Birgit Krah
Karl Deutsch GmbH + Co KG
Getting started
Hi,
We would
like to program an EtherCat Slave. So we ordered the NXHX 50-RE and the
NXPCA-PCI board. We got two additional CDs (netx Documentation and
netSTICK/NXHX netx Software Entwicklungsboard) – is there something missing?
It is
possible to download and to execute a file from HiTOP5 to the NXHX 50-RE board.
TwinCAT is installed on a second
computer. Installed TwinCAT RT Ethernet Adapters: LAN Verbindung TwinCAT-Intel
PCI Ethernet Adapter (Gigabit). Bindings: TwinCAT Ethernet Protocol. Hardware:
Intel® Pro/1000GT Desktop Adapter. Which XML has to be imported? I tried
Hilscher netx50 V2.0.x.xml.
A Box scan
produces an error: TCIO(300) Gerät 1 (RT-Ethernet): Link lost
If you
start/restart TwinCAT in Run-Modus you’ll get a blue screen.
I think
maybe it is necessary to store the EtherCAT Slave firmware on the evaluation
board first. On the CD you can find NXSTK50-RE EtherCAT Slave.nxf. Is this a
file just for the Netstick or is it possible to use it? Is it possible to use
all files for the Netstick 50? Which tool do I have to use to download the
firmware?
Do you have
a total description about how to get the EtherCat slave running? I think of
step by step instructions what to do with TwinCAT, which files have to be
downloaded to the evaluation board and a little example program to communicate by
the NXPCA-PCI board over the DPM of the netx.
Are there
any information about the NXPCA-PCI board?
Regards
KB
Birgit Krah
Karl Deutsch GmbH + Co KG
Hi,
Thank you very much for your answer. The blue screen problem is solved (for AMD proccessors it is necassary to modify the registry) but TwinCAT still doesn't find the evaluation board. You asked what we have exactly bought ....
1) NXHX 50-RE netx 50 Software Entwicklungsboard Real Time Ethernet
2) NXPCA-PCI netx PC Adapterboard für NXHX
On the included CDs aren't any correct drivers for the NXPCA-PCI board but the driver on your homepage (NX-PCA-PCI Version 9.3.6) seems to work. In a usermanual on your homepage I found that it is necassary to install sycon.net and the netx configuration tool - but they both don't work correctly. Which versions are correct and where can I find it?
Do you have also a driver for the USB of the NXHX50-RE?
Regards
KB
Andreas Jacob
Hilscher Gesellschaft fuer Systemautomation mbH
The USB driver for the mini USB is also included on the CD. The "big" USB port is needed for the Hitex Debugger.
But you have NO EtherCAT stack.
You need to load at first the EtherCAT stack into the board, then TwinCAT should be able to find a box.
Regards
AJ
Birgit Krah
Karl Deutsch GmbH + Co KG
Hi,
thank you very much for your answer. The drivers for the mini USB on the CD doesn't fit and I couldn't find the right one on your homepage.
Twincat seems to work. I downloaded ethercat_slave_netx50 from your homepage to the evaluation board. But a little application added to Twincat doesn't work. Maybe it's because the box informations aren't correct. A box scan produces a strange result: Box1(P0000001AR00000001)
InfoData
State
-ADsAddr
-netId
netId[0]
...
netId[5]
port
So I deleted the box and connected the box manually. I choosed "Box anfügen" and selcted netx50. Now it looks normal: Box1(netx50)
-wIn0
Input
-wOut0
Output
and so on... But it doesn't work either.
Why doesn't the box scan show the name, inputs and outputs? Is it okay to choose the box manually?
Regards
KB
Andreas Jacob
Hilscher Gesellschaft fuer Systemautomation mbH
Hi,
the USB driver is included on the CD (\Tools\Bootwizard\driver\). But you need to put the board into the serial boot mode before you connect it to the PC. Then you are able to install the driver.
The example on the web uses an older version of the EtherCAT stack, that is the reason why TwinCAT is not able to read out the information.
Regards
AJ
Birgit Krah
Karl Deutsch GmbH + Co KG
Hi,
thank you for your answer.
Do you have an EtherCat example that is running with TwinCat?
Regards
KB
Andreas Jacob
Hilscher Gesellschaft fuer Systemautomation mbH
Hi KB,
the example you have is working. Only the automatic box detect is not working well. But you wrote, that you are using a NXHX board. The delivered CD include also an EtherCAT example and when I am right should here with the auto box config of TwinCAT work as expected.
Regards
AJ
Birgit Krah
Karl Deutsch GmbH + Co KG
Hi Andreas Jacob,
thank you very much for your message. Your hint from the 11.3.2010 to bring the evalution board in a serial boot mode was good. The driver is installed now.
I searched very carefully through the content of the CDs again but I couldn't find any EtherCat examples.
Regards
KB
Andreas Jacob
Hilscher Gesellschaft fuer Systemautomation mbH
Hi KB,
very good.
The example is located in:
..\Examples\NXHX\NXHX_FB_RTE\
Set in the linker defines of the HiTOP example the define "RTE_TYPE_ETHERCAT".
Regards
AJ
Birgit Krah
Karl Deutsch GmbH + Co KG
Hi,
yeeaahhh!!!!!!!! It's running.
Thank you very much.
Regards
KB
Andreas Jacob
Hilscher Gesellschaft fuer Systemautomation mbH
Hi,
congratulation.
Regards
AJ
How did you add the NetX50 manually in twincat? or did you get it to run with a standard "Scan box" from twincat? (version 2.11 ?)
regards
hc
Hello hc,
you can copy the device description file into the correct TwinCAT folder. This is typically c:\Program files\TwinCAT\IO\EtherCAT\
Afterwards (re)start TwinCAT. It takes some seconds to update the device catalog. Now you find the netX50 between the other EtherCAT Slaves.
Johnny
Thx, that did it, now I am able to get it into "SafeOp"... so far so good. But I am still not abkle to run the example delivered on the CD, i am using the one that is downloadable (NXLOM RCX-ECS-LTD V2.2).
Currently I am using the NXHX50 board and twincat V2.11.
Besides the "RTE_TYPE_ETHERCAT" -definition am I missing something else ? other defines maybe?
compiler options are as follows:
_NETX_HITOP_; __RCX__; __NETX50_SHARED_MEMORY_API_; RTE_TYPE_ETHERCAT;
HC
Andreas Jacob
Hilscher Gesellschaft fuer Systemautomation mbH
Hi HC,
what is not working?
The *LTD* examples ar limited to 2byte of I/O data's.
You need to set the RTE_TYPE_ETHERCAT define and you need to rebuild the project.
Could you please explain your problem a little bit more in detail.
Regards
AJ
Hi Andreas
Thx for the quick response and sorry for my late response...
Well after a bit of struggling I finally got the example delivered on the CD to work, or at least communicate.
I cant though get any CoE objects loaded from the NetX into twincat.If I do a box-scan from twincat I just get a Box1() -object. Very strange...
What is the difference between the NXLOM RCX-ECS-LTD V2.2 (downloaded from the net) and the NXHX_FB_RTE (from the CD)?
thx. in advance
HC
Andreas Jacob
Hilscher Gesellschaft fuer Systemautomation mbH
Hi,
there should no difference between both versions. Maybe the used EtherCAT Stack version is different.
Regards
AJ
Did this ever get resolved? I recently got handed one of those NXHX boards to evaluate and I'm trying to figure out what to do with it. Its not what I would have expected -- based on our experience with Ethercat and hardware ESC's we would have expected the board to at least communicate with (and show its registers to) a master on powerup regarless of whether there was any firmware running on the applications processor or not.
So the first question for us would be "How would we load the communications processor?". Since the processor is essentially self-contained, its just has mailbox interfaces to the applications processor (&tc.) then I'd assume that once it was loaded I could run most of the Conformance Test against it. Is this correct?
Andreas Jacob
Hilscher Gesellschaft fuer Systemautomation mbH
First of all, hello martinusher,
the advantage of the netX controller is, that they are usable for several protocols and not only for one. But there fore it is necessary to download the needed protocol stack to the netX at first.
You wrote, that you have now an NXHX board - congratulations. This is the first step ;-)
Now you need the EtherCAT stack. Have you bought the stack from Hilscher or do you have only the board?
Regards
AJ
Andreas Jacob
Hilscher Gesellschaft fuer Systemautomation mbH
Hi KB,
NXPCA-PCI board. We got two additional CDs (netx Documentation and
netSTICK/NXHX netx Software Entwicklungsboard) – is there something missing?
It is possible to download and to execute a file from HiTOP5 to the NXHX 50-RE board.
Yes, this is also possible and the common way. Open the HiTOP project, build the
project, download it into the target and run it without any breakpoints.
produces an error: TCIO(300) Gerät 1 (RT-Ethernet): Link lost
If you start/restart TwinCAT in Run-Modus you’ll get a blue screen.
Wow, sounds bad. But also like a problem with the PC or the TwinCAT installation.
Maybe the used Ethernet card on the PC is not compatible.
board first. On the CD you can find NXSTK50-RE EtherCAT Slave.nxf. Is this a
file just for the Netstick or is it possible to use it? Is it possible to use
all files for the Netstick 50? Which tool do I have to use to download the
firmware?
No, it is not necessary to store the FW into the eval board. The found FW is
really only for netSTICK and not usable on a NXHX board!
step by step instructions what to do with TwinCAT, which files have to be
downloaded to the evaluation board and a little example program to communicate by
the NXPCA-PCI board over the DPM of the netx.
Have you bought already a stack from Hilscher or do you have only bought the Eval board?
In case of a complete FW you will find the requested documentation on the FW-CD
What kind of information? Manuals are available.
Regards
AJ