EtherCAT Software FAQ


FAQ2005: What can be the reason for EC_NOTIFY_FRAME_RESPONSE_ERROR?

  1. The frame sent was lost or damaged in the network.
    The reasons for this can be:
    • A faulty slave
    • Interference on the cable due to noisy environment (EMI)
  2. ecatExecJob(eUsrJob_ProcessAllRxFrames, &oJobParms); called before frame returned from network.
    This can happen if:
    • Timing of JobTask isn't stable enough
    • Frames were sent (ecatExecJob(eUsrJob_SendAllCycFrames)) too shortly before the start of the next cycle, because e.g. the application took too long to calculate the process data.

Last update on 2020-12-17 by EtherCAT Support Team.

FAQ2004: How is the FSoE black channel realized?

The communication between FSoE slaves is based on a "black channel". It is defined by CopyInfo entries in the ENI. EC-Master copies automatically data from the input process data image to the outpout process data image according the CopyInfo entries.

This is done on receive by default, but it can be done on send by calling EC_IOCTL_SET_COPYINFO_IN_SENDCYCFRAMES.

Last update on 2020-12-17 by EtherCAT Support Team.

FAQ2003: The process data (inputs and outputs) shall be stored in a buffer provided by the application. What can I achieve this?

The application may register a memory provider like shown in this code snippet.

Last update on 2020-12-17 by EtherCAT Support Team.

FAQ2002: What performance can I achieve using EC-Master?

Download some example EC-Master performance measurement results here.

Last update on 2020-12-17 by EtherCAT Support Team.

FAQ2001: Which network controllers are supported by the EC-Master?

Download a list of supported network controllers.

Last update on 2020-11-27 by EtherCAT Support Team.

FAQ2000: How shall I start working with EC-Master?

Take a look into the QuickStart guide.

Last update on 2020-12-17 by EtherCAT Support Team.

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FAQ3011: How can I create ENI files for slaves from the Beckhoff CX5000 series?

The ENI file of those slaves must start with an Ebus slave, but EC-Master exports only an MII port. This problem can be solved by first adding a helper slave “EK1200”. The “real” EBus slaves can be connected afterwords to this helper slave.

Last update on 2021-01-07 by EtherCAT Support Team.

FAQ3010: EC-Engineer reports the following message: Network scan successful - 0 slaves found.

  • Make sure you have connected the input and not the output port of your first slave to the computer
  • Do you have TwinCAT installed on this machine?
    • Open “Compatible Devices” in TwinCAT
    • Uninstall or disable the “TwinCAT RT-Ethernet Adapter” for your network adapter
    • If this doesn’t help, try to disable the “TwinCAT RT-Ethernet Driver” in the properties of your network adapter and reboot your system.
  • Run EC-Engineer with administrative rights? Does it help?
  • Do you have a some kind of security software (like firewall, antivirus, …) installed on this machine?
    • Try to turn it off and check if problem is solved
  • Do you have problems on sending or receiving pakets?
    • Install “Wireshark” and check which pakets are missing
  • Do you have only problems on sending packets?
  • Try it with Npcap instead of WinPcap. Make sure you chose “Install Npcap in WinPcap API-compatible Mode”

Last update on 2021-01-07 by EtherCAT Support Team.

FAQ3009: EC-Engineer reports the following message: Failed to query EtherCAT Slaves. No slaves found.

  • Verify that WinPcap / Npcap/ Ndis is correctly installed
  • Try to restart you operating system, because this is sometimes necessary if you e.g. using a USB network adapter
    Increase the message level (Menu → Settings → All Messages)
  • Turn on debug message of the master
    • Stop “EC-Engineer”
    • Set “MasterDebugMessageLevel” to “5” in “%ProgramData%\EC-Engineer\user.myusername.xml”
    • Start “EC-Engineer” again

Last update on 2021-01-07 by EtherCAT Support Team.

FAQ3008: Why is the process image size different between EC-Engineer and EC-Master?

EC-Engineer shows on tab “Process Data Image” not the real size of the process data image. It show only the offsets and the size of the variables.
If you want to get the real size of the process data image, which is used from EC-Master, you have to look into the ENI file: “EtherCATConfig/Config/ProcessImage/Inputs/ByteSize” or “EtherCATConfig/Config/ProcessImage/Outputs/ByteSize”. This is the offset + size of the last variable and additional administration data depending on the slaves which are used (ALStatus, DC Support, Mailbox, …).

Last update on 2021-01-07 by EtherCAT Support Team.

FAQ3007: How can I update the firmware of my slave via FoE?

For updating the firmware of your slave via FoE, please follow these steps:

  • Enable diagnosis mode
  • Set master state to INIT
  • Select your slave, and set his state machine to BOOTSTRAP
  • Enter path of file on slave (optional)
  • Enter password (optional)
  • Press button “Download” (it will open the FileOpen-Dialog, where you can choose the file which contains the new firmware and uploads this file)

Last update on 2021-01-07 by EtherCAT Support Team.

FAQ3006: How can I configure the modules of a BK1120 slave?

  • EC-Engineer supports only the MDP-Version of BK1120 slave. If you want to add this slave, enter “BK1120” into the search field, enable option “Show Hidden Slaves” and double-click on slave “BK1120 EtherCAT Fieldbus Coupler (MDP)” (Revision Number: 0x120001). The modules of this slave can be configured in tab “Modules” like in all other MDP slaves.
  • If you have one of the other versions of BK1120 and you want to use it, please contact our support.

Last update on 2021-01-07 by EtherCAT Support Team.

FAQ3005: Slave reports the error state: “Sync manager watchdog” (Diagnosis → Slave → General)

You need a realtime operating system. If you still want to use your slave on Windows, you can turn off this watchdog (Slave->Advanced Settings: Set PDI Watchdog = 0).

Last update on 2021-01-07 by EtherCAT Support Team.

FAQ3004: EC-Engineer reports the following message: Slave '…' has unexpected state (Current state: '…', Expected state: '…')

Select the slave and open the tab “General”. Here you can see the error state of the slave. If it has no error, try to change the state again.

Last update on 2020-12-18 by EtherCAT Support Team.

FAQ3003: EC-Engineer reports the following message: Changing topology failed: Bus configuration mismatch (ErrCode: 0x9811001E)

The configured bus and the currently connected bus does not match. Please open the 'Network Mismatch Analyzer' (Menu → Network → Network Mismatch Analyzer) to solve the problem.

Last update on 2021-01-07 by EtherCAT Support Team.

FAQ3002: EC-Engineer reports the following message: Not all EtherCAT slave devices are in operational state

Check if all slaves have a green icon. If the color is not green, open tab “Diagnosis → Slave → General”. Here you can see the error state of the slave. If it has no error, try to change the state to OP again.

Last update on 2021-01-07 by EtherCAT Support Team.

FAQ3001: EC-Engineer reports a message with ErrCode: 0x…

The Error Codes comes from the EC-Master. If you want to know how to solve this problem, please refer the manual of EC-Master.

Last update on 2021-01-07 by EtherCAT Support Team.

FAQ3000: The integrated EC-Master does not react as estimated

Increase the message level (Menu → Settings → All Messages) and try it again.

Last update on 2021-01-07 by EtherCAT Support Team.

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