Machinery TwinBeckhoff TwinCAT (ADS)
Connecting over ADS, covering AMS Net IDs, routes, and local TwinCAT runtimes.
Connection settings
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| IP address | The TwinCAT PC's IP |
| AMS Net ID | The target's Net ID, e.g. 192.168.1.20.1.1, optional if it is derivable from the IP |
| Port | ADS port of the runtime, 851 for the first TwinCAT 3 PLC instance (801 for TwinCAT 2) |
The ADS route
ADS requires a route between your PC and the TwinCAT target, an entry in the target's route table naming your PC. Add it on the target (or via TwinCAT XAE: System → Routes → Add) with your PC's IP and a name. Without a route, connections are refused regardless of correct settings.
Addressing
ADS reads symbols by name, using the full symbol path from your PLC program:
MAIN.fbConveyor.ActPosition
GVL_Axes.Axis1.NcToPlc.ActPosSymbolic access means no address bookkeeping: if it's in the symbol table, its path works. Match the data type to the PLC declaration (LREAL/REAL → REAL, INT → INT, DINT → DINT, BOOL → BOOL).
Testing without hardware
TwinCAT 3's runtime runs on any Windows PC (the free XAE installs it). Run the PLC project in a local runtime on the same machine or a second PC, add the route, and connect, the standard way to develop the twin against real PLC code with zero hardware. See the HIL with TwinCAT tutorial.
NC axes
For motion axes, the NC's actual position is available at Axis.NcToPlc.ActPos, mapping that straight onto the twin's axis variable replays the real interpolated motion, set-value dynamics included.