STOBER
9 | Looking for more information about EtherCAT?
02/2020 | ID 443025.06
53
EtherCAT service PC: Setting the route of an Ethernet subnet
In order to make the Ethernet subnet of the drive controllers known to DriveControlSuite, you have to configure a
corresponding route on the service PC. The route allows an IP configuration packet to be forwarded to the drive controllers
in question via the EtherCAT master, which acts as a gateway.
Note that the operating system of the EtherCAT master only connects the subnets known to it if IP routing is allowed there.
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The following information (network of the drive controllers to be triggered, subnet mask, gateway address of the
master) is adapted to the STOBER default settings and must be replaced by the addresses that correspond to the
system environment.
1.
In order to set the Ethernet route using the command line, open the Windows console
cmd.exe
.
2.
Enter the following command:
route add 10.0.0.0 mask 255.255.255.0 192.168.3.10
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You have now successfully set the route.
Information
If you are working with a STOBER motion controller and the AS6 development environment, IP routing is activated in the
MC6 motion controller by default.
In TwinCAT 3, you must enable this function on the master using
EtherCAT
>
Advanced Settings
>
EoE Support
>
Windows Network
area >
Windows IP Routing
>
IP Enable Router
. Restart the PC to apply the configuration.
9.3
Communication objects
Based on CANopen, the following communication objects are of key importance for data transmission as part of EtherCAT:
§
Process data objects (PDO)
... transmit real-time data such as set and actual values, control commands or status information based on events or
objectives, cyclically or upon request.
§
Service data objects (SDO)
... grant access to the object directory, enabling a device configuration.
§
Emergency objects (EMCY)
... are triggered in the event of faulty state transitions or device-internal errors. The messages contain error codes and
causes.
9.3.1
Process data objects – PDO
Process data objects normally transmit cyclical data that is required for controlling and observing the ongoing process, such
as target positions, travel velocities or acceleration information. They are generally used for data exchange in real time.
They also enable simultaneous access to multiple drive parameters.
The specific communication elements that are sent and received in a specific PDO can be freely selected. In a PDO
transmission, contents are transmitted directly instead of addressing specific objects.
PDOs are generally exchanged over the process data channel with high priority. A distinction is made, from the perspective
of the respective nodes, between receive PDOs (= RxPDO) and transmit PDOs (= TxPDO).
