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Adding/Removing Slaves and Modules in the PLANT

This topic contains the following sections:

The EtherCAT network of your application is reflected in the PLANT in PLCnext Engineer under the 'EtherCAT' node which represents the EtherCAT master. By structuring this tree node, the EtherCAT network is modeled. Structuring means inserting the slave devices as nodes below the master node.

Note
EtherCAT devices must be added to the COMPONENTS by importing the respective ESI files. Only after the ESI files have been imported are the devices available in the COMPONENTS (category 'Network | Local | Devices | ESIImport') and can be inserted in the station editor under the 'EtherCAT' node.

PLCnext Engineer provides several methods for structuring the EtherCAT network:

Any combination of these methods is possible depending on the existing network.

You can replace a device previously added online or offline to the PLANT by another device type. See the topic "Replacing Devices" for details.

Note
Creating and using device templates:
You can save a configured and parameterized device instance added to the PLANT to a device template. This allows you to reuse the device with its specific configuration in the same or any other project several times. The device templates are managed in the 'Device Templates' folder in the 'Local' folder of the 'Network' category in the COMPONENTS area. Refer to the topic "Device Templates" for details.

Further Info
Once the slaves (and I/O modules, if required) are present in the PLANT, continue with the configuration of the devices. The possible steps are listed in the topic "EtherCAT Setup - General procedure".

Adding slave devices in the station editor

  1. In the PLANT, double-click the 'EtherCAT' node (which represents the master) and then click the 'Device List' tab in the editor area.
    The 'Device List' editor (station editor) is now visible.
  2. In the table, left-click into the 'Type' field showing the text 'Select type here' or move the table cursor using the arrow keys to this table field and press <Enter>.

    The Role Picker appears for selecting devices. It is divided into a tree on the left and devices/modules on the right. The control only provides devices for selection that are suitable for the current PLANT node.

    To connect digital or analog I/O modules, a bus coupler must be inserted as slave.

    Already configured devices that can be added are shown in the 'Network > Local > Device Templates' folder (see the topic "Device Templates" for further details).

  3. Select the folder in the tree on the left and then the device to be inserted on the right by clicking it or pressing the <Enter> key.

    Keys for navigating in the Role Picker...

  4. If desired, enter the 'Function' and/or 'Location' of the device for documentation purpose.
    The 'Function' text is shown in the device node name (preceding the type) in the PLANT. If no 'Function' is specified, the 'Location' text is visible in the tree.
  5. Optional: After inserting a bus coupler into the 'Device List' of the EtherCAT master, you have to add I/O modules as follows:
    1. Double-click the coupler node in the PLANT and open its 'Module List' (station editor) in the editors area.
    2. Select the EtherCAT I/O modules using the Role Picker. When opened for a bus coupler, the station only provides suitable modules for selection.

Adding slaves by an EtherCAT offline bus scan

  1. Make sure that the controller not connected to PLCnext Engineer, as the EtherCAT bus scan is only available offline.
  2. Right-click the EtherCAT node in the PLANT (which represents the bus master) and select 'EtherCAT Bus-scan' from the context menu.
  3. After the bus scan has been carried out, the 'Slave Selection' dialog box may appear if there are several versions of device types for a scanned bus device available in the COMPONENTS. If you are not sure which device version is available on the bus, select the version with the most recent device description in the dialog.
    You can activate the checkbox 'Apply the selected file to other similar slaves' in the dialog box to skip an individual selection for each detected slave of the same type.
  4. EtherCAT slaves found by the scan (and possibly selected in the dialog box) are automatically inserted in the PLANT under the 'EtherCAT' node. In addition, the slaves are inserted into 'Device List' editor (station editor) of the EtherCAT master. If a bus coupler is found, the I/O modules connected to it, are also inserted (under the coupler node and into the coupler's station editor).

    Devices are inserted as 'unknown' if they are not contained in the 'Network' category of the COMPONENTS area. Possibly, the corresponding device libraries are missing in your project and have to be added.

Online Bus Scan: Checking the correctness of EtherCAT network in PLANT

The 'Online Functions' editor of the 'EtherCAT' node (which represents the master) provides an online bus scan of the EtherCAT network. Above the tree that shows the EtherCAT network in the 'Online Functions' editor, the 'Refresh EtherCAT online functions' icon is located . If the controller is connected to PLCnext Engineer, clicking on the icon causes the bus to be scanned. After the scan, PLCnext Engineer compares the scanned topology with the bus structure modeled in the PLANT. Any detected differences are then shown in the 'Mismatch Analyzer' tab of the 'Online Functions' editor.
Further information can be found in the topic "Diagnostics of the EtherCAT Master/Slaves".

Removing Slaves from the PLANT

Note
A slave station can only removed from the EtherCAT network (and thus from the PLANT) if it is not part of a Hot Connect group. If HotConnect is activated in the settings of the EtherCAT master, double-click the 'EtherCAT' node in the PLANT and open the 'Settings' editor. Deactivate the checkbox 'Create HC Group for Slaves'. Refer to the chapter "HotConnect and Identification" for more information.

To remove a slave device from the PLANT, you have several options: