Domains Configuration Panel
2 minute read
Domains Configuration Panel
On the left of the Motorcortex-ECAT screen you will find the Domains Configuration Panel. In this panel you can configure the domains of your EtherCAT devices.
Ethercat devices have to be placed inside of Domains. A Domain is an group of EtherCAT slaves (physical cluster of EtherCAT modules). For your project you can make use of one single domain, or multiple domains. An advantage multiple domains, is that every domain is separate and can (if configured properly) be disconnected and reconnected (hot-plug), while other devices in other domains that remain connected are still operational. Beside hot-plug capability domains also keep your structure more clear.
Adding devices
To add a new device you can click the 
button or add devices from the Top Bar dropdown. After this the Add devices menu will pop up.
From the Add Devices menu you can you can add Ethercat devices in several ways.
| Tab | Description |
|---|---|
| From Scan | In the From Scan tab When connected to a Motorcortex controller with Ethercat devices connected, you can scan the EtherCAT bus for devices that are connected by pressing the  button. |
| From Configuration | In the From Configuration Tab you can add Ethercat devices from a previous configuration by pressing the  button. |
| From Description Files | In the From Description Files Tab you can add devices by uploading the ESI files provided by the component manufacturer by pressing the  button. |
| Manually | In the Manually tab It is also possible to add Devices manually by pressing the  button. The device menu will popup here you can fill in the device data and hit save. |
Domains
After having devices added the Domains Configuration Panel should look like this.
You can change the name of the domain to whatever name you like. By pressing the 
Checkbox you can include or exclude the domain from the EtherCAT message, this means that this domain will not be used for your application.
Devices
The number infront of a device is the device alias number, this number is normally used as the device position in the EtherCAT bus.
By pressing the Checkbox you can include or exclude the device from the EtherCAT message, this means that this device will not be used for your application.