Smart manufacturing has become a global trend, and labor shortages have become the norm.
Due to the lack of engineers, the urgent need for non-traditional engineers to write simple automation programs to upgrade to Industry 4.0 has become more popular.
To address these needs, ICOP has developed a complete EtherCAT solution that allows for a quick promotion to real-time Industry 4.0 with “Industrial Arduino-based graphical software tools and SQL libraries”.
ICOP’s QEC (Quicker, Easier Control with EtherCAT) is an industrial Arduino-based EtherCAT solution with a dual-core Vortex86EX2 processor developed by DMP Electronic to achieve hardware and software Real-time requirements. The QEC family is a friendly hardware and software EtherCAT device that will satisfy all kinds of users who expect to use EtherCAT.
Read more: The Benefits of Using the EtherCAT Transmission Standard.
QEC Framework
The QEC-M series is an EtherCAT MDevice that uses a dual-core, independently operating DM&P Vortex86EX2 processor for real-time, reliable synchronous EtherCAT control. The master core of the processor serves as the Arduino development environment; the slave core of the processor serves as the Real-time EtherCAT MDevice. The two cores exchange data via Inter-Processors Communications (IPC).
* The architecture of the QEC system is configured with Redundancy.
CPU Master:
The master core serves as the development environment for 86Duino (Arduino) applications; all development programs in the IDE will be processed in the master core. The master core will collect/exchange data of the slave core, like connecting to an external network via Ethernet and uploading the data collected by the slaves to a remote server or database (e.g., Apache, MySQL, MariaDB).
CPU Slave:
The slave core is the EtherCAT MDevice driver core of the QEC-M, with real-time and precise synchronization features; it can collect/exchange real-time data from EtherCAT SubDevices, and the data will be exchanged with the master core of the processor via IPC.
Read more: EtherCAT Library API User Manual.
QEC Supports Complete Realtime Industry 4.0 with 86Duino IDE
QEC uses the hardware foundation of the famous industrial Ethernet technology, EtherCAT.
In addition to providing a complete solution for EtherCAT, it supports the 86Duino development environment.
Users can use the 86Duino IDE’s rich built-in library of examples, functions, and graphical programming tools to reduce development time and engineering staff thresholds. They can also use MySQL libraries to build the Big-data database and quickly upgrade to real-time IIoT.
Easy to develop EtherCAT
Most industrial applications require high precision and synchronous operation speed, which is highly complex and has a long development cycle. However, by using the QEC-supported 86Duino IDE (Industrial-Arduino), a dedicated EtherCAT library will provide rich Arduino APIs for programming and EtherCAT system operation.
In addition to common basic functions, such as digital control, analog control, etc., there are also large numbers of open-source function libraries and examples for developers to use, such as Ethernet, SPI, Serial, or Modbus, including the LVGL Lightweight Graphics Library for creating user interfaces and MySQL functions.
Users can also develop their system via the graphical EtherCAT configuration tool, 86EVA (EtherCAT-Based Virtual Arduino), which can be used to configure EtherCAT MDevice and SubDevices quickly.
Lastly, users will be able to develop a complete system by using the ideal QEC Low-Code development platform consisting of the GUI design aid, HMI Editor, and the drag-and-drop program builder, ArduBlock.
QEC Low-Code Development Kit User Operation Step-by-Step Video
QEC Online Resource
ICOP’s QEC provides a complete set of open software resources for developers.
The 86Duino environment can be extended through the use of libraries, just like most programming platforms. Libraries provide extra functionality for use in sketches, e.g., working with hardware or manipulating data. A number of libraries come installed with the IDE, and 86Duino supports most of the Arduino Standard Libraries as well as provides dedicated libraries to utilize the 86Duino-specific hardware functions.
You can also download or create your own libraries. See these instructions for details on installing libraries. There’s also a tutorial on writing your own libraries; and further, you may refer to Arduino’s API Style Guide for some guidelines on making a good Arduino-style API for your library.
Supported Arduino Standard Libraries
- EEPROM – reading and writing to “permanent” storage
- Ethernet – for connecting to the internet using the on-board LAN connector
- Firmata – for communicating with applications on the computer using a standard serial protocol
- LiquidCrystal – for controlling liquid crystal displays (LCDs)
- SD – for reading and writing SD cards
- Servo – for controlling servo motors
- SPI – for communicating with devices using the Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) Bus
- SoftwareSerial – for software-implemented serial communication on digital pins
- Stepper – for controlling stepper motors
- Wire – Two Wire Interface (TWI/I2C) for sending and receiving data over a net of devices or sensors
86Duino Only Libraries
- Motion86 – making 86Duino as a multi-axis motion controller
- Modbus – for communicating with various Modbus ASCII/RTU/TCP devices
- CANBus – for communicating with devices that use the Controller Area Network (CAN Bus)
- FirmataPlus86 – connecting 86Duino with Scratch
- Servo86 – an extended servo-motor library for controlling robot motion
- AIServo86 – a serial-servo-motor library for controlling robot motion
EtherCAT Libraries
- EtherCAT – making QEC an EtherCAT system.
Supported (Non-standard) Arduino Libraries
- Audio – access the onboard HD Audio interface by the API of Arduino Due’s Audio library
- TimerOne – access 86Duino’s 32-bit hardware timer by the API of the Arduino TimerOne library
- MsTimer2 – access 86Duino’s second hardware timer by the API of the Arduino MsTimer2 library
- Time86 – read the on-board RTC timer by the API of the Arduino Time library
See also the list of other Arduino third-party libraries that are compatible with 86Duino.
Read More: QEC 86Duino Libraries Reference
Hardware Setup
A. Power Redundancy on two sets of isolated power inputs
Two mutually isolated power inputs (5V-56Vdc), V-system (Vs), and V-peripheral (Vp) are supported as redundant DC power supplies.
B. QEC Internal Working Status Monitoring
The QEC SubDevice is easy to use with its deficient power Sensor IC technology. It is capable of monitoring Vs & Vp voltages and currents, as well as internal operating temperatures, and provides information for data analysis to check whether power consumption is reasonable.
C. RJ45 Cable Power Supply
A single network cable can simultaneously input Vs and Vp power supplies as a mutual DC power supply (Redundancy).
The maximum input is 3 Amp and includes hardware protection circuits such as reverse polarity and overvoltage. For a 100MB network cable, only four lines are needed for the signal, and the other four lines in the network cable are used as Vs+/Vs-/Vp+/Vp-.
D. Cable Redundancy EtherCAT SubDevice Architecture
Support for Cable Redundancy Dual Network Routing Interaction Redundancy EtherCAT SubDevice architecture, one of the cables will not be shut down even if it fails.
E. Auto-Switch OR-ing Power Supply System
OR-ing is a multi-terminal power input that automatically switches to provide power input.
If the QEC SubDevice with OR-ing is not used as a redundant DC power supply, it can be used as a power output to supply power to the QEC SubDevice with a maximum current of 200 mA. e.g., if it is challenging to provide QEC power on-site, it is possible to supply power to other QEC devices using the network cable without inputting Vs and Vp power.
F. Various Digital I/O configurations
QEC solutions provide customers with flexible hardware configurations for EtherCAT SubDevice. With various DIQ configurations on a single EtherCAT SubDevice, customers can choose the suitable model according to the application’s number of digital inputs and digital outputs and save costs.
G. Hardware Disconnection or Error Alarm
When the QEC SubDevice network is disconnected or an error occurs, the hardware LED will blink or stay on, and the error code will be displayed.
H. Multi-Color Terminal Blocks for Easy Function Separation
QEC’s multi-color terminal blocks are color-coded to differentiate functions, making them easy to identify, saving the installer time and dramatically reducing the chance of human error, saving enterprises the labor and time costs of deploying EtherCAT devices.
For more info and sample requests, please write to info@qec.tw, call your nearest ICOP Branch, or contact our Worldwide Official Distributor.
