I/O Idle Task:

The I/O Idle Task executes the asynchronous mappings and is also responsible for acyclic communication with the EtherCAT devices (e.g. writing parameters).

Recommended setting for the I/O Idle Task

By default, the I/O Idle Task is set to 1 ms for TwinCAT controllers. This standard setting has no effect on high-performance control systems and can be ignored. In a small controller such as the CX70xx, however, the default setting of 1 ms leads to a higher basic load. Therefore, proceed as follows:

• first set the I/O Idle Task to 10 ms
• the I/O Idle Task is always placed at the end of the priority list.

Cycle timeout of the I/O Idle Task

A cycle timeout of the I/O Idle Task can also be neglected unless the I/O Idle Task continuously counts up. In this case, attempts should be made to slow down acyclic communication, query less data, and reduce the number of acyclic communications.