What Is an EDS File?

This article explains what an EDS file is and how to open or convert one on your computer. There are a few formats that use this same file extension, so it's important to know which type you have so you pick the correct file opener.

What Is an EDS File?

A file with the EDS file extension is an Electronic Data Sheet file, also called a Rockwell Automation DeviceNet or ControlNet file.

This plain text format is based on the CANopen standard and is used to specify various descriptive and communication data for hardware devices, usually those within industrial automation systems.

XDD files are an XML based format specified in the newest CANopen standard and will eventually replace EDS files.

The EditStudio video editing program uses EDS files, too, for project files; as does the Ensoniq SQ10 sound synthesizer, as disk image files.

How to Open an EDS File

EDS files can be viewed, created, and tested with the CANeds program, which is included in the demo version of both CANoe and CANalyzer. A free command line program, CANchkEDS, is also available that can check the validity of the file.

Since Electronic Data Sheet files are just plain text files, you can even view them as text documents using any text editor, like Windows Notepad or one from our Best Free Text Editors list.

You can also add the file to FactoryTalk Linx (formerly RSLinx) for use with the Logix5000 controller family.

If your EDS file is associated with Mediachance's EditStudio software, then it can, of course, be opened with that application.

The only software I know of that should open Ensoniq SQ80 disk images is Ensoniq Disk Tools.

How to Convert an EDS File

An EDS file that's saved in the Electronic Data Sheet file format can be opened with CANeds and then saved to the DCF, XDD, or XDC format, which, respectively, are the Device Configuration, CANopen Device Description, and CANopen Device Configuration formats.

Since the EditStudio application is a video editor, you can export your project to a movie format, but the EDS file itself is just used to store files related to the overall project, not to hold the video data you're working with. In other words, you can open a project (EDS file) in EditStudio, but you can't technically save the file to any other format.

Use Ensoniq Disk Tools if you need to convert that kind of EDS file to WAV, MIDI, or another audio file format. If that program doesn't support the audio format you're interested in, run that converted file through another audio conversion program to save it to MP3 or another popular format.

Still Can't Open the File?

If you've tried the EDS file viewers from above, or even ran it through a converter tool, and it still doesn't open, you might be misreading the file extension.

For example, an EDS file is different from an ESD file. Some other examples of file formats that probably don't open in the same way include EDI (Electronic Data Interchange), DES (Pro/DESKTOP CAD), EDB (Exchange Information Store Database), and EDF (Edificius Project).

However, if you're for sure that your file has the .EDS file extension, open it with Notepad++. This will force the file to open as a text document. There might be some information within the text that can point you in the right direction regarding the file's format and the program that can open or edit it.