General information

The TwinCAT DriveTopServer and the Indramat DriveTop software (© Rexroth Indramat) offers in addition to the TwinCAT system manager a further possibility for initialization and visualization of Indramat drives parameter data in a SERCOS system.

From the viewpoint of the SERCOS interfaces the DriveTopServer uses the TwinCAT ADS communication. As an interface between DriveTop software, the data exchange is represented as DDE services with DriveTop convention. Other programs are able to can use the ADS service channel parallel.

The TwinCAT DriveTopServer provides the complete bandwidth of the Indramat DriveTop software functionality. The DriveTopServer, supports all TwinCAT SERCOS master boards up to the version v2.7 (Build 455).

Preconditions for the TcDriveTopServer

TwinCAT system service with configured SERCOS interface (v2.7 Build 455).
Indramat DriveTop Software

Installation/deinstallation

The installation replaces the Indramat Driveserver and therefore the communication via the serial interface. An installation is only possible, that one supported version of the DriveTop software (13Vxx) is installed already. A deinstallation restores again the original Indramat Driveserver.

Annotation: Therefore, that the DriveTopServer installation will modify some registry entries it is recommended to deinstall the DriveTopServer before removing the complete Indramat DriveTop software.

Integrated into Windows NT/2000

After the program start the TcDriveTopServer can be find in the Windows systray.
General information 1:

Connection buildup DriveTop <> TwinCAT DriveTopServer

The connection between the DriveTop application (client) and the TwinCAT DriveTopServer is to set up via 'Options/Connection/Online RS232/485 (Drive)'. The combination of '.../No connection' disables the connection. The TcDriveTopServer is gone down during disassembly of the combination. The DDE combination can also be closed via termination of the DriveTopServers.

The DriveTopServer searches for disposable SERCOS drives, if the connection is available. The corresponding device is then selectable in the case of the DriveTop.

Configured TwinCAT ADS interface

The combination between the DriveTop application (client) and the TwinCAT DriveTopServer prepose a configured SERCOS ring system and the availability to the TwinCAT ADS interface. If the ADS interface is unavailable itself the DriveTopServer shuts down after a message confirmation.

Serveral SERCOS rings within one PC system

If several SERCOS interface boards are in a system, the drives are also DriveTopServer via the TwinCAT and a DriveTop is conveniently parametrizable. Available drives are represented in the list the DriveTop tool. The address area of the drives is 0 to 127 permissible.

If the SERCOS interface results identical drive indentifiers from the multitude rings, are reorganized and represented these ascendingly from 0. For these cases the addresses are to be virtual and correspond to the physical attitudes no more. For slight handling, it is advisable to form the axis denotation significantly.