[ros-users] how to set-up communication with a new EtherCAT device

[Yann Sionneau]

Hello,

I am trying to add support for a new EtherCAT device.

It took a week for me to figure out how all the plugin device framework 
works and how to get my device detected by the pr2_etherCAT node.

And I just found this morning the following tutorials on ROS wiki :

- Integrating a new type of EtherCAT device with ROS [0]
- Setting up communication with a new EtherCAT device [1]
- How to run pr2_etherCAT [2]

Reading them confirmed some of the things I painfully figured out 
myself, and added some precisions on top of that.

Anyway I am now at the part where I am trying to get informations from 
my device and maybe publish them on a ROS topic.
And also I will try to send commands to the device.

So this is the part where I have to focus on packCommand and 
unpackCommand right ?

The thing is ... this is where the tutorial ends :)

The tutorial [1] seems to be unfinished, the missing part is exactly 
what I haven't figured out myself yet.

Can someone give me some informations about this, links or maybe finish 
the tutorial please ?

Thanks !

[0] - 
http://www.ros.org/wiki/ethercat_hardware/Tutorials/Integrating%20A%20New%20EtherCAT%20Device
[1] - 
http://www.ros.org/wiki/ethercat_hardware/Tutorials/Communication%20With%20A%20New%20EtherCAT%20Device
[2] - http://www.ros.org/wiki/pr2_etherCAT/Tutorials/Running

Best regards,

-- 
Yann Sionneau

PS : my setup is *EXACTLY* what is explained in the beginning of the 
tutorial [1], I have a microcontroller communicating with ADCs and DACs 
using I2C and the microcontroller is communicating with the EtherCAT 
ASIC via SPI. This is why I am so interested by this tutorial.