Warning

You are reading an old version of this documentation. If you want up-to-date information, please have a look at 4.2 .

Module overview

The EtherCAT Module is schematically equivalent to:

Fig. 212 EtherCAT Module

1. System LED (SYS)

2. Run LED (RUN)

3. Error LED (ERR)

4. Interface X1 (EtherCAT IN), standard RJ45

5. Interface X2 (EtherCAT OUT), standard RJ45

LEDs Behavior

The subsequent table describes the meaning of the various LEDs found on the device.

LED	Color	State	Description
RUN	Off	Off	Module in state INIT
	Green	Blinking	Module in state PRE-OPERATIONAL
	Green	Single Flash	Module in state SAFE-OPERATIONAL
	Green	Solid	Module in state OPERATIONAL
ERR	Off	Off	No error
	Red	Blinking	Internal Error
	Red	Single	Internal Error
	Red	Solid	Internal Error
Ethernet LED Green	Off	Off	No link established
	Green	Blinking	Module is transmitting
	Red	Solid	A link is established

Network topology

When multiple EtherCAT devices are to be connected, two topologies can be implemented:

• Daisy chain and/or star topology:

  Modules are connected like a daisy chain where Module 1 EtherCAT Output is connected to Module 2 EtherCAT Input, and so on. The last module does not require to be connected back to the master.

• Ring topology:

  Modules are connected such that they form a ring, Module 1 EtherCAT Output is connected to Module 2 EtherCAT Input, and so on. The last module is connected back to the EtherCAT Master, thus forming a ring.

Please, review your requirements to choose which topology best fits your needs.

Process Data Objects

EtherCAT allows exchanging cyclic real-time data using Process Data Objects (PDOs). There are two types of PDOs corresponding to the two directions: RxPDOs and TxPDOs. RxPDOs/TxPDOs are further broken down into different PDOs, corresponding to different functionalities supported by EYE+.

All the necessary commands, parameters and output data are implemented in PDOs so that you can easily and fully integrate your EYE+ into your application. PDOs are mostly mirroring the TCP Protocol interface while providing a specific and convenient interface to use. We highly recommend you read the TCP programming guide before integrating EYE+ using the EtherCAT Module.

The ESI file can be directly downloaded from EtherCAT Downloads.