Beckhoff EL3356 High Performance EtherCAT IO Terminal Module

The Beckhoff EL3356 is a high‑performance EtherCAT analog input terminal designed for direct connection of resistor bridges (strain gauges) or load cells in 4‑ or 6‑wire configurations, delivering precise bridge measurements into the EtherCAT process image. In standard operation it provides a single 16‑bit input channel for a single resistor bridge arranged in a full‑bridge configuration (two input connections), with the terminal’s bridge voltage (U_D) measured up to ±27 mV and the reference voltage (U_REF) up to ±13.8 V; it also offers very high input resistances (>200 kΩ for U_REF and >1 MΩ for U_D) to minimize loading. The module is powered via the E‑bus and can employ automatic self‑calibration (which can be deactivated) and dynamic filtering, enabling slow weighings with high precision using typical measurement cycles around 10 ms. The EL3356 can operate in two modes: in its standard configuration it acts as a 1‑channel strain‑gauge monitor, while the process data can be configured to switch the terminal to a 2‑channel voltage measurement mode, expanding its use to additional sensor signals. This terminal belongs to Beckhoff’s EL3xxx analog input family and is intended for applications such as load‑cell based weight measurement, force or pressure sensing, and other precision bridge sensor monitoring in EtherCAT automation systems.