Distributed clocks (DC)

The method of distributed clocks (DC) allows for precise synchronization between stations in the EtherCAT^® network. The jitter is less than 1 µs.

Whether choosing the DC option is useful or not depends on the application.

In applications where servo drives travel along geometrical paths, for example, using DC is the basic requirement for simultaneous interrelated movements of the axes. This is the reason why the DC function is implemented in many slaves.

The first DC slave after the master contains the reference clock. This achieves the best possible synchronization.

The following applies to networks with activated DC:

• The master restarts the network as soon as one of the following criteria is met:
• The master detects a slave in "Init" ESM state
• The master detects a reference clock in "safe operational" ESM state
• The network is calibrated again by the restart. The slaves synchronize again.