QiTech Control

QiTech Control is an industrial control panel software for the next generation of QiTech recycling machines built on top of Beckhoff Automation hardware.

Repo Structure

Frontend

• /electron: Frontend code for the control software built with React and Electron.

Backend

• /server: Glue between Beckhoff and Electron. Implements machine logic.
• /stepper-driver: Generic stepper driver for absolute, relative & speed movements with PID controllers.
• /ethercat-hal: Hardware abstraction layer for Beckhoff (and possibly other EtherCat) devices and protocols.
• /ethercat-hal-derive: Macros for ethercat-hal
• /ethercrab: Fork of ethercrab for ad-hoc changes.

Operating System

• /nixos: Custom Linux with realtime kernel & preconfigured for touchscreens.

Other

• /docs: Documentation for the project.

Technology Choices

Dev Setup

Machines

Machine Type	Version	Release Date	Description	Change to Previous Version	Vendor ID	Machine ID	Implemented	Docs
Winder	V1	???	Winding Filaments & Similar	-	1 (Qitech Industries GmbH)	1	Reserved	-
Winder	V2	2025	Winding Filaments & Similar	Reengineered Traverse	1 (Qitech Industries GmbH)	2	In Progress
Extruder	V1	???	Single Screw Extruder	-	1 (Qitech Industries GmbH)	3	Reserved	-
Extruder	V2	2025	Single Screw Extruder	PT100 Thermometers, Optional Additional Heating Zone 4	1 (Qitech Industries GmbH)	4	Not Yet	[
Waterway	V1	2025	Filament Water Cooling	-	1 (Qitech Industries GmbH)	5	Not Yet

More Docs

• Architecture & Data Flow

  • Example Winder V2

• Machine Implementation Guide

  • Link: How to create a Device
  • Link: How to create an Actor
  • Link: How to create a Machine
    • API (SocketIO + REST)
    • Creation/Validation Logic
      • Optional/Mandatory Devices
      • Validate Devices
    • Business Logic
  • Link: How to create Machine Abstraction (Like Traverse/Puller/...)
  • Forward act in winder.

• Electron

  • Folder Structure
  • Routing with TanStack Router
  • Design with Tailwind & Shadcn

• Interfacing with Electron/Server

  • SocketIO
    • Rooms & Caching
    • Joining leaving rooms
    • RoomId
    • Our rooms vs native socketIO rooms
    • Caching
      • Serverside Caching
      • Clientside Caching
    • Machine Room
    • Main Room
  • REST
    • Machine Mutations
    • Write Device Identification

• Server

  • Control Loop Setup
    • Control Loop Thread
      • Realtime
    • Maindevice
    • Group
    • Extracting Device Identifications
    • Identifying Groups
    • Validating Machines
    • Run Control Loop
  • Control Loop
    • Ethercat TX/RX
    • Reading Inputs
    • Calling Actors
    • Writing Outputs
  • Machine/Device Identification
    • SubDevice Identity
    • Identification design choices
    • Machine/Device Identification Values
    • Device Identification with EEPROM
    • Grouping Devices
    • Validating Device Groups to Machines
    • How to: Identify a New Device
      • Find free EEPROM words
      • Get identity values and add them to pattern matching
  • Machines
    • When to create a new Machine?
    • Creating/Validating a Machine
      • Validation
      • Configuration

• Ethercat HAL

  • Devices/PDO
  • CoE Theory
    • Parameters
    • PDO Assignment
  • PDO Theory
    • PDO Objects
    • PDO "Primitives"
      • Limit
    • Tx / Rx Meaning
    • Presets
    • Mapping
  • IO
  • How to: Full Device Implementation Guide
    • Create Port
    • implement IO Device Trait
    • Create IO
    • Create Tx/RxPDO
    • Create PDO Assignment
    • Create CoE
    • Implement ConfigurableDevice

• Ethercat Basics

  • State Machine
  • Network Topology Packets
  • Master / Slave
  • Terms of Communication
    • SDO
    • PDO
    • Mailbox
    • CoE
    • Commands
  • EEPROM

• Ethercat HAL

• Ethercat Devices

  • Buscoupler
  • Digital Input
  • EL2000er
  • Digital Output
  • EL1000er
  • Analog Input
  • EL3000er
  • Temperature Input

• PDO

• Operating System

  • Why
  • How