Which Sysmac controllers support Ring Topology?

Which EtherCAT devices support Ring Topology?

Can I use a GX-JC06 to start the ring?

No, you must use a GX-JC03 as the originating slave.

How can I monitor the connection status of the loop?

• There are system-defined variables and events as a way of knowing that the cable in Ring
  topology is disconnected and is no longer in a redundant state.
• System-defined variables
  • _Ec_ringbreaking[When one of the cable is disconnected, True]
  • _Ec_ringbreaknodeadr[node address of the disconnection point]

Can I configure the Event level of a disconnection?

Event level can be selected from Observation and Minor Fault.

Will GetECError instructions detect disconnections?

GetECerror instruction cannot get the status if the error level is set to Observation. If you change Error level to Minor Fault, you can use the instruction for this purpose.

How many Rings can I have in my EtherCAT network?

Only one ring is allowed in an EtherCAT network.

Can I add Non-ring-topology-compliant OMRON devices to my ring topology?

Non-ring-topology-compliant OMRON slaves cannot be placed in a ring topology.

Can I add 3rd party EtherCAT devices to a ring topology?

• Confirm with the vendor whether the device supports ring topology.
• Ensure that the device works correctly and that frames are not lost when a cable is disconnected. The loss of a frame can be confirmed by the frame reception timeout in the Master diagnostics/statistics information
• 

How can I resolve errors associated with task execution time?

• In case the task execution time is not sufficient, Task execution timeout may occur
  and may stop running completely when ring is disconnected.
• This is due to the propagation delay time increasing after a disconnection occurs. This results in the task execution time is extending.
• For this reason, verify that it can work within the task execution time with the condition of cable of End port ring disconnected.

Why can't I connect an EtherCAT device to a GX-JC06 above the ring?

Devices cannot be connected to ports with a higher port number than a connected ring topology. The example below Junction slave A has two synced slaves attached. The device connected to port X4 will work, but the device connected to port X6 will not has the port number is higher than the ring port number.

Can I use junction slaves inside my ring?

You can connect GX-JC03 junction slaves inside a ring topology to configure a drop line from the ring. When adding a GX-JC06 to the ring, please ensure that X1 is IN and X3 is OUT.
It is not possible to use GX-JC06 for this purpose.