Software Quick Start | Adeeb Robotics

Prerequisites

Linux with PREEMPT_RT kernel (recommended) or standard kernel for evaluation — macOS and Windows builds are also available
A dedicated NIC for EtherCAT (Intel i210/i219 recommended)
A C toolchain — gcc on Linux and macOS, or an x64 Native Tools Command Prompt for VS 2022+ on Windows
Slaves using the CiA 402 motion profile, and their ESI files
Sudo access on Unix — the library needs direct access to the Ethernet adapter

1. Download and Extract

Grab the free 2-hour trial archive for your platform from the downloads page and extract it. It ships with the static library libethercat.a, the ethercat.h header, an example main.c, app_config.yml, an ESI/ folder, and the build-and-run helper scripts.

2. Identify Your Network Interface

ifconfig
# Look for your dedicated EtherCAT NIC, e.g. enp86s0

If you are unsure, launch the example anyway — it prints the list of valid interface names it can bind to.

3. Configure the Master

Edit app_config.yml and set your interface and cycle time, then copy your slave ESI files into the ESI/ folder:

ethernet:
  interface_name: enp86s0
  prioritize_usr_space_eth_drv: true

ethercat:
  esi_file_path: ESI/
  prioritize_esi_config: true
  cycle_time: 4000        # [us], multiples of 250 us only
  shift_time: 30          # [% of cycle time]
  rx_frame_timeout: 12000 # [us], Unix only

4. Build and Run the Example

On Linux and macOS, rebuild and run in one step:

./rebuild_and_rerun_app.sh

To run the already-built binary against a config file:

sudo ./ethercat_master_example app_config.yml

On Windows, run rebuild_and_rerun_app.bat from an x64 Native Tools Command Prompt, or ethercat_master_example <path_to_config_file> from a normal command prompt. The config path defaults to app_config.yml.

5. What the Example Does

main.c servos on the first single-axis servo drive slave and moves it at constant speed, and serves as a worked reference for the library API. Slave indexes are slave positions within the network, indexed from zero.

Caution: the example moves a real motor. Make sure the axis is clear before running it.

EtherCAT Master Quick Start