details
The key
Raspberry pi 4 came with a built-in gigabit Ethernet controller, a big jump compared to its predecessors. PiCAT4 utilizes this invention and build real-time EtherCAT Master on the built-in Ethernet port. It provides faster and more reliable EtherCAT communication. Here are what the PiCAT4 has.
OS and kernel
- 64-bit Debian OS (Raspberry Pi OS)
- 64-bit realtime kernel with Xenomai 3.1
- Better performance with low latency and jitter
- ROS enabled (optional)
The EtherCAT Master
- IgH EtherCAT Master
- Real-time native driver for Broadcom genet network controller (built-in network of raspberry pi 4)
- Real-time driver model (RTDM) API
Compatible with Raspberry pi 4 B and Computer Module 4
PiCAT4 works for both Raspberry Pi 4 Model B and Computer Module 4
EtherCAT Configuration UI tool
- Web-based application
- Parsing slave information from ESI files
- Mapping/re-mapping slave PDO
- Json configuration file output
Automatic code generation
- Generate EtherCAT application in C/C++ language
- Realtime and non-realtime application options
- Generate code from json configuration file or by scanning actual bus
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| Code generation tool |
PiCAT SDK
- Development kit for PiCAT on Windows
- Eclipse IDE
- Aarch64 cross compiler
- Ported Xenomai and EtherCAT libraries
- Compatible with project output from code generation tool
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| Building a EtherCAT application in PiCAT SDK |
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