What Is OPC UA?
OPC Unified Architecture (OPC UA) is a cross-platform, open-source IEC 62541 standard for machine-to-machine communication. Intended for industrial automation, OPC UA simplifies industrial connectivity and integrates devices, automation systems and software applications using a secure and platform-independent standard.
OPC UA supports robust security and time synchronization features to securely connect remote edge devices and enable device diagnostics, asset management, monitoring, reporting and other applications.
How to Implement OPC UA With PolarFire SoC FPGAs
To implement the OPC UA protocol, PolarFire SoC FPGAs use a client-server architecture where the client initiates data requests that are processed by the server. PolarFire SoC FPGAs can be configured as servers or as clients. Other client implementations use the UaExpert®, a full-featured, cross-platform OPC UA client designed as a general-purpose test client to support OPC UA features.
The OPC server is the basis of OPC communication. It is software that implements the OPC standard and provides the standardized OPC interfaces to the outside world. Inside, the proprietary communication protocol for controlling the manufacturer is implemented. OPC servers can be provided by different parties.
The OPC client—the PolarFire SoC FPGA in this case—is the counterpart to the OPC server. The OPC server connects to the OPC client and reads the data provided by the server. Because the OPC servers implement the predefined interfaces of the OPC standard, each client can access any OPC server and exchange data with the server in the same way.
Our OPC-Industrial Edge Demo showcases how the PolarFire SoC Video Kit, PolarFire SoC Icicle Kit and the Multi Stepper Click add-on board (part number TB67S102) from MikroElektronika communicate over the OPC UA protocol using the UaExpert.
Use the link in the Resources section below to download AN4977 and the related software files to get started.
The Video Kit is programmed to run an H.264 compression application and the Icicle Kit is programmed to run a stepper motor control application. This demo will show you how to turn the video stream on and off and modify resolution, brightness, contrast, gain, start/stop, direction and speed of the motor.
The demo shows three different frameworks to examine PolarFire SoC FPGAs in client and server modes:
Framework 1
Control the PolarFire SoC Icicle Kit (OPC UA server) from the PC (OPC UA client).
Framework 2
Control the PolarFire SoC Video Kit (OPC UA server) from the PC (OPC UA client).
Framework 3
Control the PolarFire SoC Video Kit (OPC UA server) and PolarFire SoC Icicle Kit (OPC UA server) from another Icicle Kit (OPC UA client).
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| AN4977: OPC-UA Industrial Edge Application Note | 25 Jul 2023 | Download |
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Multi-Axis Motor Control
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Evaluation Hardware
PolarFire SoC Video Kit
The PolarFire SoC Video Kit is the industry’s first RISC-V SoC FPGA- based, full-featured embedded vision development platform.
It supports dual-4K MIPI® CSI-2 cameras, HDMI® 2.0 with FMC-based expansion towards CoaXPress® 2.0, 6/12G SDI, 1/2.5/5/10G USXGMII and USB 3.1 Gen 1 and Gen 2 protocols. It also includes USB 2.0, SD™ card, e-MMC™, PCIe® Gen 2 × 4 endpoint or root port and a mikroBUS™ connector to facilitate our Trust&GO platform for cloud connectivity.
PolarFire SoC Icicle Kit
The PolarFire SoC Icicle Kit is a low-cost development platform that evaluates the five-core, Linux-capable RISC-V microprocessor subsystem of the PolarFire SoC FPGA. Take advantage of PolarFire SoC FPGA’s innovative Linux® system, real-time execution, low-power capabilities and rich set of peripherals.
Multi Stepper Click (TB67S102)
The Multi Stepper Click from MikroElektronika is a compact add-on board that contains a bipolar stepper motor driver. This board features the TB67S102AFNG CLOCK-in controlled bipolar stepping motor driver from Toshiba Semiconductor. It supports a PWM constant-current control drive and allows full-, half- and quarter-step operation for less motor noise and smoother control.
PolarFire SoC FPGAs
Lowest-Power, Multi-Core RISC-V SoC FPGAs
PolarFire SoC FPGAs deliver up to 50% lower power than equivalent SRAM SoC FPGAs. We built PolarFire SoCs upon the award-winning, nonvolatile PolarFire FPGA platform. They feature a five-core Linux-capable processor subsystem based on the RISC-V ISA.
OPC UA With PolarFire® SoC FPGAs Implementation
PolarFire® SoC Video Kit - Product Overview
Our PolarFire SoC Video Kit is the industry’s first RISC-V SoC FPGA- based, full-featured embedded vision development platform that targets secure, reliable and power-efficient vision applications at the edge. Designed for edge computing, AI/ML and IoT, this kit features HDMI® 2.0 cable slots, USB 2.0 ports, a mikroBUS™ socket, two RJ45 ports, DDR memory, SDIO and 8-Gb e-MMC™.
