EtherCAT Solutions

EtherCAT Solutions Description

EtherCAT Overview

EtherCAT (Ethernet for Control Automation Technology) is a real-time Industrial Ethernet technology originally developed by Beckhoff Automation and maintained by the EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG). Standardized in IEC 61158, it meets hard and soft real-time requirements for factory automation, motion control, test & measurement, and other time-critical applications.
(Read more: EtherCAT - the Ethernet Fieldbus)

Detail information can also be found in the EtherCAT Brochure, available in various languages.

ICOP’s QEC (Quicker, Easier Control) with EtherCAT Solution

ICOP’s QEC EtherCAT Solution delivers an end-to-end solution, covering the EtherCAT MDevice (master), a range of SubDevices (slaves), and a developer-friendly controller software IDE (86Duino IDE), so teams can build reliable systems faster.
(Read more: ICOP’s “QEC” EtherCAT Solution, Combined with Virtual Programming and Database Libraries, Accelerates Your Industry 4.0 Process)

✔️ Why ICOP + EtherCAT

• All-in-One control
  Real-time EtherCAT + HMI + Multi-protocol bridge (Ethernet TCP/IP, Modbus, CAN bus) on an industrial platform.
• Deterministic motion
  Dedicated EtherCAT core (≤1 ms cycle, option down to 125 µs) with low jitter for servo/stepper control.
• Faster time-to-demo, developer-friendly tooling
  86Duino IDE + sample projects (PP/CSP/CSV) enable motion in days, not weeks.
  With Graphical tools: 86EVA, 86HMI, ArduBlock, and LDmicro.
• Lower TCO & long-term supply
  Fewer boxes/licenses; SLC eMMC and -20~70 °C wide-temp for reliable deployment. Industrial-grade design (fanless, wide-temp options)
• Compact Size
  Design for space-limited environments with an industrial-grade as small as 49mm, easy to install, tight control cabinets, machine boxes, or mobile units.

✔️ Why can be Real-time: QEC MDevice Architecture (Dual-Core Vortex86EX2 CPU)

QEC MDevice is built on the dual-core Vortex86EX2 by DMP Electronics and uses the open-source 86Duino IDE (Industrial-Arduino) for rapid development. (Read more: EtherCAT MDevice Benchmark)

• Master Core (Application CPU)
  Runs the 86Duino (Arduino-style) environment, exchanges data with the EtherCAT core, and can log or upload SubDevice data to servers or databases.
• Real-Time Core (EtherCAT CPU)
  Executes the EtherCAT MDevice stack with precise synchronization, deterministic cyclic exchange, and fast data acquisition from SubDevices via IPC to the Master Core.

✔️ Core EtherCAT Functions

Based on ETG.1500 guidelines for MDevice implementations, the QEC MDevice is responsible for the following tasks:

• Initialization interface
• Configuration interface
• Process Data (PDO) access interface
• CAN application protocol over EtherCAT (CoE) access interface
• File access over EtherCAT (FoE) access interface
• SubDevice Information Interface (SII) access interface
• Distributed Clocks (DC) access interface

The programs are designed to run on the FreeDOS operating system and have been compiled using the GCC compiler provided by the DJGPP environment.
(Read more:EtherCAT Library API User Manual)

✔️ Dual-System Synchronization

The primary focus of this section is the synchronization of dual-system PDO data. As illustrated in the diagram below, the User Application and EtherCAT MDevice Library blocks run on the Master System, while the Real-Time EtherCAT MDevice Core runs on the Slave System.
(Read more: EtherCAT Library API User Manual)

Developer Libraries and Tools (Open Source & Easy to Use)

QEC EtherCAT Product Categories