FAQ – Technical Update for EtherNet/IP on Alicat
Which products can have EtherNet/IP installed?
EtherNet/IP protocols are an option on most of Alicat Scientific’s flow and pressure instrumentation:
- Mass flow controllers and meters (MC and M Series)
- Pressure controllers and gages (PC and P Series)
- Whisper™ low pressure drop products
- Liquid meters and controllers (LC and L Series)
Which products do not include EtherNet/IP as an option?
- BASIS and EPC OEM instruments
- Class 1 Division 2 area instruments
- Portable instruments
What are the specification changes to an Alicat Instrument, when EtherNet/IP is included?
| Communications and power | Mass flow meter or mass flow controller with EtherNet/IP |
| Digital output signal | EtherNet/IP |
| Analog output signals | None |
| Electrical connections | Barrel jack (power) + dual RJ-45 (supports DLR*) + MOD and NET LEDs |
| Supply voltage | 7 to 30 Vdc |
| Supply current | Adds 120mA current to standard specification, which is 40 mA on mass flow meters. Mass flow controllers draw more current to drive the valves—add 120mA to their specified supply current. |
Do I still have a choice of gases and gas mixes on Ethernet/IP-equipped instruments?
Alicat gas instruments with EtherNet/IP possess our full Gas Select™ list of gas calibrations, as well as the COMPOSER™ firmware for creating custom high-precision gas mixes of 2-5 gases.
How fast are communications with an Alicat instrument equipped with EtherNet/IP?
EtherNet/IP uses a full duplex 10/100 Ethernet hardware layer for data rates up to 100Mbit/s.
Where are the notification indicator lights?
The MOD and NET LEDs are handy to debug networks when deploying EtherNet/IP. They are located on the case top. They are standard debugging LEDs for EIP networks.
Does EtherNet/IP on Alicat instruments comply with the industry standard?
The standards certification is in process, and therefore the instruments are EtherNet/IP compatible, and are ODVA certified.
Can I update my existing instruments to possess EtherNet/IP?
Both electronic hardware and firmware requirements needed to install EtherNet/IP mean that it must be ordered on new instruments, and cannot be retrofitted to existing Alicat products.
*What is DLR?
DLR: Device Level Ring. Device Level Ring provides the ability to connect a series of MFCs in a fault-tolerant ring network. It is a network topology wherein connections are made from the master to an MFC, then from MFC to MFC to MFC. DLR often reduces cabling, and adds redundancy. DLR requires a specialized ring supervisor switch, which is not provided with the instrument.