Introduction

Fan cartridge for EtherCAT and Bus Terminal

The ZB8610 fan cartridge is used for forced ventilation within the terminal housing and ensures better heat dissipation from the housing. It extends the thermal operating range of EtherCAT Terminals (ELxxxx) and Bus Terminals (KLxxxx) and offers a wide range of new application options. The cartridge is installed on the underside of the terminal segment and covers a width of four standard terminals (4 x 12 mm). It consists of the fan, an installation plate, a terminal strip (24 V DC, 0 V DC, diag, mode) and a bracket for fixation on different terminal housings.

The fan can be operated in three different modes:

1. Demand-based control via an integrated temperature sensor (default, only power supply required)
2. Continuous operation at full load (In addition to the power supply a high signal is applied at the mode pin.)
3. Frequency controlled by an externally applied frequency (1 to 9 Hz) at the mode pin, which is converted internally in steps from 2700 rpm to max. ~5500 rpm. A digital output terminal can be used as external source. The measurement of the internal terminal temperature, which is integrated in TwinCAT, is used as reference for speed control of the fan via the frequency.

A typical application of the fan cartridge is extension of the performance range of the terminals through forced cooling. This enables the EL7201 EtherCAT servo terminal to operate with higher output current, for example (Irms = 4.5 A instead of 2.8 A), so that the performance is on a par with the EL7211, with the benefit of a 50 % smaller footprint.

A further application is the extension of the operating temperature range of the terminals. Depending on the technical specification, the fan cartridge enables the terminals to operate at temperatures of up to 70 °C. The exact terminal-specific information for this application can be found in the documentation for the respective terminals.