Flexible Process Data Creation via Dedicated Stimulation Node
Typical challenge in a simulated network
By default, simulated nodes only send process data if their simulated inputs change. While the engineer can easily setup a graphical I/O window in CANopen Magic ProS, it requires constant manual interaction and changing more than one value at the same time is not possible. For stress-testing, this is not sufficient.
The Data Stimulation Node
One of the simulated nodes available is a data stimulation node that can be used to produce data fields with alternating patterns, counters or sinus waves. The stimulation node supports various data types, typically each value is available as 8bit, 16bit and 32bit value.
All counters and waves have multiple configuration parameters not only allowing setting minimum and maximum values, but also periods and speeds. For counters the resolution is 1 millisecond, meaning that counters can be incremented (or decremented) on any number of milliseconds specified. For waveforms the wavelength can be defined in seconds.
The stimulation node has 12 fully dynamic Transmit PDOs so the produced data patterns can be mapped into any location of these TPDOs. In addition the stimulation node supports all CANopen triggering mechanisms, so the TPDOs can be generated on change of state with an inhibit time, on an event time or on receiving the SYNC signal.
Complete configuration sets can be saved and restored to provide for different test scenarios.
