
Control technology | EtherCAT communication manual
Synchronisation with "Distributed clocks"
36 L DMS 3.1 EN 01/2011 TD17
6 Synchronisation with "Distributed clocks"
The "Distributed clocks" (DC) function enables an exact time adjustment for applications
where several auxiliary axes carry out a coordinated movement at the same time. The data
is accepted synchronously with the PLC program. With the DC synchronisation, all slaves
are synchronised with a reference clock, called the "DC master".
The settings for the DC synchronisation are made with the »EtherCAT Configurator«.
Adjusting task cycle time and DC cycle time
( 38)
Setting the DC synchronisation with the »EtherCAT Configurator« ( 39)
Note!
• Motion applications always require DC synchronisation.
• DC synchronisation can also be used for Logic applications.
• Some slaves do not support the DC functionality.
– To be able to use the DC function, the first slave connected to the EtherCAT
master (IPC) must be DC-master-capable.
– In the arrangement of the slaves following then, DC-capable and non-DC-
capable devices can be mixed.
• The first EtherCAT node connected to the IPC must
be the DC master which
provides the other EtherCAT nodes (including the IPC) with the exact time.
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