I/O Connections and System Organization
All Field Buses and PC Interfaces

TwinCAT System Manager organizes the TwinCAT system

The TwinCAT System Manager is the configuration center for the system: Relationships are defined between the number of PLC systems, PLC system programs, configuration of axis control, and connected I/O channels.

The System Manager:

• Connects I/O devices to tasks in a variable-oriented manner
• Connects tasks to tasks in a variable-oriented manner
• Supports units at the bit level
• Supports synchronous or asynchronous relationships
• Exchange of consistent data areas and process images

Openness: All standards

TwinCAT System Manager supports all distributed fieldbuses simultaneously. The System Manager is the only tool needed to configure the following fieldbuses:

• EtherCAT
• Beckhoff Lightbus
• PROFIBUS DP (master and slave)
• PROFIBUS MC (motion control)
• ProfiNET
• Interbus
• CANopen
• SERCOS interface
• DeviceNet
• Ethernet I/P
• Ethernet
• PC printer port (8 inputs and 8 outputs on a TTL basis)
• USB
• Serial bus coupler BK8100 on COMx
• Memory interface (DP RAM) for PC cards
• SMB (System Management Bus)

System Manager - Properties

The System Manager represents the number and programs of the PLC systems, the configuration of axis regulation, and the connected I/O channels. It also organizes the data mapp-ings between the components.

The System Manager allows bit-based connections between server process images and I/O channels, and it manages tools which, for example, can continuously connect 100 channels with a single instruction. The connections can be moved by means of drag & drop.

Software connections

The TwinCAT I/O system can be used to cyclically exchange "inputs and outputs" from one task with "inputs and outputs" to another task, thus ensuring data consistency. The TwinCAT I/O system is variable-oriented, i. e. the smallest ad-dress-able and connectable unit is a variable at a bit level.

Online analysis

Online display assists startup and main-tenance at the fieldbus and process image levels of the server. TwinCAT System Manager generates address relationships (mappings) between tasks and I/O devices and provides high-performance online tools:

• Online representation in the directory tree
• Online watch window
• Force and write for task variables and I/O devices.

Uniform representation of diagnostic data is provided for all I/O devices.

Import/export functions

TwinCAT System Manager manages IEC-PLC projects and task variables. Import and export functions are available at all levels.