EC-Win - EtherCAT Master in Real-time for Windows PC

EC-Win provides a professional open real-time EtherCAT platform for Windows systems. Thus it is possible to create extremely fast, deterministic real-time solutions that are based on the more and more popular EtherCAT technology. Typical applications are motion controllers, PLC controllers or real-time measurement applications with cycle times up to 20 kHz. Core component of EC-Win is the powerful EC-Master Stack which was specifically optimized to match with the proven and reliable acontis Windows real-time technology, respectively.

Overview

Customers get a perfectly matching, powerful real-time EtherCAT programming environment; a one-stop, single-source solution with an attractive price. Typically, multicore systems will be used as hardware platform. Windows then runs on separate CPU cores as the EtherCAT master and real-time application run. Fast and optimized drivers for Intel and Realtek network controllers ensure highest possible performance. Also integrated into the EC-Win solution is the option to synchronize EtherCAT SubDevices with the real-time application; the local PC timer will run synchronously with the EtherCAT SubDevices that are using Distributed Clocks. EC-Win is complemented with the EC-Engineer configuration, diagnosis and monitoring tool. Microsoft Visual Studio is used as integrated development and debug environment for both, the Windows part as well as the real-time/EtherCAT part of the application. Using EC-Win customers get a means to avoid costly plug-in cards as well as separate hypervisors or Windows real-time extensions.

Real-time System Architecture

The underlying real-time solution, contrary to what users might be led to believe, does not make Windows itself a real-time OS (RTOS). Existing Windows applications are not automatically going to behave like real-time applications when a Windows real-time extension is implemented.
The acontis Windows real-time extension uses a segregated approach for the real-time applications and the non-real-time Windows part. Rather than using a proprietary RTOS or real-time environment, this solution embeds a standard real-time environment on top of a hidden real-time hypervisor solution. This hypervisor environment is key and ensures much better isolation from Windows compared to traditional real-time extensions.
See also here, how the acontis solution differentiates.

The EC-Win System Manager

  • One stop configuration tool for EC-Win
  • Assign EtherCAT compatible hardware to the real-time environment
  • Optionally assign additional hardware to the real-time environment
  • GUI based CPU assignment and memory configuration for Windows and the real-time environment

EC-Win - System Manager

Real-time Platform

  • Integrated hypervisor: Windows and the real-time part (operating system) are safely separated. Protection against Windows system failure (blue screen).
  • Standard POSIX support for the real-time part (preemptive multitasking, threads, events, semaphores, mutexes, ...).
  • 32 Bit or 64 Bit support, independent from Windows bit size
  • Fast high resolution system timer (resolution below 10 nanoseconds). Interrupt frequencies up to 20 kHz can be achieved.
  • Using multiple CPU cores for both, Windows and/or the real-time part is possible (SMP: symmetric multiprocessing). This is especially important for quad core CPUs etc.
  • Virtual TCP/IP network between Windows and the real-time part. Thus the full functionality of the EtherCAT diagnosis features can be used.
  • Comfortable development and debugging environment using Microsoft Visual Studio. Remote debugging via Ethernet is possible.

Windows/Real-time interaction

EtherCAT Master Run Time

  • EC-Master Stack SDK with Class A functionality.
  • Fast and real-time optimized drivers for Intel and Realtek network controllers. These drivers don't require interrupts which on one side provides excellent real-time behavior and on the other side smoothly integrates into the Windows/real-time environment.
  • Standard mailbox protocols: CoE - CAN application protocol over EtherCAT, SoE - Servo Profile over EtherCAT, AoE - ADS over EtherCAT, VoE - Vendor over EtherCAT.
  • Distributed clocks with propagation delay measurement and compensation, synchronization of the local real-time timer and EtherCAT Distributed Clocks reference clock, continous drift compensation. This feature is important for many EtherCAT motion applications.
  • Bus scan with topology detection, analysis and verification.
  • EEPROM programming (read and write).
  • Comprehensive and proven diagnosis.
  • Integrated EC-Master feature pack "Remote Access Service". Using the virtual network connection a simple remote access to the EC-Master stack is provided.
  • Option: more EC-Master Stack Feature Packs are provided for an attractive price.

New Features

More information about EC-Win

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