The 6ES7194-2MH50-0AC0 is a 5-meter shielded PROFINET bus cable for ET 200AL—pre-terminated with a straight M8 plug on one end and open pigtail wires on the other, ready for landing on terminal blocks or patch panels in custom field-wiring configurations.

When does field termination with an open-end cable beat a double-ended daisy-chain?

Open-end termination is the right choice when the far end is not another M8-equipped module—terminal blocks, custom patch panels, intermediate junction boxes, or legacy equipment with screw-terminal PROFINET ports. The daisy-chain cable (plug-to-plug) only makes sense when both ends land on standard M8 bus ports. If your topology includes a transition from M8 to hardwired Ethernet, open-end is the correct cable.

How do I terminate the shield at the open end?

The cable carries a dual-layer shield: aluminum-clad foil wrapped around each twisted pair plus a tinned-copper braid overall. At the open end, separate the braid and foil, twist the braid strands into a single drain conductor, and connect to functional earth (FE) at the terminal block or grounding bar. Do not leave the shield floating—an unterminated shield becomes an antenna and degrades PROFINET signal integrity. Siemens recommends maintaining shield continuity through the termination point with the shortest possible drain-wire length.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the wire color code at the open end?

The 2×2 twisted pairs follow PROFINET conductor coloring: white/blue pair for Port 1, white/orange pair for Port 2. The shield drain wire is a bare tinned-copper conductor. Siemens documentation for the specific interface module provides the pinout mapping.

Can I cut this cable shorter or extend it?

You can shorten from the open end—strip, dress, and re-terminate. Extending requires a PROFINET-rated M8 coupler or an intermediate terminal block with proper shield bonding. Do not splice PROFINET cables mid-span—each splice introduces an impedance discontinuity that can cause frame errors at 100 Mbit/s.

Does this cable support the same bend radius as the double-ended version?

Yes. The cable construction is identical—2×2×0.5/1.0mm twisted pairs with PE core insulation and PUR jacket. Maintain a minimum bend radius of 100mm for flexing applications (1 million cycles) or 50mm for static routing.