Adding EtherCAT master and drives

You can implement your drive in your TwinCAT project either manually or via an automatic scan. It is advisable to scan, because this will insert the required drive devices directly into the project.

TwinCAT in ConfigMode

To start the scanning process, TwinCAT must be in ConfigMode. ConfigMode is one of several TwinCAT states, which is displayed in the status bar of the System Manager. If the text is highlighted in blue, ConfigMode is activated, and the scan can be started. If the text is highlighted in green or red, follow these steps:

Adding EtherCAT master and drives 1:

Click the blue gear icon in the toolbar.
You will see a query regarding the state change to be carried out.

Adding EtherCAT master and drives 2:

Confirm the state change with OK.

Adding EtherCAT master and drives 3: →

TwinCAT switches to ConfigMode, and the text highlighting in the status bar turns blue.

TwinCAT is in ConfigMode.

Start drive scanning

If the right target system and ConfigMode are enabled, the scan can be started.

Adding EtherCAT master and drives 5:

In the System Manager select I/O - Configuration → I/O Devices.

Press the Scan in the toolbar or right-click on I/O Devices and select Scan Devices….
In both cases, the following sequence starts:

Adding EtherCAT master and drives 6:

Close the information window with OK.

Adding EtherCAT master and drives 7:

Select the devices to be automatically added to the TwinCAT project.
As a minimum, select the device with the supplement (EtherCAT).

Complete the selection with OK.

	In the System Manager all selected devices are shown below the "I/O Configuration" icon. Confirm the subsequent query whether the boxes should be scanned with Yes If the query is answered in the negative, no boxes / EtherCAT slaves and therefore no drives are scanned.
	The message regarding a found servo drive or servo terminal can trigger a special scan for motors. Reads the electronic type plates of the motors and enters the data directly in the TCDriveManager. Confirm the query with Yes to read the electronic type plates. If the query is not confirmed, no name plates are read. In this case, the motor types must be entered manually. See Determining the motor type.
	Wait for the scan to complete. The System Manager then shows the servo drives and terminals that were found. To control the motors via the TwinCAT project, an NC or CNC axis configuration has to be created. Confirm the query with Yes to create an NC axis configuration.
	As a result of the automatic axis configuration creation, an axis is added for each motor that was found and linked accordingly. If you require a CNC axis, close the window with No and create the configuration manually. See Create NC axis configuration. The created NC axis configuration is shown in the System Manager. Decline the request to activate Free Run with No.

→The drive is fully implemented in the TwinCAT project.