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 build with React and Electron.

Backend

• /server: Glue between Backhoff 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-hoch 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	Macine 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

• Machines

  • Table
  • Winder V2
    • Devices
    • Functionality
    • Logic
  • Extruder V2

• Electron

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

• Interfacing with Electron/Server

  • SocketIO
    • Rooms & Cacheing
      • Joining leaving rooms
      • Our rooms vs native socketIo rooms
      • Cacheing
        • Serverside Cacheing
        • Clientside Cacheing
    • 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
  • Machines
    • When to create a new Machine?
    • Creatine/Validating a Machine
      • Validation
      • Configuration

• Ethercat HAL

  • Devices/PDO
    • CoE Theory
      • Parameters
      • Pdo Assignment
    • PDO Theory
      • Pdo Objects
      • Tx / Rx Meaning
      • Presets
      • Mapping
    • How To: Implementing an EL2521
  • IO
    • How to: Implementing a Pulse Train Output

• 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

• Operating System

  • Why
  • How