Setting up an FSoE application with TwinCAT

Page contents:

Background

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for creating a basic Safety Application with EVS-S-NET using TwinCAT. The goal of the application is to trigger any desired Safety Function (STO, SS1, SLS…) when its respective pushbutton is pressed.

The example is using the following parts:

Previous Steps

This guide assumes that the drive has already been configured using MotionLab3-CoE (including optimized control loops and Safety-Related Application parameters) and focuses exclusively on the TwinCAT configuration and the subsequent MotionLab3-EoE connection.

Setup

Connect the safety master with the safety inputs to the TwinCAT master and put the EVS-S-NET-E in daisy chain. The necessary inputs should be connected to the EL1918 channels to control different safety functions.

Steps

• Put the ESI file of the EVS-S-NET-E in the device descriptors folder of TwinCAT (usually in C:\TwinCAT\3.1\Config\Io\EtherCAT).

• Set up a basic project:

  • Create a new TwinCAT XAE Project.

  • Scan the network and check that all the devices are being identified.

Notes for using an EL1918 instead of EL6900 and EL1904...

There is a known issue of the EL1918 that gives an error when using it in Local mode. The workaround provided by Beckhoff is to choose the previous ESI file (16) instead of the last (17). This must be done when adding the device to the EtherCAT network:

• Right click on the EK1100 and select Add New Item…

• Check Extended Information and Show Hidden Devices.

• Search EL1918.

• Select the version that ends with 16 instead of 17 and click OK.

• Select the Drive 3 (EVS-S-NET-E) and do the following:

• Go to the Slots tab, delete the Slot 1 (FSoE) and add the Slot FSoE with Safety Project CRC

• If you want to connect to MotionLab3 later:

  • Go to the EtherCAT tab go to Advanced Settings… → Mailbox → EoE, select IP Port → IP Address and manually enter 192.168.2.22:

    

  • Go to the Process Data tab and, inside PDO Assignment (0x1C12), unselect the PDO 0x1600 - this will avoid interferences when interacting with MotionLab3 (sending commands and enabling the motor):

    

• Create two variables for running the project and error acknowledgement

  • In the solution explorer, right-click in SYSTEM/Tasks and select Add New Item.

  • Insert a TwinCAT Task With Image.

  • Right-click in the Outputs section of the newly created task, and select Add New Item.

  • Select Insert a new variable RUN with data type BIT and start address 0 bit.

  • Insert another variable named ERR_ACK with type BIT and start address 1 bit.

• Add the Safety Application project.

  • In the Solution Explorer, right-click the SAFETY block and select Add New Item.

  • Choose TwinCAT Safety Project Preconfigured Inputs in the newly opened window and press Add.

  • In the following window, select Hardware Safety PLC as Target System and press Ok.

• Configure the Safety Master.

  • Right-click on Safety Application Project and select Properties.

  • On the Safety Master window, go to Target System and click the icon next to the Physical Device field.

  • Choose EL1918 in the newly opened window and press OK. Data in Target System should now show the actual configuration of the device (software version, serial number…).

• Add the safety drive.

  • In the Solution Explorer, locate the Alias Devices subfolder inside Safety Master Project.

  • Right-click on the icon and select Add/New Item.

  • In the newly opened window, click on AliasDevice Templates/Safety/EtherCAT/Novanta Drives in the tree view menu, choose 0x03B00000 - Safety drive (FSoE) and press Add.

• Configure the safety drive.

  • Double-click on the newly created Safety Drive entry in the Solution Explorer.

  • In the Safety Drive window, click the icon next to the Physical Device field.

  • Choose Module 1 (FSoE) the newly opened window and press OK. The Inputs and outputs should appear now in the Linked to field.

  • Ensure FSoE Address matches the value read in the Dip Switch field. If not, press the green arrow next to FSoE Address to update it.

• Set the FSoE mapping in the drive.

  • In the same Safety Drive window, select the Process Image tab.

  • One of the key features of Phase 2 is the dynamic mapping. It allows to configure custom FSoE mappings instead of relying on fixed configurations. To edit the mapping, select the Edit buttons of the Inputs and Outputs sections.

  • In this example we will control STO, SS1 and the first instance of SLS. Make sure to create a valid mapping using the FSoE frame construction rules:

    

  • Select the Safety Parameters tab and insert the corresponding Project CRC for your application, as defined in ETG.5120:

    

• Add the safety inputs.

  • Repeat the same process for the drive but with the template EL1918 found in AliasDevice Templates/Safety/EtherCAT/Beckhoff Automation GmbH & Co.

• Configure the safety inputs.

  • Double-click on the newly created Safety Inputs entry in the Solution Explorer.

  • Choose Linking mode: Local.

• Create a safety application.

  • Double-click on TwinSafeGroup1.sal in the Solution Explorer.

  • In the newly opened window, drag a safeDecouple block from the Toolbox window.

  • Right-click in the DecInX terminals of the safeDecouple block and select Add New Variable. Add as many variables as needed (in this example, we want to control STO, SS1 and a single instance of SLS, so we will need 3 variables).

  • Repeat for DecOutX, using as many variables as needed.

• Link the safety application with actual inputs and outputs.

  • Go to the Variable mapping tab and choose as input for button_1, button_2 and button_3 the signals coming from channels 1 to 3 of the EL1918.

  • In the same area, choose as output for sto_var, ss1_var and sls_var the corresponding commands of the EVS-S-NET.

• Link the RUN and ERR_ACK variables.

  • Double click in Run.sds in the Solution Explorer.

  • In the Linked to field, select the previously created RUN variable.

  • Repeat for ErrorAcknowledgement.sds with the ERR_ACK variable.

• Validate the Safety Project.

  • Go to TwinSAFE/Verify Complete Safety Project and check that no errors are being reported and a Verification Process successful message appears on the bottom of the window.

• Download the Safety Project to the Safety Master.

  • Go to TwinSAFE/Multi-Download Safety Project(s) and follow the steps of the guide.

  • The user is Administrator and the password TwinSAFE.

• Run the Safety Project.

  • Click on Activate configuration and accept to Restart in Run Mode.

  • Select the view of the TwinSafeGroup1.sal and click TwinSAFE/Show Online Data.

  • The group should be in STOP/ERROR-STOP state and both slaves in Data state.

• Enable the safe logic.

  • Right-click on the RUN variable and select Online Write '1'.

  • The group should be in RUN state and the Variable Mapping tab should show real-time data.

• The STO, SS1 and SLS-1 should now respond to the pushbutton states.