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EtherCAT Bandwidth
Calculate the theoretical minimum cycle time for an EtherCAT network based on the number of slave nodes (drives/IO) and the size of Process Data Objects (PDOs).
Network Topology
Assumes standard CiA402 profile.
Typical: 24 bytes (Control word, Target Pos/Vel, Status word, Act Pos/Vel).
Typical 16-channel digital slice: 2 bytes.
Theoretical Performance
| Total Process Data Payload | Bytes |
| Ethernet Frame Size | Bytes |
| Transmission Delay | µs |
| Node Processing Delay | µs |
| Theoretical Min Cycle | µs |
✅ Configuration Valid
⚠️ Overload Warning
The theoretical minimum cycle time (µs) is within your target cycle of µs. The physical transmission limits (µs) exceed your target cycle time of µs. You must increase the cycle time or reduce network payload.
* Calculation assumes 100 Mbps Fast Ethernet. Includes standard EtherCAT frame overhead (14 byte header, 2 byte type, 2 byte ECAT header, 4 byte FCS) and approx 1µs delay per slave node. Real-world jitter and OS stack delays will require a safety margin (usually 20-30%).