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Connector with ‘first’ with built-in Ethernet switch
Harting claims to have developed the first connector with a built-in Ethernet switch. Its new Han-Modular US4 connector can be used to network up to four EtherNet/IP or Profinet nodes with transmission speeds of up to 1,000 Mbit/s.
One typical application will be the Ethernet-based connection of two or more machines. Because the module can be integrated into a plug connection with the Han-Modular frame, without needing any extra components, it will save space.
The module detects the send/receive lines of connected devices automatically and finds their correct settings. In conjunction with the 10Base-T and 100Base-Tx interfaces, it corrects polarity errors in pairs of wires, and reverses the polarity of the data signal. It also allows two connected Ethernet nodes to negotiate and configure the maximum data transfer rate – up to 1000 Mbit/s – as well as the type of transmission (half- or full-duplex).
Built-in LEDs provide power and network diagnostics for each port, displaying the presence of the Ethernet connection, as well as data exchanges and associated speeds. Reverse polarity and overvoltage protection are built in, and there is an option to prioritise data packets.
