sercos EasySlave enables inexpensive activation of I/Os

The automation bus sercos is not only the ideal bus solution for drives. I/O slaves can also be integrated easily. This can be accomplished thanks to the FPGA-based single chip controller EasySlave. EasySlave enables the inexpensive and flexible activation of sercos slave devices, thus making it even easier to connect sensors and actuators. EasySlave is equipped with a real-time channel with one input and one output connection and supports cycle times as low as 31.25 microseconds. The I/O applications are synchronized in the sercos cycle.

Features

FPGA-internal RAM for sercos stack, application code and data Realtime channel with max. 32 bytes output and 32 bytes input data Supported cycle times down to 31.25 μs Synchronization of application to sercos cycle Parameterization via service channel Support of sercos hot-plug services S/IP services (Nameplate, Identify, SetIp, etc.) IP channel for ARP, Ping and firmware update over TFTP Design targeted to Xilinx Spartan-6 FPGA series (XC6SLX16 or higher density) including a MicroBlaze Soft-core Processor

Licenses and Variants

Licenses for applications are granted via sercos International. Different license models are available; member companies of sercos international receive preferential prices. A license-free variant of the EasySlave with limited functionality as a bitstream is also available under the product name sercos EasySlave-IO.

sercos EasySlave Variants:

Reference design available Xilinx EDK with MicroBlaze Soft-Core Processor.

• License-free EasySlave-IO
• EasySlave-Netlist for Xilinx Spartan-6 FPGA series

Getting Started

Facilitating a quick and easy introduction to sercos slave development, Steinbeis-TZS offers an EasySlave evaluation kit that contains all relevant materials and documents for commissioning the EasySlave (evaluation circuit board, Ethernet cable, power supply and documentation). The evaluation kit is based on the FPGA type Spartan-6 XC6SLX25 from Xilinx and can be extended using plug-in modules. “The EasySlave evaluation kit makes slave development easy and effortless. Steinbeis-TZS is happy to provide assistance in the integration and commissioning of EasySlave,” Professor Reinhard Keller from Steinbeis-TZS states.

 sercos EasySlave-IO Evaluation Kit containing:

• Mainboard with Spartan-6 (XC6SLX25-FTG256), two sercos approved Ethernet PHY’s (TI DP83848) and serial data flash (Atmel AT45DB161)
• Add-on Module including Ethernet connectors, power supply, LEDs and switches
• 24 V I/O interface module with 16 digital input and 16 digital output ports
• 24 V power supply and Ethernet cables
• USB flash drive including documentation, reference designs, software tools
   

Further information for the Evaluation Kit you find at the website of Steinbeis-TZS: www.steinbeis-tzs.de/easyslave