One EtherCAT Master – Four Operating Systems
Sodick America’s proprietary EtherCAT Master Software Stack runs natively on Windows, Windows + INtime, FreeRTOS, and RT-Linux – delivering deterministic real-time control across every platform your application demands.
62.5 μs min cycle
4 OS Platforms
64K Slave Nodes
CoE/FoE/EoE Protocols
Windows
Standard Windows 10 / 11
Windows + INtime RTOS
Hard real-time co-kernal (INtime) runs EtherCAT tasks at 62.5 μs precision alongside Windows on the same CPU
- Cycle: 62.5 μs min
- Jitter: <1 μs
- RTOS: INtime 6.x+
- Image: INtime RTOS + Windows dual-kernal diagram
FreeRTOS
Lightweight embedded RTOS port for microcontroller and SoC-based motion control targets with minimal footprint
- Cycle: 62.5 μs typical
- Jitter: <1 μs
RT-Linux
Xenomai / Preempt-RT
Supports both Xenomai (dual-kernal) and PREEMPT_RT (single-kernel) approaches for hard real-time Linux deployments
- Cycle: 62.5 μs typical
- Variants: Xenomai, RT-patch
- Distro: Ubuntu / Debian
Software Stack Architecture
Common master core, OS-specific HAL per platform
The EtherCAT master core is OS-agnostic. A thin HAL (Hardware Abstraction Layer) bridges the shared master to the NIC driver on each target platform. User applications call a single unified API regardless of OS.
APPLICATION
User Application
C/C++ application code – motion, I/O, diagnostics
UNIFIED API
Sodick EtherCAT Master API
Single SDK across all four OS platforms
CORE
EtherCAT Master Core (OS-agnostic)
State machine, PDO/SDO, CoE/FoE/EoE/SoE, cycle scheduler
HAL
INtime HAL
RTSS/co-kernel
FreeRTOS HAL
IwIP/DMA
RT-Linux HAL
Xenomai/RT-patch
HARDWARE
NIC/EtherCAT PHY
Intel GbE, dedicated ASIC, or SoC Ethernet
SLAVES
EtherCAT Slave Devices
Servo drives, I/O modules, encoders, sensors – Up to 64K EtherCAT slave nodes
Key Features
What the stack delivers across all platforms
Hard Real-Time On Every OS
Deterministic cycle execution with sub-μs jitter on INtime/RT-Linux, low jitter on standalone Windows.
Single Unified API
Once C/C++ SDK. Same function calls on Windows, INtime, FreeRTOS, and RT-Linux. Minimal porting effort.
Full EtherCAT Protocol Support
CoE, FoE, EoE, SoE mailbox protocols. ETG-conformant master implementation across all platforms.
Technical Specifications
Supported OS Platforms
4 (Windows, INtime, FreeRTOS, RT-Linux)
Min Cycle Time
62.5 μs
Jitter (hard RT)
< 1 μs
Max Slave Nodes
64K per master
EtherCAT Mailbox Protocols
CoE, FoE, EoE, SoE
API Language
C / C++ (single SDK)
RT-Linux Variants
Xenomai 3.x, PREEMPT_RT
Windows NIC
Standard Intel GbE
FreeRTOS Targets
ARM Cortex-M/A SoCs
Distribution Model
Proprietary (Sodick Hw) / Licensed
SDK and Developer Tools
Everything needed to integrate and deploy
C/C++ Master Library
Precompiled static/dynamic library for all four OS targets. Includes headers, linker scripts, and sample projects.
Real-Time Oscilloscope
Capture cycle timing, PDO values, and slave state transitions at nanosecond resolution.
EtherCAT Configurator GUI
Windows-based slave scanner, ESI file import, PDO mapping editor, and topology viewer.
Bus Diagnostic Tool
Live network scan, error counter monitoring, lost-frame detection, and slave health dashboard.