Overview

This component is available from version TwinCAT 3.1 Build 4026.

The TwinCAT 3 Usermode Runtime enables the customer to execute a TwinCAT program without the deep TwinCAT operating system integration that would be necessary to ensure real-time execution.

The same program code of the customer project is executed but without meeting the real-time requirements.

The TwinCAT 3 Usermode Runtime provides functionality for three scenarios in particular:

• Engineering (TC1700 - free of license costs): During the basic development of machine control systems, the focus is not yet on compliance with or measurement of real-time properties. The TwinCAT 3 Usermode Runtime can be used directly on the engineering system to execute, test or debug the program code as long as real-time properties are not required.
• External Control (TC1701): In some applications it makes sense to control the TwinCAT program from an external program. This enables synchronous integration of the execution, as is necessary, for example, when synchronous intermediate values are required in applications. The TwinCAT 3 Usermode Runtime offers an interface for this, whereby the ticks of the real-time are specified externally.
• FastAsPossible (TC1702): In particular for simulation aspects, it makes sense to execute the TwinCAT program code on a CPU as quickly as possible independently of real I/O and, for example, to calculate a preview of the result or the sequence. TwinCAT 3 Usermode Runtime offers an interface for this, so that instead of waiting for the next clock pulse, the real-time continues to calculate as quickly as possible.