To develop an EtherCAT application, you can use the I/O variables and the EtherCAT references, or monitor I/O in NI Distributed System Manager.

Using the I/O Variable

After you configure your system, I/O variables are under the EtherCAT slave device and module items in the LabVIEW Project Explorer. Follow these steps to use the I/O variables in your VI:

  1. Create or open a VI in your LabVIEW project.
  2. Drag the I/O variables under the EtherCAT items and drop them in the VI block diagram. You now can use these I/O variables in the VI to access the EtherCAT network.

Using EtherCAT Reference and Procedures

You can use Property nodes and Invoke nodes to access an EtherCAT network.

Monitoring I/O in NI Distributed System Manager

  • Right-click the real-time target item and select Utilities » View in System Manager to display the NI Distributed System Manager dialog box.
  • Use the dialog box to monitor and change the I/O variables on the controller.
    The controller and I/O variables are located under My Systems. If you cannot see the deployed I/O variables, press <F5> to refresh the item list.