Re-Scan and Change Device/Module Associations

Device or module associations must be updated after the following actions.

• Changing the physical network topology by adding, moving, or removing modules attached to an EtherCAT***EtherCAT is an open, high-performance Ethernet-based fieldbus system. The development goal of EtherCAT was to apply Ethernet to automation applications which require short data update times (also called cycle times) with low communication jitter (for synchronization purposes) and low hardware costs modular device.
• Changing the associations between a physical module and a project module.

To update the associations:

1. Re-scan and re-discover the physical network topology.
2. Click the Modify button to expand the Discovered Devices and Modules view.
3. Drag-and-drop the project coupler and/or slice(s) to associate them with the physical couplers/slices.

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• After changing the association of an EtherCAT device, you have to recompile the project and download this new version to save your modifications on the target.

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• A MDP device’s configurable properties (PDOPDO is a type of protocol frame used in some fieldbuses. A PDO contains one or more object dictionary entries, which define the application data transferred between devices. selections/content, PLC"Programmable Logic Controller" A Programmable Logic Controller, PLC, or Programmable Controller is a digital computer used for automation of industrial processes, such as control of machinery on factory assembly lines. Used to synchronize the flow of inputs from (physical) sensors and events with the flow of outputs to actuators and events variable maps, and CoE Init-Commands) are determined by the modules under the device. The default values for the device’s configuration are determined from the ESI file.

  The device’s configuration can be modified from the KAS IDE"Integrated development environment" An integrated development environment is a type of computer software that assists computer programmers in developing software. IDEs normally consist of a source code editor, a compiler and/or interpreter, build-automation tools, and a debugger EtherCAT device configuration tabs. Although the project modules cannot be configured directly, they can be associated with Physical modules by dragging-and-dropping them in the Discovered Devices and Modules view.

  When a project module is associated with a Physical module, its configuration (PDO selections/content, PLC variable maps, and CoE Init-Commands) is automatically updated at the device level. The order of the modules under the device, is determined by order the Physical modules are discovered. The order of CoE Init-Commands also follows the order of the Physical modules. This includes any user specified CoE Init-Commands.

  It is recommended to check the CoE Init-Command ordering after changing module associations, to verify it still meets any user-specific ordering requirements.

See Also