300 4-Ethernet port be released?
Thanks in advance.
Its a shame wago still using kbus which significantly lacks performance if one where to use “fieldbus slices”. Compare to beckhoff using ethercat internally on their IO and also some IPCs has PCI lanes exposed for fieldbus connectivity.
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Great point for this application. Interestingly, the 750-8212 with the modbus serial port was our top selling PFC200 variant, hence why we likely chose to release that same variant first in the PFC300. I agree though that the 4-port ethernet should be a priority, we will provide feedback to our team
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Yes, the bus speed and throughput can be limiting in some industries and applications. The WAGO I/O System has been around for quite a while, and in some cases it shows. That said, it’s still a strong fit for many applications. Its long track record is actually a benefit in some situations because we offer more than 500 modules. That level of variety gives us an advantage when flexibility and compatibility matter. I will say you can guarantee there are new products on the horizon to address other industries coming soon.
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Agreed, this is one of the bottlenecks. I am still trying to use Wago as my standard, but with lack of some products on the market and forethought, this is becoming increasingly difficult.
As you mention, Kbus is not helping! There is some improvement on Fieldbus interconnection with the implementation of Ethercat in the Wago PFC200, but now this PFC300 renders this as not an option.
Hi Tyrone, thank you for the response on this.
I really think this should be a priority, I have been discussing the matter with many integrators and automation specialists, and they agree that it is a shame this was not marketed…I cannot use the PFC300 until I have at least another port so I can continue to use Ethercat for my ring redundancy, for mission critical applications.
I have a project in November, that I would need it to be available for, otherwise I will have to use PFC200s, a few of them in a messy and overcomplicated setup. Otherwise I am contemplating making a transition to Beckhoff, which I am trying to avoid, but the PFC200 is really not cutting it CPU wise.
Any active feedback internally on when the PFC300 will be available in 4 port configuration?
I understand that your 2 port + DB9/RS232/485 version of the PFC200 was popular (due to serial data setup on API, not through the FBs used if you use a card for serial), but times have changed, and there is a ever increasing trend to step away from serial data interfaces, in my opinion.
The 4 port should be absolutely a priority, ethercat is, in my field, one of the most popular protocols for fieldbus.
Please let me know how this progresses, and what feedback you get internally. Thank you.
Hi Tyrone,
Any news on what the response is/was when bringing up the topic with the team about new releases of the PFC300?
Thank you.