Beckhoff Automation, a provider of advanced and open automation systems, announces its CU81xx uninterruptible power supply (UPS) series, which is designed for universal use in the field. The series is made to have flexible and cost-saving connection options including One Cable Technology (OCT) for uninterruptible power supply (UPS-OCT). The CU81xx series is meant for a broad range of applications, says the company. This includes connection to all of Beckhoff’s components—in particular the Industrial, Panel and Embedded PCs—as well as third-party products. In combination with the Beckhoff Industrial PCs (IPCs), particularly efficient cabling is supposed to be possible with one cable for 24 V supply and communication through UPS-OCT.
The uninterruptible power supply units in the CU81xx series have been designed for rear panel and DIN rail mounting. At present, one capacitive and two battery-assisted versions are available:
- CU8110-0120: capacitive UPS (0.9 Wh) with a maximum power output of 120 W
- CU8130-0120: battery-backed UPS (15 Wh) with a maximum power output of 120 W
- CU8130-0240: battery-backed UPS (30 Wh) with a maximum power output of 240 W
In the battery-backed versions, the NiMH battery cells are made to be accessible from the front for easy replacement. The UPS is designed so that it doesn’t need to be dismantled or dismounted from the DIN rail for this purpose.
A special feature of the UPS series is its flexible communication capability, which is meant to allow the retrieval of status values for diagnostic purposes or the configuration of the UPS. All IPCs with an appropriate interface and Windows 7 or 10 operating system should be able to easily connect via USB 2.0. In the simplest case, such as when using a traditional PLC, digital I/Os are also available so that, for example, the controller can read a power fail signal and respond accordingly, according to the company.
The UPS connection is designed to support even more convenient implementation with the UPS-OCT one-cable solution, which is currently supported by the ultra-compact C6030 IPC, the CX52xx Embedded PC series and the CX2100-0024 Embedded PC power supply unit. This system is created to combine the IPC power supply with the UPS communication in a single 24 V DC cable, which is meant to simplify installation. Th company aims for all Beckhoff Industrial and Embedded PCs to support UPS-OCT in the future.
