KINGSTAR 3.6.1 is Now Live: What You Need to Know

von Skylar Levey | Aug 16, 2019

We’re pleased to announce that our latest release, KINGSTAR 3.6.1, is now available. KINGSTAR 3.6.1 includes powerful new features for Windows-based Realtime Soft Motion and EtherCAT, as well as updates, bug fixes, and support for new hardware.

We’re most excited about the new features in KINGSTAR Soft Motion and that this release sets the foundation for Machine Automation that can support world-wide Industry 4.0 initiatives. For example, KINGSTAR offers native language support such as Chinese. In addition, KINGSTAR PLC now supports Symbolic constants, in the size of Array/Matrix variables and has an improved sample program. We have also added COM Port over EtherCAT support and a diagnosis interface window to the KINGSTAR Analysis Console.

KINGSTAR 3.6.1 also resolves several known issues.

Read the full product release notes below for all the details, and as always, get in touch with any questions.

General Availability Release Date: August 19, 2019

Product Overview

KINGSTAR is an all-software, complete “plug-and-play” PC-based Machine Automation platform for IoT and Industry 4.0. Key pre-tested and pre-integrated industrial machine components include software-based motion control, machine vision, programmable logic controller (PLC) and the industry’s only plug-and-play EtherCAT master that auto-discovers any vendor’s EtherCAT drive, IO or device and auto-configures the EtherCAT environment at startup. Built on the EtherCAT standard and supported by a real-time 64-bit Windows operating-system (RTOS) from IntervalZero, KINGSTAR empowers engineers to design, develop and integrate machine control applications or a system of controllers on a single Industrial PC. The KINGSTAR platform can replace all hardware with software-only motion controllers and machine vision positioning systems, quickly and cost effectively

There are two product lines: KINGSTAR Soft Motion and KINGSTAR Fieldbus powered by EtherCAT.

KINGSTAR Motion replaces hardware motion cards with an all-software solution that creates PC-based machine controllers for premium precision and performance.

KINGSTAR Fieldbus powered by EtherCAT offers support for CANopen over EtherCAT and simplifies configuration of EtherCAT networks with its unique plug-and-play approach.

KINGSTAR Soft Motion

New Features

Adds ForceServoDI (RT and Win32), ForceDI (.NET API), and ForceDigitalInputAsync (.NET Class) to write data to a digital input of an axis. [KS-1423]
Adds EnableDcMasterShift (RT and Win32), EnableDcMasterShift (.NET API), DcMasterShift (.NETClass) to support master shift distributed clock mode. [KS-1425]

Updates and Resolved Issues

Adds support for the TouchProbe feature with simulated drives. [KS-1422]
Resolves an issue regarding KINGSTAR providing a warning instead of an alarm when the Following Error bit of the servo drive is TRUE. This allowed an axis to keep working without being interrupted by an alarm. [KS-1570]
Adds support for the PDO Assignments for I/O modules in KINGSTAR ESI Import Tool. [KS-1575]
Resolves an issues regarding servo drives vibrating and becoming unstable when switched between the CSP and CST modes. [KS-1200]
Resolves a memory leak found when using GetServoStatus in Win32 API and LabVIEW from National Instruments. [KS-1420]
Resolves an issues regarding incorrect error messages being displayed when the network card is not configured for use with KINGSTAR. [KS1429]
Resolves calculation errors of the MC_CAM ramp mode during startup when called repeatedly. [KS-1598]

KINGSTAR Fieldbus powered by EtherCAT

New Features

Adds RtEcatSetDcMasterShift to support master shift distributed clock mode. [KS-1425]

Updates and Resolved Issues

Resolves an issues regarding incorrect error messages being displayed when the network card is not configured for KINGSTAR. [KS1429]
Resolves an issue regarding incorrect data being uploaded for SDO segment. [KS-1430]
Resolved an issue regarding KINGSTAR crashing during the distributed clock (DC) calculations under some condition. [KS-1574]

Hardware Support

Servo drives

Nexcom AXE-5904 [KS-1409]

Stepper drives

Kinco FM880 [KS-1408]
MOONS‘ SSDC06-EC [KS-1413]
TPM STP-K121B [KS-1411]

EtherCAT I/O modules

Beckhoff EL6695 bridge terminal [KS-1407]
Berghof ECCI/O modules [KS-1414]
Berghof EtherCAT I/O modules [KS-1415]
TPM 207-D402H [KS-1432]

Availability

KINGSTAR 3.6.1 Soft Motion and KINGSTAR 3.6.1 EtherCAT are available beginning August 19, 2019 through Partners and by contacting Sales: KINGSTARSales@KINGSTAR.com or (781) 209-2810. Evaluation Downloads can also be requested here.

We look forward to comments and feedback. If you have any recommendations or wish to suggest any product enhancements, please contact Product Management at: KINGSTARSales@KINGSTAR.com.

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Terri Hawker heads IntervalZero’s Product Management initiatives and chairs the company’s Development Committee (DevCom), which guides overall product development strategy and approves the roadmap for the company’s flagship hard real-time software products, RTX64 and RTX. Terri establishes the product requirements for each release of RTX64 and RTX by carefully assessing market trends and forces; by considering customers’ product enhancement requests and their product feedback; and by consulting regularly with the customers’ senior leadership as well as sales and R&D executives. She shepherds the feature set through the agile product development process all the way through product delivery from engineering to manufacturing.