Tree view
An EtherCAT master and an EtherCAT slave are displayed as follows in the tree view:
In this sample the slave was linked to the master. TwinCAT was then scanned for the master, and the master was added in TwinCAT together with the slave.
No. | Description |
|---|---|
1 | EtherCAT master with corresponding input and output variables |
2 | The EtherCAT slave is shown below the EtherCAT master. The slave is automatically added to the tree view, if the master and all connected devices are scanned. |
3 | Input and output variables of the EtherCAT slave. Process data can be created among the input and output variables, which can then be exchanged cyclically. The Device Status Mapping variables, which are used for slave diagnostics, are also displayed here. |
4 | The variables under WcState indicate whether the EtherCAT slave takes part in the cyclic process data traffic successfully and error-free. The variable InputToggle counts new valid incoming telegrams. |
5 | InfoData contains input variables, which provide information about the EtherCAT slave, such as status and NetId. |
6 | Further settings for the EtherCAT slave can be implemented under the tabs. |
If only the EtherCAT slave is scanned and then added in the tree view, the EtherCAT is displayed differently. An EtherCAT slave alone is displayed in the tree view as follows:
If an EtherCAT slave is added in the tree view under I/O devices in TwinCAT, the EtherCAT slave is displayed with all list entries and the corresponding variables. These include variables for the inputs and outputs and variables, which can be used for diagnostic purposes or which provide additional information about the EtherCAT slave.
No. | Description |
|---|---|
1 | All input and output variables are arranged under the EtherCAT slave. The variables can be linked and processed with the PLC program. |
2 | Process variables can be created under the inputs and outputs of the EtherCAT slave, which can then be exchanged cyclically. |
3 | InfoData contains input variables, which provide information about the EtherCAT slave that only changes rarely. |
4 | Further settings for the EtherCAT slave can be implemented under the tabs. |
When the PLC process image is read, the inputs and outputs of the EtherCAT slave from the tree view can be linked with the variables of the PLC program. Double-click on a variable name in the tree view to open the link dialog. The linked signals are indicated by a small arrow on the signal symbol.
Further information about TwinCAT can be found in the TwinCAT documentation on the Beckhoff website:
www.beckhoff.de