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Articles on programming and configuration of Beckhoff systems with TwinCAT.

Beckhoff Automation revolutionized the PLC concept by using industrial PCs as controllers with their TwinCAT software platform. Embedded PCs (CX8000, CX9000, CX1010, CX5000, CX2000) run Windows CE or Windows and are programmed under the IEC 61131-3 standard.

TwinCAT 2 (The Windows Control and Automation Technology) was the first version, integrating with the System Manager for hardware configuration. TwinCAT 3 integrates directly into Visual Studio, adding C++ and support for object-oriented programming, real-time measurements, and EtherCAT as the native fieldbus.

EtherCAT, developed by Beckhoff, is one of the fastest fieldbuses on the market. In this section we cover project creation, simulation, upload/download of configurations and programs, OPC UA server configuration, and remote administration with CERHOST.

Beckhoff TwinCAT v.2

Beckhoff CX1020

Beckhoff TwinCAT v.3

Section under construction — TwinCAT 3 articles coming soon.