EnDat 3 – Safety-Related Fully Digital Encoder Interface from the Application Point of View

A selection of functional safe motor feedback systems is available for safety-related motion control applications. Today, these devices are connected to the drives via safety-related digital interfaces. Digital safe fieldbuses (PROFIsafe, FSoE), as well as safety-related digital encoder interfaces, are used. HEIDENHAIN has recently launched the safety-related encoder interface EnDat 3, as the successor of the widely used interface EnDat 2.2. This article gives an overview of the safety-related EnDat 3 interface from the application point of view. Also, a test system consisting of standard FPGA-evaluation board, interface PCB and industrial inverter is presented, with which EnDat 3 can be easily evaluated.