PLX3x UM
PLX3x UM
PLX3x UM
Multi-Protocol Gateways
May 5, 2023
USER MANUAL
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May 5, 2023
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WARNING - EXPLOSION HAZARD - WHEN IN HAZARDOUS LOCATIONS, TURN OFF POWER BEFORE
REPLACING OR WIRING MODULES
WARNING - EXPLOSION HAZARD - DO NOT DISCONNECT EQUIPMENT UNLESS POWER HAS BEEN
SWITCHED OFF OR THE AREA IS KNOWN TO BE NON-HAZARDOUS.
Class 2 Power
Contents
Your Feedback Please ............................................................................................... 2
How to Contact Us ...................................................................................................... 2
Content Disclaimer ..................................................................................................... 2
Open Source Information ............................................................................................ 3
Important Installation Instructions ............................................................................... 4
Agency Approvals and Certifications .......................................................................... 4
1 Start Here 9
1.1 Overview .............................................................................................. 9
1.2 System Requirements .......................................................................... 9
1.3 Package Contents.............................................................................. 10
1.3.1 Gateway with Ethernet Port ............................................................... 10
1.3.2 Gateway with Two Ethernet Ports ...................................................... 10
1.3.3 Gateway with Ethernet Port and Single Serial Port ............................ 10
1.3.4 Gateway with Ethernet Port and Four Serial Ports ............................. 10
1.4 Mounting the Gateway on a DIN-rail .................................................. 11
1.5 Jumper Settings ................................................................................. 12
1.6 SD Card ............................................................................................. 13
1.6.1 With an SD Card ................................................................................ 13
1.6.2 Without an SD Card ........................................................................... 13
1.7 Connecting Power to the Unit............................................................. 13
1.8 Installing ProSoft Configuration Builder Software ............................... 14
4 Hardware Information 43
4.1 Hardware Specifications .................................................................... 43
4.1.1 Serial Port Specifications ................................................................... 44
4.2 Serial Port Cables (for Gateways with Serial Ports) ........................... 44
4.2.1 DB9 to RJ45 Adaptor (Cable 14) ........................................................ 45
4.2.2 Serial Port Specifications ................................................................... 45
4.2.3 RS-232 - Null Modem (DTE without Hardware Handshaking) ............ 46
4.2.4 RS-232 - DTE to DCE Modem Connection ........................................ 46
4.2.5 RS-422 Interface Connections ........................................................... 47
4.2.6 RS-485 Interface Connection ............................................................. 47
5 EIP Protocol 48
5.1 EIP Functional Overview .................................................................... 48
5.1.1 EtherNet/IP General Specifications .................................................... 48
5.1.2 EIP Internal Database ........................................................................ 49
5.2 EIP Configuration ............................................................................... 52
5.2.1 Configuring EIP Class 3 Server.......................................................... 52
5.2.2 Configuring EIP Class 1 Connection .................................................. 55
5.2.3 Configuring EIP Class 3 Client[x]/UClient Connection ........................ 60
5.3 Network Diagnostics .......................................................................... 70
5.3.1 EIP PCB Diagnostics ......................................................................... 70
5.3.2 EIP Status Data in Upper Memory ..................................................... 71
5.3.3 EIP Error Codes ................................................................................. 74
5.4 EIP Reference ................................................................................... 78
5.4.1 SLC and MicroLogix Specifics............................................................ 78
5.4.2 PLC5 Processor Specifics .................................................................. 82
5.4.3 ControlLogix and CompactLogix Processor Specifics ........................ 87
6 MBTCP Protocol 96
6.1 MBTCP Functional Overview ............................................................. 96
6.1.1 MBTCP General Specifications .......................................................... 97
6.1.2 MBTCP Internal Database ................................................................. 98
6.2 MBTCP Configuration ...................................................................... 102
6.2.1 Configuring MBTCP Servers ............................................................ 102
6.2.2 Pass Through Feature ..................................................................... 104
1 Start Here
To get the most benefit from this User Manual, you should have the following skills:
• PLC or PAC configuration software: Launch the program and use it to configure
the processor if required
• Microsoft Windows®: Install and launch programs, execute menu commands,
navigate dialog boxes, and enter data
• Hardware installation and wiring: Install the gateway, and safely connect devices
to a power source and to the PLX3x gateway port(s)
1.1 Overview
This document explains the features of the PLX3x gateway. It guides you through
configuration, showing how to map data between a device or network, through the
gateway, to a PLC or PAC. The ProSoft Configuration Builder software creates files to
import into the PLC or PAC programming software, integrating the gateway into your
system. You can also map data between areas in the gateway's internal database. This
allows you to copy data to different addresses within the gateway database in order to
create easier data requests and control.
The PLX3x gateways are stand-alone DIN-rail mounted units that provide one Ethernet
port for communications, remote configuration, and diagnostics. Your specific gateway
may include additional ports depending on the supported protocols. The gateway has an
SD Card slot (SD card optional) that allows you to store configuration files that you can
use for recovery, transferring the configuration to another gateway, or general
configuration backup.
Important: Before beginning the installation, please verify that all of the following items are present.
Note: The factory default pin configuration has Modes 1 and 2 jumpered together. Please see the following
MODE descriptions for operational use.
• MODE 2 - Default IP Jumper: This is the middle jumper. The default IP address of
the gateway is 192.168.0.250. Set this jumper to put the gateway's IP address back
to the default.
• MODE 3 – If set, this jumper provides a level of security resulting in the following
behaviors:
o This jumper disables ProSoft Configuration Builder (PCB) upload and download
functions. If an upload or download request is made through PCB, the error
message “Error: This module has been secured. Jumper 3 has been
pinned” is displayed. This feature is supported on PCB version 4.4.15 and
above.
o This jumper also disables access to the PLX3x web page, making it impossible to
upgrade the firmware.
1.6 SD Card
You can order a PLX3x gateway with an optional SD card (Part Number SDI-1G). In the
event of a gateway failure, you can move the SD card from one gateway to the next and
resume operation.
In general, if the SD card is present when you power up or reboot the gateway, the
gateway uses the configuration on the SC card.
WARNING: Be sure not to reverse polarity when applying power to the gateway. This causes permanent
damage to the gateway’s internal power distribution circuits.
Note: To use the ProSoft Configuration Builder under the Windows 7 OS, you must be sure to install it using
the Run as Administrator option. To find this option, right-click the Setup.exe program icon, and then click
RUN AS ADMINISTRATOR on the context menu. You must install using this option even if you are already
logged in as an Administrator on your network or personal computer (PC). Using the Run as Administrator
option allows the installation program to create folders and files on your PC with proper permissions and
security.
If you do not use the Run as Administrator option, the ProSoft Configuration Builder may appear to install
correctly, but you will receive multiple file access errors whenever the ProSoft Configuration Builder is
running, especially when changing configuration screens. If this happens, you must completely uninstall the
ProSoft Configuration Builder and then re-install using the Run as Administrator option to eliminate the
errors.
Important: ProSoft Discovery Service (PDS) locates the gateway through UDP broadcast messages. PDS
is an application that is built into PCB. These messages may be blocked by routers or layer 3 switches. In
that case, PDS is unable to locate the gateways.
To use PDS, arrange the Ethernet connection so that there is no router or layer 3 switch between the
computer and the gateway OR reconfigure the router or layer 3 switch to allow the routing of the UDP
broadcast messages.
1 To open PDS, right-click on the gateway icon in PCB and click on DIAGNOSTICS.
3 In the Connection Setup dialog box, click the BROWSE DEVICE(S) button under the
ProSoft Discovery Service (PDS) heading.
4 In the ProSoft Discovery Service dialog box, click on the BROWSE FOR PROSOFT
MODULES icon to search for ProSoft Technology modules on the network.
2 In the Product Line Filter area of the dialog box, select the appropriate product type
radio button.
3 In the STEP 1: Select Module Type dropdown list, select the model number that
matches your gateway.
4 For some gateways, you can disable one or more ports on the gateway if you do not
need them. See Disabling Gateway Ports (page 20).
5 Click OK to save your settings and return to the ProSoft Configuration Builder Main
window.
Note: Disabling ports does not affect the performance of the gateway and is not required.
When you click OK, ProSoft Configuration Builder inserts the gateway into the tree view
with the disabled configuration options hidden.
Note the MBS Port 3 and MBS Port 4 do not appear in the configuration options for the
gateway.
To disable or enable ports on the gateway after you add it to the project
1 Right-click the gateway (PLX31-EIP-MBS4 in this example) in the tree view, and then
choose CHOOSE MODULE TYPE. This opens the Choose Module Type dialog box, with
the correct MODULE TYPE.
Warning: Note that all of the ports are enabled by default, and that the port state in the Choose Module
Type dialog box does not match the actual state of the ports. If you want any disabled ports to remain
disabled, you must disable them again in this dialog box so that the red circle or yellow triangle appears
next to the port name.
2 Click the port name to change its status from enabled to disabled, or from disabled to
enabled. The same rules noted above still apply. For example, you can disable MBS
Port 3 only if MBS Port 4 is already disabled.
3 When you click OK, ProSoft Configuration Builder updates the gateway in the tree
view, showing the configuration options for the enabled ports, and hiding the
disabled ports.
2 Click any parameter in the Edit - WATTCP dialog box to change the value. If your
gateway has two Ethernet ports (PLX32) there are separate configuration options for
each port.
Parameter Description
IP Address Unique IP address assigned to the gateway
Netmask Subnet mask of gateway
Gateway Gateway (if used)
To select the protocol for an Ethernet port in ProSoft Configuration Builder (PLX32 only)
1 In ProSoft Configuration Builder, click the [+] next to the gateway, then click the [+]
next to Module.
1 In the ProSoft Configuration Builder, expand the gateway tree by clicking the [+] next
to the gateway name.
2 Click the [+] next to COMMONNET, and then double-click DATA MAP.
5 To change the value of a parameter, click the parameter and enter a new value.
Click OK when finished.
6 Repeat the steps above to add more memory mappings.
2.7.2 To Address
0 to 9999
Specifies the beginning destination register address for the copy operation. This address
must always be within the user data area. Make sure you specify a destination address
that does not overwrite data that is stored in memory by one of the communication
protocols running on the gateway.
Note: For instructions on connecting to the gateway with your PC, see Connecting the PC to the Gateway
(page 15).
In order for the gateway to use the settings you configured, you must download (copy)
the updated Project file from your PC to the gateway. If Jumper 3 of the gateway is set,
this function is not available.
1 In the tree view in ProSoft Configuration Builder, right-click the PLX3X GATEWAY icon
and then choose DOWNLOAD FROM PC TO DEVICE. This opens the Download dialog
box.
2 In the Download dialog box, in the Select Connection Type dropdown box, use the
default ETHERNET option.
Note: If you connected to the gateway using a temporary IP address, the Ethernet
address field contains that temporary IP address. ProSoft Configuration Builder uses
this temporary IP address to connect to the gateway.
3 Click TEST CONNECTION to verify that the IP address allows access to the gateway.
4 If the connection succeeds, click DOWNLOAD to transfer the Ethernet configuration to
the gateway.
If the Test Connection procedure fails, you will see an error message. To correct the
error, follow these steps.
1 Click OK to dismiss the error message.
2 In the Download dialog box, click BROWSE DEVICE(S) to open ProSoft Discovery
Service.
Note: For instructions on connecting to the gateway with your PC, see Connecting the PC to the Gateway
(page 15).
You can upload the project settings from the PLX3x gateway into the current project in
ProSoft Configuration Builder on your PC.
1 In the tree view in ProSoft Configuration Builder, right-click the PLX3X GATEWAY icon
and then choose UPLOAD FROM DEVICE TO PC. This opens the Upload dialog box.
2 In the Upload dialog box, in the Select Connection Type dropdown box, use the
default ETHERNET setting.
Note: If you connected to the gateway using a temporary IP address, the Ethernet address field
contains that temporary IP address. ProSoft Configuration Builder uses this temporary IP address to
connect to the gateway.
3 Click TEST CONNECTION to verify that the IP address allows access to the gateway.
4 If the connection succeeds, click UPLOAD to transfer the Ethernet configuration to the
PC.
If the Test Connection procedure fails, you will see an error message. To correct the
error, follow these steps.
1 Click OK to dismiss the error message.
2 In the Upload dialog box, click BROWSE DEVICE(S) to open ProSoft Discovery
Service.
Tip: You can have a ProSoft Configuration Builder Diagnostics window open for more than one gateway at
a time.
Note: The image above is for a specific version of the PLX3x gateway. The contents of the Diagnostics
window for your gateway depends on the protocols supported by the gateway.
See Diagnostics Menu (page 36) for more information. If there is no response from
the gateway, as in the example above, follow these steps:
3 In the Connection Setup dialog box, select ETHERNET from the SELECT CONNECTION
TYPE list.
4 Type in the gateway’s IP address in the ETHERNET field.
5 Click CONNECT.
6 Verify that the Ethernet is connected properly between your computer’s
communication port and the gateway.
7 If you are still not able to establish a connection, contact ProSoft Technology
Technical Support for assistance.
Caution: Some of the commands from this menu are designed for advanced debugging and system testing
only, and can cause the gateway to stop communicating, potentially resulting in data loss or other
communication failures. Use these commands only if you fully understand their potential effects, or if you
are specifically directed to do so by ProSoft Technology Technical Support engineers.
*Use the scroll bar on the right edge of the window to navigate through the database.
Each page displays 100 words of data. The total number of pages available depends on
your gateway’s configuration.
3 To view the log file, from the toolbar, click the VIEW LOG FILE button. The log file
opens as a text file, which you can rename and save to a different location.
4 To email the log file to ProSoft Technology’s Technical Support team, from the
toolbar, click the EMAIL LOG FILE button. This only works if you have installed
Microsoft Outlook on your PC.)
5 If you capture multiple sequential sessions, PCB appends the new data to the end of
the previously captured data. If you want to clear the previous data from the log file,
you must click the CLEAR DATA button each time before you start capturing data.
Note: The PCB Data Analyzer is for serial ports only. To analyze data traffic on an Ethernet port, ProSoft
Technology recommends using a network protocol analyzer available on the Internet, such as Wireshark.
3 In the Data Analyzer Setup dialog box, specify the time tick interval, the serial port
number, and whether the data packet contents should be displayed in hexadecimal
number or ASCII character format. Click OK.
Note: The time tick is a symbol (_TT_) displayed on the Data Analyzer screen that allows you to
estimate time intervals during a Data Analyzer session. The time tick prints at the time interval you
choose in the Data Analyzer Setup dialog box. For example, if you select 10 mS Ticks, it prints _TT_
every 10 milliseconds.
4 If you wish to capture the Data Analyzer session to a log file, from the toolbar, click
the LOG FILE button.
5 From the toolbar, click the START DATA ANALYZER button to start the Data Analyzer.
Click the button again to stop it.
The example below is part of a capture of standard Modbus data packets, displayed in
hexadecimal number format.
• Data LEAVING the serial port is enclosed in angle brackets <>.
• Data ENTERING the port is enclosed in square brackets [ ].
• Each set of brackets holds one word (2 bytes) of data.
For Modbus protocol users: To interpret the data packets, refer to the Modbus Protocol Specification. See
About the Modbus Protocol (page 116) or visit www.modbus.org.
4 Hardware Information
4.1 Hardware Specifications
Specification Description
Power Supply 24 VDC nominal
10 VDC to 36 VDC allowed
Positive, Negative, GND Terminals
Current Load 208 mA normal @ 24 VDC normal
300 mA maximum @ 36 VDC maximum
Operating Temperature -25°C to 70°C (-13°F to 158°F)
Storage Temperature -40°C to 80°C (-40°F to 176°F)
Relative Humidity 5% to 95% RH with no condensation
Dimensions 5.38 x 1.99 x 4.38 in
(H x W x D) 13.67 x 5.05 x 11.13 cm
LED Indicators ▪ Configuration (CFG) and Error (ERR) Communication Status
(On all gateways) ▪ Power (PWR) and Hardware Fault (FLT)
▪ Network Status (NS) EtherNet/IP™ Class I or Class III Connection Status
(EtherNet/IP Only)
▪ Module Status (MS) Module Configuration Status (EtherNet/IP Only)
▪ Ethernet Communication Port Link/Activity and 100 mbit
▪ Serial Communication Port Receive (RX) and Transmit (TX)
Ethernet Port(s) 10/100 Mbit full- and half-duplex RJ45 Connector Electrical Isolation 1500 Vrms
at 50 Hz to 60 Hz for 60 seconds, applied as specified in section 5.3.2 of IEC
60950: 1991 Ethernet Broadcast Storm Resiliency = less than or equal to 5000
[ARP] frames-per-second and less than or equal to 5 minutes duration
Serial Port Isolation 2500 Vrms port signal isolation per UL 1577.
Serial port communication signal uses RF (Radio Frequency) modulation signal
as isolation media.
Shipped With Each 2.5 mm screwdriver
Unit J180 Power Connector
(1 to 4) RJ45-DB9M Serial Adapter Cable (serial protocol only)
(1 to 4) DB9 to Screw Terminal Adapter (serial protocol only)
Type Specifications
Serial Port Isolation 2500 Vrms port signal isolation per UL 1577
serial port communication signal uses RF (Radio Frequency) modulation signal
as isolation media, IC chip model is Silicon Labs Si844x
(Si8440,Si8441,Si8442).
Serial Port Protection RS-485/422 port interface lines TVS diode protected at +/- 27V standoff
voltage.
RS-232 port interface lines fault protected to +/- 36V power on, +/- 40V power
off.
Note: The PLX31-EIP-MBS4 gateway contains four serial communication ports. The PLX31-EIP-MBS
gateway contains one serial communication port.
Each physical serial port has a RJ45 jack connector. A six-inch RJ45 to DB9 Male
adapter cable is provided for each serial port. The DB9 Male adapter cable provides
connections for RS-232, wired as Data Terminal Equipment (DTE), RS-422 and RS-485.
Note: If the port is configured to use RTS/CTS handshaking, then a jumper is required between the RTS
and the CTS line on the gateway connection.
For most modem applications, RTS/CTS handshaking should be enabled in the port
configuration.
NOTE: This type of connection is commonly called a RS-485 half-duplex, 2-wire connection. If you have
RS-485 4-wire, full-duplex devices, they can be connected to the gateway's serial ports by wiring together
the TxD+ and RxD+ from the two pins of the full-duplex device to Pin 1 on the gateway and wiring together
the TxD- and RxD- from the two pins of the full-duplex device to Pin 8 on the gateway. As an alternative,
you could try setting the gateway to use the RS-422 interface and connect the full-duplex device according
to the RS-422 wiring diagram. For additional assistance, please contact ProSoft Technical Support.
NOTE: Depending upon devices on the network, if there are problems in RS-485 communication that can
be attributed to the signal echoes or reflections, then consider adding 120 OHM terminating resistors at both
ends of the RS-485 line.
5 EIP Protocol
5.1 EIP Functional Overview
You can use the PLX3x gateway EIP gateway to interface many different protocols into
the Rockwell Automation family of processors, or other software-based solutions.
The following illustration shows the functionality of the EtherNet/IP protocol.
Either protocol in the PLX3x gateway can write data to and read data from the user data
area.
• If the gateway is acting as a client/master, you create commands to read data from
external client/server devices and store the data in a specific location in the user data
area.
• If the gateway is acting as a server/slave, the external client/master devices write
data to a specific location in the user data area.
Note: If you want to access gateway status data in the upper memory, you can use the data mapping
feature in the gateway to copy data from the gateway status data area to the user data area. See Mapping
Data in Module Memory (page 25). Otherwise, you can use the diagnostic functions in ProSoft Configuration
Builder to view gateway status data. For more information on the gateway status data, see Network
Diagnostics (page 69).
2 Double-click the second EIP Class 3 Server to display the Edit - EIP Class 3 Server
dialog box.
3 Select the SERVER FILE SIZE (100 or 1000).
o For a value of 100, the registers are from N10:0 to N10:99.
o For a value of 1000, the valid registers are from N10:0 to N10:999.
Database Address File size 100 Database Address File size 100
0 N10:0 0 N10:0
999 N19:99 999 N19:99
1000 N20:0 1000 N20:0
1999 N29:99 1999 N29:99
2000 N30:0 2000 N30:0
Note: RSLogix5000 may need to be restarted in order to complete the EDS installation.
3 After you restart RSLogix 5000, open the desired RSLogix 5000 project.
4 In the Controller Organizer, right-click the EtherNet/IP bridge in the I/O tree and
choose NEW MODULE.
5 In the Select Module Type dialog box, in the Enter search text box, type PLX3.
6 Click your PLX3x gateway, and then click CREATE. This opens the New Module
dialog box.
7 In the New Module dialog box, enter a name for the gateway, then enter the IP
address of the PLX3x gateway.
10 You can add up to eight I/O connections (depending on the PLX3x gateway). The I/O
connections can have different input and output data sizes, as long as it is consistent
with the PLX3x configuration. When finished click OK.
11 In the Module Properties dialog box, click the CONNECTION tab to configure each I/O
connection with its own RPI time. When finished, click OK. The new gateway
appears in the Controller Organizer under the EtherNet/IP bridge.
Note: Class 1 connections are not supported in RSLogix v15 and older
2 Double-click the EIP Class 1 Connection [x] to display the Edit - EIP Class 1
Connection [x] dialog box.
3 In the dialog box, click a parameter and then enter a value for the parameter. There
are four configurable parameters for each I/O connection in ProSoft Configuration
Builder:
Class 3 Client[x]/UClient
2 Double-click the second EIP Class 3 Client [x] to display the Edit - EIP Class 3 Client
[x] dialog box.
3 In the dialog box, click any parameter to change its value.
The following table specifies the configuration for the EIP client (master) device on the
network port:
Parameter Value Description
Minimum 0 to 65535 Specifies the number of milliseconds to wait between the initial issuances of a
Command milliseconds command. This parameter can be used to delay all commands sent to servers to
Delay avoid "flooding" commands on the network. This parameter does not affect retries of
a command as they will be issued when failure is recognized.
Response 0 to 65535 Specifies the amount of time in milliseconds that a Client will wait before re-
Timeout milliseconds transmitting a command if no response is received from the addressed server. The
value to use depends on the type of communication network used, and the expected
response time of the slowest device connected to the network.
Retry Count 0 to 10 Specifies the number of times a command will be retried if it fails.
2 Double-click the desired command type to display the Edit - EIP Class 3 Client [x]
Commands or Edit - EIP Class 3 UClient [x] Commands dialog box.
3 Click ADD ROW to add a new command.
4 Click EDIT ROW or double-click the row to display the Edit dialog box where you
configure the command.
Internal 0 to 9999 Specifies the database address in the gateway’s internal database to be
Address associated with the command. If the command is a read function, the data
received in the response message is placed at the specified location. If the
command is a write function data used in the command is sourced from
specified data area.
Poll 0 to 65535 Specifies the minimum interval to execute continuous commands. The
Interval parameter is entered in 1/10 of a second. If a value of 100 is entered for a
command, the command executes no more frequently than every 10
seconds.
Reg Count 0 to 125 Specifies the number of data points to be read from or written to the target
device. For REAL datatype, the max count is 62.
Swap None Specifies if the data from the server is to be ordered differently than it was
Code Word swap received. This parameter is typically used when dealing with floating-point
Word and Byte or other multi-register values.
swap NONE - No change is made (abcd)
Byte swap WORD SWAP - The words are swapped (cdab)
WORD AND BYTE SWAP - The words and bytes are swapped (dcba)
Byte swap - The bytes are swapped (badc)
IP Address xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx Specifies the IP address of the target device to be addressed.
Slot -1 Specifies the slot number for the device. Use a value of -1 when
interfacing to an SLC 5/05. These devices do not have a slot parameter.
When addressing a processor in a ControlLogix or CompactLogix, the slot
number corresponds to the slot in the rack containing the controller being
addressed.
Func Code 502 Specifies the function code to be used in the command.
510 502 - Protected Typed Read
511 510 - Protected Typed Write
511 - Protected Typed Write w/Mask
File Type Binary, Counter, Specifies the file type to be associated with the command.
Timer, Control,
Integer, Float,
ASCII, String,
Status
File -1 Specifies the SLC 500 file number to be associated with the command. If a
Number value of -1 is entered for the parameter, the field will not be used in the
command, and the default file will be used.
Element Specifies the element in the file where the command will start.
Number
Sub Specifies the sub-element to be used with the command. Refer to the AB
Element documentation for a list of valid sub-element codes.
Comment Optional 32 character comment for the command.
Offset 0 to 65535 Specifies the offset database where the value corresponds to the Tag
Name parameter
Comment Optional 32 character comment for the command.
Note: Due to the behavior of Connected Clients, please note the following:
- You cannot configure multiple commands with different Class objects to the same device.
- You cannot configure multiple commands with different Class objects to different devices.
- You cannot configure multiple commands using the Get_Attribute_Single service of the same Class and
address different Attributes.
- If you have commands in any of the other command types (i.e. Controller Tag Access) and configure a CIP
Generic command to the same device, it will not work due to the Connected Client having an active
connection to a device. However, you can use both Controller Tag Access and CIP Generic if the target
devices are different.
- To avoid any or all these scenarios, it is recommended to use the Unconnected Client if you wish to send
commands to different devices, since these connections are reset/closed after each command is executed.
Example:
EIP Class 1 Connection Status in PCB:
For specific information on error codes, see EIP Error Codes on page 74.
The content of each client’s status data area is structured in the same way. The
following table describes the content of each register in the status data area:
Offset Description
0 Number of Command Requests
1 Number of Command Responses
2 Number of Command Errors
3 Number of Requests
4 Number of Responses
5 Number of Errors Sent
6 Number of Errors Received
7 Reserved
8 Current Error Code
9 Last Error Code
The first word in each client’s command list error data area contains the status/error
code for the first command in the client’s command list. Each successive word in the
command error list is associated with the next command in the list. Therefore, the size of
the command list error data area depends on the number of commands defined.
The structure of the command list error data area (which is the same for all clients) is
displayed in the following table:
Offset Description
0 Command #1 Error Code
1 Command #2 Error Code
2 Command #3 Error Code
3 Command #4 Error Code
4 Command #5 Error Code
… …
97 Command #98 Error Code
98 Command #99 Error Code
99 Command #100 Error Code
Note: The number of EtherNet/IP Class 1 server connections varies among PLX3x EIP gateways. To
determine the number of connections of a specific PLX3x EIP gateway, please refer to the EtherNet/IP
General Specifications on page 48.
The content of each server’s status data area is structured the same. The following table
describes the content of each register in the status data area:
Offset Description
0 through 1 Connection State
2 through 3 Open Connection Count
4 through 5 Socket Read Count
6 through 7 Socket Write Count
8 through 15 Peer IP
Warning: The gateway-specific error codes (not EtherNet/IP/PCCC compliant) are returned from the
gateway and never returned from an attached EtherNet/IP/PCCC slave device. These are error codes that
are part of the EtherNet/IP/PCCC protocol or are extended codes unique to the PLX3x gateway. The most
common errors for the EtherNet/IP/PCCC protocol are shown below.
1 Set the READ/WRITE parameter to WRITE. The gateway supports a TARGET DEVICE
parameter value of 500CPU or PLC5.
2 In the MSG object, click SETUP SCREEN in the MSG object to complete the
configuration of the MSG instruction. This displays the following dialog box.
3 Set the TARGET DEVICE DATA TABLE ADDRESS to a valid file element (such as, N11:0)
for SLC and PLC5 messages.
4 Set the MULTIHOP option to YES.
5 Complete the MULTIHOP tab portion of the dialog box shown in the following image.
1 Set the READ/WRITE parameter to READ. The gateway supports a TARGET DEVICE
parameter value of 500CPU or PLC5.
2 In the MSG object, click SETUP SCREEN in the MSG object to complete the
configuration of the MSG instruction. This displays the following dialog box.
3 Set the TARGET DEVICE DATA TABLE ADDRESS to a valid file element (such as,
N11:0) for SLC and PLC5 messages.
4 Set the MULTIHOP option to YES.
5 Fill in the MULTIHOP tab portion of the dialog box as shown in the following image.
The File Type Command Code is the ASCII character code value of the File Type letter.
This is the value to enter for the FILE TYPE parameter of the PCCC Command
configurations in the data tables in the ladder logic.
Additionally, the SLC specific functions (502, 510 and 511) support a sub-element field.
This field selects a sub-element field in a complex data table. For example, to obtain the
current accumulated value for a counter or timer, set the sub-element field to 2.
1 In the MSG object, click SETUP SCREEN in the MSG object to complete the
configuration of the MSG instruction. This displays the following dialog box.
2 Select the COMMUNICATION COMMAND to execute from the following list of supported
commands.
o PLC5 Type Write
o PLC2 Unprotected Write
o PLC5 Typed Write to PLC
o PLC Typed Logical Write
3 Set the TARGET DEVICE DATA TABLE ADDRESS to a valid file element (such as,N11:0)
for SLC and PLC5 messages. For the PLC2 Unprotected Write message, set the
address to the database index (such as, 1000) for the command.
1 In the MSG object, click SETUP SCREEN in the MSG object to complete the
configuration of the MSG instruction. This displays the following dialog box.
2 Select the COMMUNICATION COMMAND to execute from the following list of supported
commands.
o PLC5 Type Read
o PLC2 Unprotected Read
o PLC5 Typed Read to PLC
o PLC Typed Logical Read
3 Set the TARGET DEVICE DATA TABLE ADDRESS to a valid file element (such as,
N11:0) for SLC and PLC5 messages. For the PLC2 Unprotected Read message, set
the address to the database index (such as, 1000) for the command.
4 Set the MULTIHOP option to YES.
5 Complete the MULTIHOP tab portion of the dialog box as shown in the following
image.
Timer / Counter
Code Description
0 Control
1 Preset
2 Accumulated
Control
Code Description
0 Control
1 Length
2 Position
PD
All PD values are floating point values, they are two words long.
Code Description
0 Control
2 SP
4 Kp
6 Ki
8 Kd
26 PV
BT
Code Description
0 Control
1 RLEN
2 DLEN
3 Data file #
4 Element #
5 Rack/Grp/Slot
MG
Code Description
0 Control
1 Error
2 RLEN
3 DLEN
1 In the Message Configuration dialog box, define the data set to be transferred from
the processor to the gateway as shown in the following image.
4 Make sure you select CIP as the COMMUNICATION METHOD. The PATH specifies the
message route from the processor to the EIP gateway. Path elements are separated
by commas. In the example path shown:
o The first element is "Enet", which is the user-defined name given to the 1756-
ENET gateway in the chassis (you can substitute the slot number of the ENET
gateway for the name)
o The second element, "2", represents the Ethernet port on the 1756-ENET
gateway.
o The last element of the path, "192.168.0.75" is the IP address of the gateway,
which is the target for the message.
More complex paths are possible if routing to other networks using multiple 1756-ENET
gateways and racks. Refer to the ProSoft Technology Technical Support
Knowledgebase for more information on Ethernet routing and path definitions.
The following diagram shows an example rung that executes a read command.
1 In the Message Configuration dialog box, define the data set to be transferred from
the processor to the gateway as shown in the following image.
4 Make sure you select CIP as the COMMUNICATION METHOD. The PATH specifies the
message route from the processor to the EIP gateway. Path elements are separated
by commas. In the example path shown:
o The first element is "Enet", which is the user-defined name given to the 1756-
ENET gateway in the chassis (you can substitute the slot number of the ENET
gateway for the name)
o The second element, "2", represents the Ethernet port on the 1756-ENET
gateway.
o The last element of the path, "192.168.0.75" is the IP address of the gateway,
and the target for the message.
More complex paths are possible if routing to other networks using multiple 1756-ENET
gateways and racks. Refer to the ProSoft Technology Technical Support
Knowledgebase for more information on Ethernet routing and path definitions.
1 In the Message Configuration dialog box, define the data set to be transferred from
the processor to the gateway as shown in the following image.
2 Complete the dialog box for the data area to be transferred. CIP Data Table
messages require a tag database element for both the source and destination.
o The SOURCE TAG is a tag defined in the Controller Tag database.
o The DESTINATION ELEMENT is the tag element in the gateway.
o The gateway simulates a tag database as an array of elements defined by the
maximum register size for the gateway with the tag name INT_DATA (with the
maximum value of int_data[9999]).
3 In the previous example, the first element in the database is the starting location for
the write operation of ten elements. Click the COMMUNICATION tab and complete the
communication information as shown in the following image.
4 Make sure you select CIP as the COMMUNICATION METHOD. The PATH specifies the
message route from the processor to the EIP gateway. Path elements are separated
by commas. In the example path shown:
o The first element is "Enet", which is the user-defined name given to the 1756-
ENET gateway in the chassis (you can substitute the slot number of the ENET
gateway for the name)
o The second element, "2", represents the Ethernet port on the 1756-ENET
gateway.
o The last element of the path, "192.168.0.75" is the IP address of the gateway,
which is the target for the message.
More complex paths are possible if routing to other networks using multiple 1756-ENET
gateways and racks. Refer to the ProSoft Technology Technical Support
Knowledgebase for more information on Ethernet routing and path definitions.
1 In the Message Configuration dialog box, define the data set to be transferred from
the processor to the gateway as shown in the following image.
2 Complete the dialog box for the data area to be transferred. CIP Data Table
messages require a tag database element for both the source and destination.
o The DESTINATION TAG is a tag defined in the Controller Tag database.
o The SOURCE ELEMENT is the tag element in the gateway.
o The gateway simulates a tag database as an array of elements defined by the
maximum register size for the gateway (user configuration parameter "Maximum
Register" in the [Gateway] section) with the tag name INT_DATA.
3 In the previous example, the first element in the database is the starting location for
the read operation of ten elements. Click the COMMUNICATION tab and complete the
communication information as shown in the following image.
4 Make sure you select CIP as the COMMUNICATION METHOD. The PATH specifies the
message route from the processor to the EIP gateway. Path elements are separated
by commas. In the example path shown:
o The first element is "Enet", which is the user-defined name given to the 1756-
ENET gateway in the chassis (you can substitute the slot number of the ENET
gateway for the name)
o The second element, "2", represents the Ethernet port on the 1756-ENET
gateway.
o The last element of the path, "192.168.0.75" is the IP address of the gateway,
which is the target for the message.
More complex paths are possible if routing to other networks using multiple 1756-ENET
gateways and racks. Refer to the ProSoft Technology Technical Support
Knowledgebase for more information on Ethernet routing and path definitions.
6 MBTCP Protocol
6.1 MBTCP Functional Overview
You can use the PLX3x gateway Modbus TCP/IP (MBTCP) protocol to interface many
different protocols into the Schneider Electric Quantum family of processors as well
other devices supporting the protocol. The MBTCP protocol supports both client and
server connections.
The gateway supports a client connection on the TCP/IP network to interface with
processors (and other server based devices) using a command list of up to 100 entries
that you specify. The gateway stores the write commands for remote processors in the
gateway's lower memory. This is also where the gateway stores data from read
commands from other devices. See MBTCP Internal Database (page 98) for more
information.
Data in the lower memory of the gateway’s internal database is accessible for read and
write operations by any node on the network supporting the MBAP (Service Port 502) or
MBTCP (Service Ports 2000/2001) TCP/IP protocols. The MBAP protocol (Port 502) is a
standard implementation defined by Schneider Electric and used on their Quantum
processor. This open protocol is a modified version of the Modbus serial protocol. The
MBTCP protocol is an embedded Modbus protocol message in a TCP/IP packet. The
gateway supports up to five active server connections on Service Ports 502, five
additional active server connections on Service Port 2000, and one active client
connection.
The following illustration shows the functionality of the Modbus TCP/IP protocol.
Parameter Description
Modbus Commands 1: Read Coil Status 15: Force (Write) Multiple Coils
Supported 2: Read Input Status 16: Preset (Write) Multiple Holding Registers
(client and server) 3: Read Holding Registers 22: Mask Write Holding Register (Slave Only)
4: Read Input Registers 23: Read/Write Holding Registers (Slave Only)
5: Force (Write) Single Coil
6: Preset (Write) Single
Holding Register
Configurable ▪ Gateway IP Address
Parameters: ▪ PLC Read Start Register (%MW)
(client and server) ▪ PLC Write Start Register (%MW)
▪ Number of MBAP and MBTCP servers
▪ Gateway Modbus Read Start Address
▪ Gateway Modbus Write Start Address
Configurable ▪ Minimum Command Delay
Parameters: ▪ Response Timeout
(client only) ▪ Retry Count
▪ Command Error Pointer
Command List Up to 160 Modbus commands (one tag per command)
Status Data ▪ Error codes reported individually for each command.
▪ High-level status data from Modbus TCP/IP client (for example PLC)
Command List Each command can be individually enabled or disabled; write-only-on-data-change
Polling is available
Either protocol in the PLX3x gateway can write data to and read data from the user data
area.
• If the gateway is acting as a client/master, you create commands to read data from
external client/server devices and store the data in a specific location in the user data
area.
• If the gateway is acting as a server/slave, the external client/master devices write
data to a specific location in the user data area.
Note: If you want to access gateway status data in the upper memory, you can use the data mapping
feature in the gateway to copy data from the gateway status data area to the user data area. See Mapping
Data in Module Memory (page 25). Otherwise, you can use the diagnostic functions in ProSoft Configuration
Builder to view gateway status data. For more information on the gateway status data, see Network
Diagnostics (page 110).
The following virtual addresses are not part of the normal gateway user database and
are not valid addresses for standard data. However, these addresses may be used for
incoming commands that are requesting floating-point data.
To use addresses in this upper range requires that you configure the following
parameters in Prosoft Configuration Builder:
• Set Enron-Daniels in the MBTCP server configuration to YES.
• Set Enron-Daniels Float Start to a database address in the range below.
• Set Enron-Daniels Float Offset to a database address in the gateway user memory
area shown above.
All data above the Enron-Daniels Float Start address must be floating-point data. See
Configuring MBTCP Servers (page 102).
The gateway must be correctly configured and connected to the network before any
attempt is made to use it. Use a network verification program, such as ProSoft Discovery
Service or the command prompt PING instruction, to verify that other devices can find
the gateway on the network. Use ProSoft Configuration Builder to confirm proper
configuration of the gateway and to transfer the configuration files to and from the
gateway.
2 Double-click the second MBTCP Servers to display the Edit - MBTCP Servers dialog
box.
3 In the dialog box, click a parameter and then enter a value for the parameter. Note
that the Enron-Daniels Float Start and Enron-Daniels Float Offset parameters only
appear if you set Enron-Daniels to Yes.
The Pass Through feature enables the PLX3x gateway to pass incoming Modbus
TCP/IP MBAP messages to a remote Modbus RTU slave connected to the (master)
serial port. For this application, the PLX3x gateway’s database is not updated with the
Modbus TCP/IP command values since the messages are converted and transferred
directly between the Modbus TCP/IP and Modbus RTU networks:
To configure the Pass Through feature, refer to the MBTCP Servers section to configure
the MBAP Pass Through parameters:
2 Double-click the second MBTCP Client [x] to display the Edit - MBTCP Client [x]
dialog box.
3 In the dialog box, click a parameter and then enter a value for the parameter. Note
that the Enron-Daniels Float Start and Enron-Daniels Float Offset parameters only
appear if you set Enron-Daniels to YES.
Minimum Command 0 to 65535 Specifies the number of milliseconds to wait between the initial
Delay issuance of a commands. You can use this to delay all commands
sent to slaves to avoid "flooding" commands on the network. This
parameter does not affect retries of a command as they will be
issued when failure is recognized.
Response Timeout 0 to 65535 Specifies the time in milliseconds that a client waits before re-
transmitting a command if no response is received from the
addressed server. The value you use depends on the type of
communication network, and the expected response time of the
slowest device on the network.
Retry Count 0 to 10 Specifies the number of times the gateway retries a command if it
fails.
Enron-Daniels Yes or No Specifies if the floating-point data access functionality is active.
(Float Flag) YES - Modbus functions 3, 6, and 16 interpret floating-point values
for registers as specified by Enron-Daniels Float Start and Enron-
Daniels Float Offset.
NO - The gateway does not use floating point functionality.
Enron-Daniels Float 0 to 65535 This parameter only appears if Enron-Daniels is set to Yes.
Start Specifies the first register of floating-point data. The gateway
considers all requests with register values greater-than or equal to
this value as floating-point data requests. For example, if you enter
7000, the gateway considers all requests for registers 7000 and
above as floating-point data.
Enron-Daniels Float 0 to 9998 This parameter only appears if Enron-Daniels is Yes.
Offset Specifies the starting register for floating-point data in the gateway
internal database. For example:
▪ If you set Enron-Daniels Float Offset to 3000 and set Enron-
Daniels Float Start to 7000, the gateway returns data as
floating-point data for register 47001 (or 407001) actually
comes from internal gateway registers 3000 and 3001.
▪ If the requested address is 47002 (407002), the gateway
returns data from internal registers 3002 and 3003.
▪ If the requested address is 47101 (407101), the gateway
returns data from internal registers 3200 and 3201; and so on.
Command Error 0 to 300 Specifies the number of 100 millisecond intervals to turn off a
Delay command in the error list after an error is recognized for the
command. If you set this to 0, there is no delay.
MBAP Port Override Yes or No Specifies whether to override the default port settings.
YES - The gateway uses MBAP format messages for all Service
Port values. The gateway does not use RTU through TCP.
NO - The gateway uses standard Service Port 502 with MBAP
format messages. All other Service Port values use encapsulated
Modbus message format (RTU through TCP).
Command Control 0 to 9840, This parameter allows the control of command execution in the
Reg -1 = Disable MBTCP Client Command List. This parameter reserves 100
registers, starting at the value entered.
2 Double-click MBTCP Client [x] Commands to display the Edit - MBTCP Client [x]
Commands dialog box.
3 In the dialog box, click ADD ROW to add a command, then click EDIT ROW to enter
values for the command.
A command list is needed to interface the PLX3x gateway with Modbus TCP/IP server
devices. The commands in the list specify the server device to be addressed, the
function to be performed (read or write), the data area in the device to interface with and
the registers in the internal database to be associated with the device data. The client
command list supports up to 16 commands per client. The gateway processes the
command list from top (command #0) to bottom.
The content of each server's status data area is structured the same. The following table
describes the content of each register in the status data area:
Offset Description
0 Number of Command Requests
1 Number of Command Responses
2 Number of Command Errors
3 Number of Requests
4 Number of Responses
5 Number of Errors Sent
6 Number of Errors Received
7 Configuration Error Word
8 Current Error Code
9 Last Error Code
. .
8 25708 to 25717
9 25734 to 25743
The content of each Client’s status data area is structured the same. The following table
describes the content of each register in the status data area:
Offset Description
0 Command Request Count (total Client commands sent)
1 Command Response Count (total command responses received)
2 Command Error Count
3 Number of Request Packets
4 Number of Response Packets
5 Errors Sent
6 Errors Received
7 Reserved
8 Current Error
9 Last Error
• Offsets 8 and 9 contain information about the most recent communication errors.
• The Current Error (offset 8) has a non-zero value if the currently executing client
command experiences an error.
• The Last Error (offset 9) stores the most recent non-zero value error code that was
reported by the client the last time it experienced an error. Note that this value is
protected. This register holds the last error value until you clear the memory by a
restart, reset, cold-boot, or warm-boot operation. Therefore, any value here may be
from an error that occurred at any time since the PLX3x gateway was last restarted.
. .
8 25718 to 25733
9 25744 to 25759
The first word in each client’s command list error data area contains the status/error
code for the first command in the client’s Command List. Each successive word in the
Command Error List is associated with the next command in the client Command List.
The number of valid error values depends on the number of commands defined.
The structure of the command list error data area (which is the same for all Clients) is
displayed in the following table:
Offset Description
0 Command #1 Error Code
1 Command #2 Error Code
2 Command #3 Error Code
. .
. .
13 Command #14 Error Code
14 Command #15 Error Code
15 Command #16 Error Code
7 MBS Protocol
7.1 MBS Functional Overview
You can use the PLX3x gateway Modbus Serial (MBS) protocol for both master and
slave connections. Each of the gateway serial port(s) is individually configurable to
communicate to separate networks.
• As a master, you can specify a command list of up to 100 entries. The gateway
stores the write command data in the gateway's lower memory. This is also where
the gateway stores data from read commands from other devices. See MBS Internal
Database (page 119) for more information.
• As a slave, data in the lower memory of the gateway's internal database is
accessible for read and write operations by a remote Modbus master.
The following illustration shows the functionality of the Modbus Serial protocol:
Specification Description
Command List Up to 100 commands per Master port, each fully configurable for Function Code,
slave address, register to/from addressing and word/bit count.
Supported Modbus 1: Read Coil Status
Function Codes 2: Read Input Status
3: Read Holding Registers
4: Read Input Registers
5: Force (Write) Single Coil
6: Preset (Write) Single Holding Register
15: Force (Write) Multiple Coils
16: Preset (Write) Multiple Holding Registers
Polling of Command Configurable polling of command list, including continuous and on change of data,
List and dynamically user or automatic enabled.
Status Data Error codes available on an individual command basis. In addition, a slave status
list is maintained per active Modbus Master port.
Node Address 1 to 247 (software selectable)
RS Interface RS232, RS422, and RS485
Type Specifications
General Parameters
Internal Database Up to 10000 registers (words) available.
Communication Port 0: Baud Rate: 110 to 115K baud
parameters Port 1, 2, 3: Baud Rate: 110 to 115K baud
Stop Bits: 1 or 2
Data Size: 5 to 8 bits
Parity: None, Even, Odd RTS Timing delays: 0 to 65535 milliseconds
Modbus Modes RTU mode (binary) with CRC-16
ASCII mode with LRC error checking
Floating Point Data Floating point data movement supported, including configurable support for Enron-
Daniels implementation
Modbus Function 1: Read Coil Status
Codes 2: Read Input Status
3: Read Holding Registers
4: Read Input Registers
5: Force (Write) Single Coil
6: Preset (Write) Single Register
15: Force(Write) Multiple Coils
16: Force (Write) Multiple Register
22: Mask Write Holding Register (Slave Only)
23: Read/Write Holding Registers (Slave Only)
Modbus Master
Command List Up to 100 command per Master port, each fully configurable for function, slave
address, register to/from addressing and word/bit count
Status Data Error codes available on an individual command basis. In addition, a slave status
list is maintained per active Modbus Master port.
Polling of command Configurable polling of command list, including continuous and on change of data
list
Modbus Slave
Node address 1 to 247 (software selectable)
Status Data Error codes, counters and port status available per configured slave port starting at
register 14400.
Either protocol in the PLX3x gateway can write data to and read data from the user data
area.
• If the gateway is acting as a client/master, you create commands to read data from
external client/server devices and store the data in a specific location in the user data
area.
• If the gateway is acting as a server/slave, the external client/master devices write
data to a specific location in the user data area.
Note: To access gateway status data in the upper memory, use the data mapping feature in the gateway to
copy data from the gateway status data area to the user data area. See Mapping Data in Module Memory
(page 25). Otherwise, you can use the diagnostic functions in ProSoft Configuration Builder to view gateway
status data. For more information on the gateway status data, see MBS Diagnostics (page 127).
2 Double-click the Modbus Port [x] to display the Edit - Modbus Port [x] dialog box.
3 In the dialog box, click a parameter and then enter a value for the parameter. Note
that the Enron-Daniels Float Start and Enron-Daniels Float Offset parameters only
appear if you set Enron-Daniels to YES.
2 Double-click the Modbus Port [x] Commands to display the Edit - Modbus Port [x]
Commands dialog box.
3 In the dialog box, click ADD ROW to add a command, then click EDIT ROW to enter
values for the command.
Warning: None of these addresses are available in the Modbus address range. In order to access this data
through a Modbus request, you must move the data into the 0 to 9999 address range. See Mapping Data in
Module Memory (page 25).
Note: There are two additional port status parameters that are not available from the General Modbus Error
and Status Data area. The status values, Port State and Port ComState (circled in red in the graphic below),
can be found only in the ProSoft Configuration Builder diagnostic menus under Comm Status for a port.
These status values are state registers. They are used as "scratchpad" areas by the
gateway firmware to keep track of the current logical state of activities on a slave port.
These state registers are constantly changing as the gateway progresses through the
various stages needed to process communication on the serial ports. This processing
happens faster than can be followed, unless a port error causes the value to remain
constant for some noticeable length of time.
The diagnostic screen display a snapshot of the data; that is, the current values at the
time they are displayed, but the gateway does not update the data. They are not live-
data screens. Therefore, to see a change in State or ComState, you must repeatedly
update the screen by pressing the appropriate menu key to have the screen refreshed.
Depending on the refresh timing you may or may not see a change in the displayed
values every time you call for an update.
Warning: None of these addresses are available in the Modbus address range. In order to access this data
through a Modbus request, you must move the data into the 0 to 9999 address range. See Mapping Data in
Module Memory (page 25).
Note that the gateway initializes the Command Error List tables to zero (0) at power-up,
cold boot, and warm boot. If a command executes successfully, the value in the
associated register remains at zero (0), indicating no command error was detected. Any
non-zero value in this table indicates the corresponding command experienced an error.
The data in this table is dynamic and is updated each time a command is executed.
Therefore, if the command fails once and succeeds on the next attempt, the error code
from the previously failed attempt is overwritten with zero and be lost. Error codes are
not archived in the gateway's database. To see if the port has experienced an error
since the most recent restart and what the most recently occurring error was, if any, you
can check the Last Error/Index.
*Status data for Ports 2 through 4 is only present in 4-port MBS gateways.
Warning: None of these addresses are available in the Modbus address range. In order to access this data
through a Modbus request, you must move the data into the 0 to 9999 address range. See Mapping Data in
Module Memory (page 25).
The slave status list contains the current poll status of each slave device on a master
port. Slaves attached to a master port can have one of three states.
Status Description
0 The slave has is not defined in the command list for the master port and is not polled
from the Command List.
1 The slave is configured to be polled by the master port and the most recent
communication attempt was successful.
2 The Master port failed to communicate with the slave device. Communication with
the slave is suspended for a user-defined period based on the scanning of the
command list.
Slaves are defined to the system when the gateway loads the Master Command List
during start-up and initialization. Each slave defined is set to a state value of 1 in this
initial step. If the master port fails to communicate with a slave device (timeout expired
on a command, retries failed), the master sets the state of the slave to a value of 2 in
this status table. This suspends communication with the slave device for a user-specified
Error Delay Count.
When the master first suspends polling of a particular slave, it creates an Error Delay
Counter for this slave address and set the value in that counter equal to the Error Delay
Counter parameter in the configuration file. Then, each time the gateway scans a
command in the list that has the address of a suspended slave, the gateway decrements
the delay counter value. When the value reaches zero, the gateway sets the slave state
to 1. This re-enables polling of the slave.
The first word in the defined register locations contains the status code for slave node
address 1. Each successive word in the list is associated with the next node in
sequence, up to slave node address 247.
8 ASCII Protocol
8.1 ASCII Functional Overview
You can use the ASCII protocol in the PLX3x gateway to interface many different
protocols into the Rockwell Automation family of processors, or other software-based
solutions. The ASCII driver permits the gateway to interface any ASCII device to the
many protocols and networks available. ASCII devices include barcode scanners, weigh
scales, many field instruments, printers, and terminals. The driver supports one to four
ports that provide accessibility from one to four independent serial networks. The
number of ports depends on your specific gateway model.
The following illustration shows the functionality of the ASCII protocol:
Specification Description
Ports One to four ports to receive and/or transmit data
Receive buffer size 255 bytes
Receive termination Stream mode, termination character(s), message timeout, inter-character
delay, or packet size length
Receive database location -1 = Disable receiver, 0 to 9896
Transmit buffer size 255 bytes
Transmit characters with 0 to 65535 millisecond delay between each transmitted character
pacing
Transmit database location -1 = Disable transmitter, 0 to 9896
Communication Configuration Baud Rate: 110 to 115,200
Parity: None, Odd, Even
Data Bits: 5 to 8
Stop Bits: 1 or 2
RTS On and Off Timing: 0 to 65535 milliseconds
Minimum Response Delay: 0 to 65535 milliseconds
Hardware or Software Handshaking: RTS/CTS, DTR/DSR, or XON/XOFF
Data received from the ASCII device is accepted by the receive driver and placed in the
receive database location configured by the user. The receive driver waits until the
termination condition that you define is recognized while receiving the data before
placing the new data into the database.
For example, if you use the carriage-return character (ASCII 13) as the termination
condition for a received message, this signals the end of the message. When the receive
driver sees this character in the input stream, it takes all received characters and places
them in the internal database.
In both receive and transmit operations, the driver requires a signal to determine when
new data is received or must be transmitted. The first word in the two data area is used
for this purpose. When the value of the first word changes, new data is available.
Here is a receive example.
1 The sequence number in the receive data block has a value of 0 (set when the
gateway initializes).
2 The ASCII device sends a new data packet and the termination condition is present.
3 The receive driver copies the data into the internal data area, sets the message
length in the data area, and finally, sets the new sequence number.
Receive Data
The gateway places data from the receive driver in the gateway’s internal database in a
fixed format at the location that you define in ProSoft Configuration Builder (PCB). The
receiver driver is disabled if you set the receive database start location to a value of -1
when you configure the gateway in ProSoft Configuration Builder. The following table
shows the structure of the received data.
Word Offset Description
0 Receive sequence number. This register is incremented by the gateway’s Receive Driver for
each new packet received.
1 Number of characters transmitted (0 to 255) from last transmit request on this port.
2 Number of characters received (0 to 255) in the last received terminated string.
3 Receive State
4 Receive Total Count (number of characters received on the port since last reboot).
5 Receive Message Count (number of messages/terminated strings received on the port since
the last reboot).
6 Transmit State
7 Transmit Total Count (number of characters transmitted on this port since the last reboot).
8 Configuration Error Code
9 to 136 ASCII values for data received, up to 254 characters.
Transmit Data
Data to transmit by the transmit driver is placed in the gateway’s internal database in a
fixed format at the location that you define in ProSoft Configuration Builder. The transmit
driver is disabled if you set the database start location to a value of -1. The following
table shows the structure of transmit data.
• The first word of the data block signals when new transmit data is available.
• Word 1 of the block optionally contains the number of characters processed in the
last receive message.
• Word 2 of the message paces the characters during the transmission process. This
may be required when interfacing with slow ASCII devices (for example, modems in
command mode). If the word is set to a value other than zero, the driver inserts a
time delay corresponding to the number of milliseconds between each character
transmitted. If you set word 2 to zero, the transmit driver sends the whole data
packet as fast as the driver can function.
• Word 3 of the data block contains the number of bytes present in the transmit data
area to send out the ASCII port.
• Words 4 to 131 contain the data to transmit.
Data can be written to and read from the user data area.
• To use the transmit function in the gateway, define the starting location in the user
data area for the transmitted data.
• To use the receive function in the gateway, define the starting location in the user
data area for the received data.
Note: If you want to access gateway status data in the upper memory, you can use the data mapping
feature in the gateway to copy data from the gateway status data area to the user data area. See Mapping
Data in Module Memory (page 25). Otherwise, you can use the diagnostic functions in ProSoft Configuration
Builder to view gateway status data. For more information on the gateway status data, see ASCII
Diagnostics (page 148).
Receive-Only Mode
A port on the gateway configured to function in receive-only mode only receives data
from an ASCII device. In this mode, the gateway never transmits data back to the ASCII
device. Any data received from the ASCII device is passed from the receiver driver (Rx
Driver) to the gateway’s internal database (Rx Data). The following illustration shows the
flow of data on a port configured for receive-only mode.
Transmit-Only Mode
A port on the gateway configured to function in transmit-only mode only transmits data
from the gateway’s internal database (received from an external source or mapped from
upper memory) to an ASCII device. When the transmit driver (Tx Driver) recognizes a
new write block containing data in the gateway’s internal database, it transmits this data
out to the port. The sequence number in the block is different than that of the previous
block. This signals that the packet is fully assembled and ready to send. The following
illustration shows flow of data on a port configured for transmit-only mode.
Transmit-Receive Mode
A port configured in transmit-receive mode can send and receive data from an ASCII
device (for example, a terminal). This mode functions in both the transmit and receive
modes. Data flow to and from an ASCII device is handled by the gateway’s transmit and
receive drivers.
• Data received from the ASCII device is stored in the gateway’s internal database
until ready to be sent to an external device.
• Data received by an external device is also stored in the gateway’s internal database
until ready to be transmitted to the ASCII device.
The following illustration shows the flow of data on a port configured for transmit-receive
mode.
2 Double-click the second ASCII PORT [x] to display the Edit - ASCII PORT [x] dialog
box.
3 In the dialog box, click a parameter and then enter a value for the parameter.
Any combination of bits is acceptable to the gateway and should be set to match the
device on the specific port. An example of each termination type appears below.
A B C 0x0d D E
Comment:
The characters "ABC" will be sent along with the 0x0d character to the controller after the
0x0d character is received. The characters "DE" will not be sent until the 0x0d character is
received.
A B C D E F G
Comment:
After the 'A' character is received on the port, the message timeout is started.
The characters "ABCDE" will be sent to the controller in one block. The characters
"FG" will follow in the second block one second later.
A B C D E F G H
>=300mSec time gap
Comment:
After each character is received, the intercharacter delay timer is reset. The characters
"ABCDEF" will be sent to the controller in one block because the delay timer expires.
The characters "GH" will follow in the second block when the next time gap is recognized.
A B C D E F G H I J
Comment:
The first block sent to the controller will contain the characters "ABCD", and the second
block will contain the characters "EFGH". The characters "IJ" will not be sent until two
more characters are received on the port.
9 SIE Protocol
9.1 SIE Functional Overview
You can use the PLX3x Siemens Industrial Ethernet (SIE) protocol to easily interface
with multiple Siemens Industrial Ethernet server-compatible instruments and devices.
The SIE protocol improves performance when controlling multiple servers on a Siemens
Industrial Ethernet network by supporting up to 20 clients.
The gateway's clients interface with processors (and other server-based devices) on the
SIE network using a user-constructed command list of up to 16 entries per client. The
gateway's internal database is the source for write commands to the remote processors.
The gateway stores data collected from the processors using read commands in the
gateway's database. The following illustration shows the functionality of the SIE protocol.
Specification Description
10/100 MB Ethernet ▪ Actively reads data from and writes data to Siemens Industrial
Communication port Ethernet devices, using Siemens Industrial Ethernet protocol
▪ Siemens Industrial Ethernet data types overlap in the gateway's
memory database, so the same data can be conveniently read or
written as bit-level or register-level data
▪ Offers 20 client connections with up to 16 commands each to
multiple servers
▪ Configurable floating-point data movement
▪ Status and error information is generated by the gateway
Supported PLC Data Exchange Siemens S7-200, Siemens S7-300, Siemens S7-400, Siemens S7-
(Read and Write) 1200, Siemens S7-1500
Supported Register Types DB, Inputs, Outputs, Flags, Counters, Timers
Either protocol in the PLX3x gateway can write data to and read data from the user data
area.
• If the gateway is acting as a client/master, you create commands to read data from
external client/server devices and store the data in a specific location in the user data
area.
• If the gateway is acting as a server/slave, the external client/master devices write
data to a specific location in the user data area.
Note: If you want to access gateway status data in the upper memory, you can use the data mapping
feature in the gateway to copy data from the gateway status data area to the user data area. See Mapping
Data in Module Memory (page 25). Otherwise, you can use the diagnostic functions in ProSoft Configuration
Builder to view gateway status data. For more information on the gateway status data, see SIE Diagnostics
(page 168).
9.2 Configuration
2 Double-click the second SIE Client [x] to display the Edit - SIE Client [x] dialog box.
3 In the dialog box, click a parameter and then enter a value for the parameter. The
following table defines the configuration parameters for the SIE client (master):
2 Double-click SIE Client [x] Commands to display the Edit - SIE Client [x] Commands
dialog box.
3 Click ADD ROW to add a new command.
4 Click EDIT ROW or double-click the row to display the Edit dialog box where you
configure the command.
The gray area represents the byte memory locations being overlapped when the word
address is used consecutively (DB1.DBW0, DB1.DBW1, DB1.DBW2, etc.).
If DB1-DBW0 is used as the first address in the Siemens processor, the next word
address that can be used without overwriting the data is DB1.DBW2.
The gray area above represents the byte memory locations being overlapped when the
double word address is used consecutively (DB1.DBD0, DB1.DBD1, DB1.DBD2, etc.).
If DBD1.DBD0 is used as the first address in the Siemens processor, the next double
word address that can be used without overwriting the data would be DB1.DBD4.
All of the above share the same memory locations in the processor.
Note: Incorrect memory location addressing can cause the data to be overwritten.
Example:
Sending an integer value of 11733 from gateway register 1000 to a Siemens S7-300
processor demonstrates the addressing scheme in the Siemens S7-300 processor. The
following image from ProSoft Configuration Builder shows a client command sent from
the gateway to INT data to DB1 address 0.
Row 1 in the SIMATICS Manager screen (below) shows the data transferred from the
gateway
If the data is broken up and displayed in binary format, you can see that the binary data
stored in the first byte of DB1.DBW0 is identical to that stored in byte address DB1.DBB
0. This is because the memory locations referenced by the first byte of DB1.DBW 0 and
by DB1.DBB0 are one and the same, as explained above.
The first byte of DB1.DBW0 is the same as DB1.DBB0. The second byte of DB1.DBW0
is the same as DB1.DBB1, and is the same as the first byte of DB1.DBW1. The memory
space looks like the following:
To access the first address of Data Block, Flag, Input, Output, Timer, and Counter
memory locations in the S7-300 and S7-1200 processors, use the following syntax:
• Data Block: DB1.DBB0, DB1.DBW0, DB1.DBD0
• Flag: MB0, MW0, MD0
• Input: IB0, IW0, ID0
• Output: QB0, QW0, QD0
• Timers: T0 - T65535
• Counters: C0 - C65535
To access the first address of Data Block, Flag, Input, and Output memory locations in
the S7-200 processor, use the following syntax:
• Data Block: VB0, VW0, VD0
• Flag: MB0, MW0, MD0
• Input: IB0, IW0, ID0
• Output: QB0, QW0,QD0
The following table describes the content of each client's status data area:
Word Offset Description
0 Command Request Count
1 Command Response Count
2 Command Error Count
3 Number of Request Packets
4 Number of Response Packets
5 Errors Sent
6 Errors Received
7 Configuration Error Word
8 Current Error
9 Last Error
10 to 25 Command List Errors (16 per Client)
For every command that generates an error, the gateway automatically sets the poll
delay parameter for that command to 30 seconds. This instructs the gateway to wait 30
seconds before it attempts to issue the command again.
As the gateway polls and executes the commands in the Client Command List, the
gateway maintains an error code for each command. The gateway stores the current
error value for each command in the Command List Errors section of each client's status
data area. There is one register for each of the 16 commands in the command list. An
error code of 0 means no error is currently detected for the specified command.
READ BOOL 1
Write BOOL 1
READ BYTE 222
Write BYTE 212
READ DINT 55
Write DINT 53
READ REAL 55
Write REAL 53
READ INT 111
Write INT 106
READ TIME 111
Write TIME 53
10 PND Protocol
10.1 PND Functional Overview
PROFINET is the communication standard for automation of PROFIBUS and
PROFINET Intenational (PI). Many years of experience with PROFIBUS and the
widespread use of Industrial Ethernet are all rolled into PROFINET.
With its integrated, Ethernet-based communication, PROFINET satisfies a wide range of
requirements, from data intensive parameter assignments to extremely fast I/O data
transmission which enables automation in real-time.
Specification Description
Driver Type Class A Device
PROFINET I/O Data 1440 bytes IN, 1440 bytes OUT
Exchange Types Cyclic Real-time (RT) and Acyclic Data
Either protocol in the PLX3x gateway can write data to and read data from the user data
area. The gateway functions as a PROFINET Device, and an external PROFINET
Controller can read data from, or write data to, the gateway user data area.
Note: If you want to access gateway status data in the upper memory, you can use the data mapping
feature in the gateway to copy data from the gateway status data area to the user data area. See Mapping
Data in Module Memory (page 25). Otherwise, you can use the diagnostic functions in ProSoft Configuration
Builder to view gateway status data. For more information on the gateway status data, see PND Diagnostics
(page 202).
3 Click OK.
5 In the Edit - PND MODULE MAP dialog, click ADD ROW and double-click on the row
that appears.
6 In the Module in Slot field, select the number of input or output bytes to be used for
each slot. This example uses 32-bytes input and 32-bytes output.
Note: The PND module map is very important because the values enter here must match the values
that are entered in the Siemens processor in order for them to communicate correctly.
7 Click OK. You can now download the configuration to the gateway.
2 Double-click the second PND to display the Edit - PND dialog box.
In the dialog box, click a parameter and then enter a value for the parameter. The
following table defines the configuration parameters for the PND communications.
Note: The gateway can store up to 720 registers (1440 bytes) of input data, and up to 720 registers of
output data. Make sure that the input and output data regions do not overlap.
1 Right click on the PLX31-EIP-PND icon and select UPLOAD FROM DEVICE TO PC.
Note: If the PROFINET Device Name was assigned through Step 7 and conflicts with the name in PCB, the
name used in ProSoft Configuration Builder will be used.
2 Double-click PND MODULE MAP to display the Edit - PND MODULE MAP dialog
box.
3 Click ADD ROW to add a new module mapping.
4 Click EDIT ROW or double-click the row to display the Edit dialog box where you
configure module mapping.
5 Double-click the hardware icon for SIMATIC 300 to configure the station.
1 On the menu bar, click OPTIONS and then click INSTALL GSD FILE.
2 Click BROWSE and browse to the location of the GSD file stored on your PC.
3 Select the file and click INSTALL. The system informs you when the install is
complete.
4 Click OK.
2 Drag and drop the processor that will be used in the network. In this example, we
use 315-2 PN/DP.
3 Right-click the PN-IO option and then click INSERT PROFINET IO SYSTEM.
4 Insert the ProfiNet bus network where the ProSoft gateway is located by clicking the
PN-IO option and the clicking NEW to open Properties - Ethernet Interface dialog box.
5 Click NEW to open the Properties - New subnet Industrial Ethernet dialog box.
9 Configure the inputs and outputs to match the PCB configuration. In this example, 32
inputs and 32 outputs were configured in the gateway.
11 If the gateway is correctly configured, the following appears. If the status is not a
green checkmark, you must assign the gateway name and IP by selecting the
gateway and then clicking ASSIGN NAME.
Example:
Once you download the program, the RUN LED and the DC5V on the processor should
be green. There should be no red LEDs.
The values coming into the processor are displayed at the input section.
2 To modify the values that the processor sends to the gateway, choose the output,
select the desired value, and click MODIFY VALUE.
▪ PLX31-EIP-PND The gateway stores status data in the upper memory area starting at address
▪ PLX32-EIP-PND 23000.
▪ PLX31-MBTCP-PND
▪ PLX32-MBTCP-PND
2 128 Bytes 128 Bytes 128 Bytes 128 Bytes 128 Bytes 128 Bytes 128 Bytes 128 Bytes
256 Bytes 256 Bytes 256 Bytes 256 Bytes 256 Bytes 256 Bytes NA NA
4 128 Bytes 128 Bytes 128 Bytes 128 Bytes 128 Bytes 128 Bytes 128 Bytes 128 Bytes
256 Bytes 256 Bytes 256 Bytes 256 Bytes 256 Bytes 256 Bytes NA NA
8 128 Bytes 128 Bytes 128 Bytes 128 Bytes 128 Bytes 128 Bytes 128 Bytes 128 Bytes
256 Bytes 256 Bytes 256 Bytes 256 Bytes 256 Bytes 256 Bytes NA NA
2* YES NO NO NO NO NO NO
Example:
PLX3x gateway sending/receiving 128 bytes of EIP data on a single 4 ms Class 1
connection and PLX3x gateway sending/receiver 128 bytes of PROFINET data with a 4
ms update rate.
The maximum cycle time is calculated as:
EIP = 4 ms/in + 4 ms/out = 8 ms
PND = 4 ms/in + 4 ms/out = 8 ms
PLX3x latency = 4 ms
Total: 20 ms
• To use a 2 to 4 ms update rate, you must use a different GSDML file. This GSDML is
available at www.prosoft-technology.com
• Under certain conditions (high network load, low update rate, etc.) the PROFINET
Controller may need to raise the watchdog time.
Note: For technical support calls within the United States, ProSoft Technology’s 24/7 after-hours phone
support is available for urgent plant-down issues.
North America (Corporate Location) Europe / Middle East / Africa Regional Office
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