EtherCAT Master Provides Real-Time Automation
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Many industries have demanded for hardware dependent programming to be done in real time. This is especially true for those who are in the transition from legacy field bus protocols into flexible real time solutions making use of Ethernet. Kithara Software is one of the first to respond to the issue by engineering and developing the EtherCAT Master.
Under Berlin-based Kithara Software’s RealTime Suite collection is the EtherCAT Master, the best tool for solving diverse automation issues under the Windows program. It can supply all the needed mechanisms to allow adaptable control applications of EtherCAT. These are all made possible at very reasonable prices.
EtherCAT is most suited for factory automation through realizable cycle times. Hardware for automation comes in the form of I/O clamps, safety solutions and servo controllers needed in the manufacturing industry. One can now change easily from PLC-based to Blackbox orientation system.
The EtherCAT software can remarkably provide users with great functions like extremely accurate timers and the required real-time network driver. It also allows mechanisms like hardware access to USB devices, PCI cards and serial interfaces. It provides multitasking possible and real-time Ethernet access at 100 Mbit/s that is required for PC-based automation to take place.
PC-based control applications for industries hugely simplify the automation technology. However, Windows operating systems are unable to implement true real-time offhand, hence, Kithara’s EtherCAT. With this software, the user can control his real-time application in the typical and popular development setting in C/C++ or Delphi.
Kithara EtherCAT Master has the following characteristics: accurate real-time timer for greater than 1 KHz frequencies; automatically recognizes EtherCAT topology having XML files, and; short cycle time of 50 micro seconds or less.
The EtherCAT Master can provide mechanisms such as mailbox communication, Process Data Communication (PDC), Service Data Communication (SDO), CANopen over EtherCAT (CoE), Ethernet over EtherCAT (EoE), File over EtherCAT (FoE), and Distributed Clock. The Master Monitor completes the package by allowing a graphical application to configure and inspect the connected EtherCAT slaves.
The EtherCAT Master can also pre-empt real-time multi-tasking upto 255 levels, UDP and TCP communication in real-time, ability to set up Windows interfaces for device communication like ReadFile, DeviceIOControl and WriteFile, setting up of personal device names
With the EtherCAT Master, programmers are no longer required to manage and send out data telegrams themselves. The software can do this in perfectly real-time, reducing time wastage and making work more cost-effective.