MonoDAQ-E-STG EtherCAT configuration

MonoDAQ-E series of devices can be effectively used with non-DEWESoft EtherCAT master system as standard EtherCAT slaves. The following guide will help you to use the devices in such systems. If you want to learn more about using MonoDAQ-E series with DEWESoft, please follow this guide.

1. ESI file and firmware

Before proceeding please ensure that your MonoDAQ-E-STG device has the latest firmware version and that you have the latest ESI file description for the device.

The latest ESI file for the MonoDAQ-E-STG device is available here.
The latest firmware (FW: 1.32, uFW: 1.11) for the MonoDAQ-E-STG device is available here as a .dxu package (for upgrading using DEWESoft, see below) and here as a .fwu package (for upgrading using 3rd party EtherCAT master, see below).

2. SDO startup commands

It is necessary to configure the device using the following SDO write over CoE on INIT to PREOP transition:
8020:07 (Buffered input / Operation mode) = 00
This sets the device in the mode appropriate for operation with non-DEWESoft EtherCAT master. If the device is connected to DEWESoft, the 8020:07 will be set to 01 and will need to be again switched to 00 when connected to non-DEWESoft master. This SDO write is also included in the ESI file as a startup command and should get automatically recognized by the majority of EtherCAT master systems.

3. Distributed clocks (DC)

Distributed clocks (DC) need to be correctly configured for operation with non-DEWESoft EtherCAT masters. If the EtherCAT master supports DC, the following settings should be used:
SYNC0: enabled, cycle time = 1 µs, shift time = 0
SYNC1: enabled, cylce time = 1 ms, shift time = 0

If the EtherCAT master does not support DC or cannot set the SYNC0 time to 1 µs, the DC should be completely disabled, i.e.:
SYNC0: disabled
SYNC1: disabled
LabView EtherCAT master running on CompactRIO is one of the examples that supports DC but does not allow the SYNC0 to be set to 1 µs.

4. PDO configuration and measurement data

There are two PDOs available on the device:

  • x1a01 (DI) PDO only holds one channels of data “Frame Counter” which increases each time the device receives the EtherCAT frame and is used only for monitoring purpose.
  • x1a20 (AI) PDO holds the measurement analog input channel “CH 1”

The measurement data is available in the AI – CH 1 PDO. The data is in DINT format and needs to be scaled:

scaled_value = (raw_value / 256 + calc_offset) * calc_gain
calc_offset = the value in SDO number 8040:1A

calc_gain = the value in SDO number 8040:1B

5. Detailed device configuration (amplifier settings, sample rate, filters etc.)
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The easiest way to configure the device is by using DEWESoft and setting all the amplifier parameters in DEWESoft channel setup. After the setup is complete, click the Set Power On Default button in DEWESoft Analog In screen (see DAQ actions on top of the channel grid in Analog In menu – click “…” and find it in the sub-menu if it is not visible by default). Disconnect the power and EtherCAT from the device for a few seconds and then connect it to the non-DEWESoft master system and the device should wake up in the same state as it was set in DEWESoft.
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If the device is to be configured purely from a non-DEWESoft EtherCAT controller over CoE, the list below shows the meaning of variables. CoE objects can only be accessed when the device is not in OP state (Config mode). For the settings to be applied when switching to OP mode, the following action needs to be applied:
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Write the value “2” to the 8020:02 (Power On Deault) before going to OP state for the device to remember the settings. The 8020:02 will immediately switch back to the value of “1”, but the device will remember the settings. If this write is not performed, the device will switch back to the settings previously saved with this action when going to OP.
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8020:01 AD timing – sets the sample rate
1: 40000 S/s
4: 20000 S/s
6: 10000 S/s
9: 5000 S/s
10: 4000 S/s
11: 2000 S/s
12: 1000 S/s
13: 500 S/s
14: 200 S/s
15: 100 S/s

The EtherCAT cycle time needs to match the sampling period (1/sample rate) for the EtherCAT controller to collect all the samples. If the latest sample from the AI – CH 1 PDO is not collected on time, the newer sample replaces it.

8040:01 Measure Type

0: Voltage
1: Current (external shunt)
3: Current (internal shunt)
6: Bridge
7: Potentiometer
Modes 0, 1, 6 and 7 are equivalent, since the internal device configuration is the same for all modes.

8040:02 Bridge Mode

0: Full
1: Half
2: Quarter 120 Ohm
3: Quarter 350 Ohm

8040:03 Range

0: 50 V
1: 10 V
2: 1 V
3: 0.1 V

8040:04 Filter

1: Should always be 1, hardware filter is not settable

8040:05 InputSEdiff

0: Single Ended input
1: Differential input

8040:08 Exc unit

0: Voltage excitation
1: Current excitation

8040:21 Exc Type

0: Unipolar excitation
1: Bipolar excitation

8040:1C CalcExcitation

Enter the desired excitation value in volts if 8040:08 = 0
Enter the maximum allowed voltage in volts if 8040:08 = 1 (maximum is 24)

8040:22 CalcExcitation Current

Enter the desired excitation value in miliamps if 8040:08 = 1
Enter the maximum allowed current in miliamps if 8040:08 = 0 (maximum is 42)

8040:20 Coupling HP Filter

1: DC coupling
2: AC coupling 1 Hz

8040:09 Bridge Shunt

0: Off
1: On

8040:0A Bridge Short

0: Off
1: On

8040:1F Bridge Leg

0: Shunt to In+
1: Shunt to In-

6. Upgrading MonoDAQ EtherCAT firmware using DEWESoft

When the device is connected to DEWESoft, navigate to Options/Settings (top right corner of the screen) and go to Update menu on the left side. The window below will appear. Click on the “…” button on the top right corner of the windows to select your latest .dxu package and the new firmware versions will become available in the list below. Select which devices you want to upgrade (Select column) and then click “Upgrade” button in the bottom right corner of this window.

Check the new firmware version after the upgrade to make sure it was successful.

7. Upgrading MonoDAQ EtherCAT firmware over FoE using Beckhoff TwinCAT

Download the latest .zip package of the FWU files (firmware ugprade) for your device. You can find the latest packages here. Unzip the package and locate two files inside the .zip package:

  • MSTG_XvYZ.fwu
  • STGFWUP 

In the TwinCAT configuration tree click on the “EtherCAT” (network device) and select “EtherCAT” tab on the main screen. This will open the list of connected devices on the bottom half of the screen. Right-click on the device that needs a firmware upgrade and click on “Firmware upgrade”. When prompted for a file, make sure to look for all file types, not only the suggested “.efw” as the file type of the MonoDAQ firmware is “.fwu”. Navigate to the folder where your .fwu and STGFWUP files are located. First select the .fwu file and load it to the device. When complete, repeat the process and load the STGFWUP file to the device.

Check the new firmware version after the upgrade to make sure it was successful. It is available in the CoE  – Online tab of the device under Software version.