Once we have a basic installation going, we can start setting up the hardware.
This is to make the software aware of how the hardware is configured, and how all parts are connected. That is, which ICUs, stations, nodes, bridges, rails and so on the system consists of.
In most cases the system will come pre-configured by Eton Systems, and this step can be skipped.
ICU
The first step when setting up the hardware is to configure the ICU device(s). The ICU is required to configure the nodes, stations and lines later on.
The ICU is the physical unit handling all communication between the Eton API server and the physical components of the system, for instance the station nodes.
Communication goes over a CAN bus (Controller Area Network), sending messages to and from nodes. This can for instance be a node telling the API that a carrier has arrived on a specific rail, or the API telling the motors to reset after being overloaded.
Navigate to Hardware > ICU Configuration to show all configured ICUs. In most cases these have been pre-configured by Eton Systems.
Hardware Wizard
The quickest way to configure the nodes, lines, rail and stations on a system is to use the Hardware Setup Wizard interface. The wizard will guide you step by step in setting up the different hardware components of the system.
For our example system we will use this setup
Line 1
Configure the main line that our stations will be using. The line is the main way to move carriers around between stations and bridges.
Use node id 101.
1001
This is our loading station. Use node id 1.
1002
This is our sewing station. Use node id 2.
1003
This is our unloading station. Use node id 3.
1004
This station has various uses in different guides. Use node id 4.