The EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG) has released a Chinese-language version of the EtherCAT Compendium. It gives ETG members in China structured, application-focused guidance on EtherCAT. The edition was presented to automation professionals in the region at IAS Shanghai in October 2026.
China is home to more than 2,000 of ETG’s member companies, which makes it the association’s largest national membership base worldwide. Asia as a whole accounts for 44% of all ETG members.
A practical complement to the EtherCAT specifications
The Compendium does not replace the formal EtherCAT specifications. Instead, it adds an easy-to-follow overview of the technology, system design and implementation. It helps engineers and users understand how EtherCAT devices and networks work together in real automation applications. That kind of understanding matters more and more as industrial Ethernet protocols such as EtherCAT continue to gain market share.
The chapters start with EtherCAT basics and then move on to key technical topics:
- Physical layer and cabling
- Process data communication
- SubDevice Information Interface (SII)
ETG plans to grow the Compendium chapter by chapter into a full reference work, adding new content on a continuous basis.
Bridging specifications and day-to-day engineering
Florian Essler chairs the Conformance Technical Working Group at the EtherCAT Technology Group. He says the Compendium fills the space between detailed specifications, which can be hard to read, and practical knowledge-base content. According to Essler, it uses clear but precise language to explain every layer of the EtherCAT protocol, combining theory with a functional understanding of how the technology works.
He adds that the content ranges from hardware and application protocols to diagnostics. It helps engineers turn theory into the implementation and operation of EtherCAT devices that fit smoothly into an interoperable ecosystem. In his view, the demand for a Chinese translation confirms both the value of the publication and the importance of the Chinese EtherCAT market.
How to access the Compendium
ETG members can download the latest version from the corresponding page of the ETG website by signing in with their member credentials. Each version is identified by its publication date.
With the Chinese edition, ETG adds another resource for sharing EtherCAT know-how. It also supports consistent system design, implementation and interoperability across EtherCAT devices and systems, an area in which fieldbus organisations keep investing, as shown by ODVA’s CIP Security certification.