The EtherCAT SubDevice Emulator blocks in Simulink emulates the communication interfaces of EtherCAT subordinate devices. When deployed to a Speedgoat real-time target machine, these blocks enable real-time communication with an EtherCAT Main Device, such as a PLC, or drive. This enables hardware-in-the-loop testing of these controllers, without requiring any physical EtherCAT subordinate devices.
By providing the communication layer, the Simulink driver block enables simulation of complete device behavior, including physical dynamics, control logic, and sensor responses, all within Simulink.
EtherCAT device emulation is supported on the real-time target machines' native Ethernet interfaces and over Ethernet I/O modules (see Hardware Selection Guide).
Key Features
- Emulates up to 256 devices in a single model
- Supports cyclic I/O via PDOs and parameter access via SDOs
- Parses ENI files to define I/O structure
- Fully customizable device behavior using standard Simulink blocks