All I/O points on the system are identified by their device and name. The device will indicate the physical component
the I/O is a part of and the name will indicate which terminal on the device corresponds to the I/O point.
RapidPath has integrations to Beckhoff I/O couplers and slices. The couplers are the devices and the slice order and
terminal form the name of the I/O point.
The devices are identified by their part name and their order on the network. The most common coupler used is the
EK1100, so the first coupler on the network is EK1100.1. The second coupler is EK1100.2. Most systems will only have
one coupler, but larger systems with multiple banks of I/O will have multiple couplers.
Each terminal attached to the coupler is identified by it's slice type, slice number, and terminal number. Slice types are
two letter designations for analog or digital and input or output. An analog output slice will be a AO type and a digital
input slice will be a DI type. Slices are counted starting at one from the first slice, skipping all distribution slices (0V
and 24V slices). All slices should be marked at the top with their type and slice number. The individual terminal
numbers are counted from one to eight (or four), in a left to right, top to bottom pattern. The top left terminal will be
one, the top right terminal will be two. All terminals will be marked on the slice. So the full path to an example I/O point
would be EK1100.1/DO.03.04, which translates to the first coupler, the third slice (skipping over distribution slices),
and the fourth terminal on the slice.
There are 64 general purpose inputs available for use. Inputs should also be mapped to the limit switch inputs and the
home switch inputs if those are part of your machine.
1. On the menu bar, click Configure -> Control, then select the Input Signals tab.
2. Scroll to the signal you want to map an I/O point to.
3. Enable the signal by checking the box for Mapping Enabled.
4. Select the Device that owns the I/O point from the drop down.
5. Select the Input Name from the drop down.
6. Check the Active Low box if the input is wired active low. This means the signal will be active when the I/O
point is low. This is commonly used as a safety mechanism for home switches and limit switches.
7. For the 64 general purpose inputs, give the signal a User Description that describes what the signal
represents. This description will be used throughout the control. If no description is given, the signal name will
be used.
8. Press Apply to save any changes and OK to close the configuration window.
At this point, the machine is safe to move while soft limits are active.
I/O Configuration
Beckhoff I/O Naming Convention
The terminal labeling on the front of the coupler is incorrect.
Assigning I/O to Input Signals
