Control panels are fundamental building blocks of automated systems.
Despite their importance in industrial automation, the process of building control panels hasn’t changed much in the last few decades.
Building control panels is still a manual, labor-intensive job. Each panel is produced with a lot of manual wiring, testing, and troubleshooting.
At Automation Fair in 2024, Rockwell Automation announced the launch of their new In-Cabinet EtherNet/IP solution. This product line was launched in 2025 and aims to revolutionize the way control panels are built.
In this article, I will explain:
- the current state of control panel wiring,
- how In-Cabinet EtherNet/IP aims to streamline the process of wiring control panel components, and
- how an In-Cabinet EtherNet/IP solution is built
Current state of panel wiring
A typical control panel is made up of intelligent devices like PLCs, HMIs, and network switches. These intelligent devices are connected together using an industrial network like EtherNet/IP.
A control panel also contains components like pushbuttons and contactors. These components are hardwired to the input and output modules on the PLC.
Wiring each component to an input or output point is very time-consuming since each wire has to be cut, stripped, labeled, and terminated. Some studies estimate that it takes 6 minutes to install each wire.
There is also a high potential for errors when wiring these components. It is very easy to miss a wire or fail to terminate a wire properly. Because of this potential for error, a lot of testing is required to verify the wiring of a control panel.
In-Cabinet EtherNet/IP
With Rockwell Automation’s In-Cabinet EtherNet/IP solution, there is no need to hardwire components to the PLC. Instead, components are connected to the PLC using a multi-drop Ethernet cable. Let’s see how it works.
An In-Cabinet EtherNet/IP solution is made up of;
- An 1834-AENTR gateway
- A 1486 flat cable
- Nodes
1834-AENTR gateway
An 1834-AENTR gateway is used to bridge a standard, round Ethernet cable with the flat cable that is used by In-Cabinet EtherNet/IP nodes.
Each In-Cabinet EtherNet/IP gateway supports a flat cable of up to 25 meters in length with 39 nodes connected to it.
The gateway also has intelligence built in that allows it to discover nodes connected to it and automatically assign IP addresses to connected nodes. This makes setting up and maintaining an In-Cabinet EtherNet/IP system very easy.
Finally, the 1834-AENTR Gateway has dual Ethernet ports and embedded switch technology which means that it can be installed on a network using the Device Level Ring, or DLR, topology.
1486 flat cable
A 1486 flat Ethernet cable is used to power nodes and connect them to a gateway. This cable comes in rolls of 10, 25, or 100 meter lengths.
The cable has 7 conductors. These conductors provide;
- Network power (NP) at 4 Amps to power the connected nodes
- Switched power (SP) at 4 Amps continuous or 8 Amps for up to 100 milliseconds for driving large loads
- Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) for communication
- Select (SEL) for locating nodes
The cable is terminated with a terminating resistor.
Nodes
Finally, nodes are connected to the flat cable using connectors that allow quick termination with standard tools.
These nodes use PHY-Level Collision Avoidance (PLCA) to determine which device can send information over the Ethernet cable. This protocol helps to ensure reliable communication between devices and the gateway.
The initial launch of In-Cabinet EtherNet/IP supports two types of nodes. They are;
- 100-E/104-E global contactors
- 800F 22.5mm operators
100-E/104-E global contactors
100-E/104-E global contactors are connected to the flat cable using a front-mounted connector.
The initial release includes support for contactors from 9 to 96 Amps with interlocking for basic motor starter control.
800F22.5mm operators
Operators are connected to the flat cable using rear-mounted connectors.
The initial release includes support for illuminated and non-illuminated operators.
Configuration
The gateway and nodes are configured in Studio 5000 Logix Designer. To configure these devices, you will need to have Studio 5000 Logix Designer version 37 or above installed on your machine.
The configuration uses Add-On Profiles just like any other Ethernet devices in a Studio 5000 Logix Designer project, so there is no training required to get started with In-Cabinet EtherNet/IP.
Here you can see a gateway with several devices connected to it.
Impact of In-Cabinet EtherNet/IP
Rockwell Automation has commissioned a study to investigate the impact of In-Cabinet EtherNet/IP on panel building. They have reported that using In-Cabinet EtherNet/IP in place of hardwiring components in a motor control cabinet led to cost savings and sustainability impacts.
From a cost perspective, panel builders reported;
- An 80% reduction in wiring time,
- A 30% reduction in project engineering time,
- A 50% reduction in testing time,
- A 14% reduction in capital costs
Since fewer materials are used in an In-Cabinet EtherNet/IP solution, there are also sustainability benefits including;
- A 10% reduction in panel size,
- A 32% reduction in panel weight,
- A 90% reduction in copper wire used
This study highlights the benefits of In-Cabinet EtherNet/IP for specific applications like motor control cabinets, which have typically been very labor-intensive.
You can see the difference between a cabinet using In-Cabinet EtherNet/IP and a hardwired panel here.
Standards
Behind the scenes, In-Cabinet EtherNet/IP is based on several standards.
The IEEE 802.3 is the organization that defines the standard for wired Ethernet including Single Pair Ethernet.
Single Pair Ethernet, or SPE, is an Ethernet technology that uses a single twisted pair of cables rather than the traditional 2 or 4 twisted pairs found in standard Ethernet cables.
SPE has been used extensively in the automotive industry to connect cameras and smart sensors in cars. It has been adopted because the cables are less expensive and smaller than traditional Ethernet cables while still offering high performance.
Now, SPE is being brought to industrial automation for the same reason.
The IEEE 802.3 has defined several standards for SPE. These standards are shown here in a table. ODVA, the organization that develops and maintains the standard for EtherNet/IP, has extended the 10BASE-T1S standard to develop In-Cabinet EtherNet/IP.
This standard was selected because it supports multidrop topologies. A multidrop topology is one where several devices are connected to a common Ethernet cable.
ODVA has improved the performance of this standard to support longer cable lengths and more nodes.
Release schedule
In-Cabinet EtherNet/IP was announced at Automation Fair in 2024.
The official launch date is 2025, and the initial launch will include the gateway, flat cable, and operators that have been discussed in this article.
A second version, expected in 2026, will introduce a supplemental power tap that can supply additional power for switching high loads as well as support for 100 and 104-E Advanced Motor Starters.
Subsequent releases will add support for more end nodes like signal lights as well as support for safety devices.
Wrap-Up
In this article, I have introduced In-Cabinet EtherNet/IP which is a new technology from Rockwell Automation that aims to improve the way panels are built and maintained.
If you want to keep up to date with new technology like In-Cabinet EtherNet/IP and help your team learn the skills that they need to be productive, check out realpars.com/business.
