Term definitions
Order key
The order key identifies the product. It is attached to the name plate on the outside and consists of a 14-character combination of letters and numbers.
 | Further information on the order key can be found in the: |
Beckhoff distinguishes the AX5000 servo drives between HardWare 1 - devices and HardWare 2 - devices.
Firmware (version):
The firmware is the software of the AX5000 servo drive. This is identified accordingly with Firmware - v1.xx or Firmware - v2.xx. A breakdown of the firmware revisions to the hardware versions of the device can be found in the chapter: Change to Compatible Type".
Revision No. / EtherCAT revision ≠ order key
Each firmware has an assigned Revision No. or EtherCAT revision. This is saved on the E²Prom of the AX5000 servo drive and can be read via the TwinCAT System Manager. The revision no. is shown in the last 8 characters of the Product / Revision : e.g. AX5106-0000-0203
The first 4 characters are always zero.
Builds:
As soon as a firmware is released it is given a version number (V) and a build (b). If changes or optimizations take place within a firmware version, the builds are incremented. Each firmware has a latest current version.
ESI – Device - Description:
An EtherCAT Slave Information is a device description in *xml format. It is required in order to carry out online or offline configurations in TwinCAT. ESI files can be requested by manufacturers and are provided for download.
There may be several ESI device descriptions in one *xml file.
| Structure of the ESI file in the *xml format: *xsd is a format that describes the structure of a device description (ESI) in the *xml file. If the EtherCAT slave information is updated, the *xsd and *xml files should always be updated as well. This way you can ensure that the required information from the device description is transferred fully. |