EtherCAT Device Driver

Learn how to acquire data from and control EtherCAT devices using Synnax.

The Synnax Driver supports reading and writing data from EtherCAT devices. EtherCAT (Ethernet for Control Automation Technology) is a real-time industrial Ethernet protocol designed for high-performance automation and control applications.

Supported EtherCAT Masters

The Synnax Driver supports two EtherCAT master implementations:

IgH EtherCAT Master

The IgH EtherCAT Master is a Linux kernel module that provides deterministic, real-time EtherCAT communication.

Recommended for production deployments
Higher performance with deterministic timing
Requires kernel module installation
Linux only (including NI Linux Real-Time)

For installation instructions, see the IgH EtherCAT Master documentation. Note that IgH requires a compatible network interface card.

SOEM (Simple Open EtherCAT Master)

SOEM is a user-space EtherCAT master library that runs on multiple platforms.

Bundled with the Synnax Driver - no additional installation required
Cross-platform: Windows, macOS, and Linux
Good for development, testing, and non-real-time applications
Does not require kernel modifications

Compatible Devices

The Synnax Driver works with any EtherCAT-compatible device. Common vendors include:

Vendor	Device Types
Dewesoft	Data acquisition systems
Beckhoff	I/O terminals, drives, PLCs
Omron	Servo drives, I/O modules
Yaskawa	Servo drives, motion controllers
Lenze	Drives, controllers

Supported Operating Systems

Platform	Status	Master Options
Windows	✓ Supported	SOEM
Linux	✓ Supported	IgH or SOEM
NI Linux Real-Time	✓ Supported	IgH or SOEM
macOS	✓ Supported	SOEM
Docker	✗ Not Supported	-

Docker is not supported because EtherCAT requires direct access to the network interface for raw Ethernet communication.

Key Terminology

EtherCAT uses specific terminology that differs from other industrial protocols:

Master -> The controller that manages the EtherCAT network (IgH or SOEM in Synnax).
Slave (Device) -> An EtherCAT device on the network. This documentation uses “device” for clarity.
PDO (Process Data Object) -> Cyclic data exchanged between master and devices.
TxPDO -> Transmit PDO. Data sent FROM the device TO Synnax (sensor readings).
RxPDO -> Receive PDO. Data sent TO the device FROM Synnax (control commands).
CoE (CAN over EtherCAT) -> Protocol for accessing device parameters using index and subindex addressing.

Task Basics

Configure a Device