Red Lion Controls has announced increased functionality and flexibility for its G3 Series Operator Interface family, now available with the new Ethernet expansion card, G3ENET. G3 Series HMIs already provide one Ethernet port and now users can add a second Ethernet port to increase bandwidth and separate networks.
In addition to supporting 10 simultaneous Ethernet protocols, the G3 Series HMIs with the G3ENET card provide communication with devices on two distinct Ethernet networks simultaneously – without an industrial router – saving cost and configuration time. The expansion card can be fitted to any G3 series HMI with a single Ethernet port.
The G3ENET card is installed by using the supplied screws and a single cable, adding an additional 10 Base T/100 Base-Tx Ethernet port. The second Ethernet port gives users the option to isolate machine level networks from the enterprise network, which benefits both automation process engineers and IT managers. It enables the engineer to assign a fixed IP address for the port connected to PLCs and drives, while allowing the IT manager to select their own IP address or use DHCP to configure the enterprise port – offering easy functionality for all operators. Jesse Benefiel, Red Lion product manager, says: “Providing expanded flexibility, the G3ENET enhances the current robust platform and allows automation engineers to experience the latest advances in communication and standards with increased efficiency.”
The special features of the G3 Series HMI models now allow segregation of machine-network traffic from the plant-wide network with the G3ENET.
