Industrial Engineer · phase 8 of 16 · noun

Communication Option Card

Plug-in interface that adds an industrial network or other communication protocol to the drive.

The Explain card

Plain English: The option card plugs into a slot in the drive and adds a network port. EtherNet/IP, PROFINET, Modbus TCP and others each have their own card, or one card that can be configured for several.
Example: A drive with an EtherNet/IP card takes its run command and speed reference from the PLC over the network, and returns status, actual speed and current in the same exchange.
Why it matters: The card has its own firmware, its own address and its own parameters that decide which drive registers appear on the network. A drive replaced without moving the card's settings connects and then does nothing the PLC recognises.
Hook: A network port you buy separately, with opinions of its own.

How the word is built, where it came from, and what it sits beside in memory.

In a sentence

Install the Communication Option Card in the VFD before configuring its EtherNet/IP address and adding the drive to the PLC network.

Why these words

communication Latin communicatio, sharing or imparting specifies the exchange of data involved
option Latin optio, choice marks the item as an selectable addition to the standard equipment
card Middle French carte, from Latin charta, paper or leaf names the plug-in circuit-board form

Where it came from

Origin: English technical compound formed from communication, option, and card
Entered the language: late 20th century
What changed: Card expanded from a paper object to a printed circuit assembly, while option came to denote separately selected equipment.

How it is spelled

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What it sits beside

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drive option cards

Phase 8: VFD Drive Hardware and Power Path

Inside the drive: rectifier, DC bus and inverter, the three stages every variable frequency drive uses to rebuild the waveform a motor sees.