Automatic Initialization Routine

In contrast to the Default Initialization Routine where an “unknown” network is initialized with defaults for the safest possible configuration, the automatic initialization routine initializes a “known” network with preconfigured network settings from controller memory.

The controller, without any host interaction, can perform an automatic network initialization upon power-up and reset. This can be an advantage on a network with many nodes to help reduce overall system initialization time. In this scenario, the network will already be in SYNQ mode by the time the motion application is ready to run.

An MPI application can also initiate automatic initialization using the mpiSynqNetShutdown(…) and mpiSynqNetInit(…) method calls. This can be an advantage when the network needs to be shutdown (i.e. for node replacement) while avoiding the loss of information in the controller’s dynamically allocated buffers (such as the axis frame buffers).

Safety

Before proceeding to SYNQ mode, the automatic initialization routine requires the successful completion of the SynqNet Topology Test, which prevents the transmission of node configuration to an incorrect node. Sending the wrong node configuration will have an unknown effect and could be potentially hazardous.

While the SynqNet Topology Test does provide a basic level of safety for transitioning into SYNQ mode, it is also general enough to allow for the replacement of damaged nodes in the field without a full system reconfiguration.

The topology test is considered to be the minimum level of safety required for your motion system. Before enabling any amplifiers in your motion system, your application should perform its own network topology checks. Please see Application Verification for more information.

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