Chapter: EtherCAT
Overview
EtherCAT is the real-time fieldbus used for axis control in MRMC Bolt and Bolt Jr systems (Staubli robots). It uses a dedicated Hilscher cifX PCIe card in the Flair PC, runs under InTime (real-time OS), and is completely separate from the standard Windows network and the InTime root network.
Important: Only Staubli-based robots (Bolt, Bolt Jr) use EtherCAT. Yaskawa (Bolt X), Mitsubishi (Jr+, Cinebot Mini/Max), and Universal Robots (Cinebots) use standard ethernet — not EtherCAT.
Key Hardware Components
| Component |
Description |
| Hilscher cifX PCIe card |
EtherCAT master in Flair PC — dedicated slot, 2 RJ45s (only 1 used) |
| Staubli CS8 controller |
EtherCAT slave — ARM and axis control |
| Starc board (inside CS8) |
Axis interface board — can work loose in transport |
| ethercat.ini |
Config file in Flair folder — must contain 6 lines of 'Staubli' |
| InTime (INtime) |
Real-time OS that drives the cifX card — must be running |
Diagnostic: CS8 Display Codes
| Display |
Meaning |
A |
Normal — CS8 booted, ready for Flair connection |
E |
EtherCAT error — Flair started too early, or connection fault |
Diagnostic: cifX Card LED Status
| Status |
Meaning |
| 2 steady green + 1 blinking |
Correct — EtherCAT communicating |
| Any other pattern |
Fault — check cable, InTime, card seating |
| ERR light (red) |
Slave config change — check 24V power to amplifiers |
Scope
- EtherCAT slave faults
- Bus timing errors
- ethercat.ini missing or corrupt
- InTime not running
- Card seating and cable issues
- EtherCAT vs ethernet network distinction (Bolt vs Bolt X / Jr+)
- Flair Bridge transition
Official Documentation References
| Document |
Chapter/Section |
Notes |
| Flair v7.4 Operator Manual |
Networking / EtherCAT |
EtherCAT setup |
| Bolt Network Layout — whole document |
Entire document |
Full network diagram for Bolt |
| Flair Classic Documentation folder |
Adjusting Intime Clock |
InTime timing correction procedure |
Issue Index