New Embedded PC Series Expands Workhorse Machine Control Line
Beckhoff’s CX5600 series offers expandable interfaces, operating system options and a familiar, rugged design for wide-ranging automation applications.
Posted: February 14, 2024
The new CX5600 Embedded PC series expands Beckhoff’s workhorse machine control line with powerful AMD Ryzen™ processors, additional interfaces and operating system options. Retaining the same form factor as previous generations, these DIN rail-mounted embedded PCs provide the flexibility to support an even greater range of applications that require PLC, HMI, motion control and much more.
The new CX5600 series currently includes two device versions, both with AMD Ryzen™ processors: CX5620 (1.2 GHz) and CX5630 (2.0 GHz). Beyond low power consumption, the fanless embedded PCs deliver many standard features:
- two independent Gbit Ethernet interfaces
- four USB 3.0 interfaces
- one DVI-D interface
- a flexibly assignable multi-option interface ex-factory
- 4 GB or 8 GB RAM options
The system can be expanded on the left-hand side with a CX2500 module. This enables the simple addition of further PC interfaces, such as two additional 1 GB Ethernet ports, or fieldbus interfaces as needed. With an extended operating temperature range from -25 C to +60 C, the CX5600 series devices can be used even in applications with demanding climates.
With TwinCAT 3 automation software, the management in the TwinCAT real-time kernel ensures that sufficient time remains for executing the human-machine interface (HMI) in addition to executing the real-time control tasks in one CPU. The high performance of the graphics kernel integrated in the processor supports demanding visualizations, including advanced user interfaces.
The CX5600 devices offer further flexibility with multiple operating system options. These include Windows 10 and the TwinCAT/BSD alternative OS from Beckhoff.