Tab: EtherCAT Slave – General

The basic settings for the EtherCAT Slave are configured on this tab. The basic settings are preset from the device description file.

Table 7. Address

Fields can be edited only when the auto-configuration mode of the EtherCAT Master is disabled.

AutoInc address

Self-incrementing address (16-bit) that results from the position of the slave in the network. The address is used only during the system boot when the master assigns the EtherCAT addresses to its slaves. When the first message runs through all the slaves for this purpose, each slave increments its AutoInc address by 1. The slave with address 0 then gets the data. A possible input here is "-8", for example .

EtherCAT address

: Slave address which is automatically calculated by the master and finally assigned during startup. Although the address is independent of the position of the slave in the network, it can change if additional devices are added.

If the address is accessed via a slave instance in the code, then a variable address is advantageous.

: Fixed, editable slave address. It also remains unchanged when an additional device is added. The following slaves in the device tree continue to use the address.

If the address is accessed directly, then a fixed address is advantageous.

Table 8. Additional

Expert settings

standard icon : The Startup Checking and Timeout groups are also displayed on the tab. For more information, see below. In the device editor, the tab Process Data tab is displayed. You can make configure advanced settings there.

Hint: Expert settings are not required for standard applications. For standard applications, the auto configuration mode is completely sufficient and recommended.

Optional

At the start of the stack, the system checks whether optional devices are available.

This option is available only when the Autoconfig master/slaves option is enabled in the settings of the EtherCAT Master and the EtherCAT Slave supports this function.

: If this option is disabled, then the system only checks whether optional devices exist when the stack is started. The identification is read and checked once. If necessary, a device exchange is detected and corrected. No new identification check is performed during operation.

standard icon : The slave is defined as optional. The check whether optional devices exist is also performed during operation. If it is determined that a device does not exist in the bus system, then no error message is generated. If a device is not found, then it is disabled automatically and displayed in gray in the device tree. A corresponding message is displayed in the logger.

Note: If you define a slave as "optional", then it has to have a unique identification. You can change this by means of the three possible settings in the Identification section. For example, enter an alias address in the Configured station alias (ADO 0x0012) field.

Table 9. Diagnosis

This area is displayed only in online mode.

Current State

State of the slave

Possible states: Init, Preoperational, Safe Operational, and Operational

The state Operational indicates that the slave configuration has been correctly completed and that process data (inputs and outputs) are being accepted.

Table 10. Startup Checking

Check vendor ID	By default the vendor ID and product ID of the device are checked against the current configuration settings when the system boots up. If they do not agree, then the bus is stopped and no further actions are executed. This is done to prevent an incorrect configuration from being loaded onto the bus system.
	The following options are available to customize the check.
Check product ID
Check revision number	: The revision number is checked during the system bootup according to your selection in the list box.
Download expected slot configuration	: For online verification of the configured and actual module configuration. If the configurations do not match, then the device still switches to "Run". In this case, an entry is made in the device logbook.

Table 11. Timeouts

By default, no watchdog is defined for the following actions. However, a timeout (in milliseconds) can be specified here if necessary:
SDO access	Timeout (in milliseconds) for sending the SDO list at system boot
I -> P	Timeout (in milliseconds) for switching from Init mode to Preoperational mode
P -> S / S -> O	Timeout (in milliseconds) for switching from Preoperational mode to Safe Operational mode, or from Safe Operational mode to Operational mode.

Table 12. Watchdog

Set multiplier	The PDI watchdog and SM watchdog receive their impulses from the local terminal clock divided by the watchdog multiplier.
Set PDI watchdog	This watchdog triggers when there is no PDI communication with the EtherCAT Slave Controller for longer than the PDI (Process Data Interface) watchdog time which has been set and activated.
Set SM watchdog	This watchdog triggers when there is no EtherCAT process data communication with the terminal for longer than the SM (SyncManager) watchdog time that has been set and activated.

Table 13. Identification

In this section, you set the device identification of the slave. As a result, you can make the address of the slave independent of its position in the bus. The following options are visible only when the Activate expert settings option or Optional option is selected. If you have identified the slave as Optional, then you need to assign a unique ID to it. Note: You can change the identification via the three possible settings here. For example, enter an alias address in the Configured station alias (ADO 0x0012) field.
Disabled	The identification of the slave is not checked.
Configured station alias (ADO 0x0012)	Address that is stored in the EEPROM of the device. Example value: `1001` You can change the value in the Scan Devices dialog or in online mode. For stock devices, you need to assign this number one time. This means that you need to connect the device one time to an EtherCAT Master and save the number.
Write to EEPROM	Visible in online mode only for Configured station alias. Writes the defined address for Value to the EEPROM of the slave.
Explicit device identification (ADO 0x0134)	The device identification is hard set on the hardware (for example, by DIP switches). It is displayed in Actual address.
Data Word (2 Bytes)	A 2-byte value for the identification is saved in the slave. Example: `16#12`
Value	Expected value for the check. If the actual value does not correspond to this setting, then an error is issued.
ADO (hex)	Initial value from the device description. You can change this value in the Data word option.
Actual address	Visible in online mode only. Displays the address of the slave. You can use this display for checking the success of the Write to EEPROM command.