Application Scenarios
Imagine a long conveyor system spanning several hundred meters across a bulk material handling facility. Copper Ethernet runs beyond 100 meters become unreliable, and installing repeaters or additional switches at every segment adds cost, failure points, and panel space. The 1783-ETAP1F solves this by accepting a fiber uplink from the control room and breaking out to copper connections for local drives, I/O blocks, and panel-mounted devices along the conveyor. When configured as a DLR node, it participates in ring redundancy—if a cable is severed mid-run, the ring recovers within milliseconds rather than dropping the entire downstream segment. For projects mixing fiber backbones with copper device drops, this single module replaces both a media converter and a network tap, simplifying architecture while preserving deterministic recovery behavior.
Parameter
| Parameter | Value / Description |
|---|---|
| Product Model | 1783-ETAP1F |
| Manufacturer | Allen-Bradley / Rockwell Automation |
| Product Category | EtherNet/IP Embedded Switch Tap |
| Copper Ports | 2 × 10/100 Mbps RJ45 |
| Fiber Port | 1 × 100 Mbps multimode LC (100Base-FX) |
| Fiber Wavelength | 1310 nm |
| Maximum Fiber Distance | 2 km (1.24 miles) |
| Power Requirements | 200 mA at 20.4–27.6V DC |
| Power Consumption | Approximately 4.8 W |
| Operating Temperature | -25°C to +60°C |
| Protection Rating | IP30 (DIN rail mounted) |
| Mounting | DIN rail |
| Dimensions | 132 mm × 35 mm × 105 mm (H × W × D, approximate) |
| DLR Support | Yes, configurable as ring node or supervisor |
Technical Principles and Innovative Values
- Dual-Purpose Media Conversion and Ring Participation: The 1783-ETAP1F operates in two distinct modes depending on configuration. When configured as a DLR node, it actively participates in ring topology, forwarding beacon frames and enabling fast fault recovery. When not configured as a ring supervisor or node, it functions as a three-port unmanaged switch, performing automatic fiber-to-copper and copper-to-fiber media conversion without any programming or configuration . This flexibility means the same physical module can serve as a fiber backbone tap in one segment and a DLR ring member in another, reducing spare-parts diversity across a plant.
- Fiber Length and Noise Immunity for Harsh Environments: The 100Base-FX fiber port supports distances up to 2 km over 62.5/125 µm or 50/125 µm multimode fiber . In facilities where copper runs are exposed to VFD noise, welding equipment, or long cable trays with ground potential differences, the fiber link provides galvanic isolation and noise immunity that copper cannot match. The 1783-ETAP1F brings that fiber advantage down to the device level, rather than confining it to the backbone layer.
- Hazardous Area Certification for Zone 2 Deployment: The module carries ATEX and IECEx certification for use in Zone 2 hazardous areas when installed in an enclosure rated at least IP54 and protected against transients exceeding 140% of rated voltage . The 1783-ETAP1F is rated for an ambient range of -25°C to +60°C with temperature class T4 in these environments . This certification allows the tap to be placed closer to process equipment in classified areas, reducing cable runs to field devices.
