5. Configuration Mode

5.1. Overview

The EC-Master needs the EtherCAT-Network-Information (ENI) file to initialize and control the EtherCAT network. In most cases the automatically generated Slave settings can be used to run the EtherCAT network. In this chapter you can read how EC-EngineerWeb helps you to view or adjust those settings.

It consists of three sections:

Add Master Unit: List of available master units
Recent Projects: List of the last five opened projects
Getting Started: List of available run modes

If the user clicks on one of the links, it runs a new master unit, opens an already existing project or switches in the “Getting Started” mode.

5.2. Master Settings

This section includes network related or master related settings. Some of those settings will also affect the “Master” section of the ENI.

5.2.1. Master

In this tab, the user can configure the name of the master and the cycle time. If he wants to connect to a control system, this can be also configured:

General

Unit Name:: Name of the master device
Cycle Time:: Interval in microseconds in which all EtherCAT commands will be sent from the master. The user can choose between the following values: 50, 100, 125, 250, 500, 1000, 2000, 4000, 8000, 10000 and 16000.
Source MAC address:: MAC address of the connected system (will be filled during bus scan)

Slaves connected to local system

Network Adapter:: Network adapter which is connected to the control system. In newer versions it is also a possibility to select the Link-Layer.

Slaves connected to remote system

Protocol:

Protocol of the remote system

RAS (Default port is 6000)
Mailbox Gateway (Default port is 34980)
- EC-Master V3.0.1.22 and above
- TwinCAT 3.1.4024 or TwinCAT 3.1.4022.30 and above

IP Address:

IP address of the remote system, which is connected to the control system

Port:

Port of the remote system, which is connected to the control system

Master-Instance:

Used to determine which master instance should be used in the remote system (Master supports up to 10 instances).

Data to load from capture file

Capture File:: Path to the capture file, which contains one ore more snapshots

5.2.2. Process Data Image

In this tab, the user can see all variables of the process data image. If he wants, he can also export the list:

If user wants to export the variables, he will see the following dialog:

Export Formats:

CSV File (Semicolon separated text file)
CSV PLC File (Semicolon separated text file, where offsets are in PLC format)
PD Layout File (C-Header file which can be used from EC-Master-Demo application)
XML File (Like ProcessImage in ENI)

5.2.3. Distributed Clocks

In this tab, the user can change distributed clock related settings:

Reference Clock

Name:: Name of the reference clock. By default, this is the first slave with DC support.

Clock Adjustment

Master Shift:: The reference clock controls the Master time
Bus Shift:: The Master time controls the reference clock
External Mode:: The reference clock is controlled by an external sync device

Options

Sync Window Monitoring:: A command (datagram) will be inserted in the cyclic frame to read the ESC registers 0x092C. If this is selected the master will throw a notification.
Show 64Bit System Time:: Master supports slaves with 32bit and 64bit system time register (0x0910). If this is selected he will interpret it as 64bit system time.

5.2.4. Tasks + Sync Units

In this tab, the user can define additional cyclic tasks and master sync units. After adding a new master sync unit, the user can assign one or more slave sync units on tab Slave Sync ‣ Units to this master sync unit:

Tasks:: List of cyclic tasks and master sync units.
Buttons:: New/Edit/Delete: Used for changing the list.

If user wants to edit a task, he will see the following dialog:

Comment:: Comment of this task (will be written to ENI file)
Cycle Time:: Cycle time of this task

If user wants to edit a master sync unit, he will see the following dialog:

Name:

Name of this master sync unit (will be written to ENI file)

Sync Unit Id:

Id of this master sync unit (will be written to ENI file).

ID 0 .. 9: Generated / internal master sync unit
ID 10 .. 999: Generated / internal master sync unit for groups
ID 1000 .. 2000: User defined master sync unit

Task Id:

Task Id to which is this master sync unit assigned

Offsets:

Activate to pin this master sync unit to a specific offset

Input:

Input offset of pinned master sync unit

Output:

Output offset of pinned master sync unit

5.3. Slave Settings

This section includes slave related settings. The most of all settings will affect the “Slave” section of the ENI.

5.3.1. General

In this tab, the user can change general slave settings like station address or the name of the slave. He has also the possibility to change his predecessor device:

Address

Station Address:: Station address of the slave. By default, the first station address is 1001.

Information

Name:: Name of the slave. By default the following format is used “Slave_N [TYPE]”
Description:: Description of the slave (Read from ESI file)
Vendor:: Name of the vendor the slave
Product Code:: Product Code of the slave
Revision Number:: Revision Number of the slave
ESI File:: Name of the ESI `file where the description of the slave is stored. :file:`ESI files can be managed by using the ESI-Manager
Identification Value:: Identification Value of the slave

Ports

Connected Devices:: List of connected devices
Predecessor Device:: Name of the predecessor device

5.3.2. Modules

In this tab, the user has can assign modules into the specific slots. He can also change the setting for downloading the slot configuration to the slave:
Connect module to slot (“<<”): Used for connecting the selected module (from the right list) to the selected slot (from the left list). If the slot is already connected, the module will be inserted and the subsequent modules will be moved (if this is supported from the slave)
Disconnect module from slot (“X”): Used for disconnecting the selected slot (left list)

5.3.3. PDO Mapping

This tab consists of 2 views:

5.3.3.1. PDO

In this tab, the user can see the current PDO mappings. For some Slave types the user can activate or deactivate some PDO configurations:

Lists of inputs or outputs

Checkbox:: Signals if PDO will be used for the current configuration or not.

Buttons

Add/Delete/Edit:: Used for changing the lists, if it is allowed by the ESI. First the list which should be changed must be selected.
Up/Down:: Moving the selected PDO in the selected list up or down

If user wants to add or edit a PDO, he will see the following dialog:

General:

Name:: Name of the PDO
Index:: Index of the PDO (can be entered in hexadecimal or decimal)

Flags:

Mandatory:: PDO cannot be deleted
Fixed Content:: Content of PDO cannot be changed
Virtual PDO:: PDO has no entries

Direction:

TxPdo:: Input PDO
RxPdo:: Output PDO

Exclude:

Select the PDOs which cannot be activated if this PDO is activated

Entries:

List of configured PDO entries

If user wants to add or edit a PDO entry, he will see the following dialog:

General

Name:: Name of the PDO entry
Comment:: Commet of the PDO entry
Swapping:: Swapping mode of the PDO entry

Settings

Index:: Index of the PDO entry (can be entered in hexadecimal or decimal)
Subindex:: Subindex of the PDO entry (hexadecimal)
Datatype:: List of available datatypes
Bit Length:: Length of the PDO entry in bits

5.3.3.2. FMMU/SM

In this tab, the user can see some information about FMMU and SyncManager:
Lists of FMMUs: Available FMMUs comes from the ESI file.
Lists of SyncManagers: Available SyncManagers comes from the ESI file.

5.3.4. Variables

In this tab, the user can see the variables of the slave and if it is allowed he can also add/edit/delete/move variables:
Lists of Variables: Variables comes from the ESI file or will be generated from the configurator.

5.3.5. Advanced Slave Options

In this tab, the user can change advanced options of the slave:

Startup Checking

Master will check the Vendor ID, Product code, Revision number if the state machine changes from INIT to PREOP of the slave. Revision number can be verified by six ways:

“==” –> HI word is equal, LO word is equal
“>=” –> HI word is equal or greater, LO word is equal or greater
“LW ==” –> HI word is equal
“LW ==, HW >=” –> LO word is equal, HI word is equal or greater
“HW ==” –> LO word is equal
“HW ==, LW >=” –> HI word is equal, LO word is equal or greater

Identification Checking

If ‘Check Identification is selected, the Identification Value of the slave is checked. In the ‘Select Local Address’ Box is the register of the Identification Value.

Process Data Mode

Disable LRW: Determines whether LRD/LWR command or the LRW command is used for accessing process data. Cable redundancy needs LRD/LWR, Slave-to-slave-copy needs LRW.

Watchdog

Set Multiplier:: Writes the configured value to the corresponding slave register: 0x0400
Set PDI Watchdog:: Writes the configured value to the corresponding slave register: 0x0410 (0 = Watchdog is disabled)
Set SM Watchdog:: Writes the configured value to the corresponding slave register: 0x0420 (0 = Watchdog is disabled)

Distributed Clocks

Potential Reference Clock: Set to use slave as a potential reference clock

This might be useful, if e.g. a hot connect slave, which is used as reference clock, was disconnected from the network
In that case the EC-Master searches for the first potential reference clock
If no potential reference clock slave was found, the first DC slave will be used

Timeouts

SDO Access:: Internal master timeout which is used for accessing the SDO (0 = Use internal default value of the master)
Init –> PreOp:: Internal master timeout with is used for changing slave state
Pre-Op –> Save-Op or Safe-Op –>Op:: Internal master timeout with is used for changing slave state
Back to Pre-Op, Init:: Internal master timeout with is used for changing slave state
Op –> Safe-Op:: Internal master timeout with is used for changing slave state

Mailbox Mode

Cyclic:: Interval in milliseconds within the input mailbox will be read (polling mode)
State Change:: The input mailbox will be read only if the status bit is set

Overwrite Mailbox Size

Output Size:: Overwrites mailbox output size
Input Size:: Overwrites mailbox input size

Process Data Sync Manager Mode

Default:: Uses sync manager mode from ESI file
Buffered (3 buffer mode):: Enables 3 buffer mode
Mailbox (Single buffer mode):: Enables single buffer mode

5.3.6. (Hot Connect) Groups

In this tab, the user can choose if this group has a fixed offset in the process data image or if this group is a hot connect group:

Note

Tab is only visible if slave is the first member of a group.

General

MSU Id:: Generated Master Sync Unit Id
Name:: Name of the group

Pinned Group

Input Offset:: Fixed input offset of the group in the process data image in bytes
Output Offset:: Fixed output offset of the group in the process data image in bytes

Hot Connect Group

Identification Offset:: Register offset where the identification can be read from the slave
Identification Value:: Hardware identification value or configured station alias address can be used. For more information about the configured station alias address, see EEPROM

A new group can be created by clicking Create Group in the toolbar. Select all slaves you like in the group and click Confirm in the toolbar. Now a group has been created. On the goup tab (first slave) are more settings like Hot Connect, Pinned Group and also remove the group or detach it.

5.3.7. Distributed Clock

In this tab, the user can change distributed clock related settings:
Operation Mode:: Selectable DC operation modes. The modes cannot be edited.

5.3.8. Init Commands

In this tab, the user can view the current configured init commands and if it is allowed he can also add/edit/delete init commands:

Lists of Init Commands

Init Commands comes from the ESI file or will be generated from the configurator. The “Access” column tells the user if this Init Command can be edited (RW = Read/Write) or not (RO = Read-Only).

Buttons

New/Copy/Edit/Delete:: Used for changing the list
Up/Down:: Moving the selected Init Command up or down

At the moment only Init Commands of the CoE- Protocol can be added or changed. If the user wants to do this he will see the following dialog (CoE):

General

Index:: CoE-Index of the Init Command
SubIndex:: CoE-SubIndex of the Init Command
Value:: Value of the Init Command, which should be written in the chose transition (only available if direction is set to “Download”). If type of value is unknown, the hex format must be used like “00 11 22 33 …”.
Comment:: Comment of the Init Command

Transition

Determines in which transition the Init Command will be executed

Further Settings

Determines if the complete SDO object should be written/read

Direction

Determines the direction of the Init Command

Download:: Writes value to slave
Upload:: Reads value from slave (e.g. necessary if value must be confirmed)

5.3.9. CoE Object-Dictionary

In this tab, the user can see and edit the offline CoE object dictionary.

Lists of CoE Object-Dictionary entries

Entries comes from the ESI file or will be generated from the configurator.
The “Flags” column tells the user if this entry is an PDO entry and if it can be edited
- “AA BB C D (EE FF GG)”
- AA = Mapping as RX PDO or not
- BB = Mapping as TX PDO or not
- C = Backup Flag
- D = Settings Flag
- EE = Access rights for PreOp (RO, WO, RW)
- FF = Access rights for SafeOp (RO, WO, RW)
- GG = Access rights for Op (RO, WO, RW)

Buttons

Update:: Changes the selected entry
Reset:: Resets the selected entry to ESI default

5.3.10. Sync Units

In this tab, the user can assign a slave sync unit to a specific master sync unit by using the combobox column “Master Sync Unit” (only visible if user has defined additional master sync units).

5.4. Export ENI

To run the EC-Master you basically need an EtherCAT-Network-Information (ENI) file to initialize and control an EtherCAT network. After configuring the EtherCAT network with EC-EngineerWeb, you can export this ENI file and copy it on the control system to run the EC-Master.

Note

The EtherCAT-Network-Information (ENI) File will be generated according to ETG.2100 standard V1.0.1

5.5. Export EXI

To run the EC-Simulator you basically need an ENI or better an EXI file to simulate an EtherCAT network. After configuring the EtherCAT network with EC-EngineerWeb, you can export this EXI file and use it to start the EC-Simulator.

5.6. Export EBI

To run the EniBuilder you basically need an EBI file to create an ENI. After configuring the EtherCAT network with EC-EngineerWeb, you can export this EBI file and use it to start the EniBuilder.