ETG hosts first EtherCAT Interoperability Testing Week

April 2021 News

Recently the first EtherCAT Interoperability Testing Week of the EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG) took place. The goal of the week-long digital event was to provide EtherCAT device developers with an online opportunity to improve the interoperability of their products as well as to gain practical EtherCAT development know-how. In addition, the event provided a platform for the device manufacturers to exchange knowledge.

With over 75 registrations from all over the world, the week kicked off in early February. During Q&A; sessions as well as numerous webinars on topics such as the EtherCAT Conformance Test Tool (CTT), EtherCAT Slave Stack Code (SSC), EtherCAT Slave Configuration Interface (SCI) or Safety over EtherCAT (FSoE) implementation, participants were able to learn new things about EtherCAT and further deepen their knowledge base. In addition, device manufacturers had the opportunity to discuss their individual EtherCAT implementations directly with ETG experts in a protected virtual meeting room and to clarify possible open questions regarding development, interoperability and testing.

Feedback from the participants about the online event was consistently positive. Especially well received were the many webinars and the fact that no recorded content was played, but the ETG team was present throughout the week and available for questions as well as general knowledge exchange with the participants. The organizers of the event summarized the course of the EtherCAT Interoperability Testing Week as follows: “We put together a diverse program that struck a chord with the participants. The great response shows us how important this information exchange is to all involved and how ETG member companies are highly connected even in times like these.”

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