AS-interface I/Os and networking

The T5 runtime includes fully integrated AS-interface driver for management of AS-i I/Os in your applications. Please refer to the following topics in that page for detailed information on how to use and configuration AS-i networking:

Protocol specification
Data exchange
Configuration
Data types

In addition to the AS-i configuration, the system includes a set of functions for special operations over the AS-interface network.

Protocol specification:

The system supports AS-i specification V2.1 with slave addressing up to 63.
A project may include several AS-i networks handled by various AS-i master controllers.

Data exchange - configuration:

The T5 runtime manages a intermediate variable map representing AS-i inputs and outputs. A dedicated configuration tool is integrated in the Workbench. Run it using the "File / Open / Fieldbus Configuration" menu command from the main window. Then select the "AS-i" tab.

The configuration is represented as a tree:

- AS-i Configuration
  - AS-i master controller (*)
    - AS-i master diagnostics
      - Status variable (*)
    - AS-i slave (*)
      - exchanged Variable (*)
      - Status variable (*)

(*) The items with this mark can appear several times in the configuration.

Configuration:

You need to configurate the AS-i networks order to map I/Os and status flags from AS-interface to variables.

Double click on the main "AS-interface" node in order to select the operating mode when the runtime application starts. Available options are:

- Apply the AS-i configuration to masters at startup
- Work with the current master configuration

Run the "Edit / New master" to declare a AS-i master. Each master is identified by a number from 1 to N corresponding to the top-bottom order in the tree, plus a setting string. Refer to the instructions of the OEM for further explanation about possible settings. For instance, a Bihl+Wiedemann master PCI controller will require the "ASIPCI.DLL" settings.

When a master is selected, you can insert AS-i slaves by running the "Edit / New slave" menu command. For each slave you need to enter:

- its bus address (1..31 / 33..63)
- its AS-interface profile

In addition, each slave may be identified by a free readable name to be displayed in the configuration tree.

Now you have to map variables to the possible AS-i data. Use the "Edit / New variable" command to insert a variable in the selected slave or diagnostic block.You can map a variable to a AS-interface master execution flag by inserting an item below the Diagnostic bloc of a master controller. When you insert a variable under a slave, the following options are available
- map the variable to an input or output bit
- map an integer variable to the whole set of input bits (understood as a number)
- map an integer variable to the whole set of output bits (understood as a number)
- map a variable to a status flag of the slave

At any time you can sort the variables of each data block according to their offset using the "Edit / Sort symbols" menu command.

Data types:

You can freely map a variable of any data type to an AS-i data. The runtime automatically converts the value to the type of the variable.

Only BOOL and 8/16/32 bit  integers data type are supported. You cannot use variables with type REAL, LREAL, LINT, TIME or STRING in the AS-i configuration.