How to connect Variables to I/O?

[TBauer]

Hello,

I'm completely new to ctrX programming, but did Siemens, Beckhoff and Mitsubishi in the past. So I know a bit of PLC programming. That said, I still have trouble with something I would say is basic...

Please correct me, if I do things wrong, but I thought I had to code my PLC program in the ctrX PLC Engineering and my hardware in ctrX I/O Engineering!? Because I have not the slightest idea how to "connect" those two? 

I have my in/out variables in a variable-table on PLC side as:

var_1 AT %Q* : BOOL;

and so on. So... how I can I tell my I/O config that they are there?

In the manual for the PLC engineering and the part about I/O config I found a screenshot of the "device" tab with a PLC and a DPMaster and a few devices on there. Aside that I have EtherCat, do I not need I/O Engineering? Do I all in PLC Engineering? And if so: How? Because I can't find a way to include any communication-master there. I can do that in the I/O Engineering without a problem. 

So: Can someone tell me, what I do wrong or where to look where that is explained how to do? I'm a little bit lost...

Thanks in advance!

[stefanAT_ctrlX · Accepted solution]

Hello @TBauer ,

have you seen this How-To ?  https://developer.community.boschrexroth.com/t5/Store-and-How-to/Set-up-a-ctrlX-CORE-amp-PLC-Program...

Yes, for EtherCAT you need the IO Engineering .

In the PLC ENgineering you have to click with right mouse button on the datalayer to edit the entries.

The ypu will see the %IX...   and so on:

[stefanAT_ctrlX · Accepted solution]

Spoiler

Here you will also find this info (an example).  In the Datalayer you will find the IOs also without PLC App.

But to use it in the PLC that helps: https://developer.community.boschrexroth.com/t5/Store-and-How-to/Set-up-WAGO-I-O-System-750-and-conn...

See Point 3) and 4)

[TBauer]

Thanks!
That helps and I know what to do now!

Two things about that:
Interestingly you don't have to mark your variables with "AT %I*". It is not working when you do that! That is confusing for me 🙂 

Also I have a ctrX Core next to me, so I can "download" the configuration from there. But there is an option to do it "offline from file". Maybe could be relevant in the future... Can I create that file from I/O engineering? There is an "PLCopenXML export" but that doesn't seem to be it (PLC engineering says "wrong format") or I mark down the wrong structures. Any hints for that? 

[CodeShepherd · Accepted solution]

Please have a look to this topic about offline IO configuration and import.

You can use the "AT %I*" for mapping variables or input the variables directly in the IO are of ctrlX PLC Engineering.

[stefanAT_ctrlX]

Hello @TBauer ,

just if more information regarding %IX.. / QX... is needed, but CodeShepherd allready answered:

Yes, that's working as for example: