Profinet communication with Fairino requires an additional PCIe network card. It's more capable than Modbus TCP but comes with significant setup complexity and some surprising limitations.
What you need
- FRJ-PCIeN-EIP/PN/CC card — purchased separately from your Fairino distributor. This is not a standard Hilscher card (despite looking similar) — it's a Chinese-manufactured card with Fairino-specific firmware.
- Card firmware update — the card often ships with outdated firmware that must be updated before it works with your controller. Ask your supplier for the firmware package.
- GSDML file — needed to import the robot as a Profinet device in TIA Portal. Available from Fairino Europe support.
- Controller firmware v3.8.7+ — older versions have limited or buggy Profinet support
Critical limitation: remote control only, NOT direct I/O
This is the most important thing to know: Profinet on Fairino currently works for remote control only. The practical impact:
- ✅ You can send motion commands and read robot state from the PLC
- ✅ You can use
fieldbusSlaveWriteDOin LUA programs to set Profinet outputs - ❌ You cannot directly map Configurable DO outputs over Profinet (the "Configurable Output" settings in the WebApp don't work with Profinet)
- ❌ Changing DO from the PLC without a running program on the robot doesn't work as expected
Workaround for I/O over Profinet
Use a background program to bridge between Profinet fieldbus I/O and the robot's internal I/O:
- Main program handles motion commands
- Background program continuously reads/writes fieldbus registers
- Use
fieldbusSlaveWriteDOandfieldbusSlaveReadDIin your program code, NOT the configurable output mapping
Caveat: Background programs pause during robot motion (see the Background Programs thread), so real-time I/O updates during motion may be unreliable.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Solution |
| Card recognized but not communicating | Update the card firmware first. The stock firmware is often too old. |
| DI signals not reading from PLC | Make sure you're reading fieldbus DI, not local DI. They have different addresses. |
| Configuration page asks for password | The fieldbus card settings are password-protected. Ask your distributor. |
| Card works on FR3 but not FR16 | Some card/controller combinations have compatibility issues. Check firmware versions match. |
| DO0 flashing on its own | Try a factory reset of the controller. This has resolved similar I/O glitches. |
GSDML file
The file has been shared in community channels. If you can't find it, contact your Fairino distributor directly. Make sure to import it into your TIA Portal project before attempting to configure the Profinet connection.
Fairino DO output polarity: NPN logic
Be aware that Fairino uses inverted NPN logic on digital outputs: 0V = ON, 24V = OFF. This catches many people off guard when wiring relays or PLC inputs. You may need to invert the logic on the PLC side, or use an intermediate relay with appropriate coil configuration.
Alternative: EtherCAT
The manual mentions EtherCAT support requiring a separate network adapter, but the adapter doesn't appear to be commercially available. EtherCAT integration status is unclear — stick with Profinet or Modbus TCP for now.