'Advanced Settings' Editor (EtherCAT Slave Device)

The following information refers to a specific, typical device type. Your screen may differ.

This help topic describes the 'Advanced Settings' editor of an EtherCAT slave device in the PLANT. EtherCAT slave devices are child elements of the 'EtherCAT' node (which represents the EtherCAT Master). The editor is used to configure the Identification and Hot Connect-related settings of the EtherCAT slave device which is currently selected in the PLANT.

Further Info
Detailed information on the EtherCAT slave configuration as well as step-by-step procedures can be found in the help chapter "EtherCAT-specific Properties".

On the left side on the 'Settings' page, several editor categories can be selected. These are described below in detail.

This topic contains the following sections:

'Device ID'

The different settings offer varying degrees of protection against unintentional changes to the slave sequence in the network (e.g. by incorrectly plugging in the EtherCAT cabling). Depending on the setting of the slave parameter 'Identification Mode', the master checks in different ways (more or less rigidly) whether it is addressing the correct slave at the given address.

Further Info
Further details on the parameters as well as information how to configure slaves and on the system reaction are provided in the help topic "Identification and Hot Connect of Slaves".

Note
Which modes are actually supported depends on the slave.

The following Identification Modes are defined.

Identification Mode Description

None No identification check takes place.

Configured Station Alias (0x0012) The station alias is an optional identification value in addition to the station address to uniquely identify the slave in the network. It can be used to implement greater protection against topology errors.
If the slave used supports station alias and Explicit Device ID, both features cannot be used at the same time.
The station alias is stored in the ESC Configured Station Alias (0x0012) register when the power supply is switched on.
The EtherCAT Group also refers to the station alias as the Second Slave Address (SSA).

Explicit Device ID (0x0134) The Explicit Device ID is an optional identification value in addition to the station address to uniquely identify the slave in the network. It is the latest type of device identification (according to ETG 1020 standard, 01.2016), which is usually faster than identification via station alias.
Like the station alias, it can be used to implement greater protection against topology errors.
If the slave used supports Explicit Device ID and station alias, both features cannot be used at the same time.
The value is stored in the ESC register (0x0134).

Input Word A bit sequence which corresponds to the station address (0...65,535) is stored in the process data area of the slave. This value is interpreted by the master as the station address.

Identification Mode	Description
None	No identification check takes place.
Configured Station Alias (0x0012)	The station alias is an optional identification value in addition to the station address to uniquely identify the slave in the network. It can be used to implement greater protection against topology errors. If the slave used supports station alias and Explicit Device ID, both features cannot be used at the same time. The station alias is stored in the ESC Configured Station Alias (0x0012) register when the power supply is switched on. The EtherCAT Group also refers to the station alias as the Second Slave Address (SSA).
Explicit Device ID (0x0134)	The Explicit Device ID is an optional identification value in addition to the station address to uniquely identify the slave in the network. It is the latest type of device identification (according to ETG 1020 standard, 01.2016), which is usually faster than identification via station alias. Like the station alias, it can be used to implement greater protection against topology errors. If the slave used supports Explicit Device ID and station alias, both features cannot be used at the same time. The value is stored in the ESC register (0x0134).
Input Word	A bit sequence which corresponds to the station address (0...65,535) is stored in the process data area of the slave. This value is interpreted by the master as the station address.

'Hot Connect'

The Hot Connect (HC) functionality allows to disconnect EtherCAT modules from the network during operation in terms of communication (for example, by switching off or disconnecting the Ethernet line) or to insert them into the data traffic (for example, by switching on or plugging in the Ethernet line).

Further Info
Detailed information can be found in the topic "Identification and Hot Connect of Slaves".

Parameter Description

Activate Hot Connect Configuration If activated, the Hot Connect function is activated for the slave. The parameters below this checkbox (described below) are only active, if the checkbox is marked.

Note
When an existing Hot Connect configuration is disabled by deactivating the checkbox, the group ID is reset and the position in the topology is set to the default value. All group members are reset to the same default Hot Connect settings.

Hot Connect Group Id ID of the Hot Connect group to which the slave device shall belong. The group identifier always corresponds to the 'Identification Value' of the first device (head device) in the group.
The list box provides the following options for selection:

'Create Hot Connect Group: id_value': Creates an own Hot Connect group by selecting the group ID which corresponds to the 'Identification Value' of the current device (provided that this value is already configured).

'Add to existing Hot Connect Group: id_value': Select the group ID of a previous device from the list box (which has been defined as group head).

Note

If no device is currently a member of a Hot Connect group and the Identification Mode has not yet been configured, an error message appears stating that the Identification Mode of the device must be configured.

When the Hot Connect group ID of the head device is updated, the group IDs of all other group members are not updated.

Position in Topology Defines the position at the EtherCAT field bus.
Two values are possible here:

Fixed to device_name. The position of the device in the topology is fixed and must match the configuration in PLCnext Engineer. It is derived from the order of the slave devices in the PLANT. The physical slave must be connected to the slave with the specified device_name.
This is the default setting while Hot Connect is not activated for the slave.
If the device is not present at the specified position, EC_Topology_OK is set to FALSE and the EtherCAT network is interrupted. device_name stands for the device in the EtherCAT configuration.

Floating Hot Connect Group: Floating groups can be connected anywhere in the EtherCAT network - it is therefore not tied to specific ports. No fixed or predefined connection position is required (in contrast to static and dynamic HC groups), which means that the master automatically connects the group regardless of where it is connected.
The slave device may be located in a different position in the network or even missing. EC_TOPOLOGY_OK remains TRUE in any case.