A performance evaluation of open source-based EtherCAT master systems

Abstract

In this study, real-time performance of open source-based EtherCAT master systems is examined. EtherCAT is widely used in the automation field because of the low system setup cost and excellent performance. There are various commercial products and open source projects because EtherCAT is an open field bus with an international standard. The EtherCAT master stacks are particularly being applied to the existing open source-based real-time linux platforms. In this study, the EtherCAT master stack of IgH, which is the most widely used open source EtherCAT master, was applied to an open source-based real-time linux platform. Then, a comparison experiment of real-time performance was conducted with the Beckhoff's TwinCAT, which is the standard of the EtherCAT master system.