TwinCAT

TwinCAT is the only official way to use EtherCAT on a Windows PC. TwinCAT is very specialized software that only supports Windows and forces Windows to operate in real-time.

TwinCAT requires specific network controllers, so please check the list of compatible network controllers.

Note: Alternatively, after installing TwinCAT, you can see the Vendor ID and Device ID of supported network controllers in C:/TwinCAT/3.1/Driver/System/TcI8254x.inf. The Vendor ID and Device ID of your network controller can be checked in “Device Manager” → “Ethernet Adapter” → “Properties” → “Details” → “Hardware ID”.

It may work with network controllers other than those listed above, but in that case, normal operation and real-time performance are not guaranteed.

• Prerequisites
  • Installing TwinCAT
  • Installing AUTD3 Server
  • Initial Setup
  • Running AUTD Server
  • License
• TwinCAT Link
  • Install
  • APIs
  • Troubleshooting

Prerequisites

Installing TwinCAT

As a prerequisite, TwinCAT cannot coexist with Hyper-V or Virtual Machine Platform. Therefore, these features need to be disabled. For example, you can disable them by opening PowerShell with administrator privileges and typing:

Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Hyper-V-Hypervisor
Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName VirtualMachinePlatform

Also, for Windows 11, you need to turn off the virtualization-based security feature. Go to “Windows Security” → “Device Security” → “Core Isolation” → “Memory Integrity” and turn it off.

First, download TwinCAT XAE from the official website. Registration (free) is required to download.

Run the downloaded installer and follow the instructions. At this time, check “TwinCAT XAE Shell install” and uncheck “Visual Studio Integration”.

After installation, restart your computer and run C:/TwinCAT/3.1/System/win8settick.bat with administrator privileges, then restart again.

Installing AUTD3 Server

To use TwinCAT Link, you first need to install AUTD3 Server. The installer is distributed on GitHub Releases, so download it and follow the instructions to install it.

NOTE: Be sure to use the AUTD Server that matches the version of the software you are using.

NOTE: There is also a CLI version.

When you run AUTD3 Server, the following screen will appear, so open the TwinCAT tab.

Initial Setup

The following tasks are required only for the first time.

First, press the “Copy AUTD.xml” button. If a message like “AUTD.xml is successfully copied” appears, it is successful.

Next, press the “Open XAE Shell” button to open the XAE Shell. From the top menu of TwinCAT XAE Shell, open “TwinCAT” → “Show Realtime Ethernet Compatible Devices”, select the compatible device from “Compatible devices”, and click Install. If the installed adapter is displayed in “Installed and ready to use devices (realtime capable)”, it is successful.

If nothing is displayed in “Compatible devices”, the Ethernet device of that PC is not compatible with TwinCAT. Drivers in “Incompatible devices” can also be installed, and if installed, they will be displayed as “Installed and ready to use devices (for demo use only)”. In this case, it can be used but is not guaranteed to work.

Running AUTD Server

Connect AUTD3 to the PC and with AUTD3 powered on, press the “Run” button. At this time, leave the “Client IP address” field blank.

If a message appears indicating that the AUTD3 device has been found, as shown in the screen below, it is successful.

Note that TwinCAT will disconnect when the PC is powered off, enters sleep mode, etc., so you need to run it again each time.

License

The first time, a license-related error will appear, so open “Solution Explorer” → “SYSTEM” → “License” in XAE Shell, click “7 Days Trial License …”, and enter the characters displayed on the screen. Note that the license is a 7-day trial license, but you can reissue it by performing the same operation again after it expires. After issuing the license, close “TwinCAT XAE Shell” and run it again.

TwinCAT Link

Install

cargo add autd3-link-twincat

target_link_libraries(<TARGET> PRIVATE autd3::link::twincat)

APIs

use autd3_link_twincat::TwinCAT;

fn main() {
let _ = 
TwinCAT::new();
}

#include "autd3/link/twincat.hpp"

int main() {
using namespace autd3;
link::TwinCAT();
return 0; }

using AUTD3Sharp.Link;

new TwinCAT();

from pyautd3.link.twincat import TwinCAT

TwinCAT()

Troubleshooting

When trying to use a large number of devices, an error like the one shown below may occur.

In this case, increase the values of Sync0 cycle time and Send task cycle time in AUTD3 Server, and run AUTD Server again. The default values for these options are $1\mathrm{ms}$ each.

The appropriate values depend on the number of devices connected. The smallest possible value that does not cause an error is desirable. For example, for 9 devices, a value of about $1.5$–$2\mathrm{ms}$ should work.