Fiber optic industrial ethernet

Hello Experts,

I have these 4 (four) S7-400 CPUs connected through CP 443-1 using CAT 5 (copper wires) for the Ethernet connection. I’m using SEND/RECV functionality. Those are for PMS system, and it is receiving some noise when we start or stop heavy loads. I need really fast responses, once it’s doing some load sharing work.

What I want to do is to exchange the connection to fiber optics. This network has only these 4 nodes. Is there any ethernet Communication Processor for S7400 with an optical port? Or should I use a scalance media converter like X101-1?

Which Scalance switch should I use to connect the fiber optics?This is topology I’m thinking about (ascii drawing):

_
N1)===O--------||
N2)===O--------||
N3)===O--------||
N4)===O--------|_|

Legend:

N1)Node 1 – S7-400

== CAT 5

O Media converter

----- FO

_ |_| Switch

Thank you.

Best regards,

Ducolares

I have these 4 (four) S7-400 CPUs connected through CP 443-1 using CAT 5 (copper wires) for the Ethernet connection. I’m using SEND/RECV functionality.

Ducolares

Those are for PMS system, and it is receiving some noise when we start or stop heavy loads. I need really fast responses, once it’s doing some load sharing work.

Ducolares

What I want to do is to exchange the connection to fiber optics. This network has only these 4 nodes. Is there any ethernet Communication Processor for S7400 with an optical port? Or should I use a scalance media converter like X101-1?

INS, jklm, how come,

Thank you guys, your answers were really helpful.

how come, theSEND/RECV is doing the job for me. About the noise, to be honest I couldn't measure it, itstheoretical. I made this theory since I know these ethernet cables are not so far from the power lines. In the software we have this time window, within a new data has to come, if it doesn’t, it gives an alarm and swap the generators set from Isoc mode to Droop mode. When the operators are “playing” with the loads is when we usually get this problem.

About the redundancy, it’s a good point. However I believe that this industrial switches has a considerable MTBF. In worst case, the generators will swap to droop and maintenance guys will have time to exchange it.

Thank you!