Fieldbus & Industrial Networking


EtherCAT Conformance Test Tool version 2.0 released

September 2016 Fieldbus & Industrial Networking

The Technical Working Group Conformance, within the EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG), has released version 2.0 of the EtherCAT Conformance Test Tool (CTT), which features a significantly extended test set for EtherCAT devices. Manufacturers of EtherCAT slaves especially benefit from the new version, which is distinguished mainly by new functionalities for device configuration and EtherCAT development. Additionally, fully automated testing of EtherCAT devices in Distributed Clocks (DC) mode is now available.

The EtherCAT CTT, is the official reference tool for specifying compliant implementation of EtherCAT technology into EtherCAT slaves. The CTT enables the hundreds of EtherCAT device manufacturers to ensure reliable interoperability in the field. The first version of the CTT was created in 2008 and all subsequent updates have proven to be stable in practice. To maintain continuity, version 2.0 retains all functionalities and tests from the first version while adding impressive new features.

With the updates in version 2.0, central extensions become available. Over and above the main job of the tool, which is to conduct device tests and detect possible errors, CCT 2.0 significantly extends functionalities that support and simplify EtherCAT development. This includes the ESI editor which can be used to edit the device description file, SII control to generate the EEPROM content, as well as additional functionalities such as the possibility to upload the object dictionary from the device and save it for the ESI.

In parallel to the extensions of the new version, test coverage has been increased systematically, leading to a much higher number of possible test cases. Furthermore, CTT 2.0 supports the operation of devices in the highly accurate synchronisation mode (distributed clocks) which can now be tested via a fully automated process.

Additionally, users can create any number of configurations in one project for an EtherCAT slave – even automatically. This enables the developer to test the devices comfortably and quickly in all available configurations. The test results themselves can be exported for documentation into Microsoft Excel or .csv format.

Version 2.0 of the Conformance Test Tool is now available to all members of the EtherCAT Technology Group.

For more information contact EtherCAT Technology Group, +49 911 540 56 226, press@ethercat.org, www.ethercat.org





Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

EtherCAT interoperability removes industrial networking barriers
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Selecting the right communication technology is one of the most important decisions engineers make, and interoperability helps with that decision. Key development tools and standards ensure interoperability among many EtherCAT devices and manufacturers.

Read more...
Condition monitoring to go
Turck Banner Southern Africa Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Anyone who wants to efficiently monitor the climate in control cabinets will find a comprehensive range of control cabinet monitors for the DIN rail in Turck Banner’s cabinet condition monitoring family.

Read more...
A new standard in high-speed Ethernet communication
Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
The TXMC897 module from TEWS Technologies supports a range of Ethernet standards and speeds, making it suitable for diverse applications, including the defence, industrial, and IIoT markets.

Read more...
Data-driven battery production
Turck Banner Southern Africa Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
The availability of high-performance batteries at moderate prices is one of the most important factors for the success of electromobility. As a long-standing automation partner to the automotive industry, Turck Banner supports the major battery manufacturers with its know-how.

Read more...
Bring critical temperature data to your condition monitoring system
Turck Banner Southern Africa Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Data conversion just got easier. Turck Banner converters are compact, simple add-ons that seamlessly fit into your factory applications. You can take various types of signals such as discrete, analogue and many others, and convert them to protocols like IO-link, PICK-IQ, PWM/PFM, and Modbus.

Read more...
Case History 190: Measurement problem ruins level control.
Michael Brown Control Engineering Editor's Choice Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
The widely held belief in many plants that tuning will solve all base layer control problems is completely fallacious. Bad tuning is generally not the main reason for loops to perform badly. It is important when performing optimisation that all elements in a loop are considered, in addition to the control strategy, before even thinking of tuning.

Read more...
Precise part machining
Beckhoff Automation Editor's Choice Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
toolcraft manufactures on behalf of its customers using its 60 CNC machines, and designs, plans and builds turnkey production systems for companies in various industries, having added injection moulding, mould making and additive manufacturing technologies along the way. Robotics is the company’s newest technology division. This is why toolcraft relies on PC-based control, including in the production cells, which have seven-axis milling robots for machining components at CNC level.

Read more...
Fully digital vertical roller mills
Loesche South Africa Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Vertical roller mills are found in mining and cement milling operations worldwide. They require complex technology for their operation. As a leader in this field, LOESCHE has proven software solutions for digitalisation that can optimise each piece of milling equipment for energy efficiency, and increase its availability and output, making the plant easy to operate.

Read more...
CNC cycle package for triple-axis milling and drilling
Beckhoff Automation Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Beckhoff provides a comprehensive package of different cycles for triple-axis milling and drilling machines with the TwinCAT 3 CNC milling base.

Read more...
Precise machining of small parts
Beckhoff Automation Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Producing large parts with precision is not easy. But how do you produce the smallest components, such as gears and screws for the watch industry or contact pins for connectors, with micron-level accuracy and in large quantities? Swiss companies Esco and Affolter achieve this feat in their CNC machines with TwinCAT CNC and servo drive technology from Beckhoff.

Read more...