About Tc3_sACN library

The Tc3_sACN library is an extension of TF6310 | TwinCAT 3 TCP/IP designed for lighting control communication over IP networks based on the ANSI E1.31-2018 standard. The Tc3_sACN library requires a license for TF6310 | TwinCAT 3 TCP/IP. The core of the library is the FB_sACN_UDP_Communicator which serves as a central hub to manage network adapter bindings and shared UDP socket operations for all active sACN instances in the system. This central communicator maintains internal queues to track and coordinate multiple receiver and source functional blocks while interfacing with internal programs to access hardware-specific network interface information.

For data reception, the FB_sACN_Receiver is used to monitor specific universes for data, synchronization, and discovery packets, providing a structured way to handle incoming DMX values from the network. Advanced implementations like the merger block allow for complex data management by applying merge rules such as highest value priority (HVP) or latest value priority (LVP) when multiple sources are active in the same universe.

On the transmission side, the FB_sACN_Source generates and transmits sACN frames with configurable priorities and sending periods while automatically managing sequence numbers and unique identifiers. To optimize performance and reduce memory overhead, the library provides specialized blocks that can bind directly to external DMX arrays using pointers, allowing for high-speed data processing without unnecessary copying of large data structures. This interface-driven architecture ensures that the complex task of managing multicast group memberships and network socket events is handled transparently by the communicator, allowing the user to focus on application-level logic for up to 63,999 universes.