Question 1

How does the CX5140 compare to a traditional PLC?

Accepted Answer

The CX5140 runs TwinCAT 3 software on standard PC hardware, providing multi-core processing, large memory, and standard IT interfaces (USB, Ethernet, display outputs) that traditional PLCs lack. It can run PLC, motion control, HMI visualization, and machine vision simultaneously on a single device. Programming in C/C++ and integration with databases, cloud services, and IT tools is straightforward. The trade-off is that PC-based systems require more care in OS management compared to firmware-based PLCs.

Question 2

What happens if the CX5140 loses power unexpectedly?

Accepted Answer

The CX5140 includes a built-in 1-second UPS using capacitors (no battery replacement needed). When power is lost, the UPS maintains power long enough for TwinCAT to execute a controlled shutdown sequence, saving persistent variables and retain data to the CFast card. For applications requiring extended backup time, an external UPS (CU81xx series) can be added for several minutes of operation.

Question 3

How many EtherCAT I/O terminals can the CX5140 support?

Accepted Answer

The CX5140's E-bus interface supports up to 65,535 EtherCAT devices in theory, though practical limits are determined by the EtherCAT cycle time and processing load. Typical configurations support several hundred I/O terminals with cycle times of 1-10 ms. Beckhoff's EL-series includes over 500 different terminal types covering digital I/O, analog I/O, motion, serial communication, and specialty measurements.

Question 4

What is the difference between TwinCAT/BSD and Windows 10 IoT on the CX5140?

Accepted Answer

Windows 10 IoT Enterprise provides full Windows compatibility for third-party software, remote desktop, and familiar IT management tools, but requires Windows licensing and updates. TwinCAT/BSD is Beckhoff's free, lightweight operating system based on FreeBSD that boots directly into TwinCAT runtime with minimal overhead, faster boot times, and no Windows licensing costs. TwinCAT/BSD is recommended for dedicated automation applications without Windows software requirements.

Question 5

Can the CX5140 handle motion control applications?

Accepted Answer

Yes, the CX5140 supports TwinCAT NC PTP (point-to-point) and TwinCAT NC I (interpolation) for up to 64 servo axes over EtherCAT with cycle times as low as 250 µs per axis. It supports PLCopen-compliant single-axis, multi-axis, and coordinated motion including gearing, camming, CNC interpolation, and robotics kinematics. The quad-core processor allows dedicating CPU cores to motion tasks for deterministic performance.

Parameter	Value
Processor	Intel Atom x5-E3930, 4 cores @ 1.8 GHz
RAM	4 GB DDR3L
Storage	40 GB CFast (replaceable)
EtherCAT Interface	1 × direct E-bus (right-side I/O connection)
Ethernet Interfaces	2 × Gigabit Ethernet (independent)
Additional Ports	4 × USB 2.0, 1 × DVI-D, 1 × DisplayPort
Operating System	Windows 10 IoT Enterprise / TwinCAT/BSD
TwinCAT Tasks	PLC, Motion, HMI (simultaneous)
Operating Temperature	-25 to +60 °C
Dimensions (W × H × D)	96 × 100 × 91 mm

Beckhoff CX5140 Embedded PC

Specifications

Key Features

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Applications

Frequently Asked Questions

References & Citations