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Ethernet/IP in LabWindows?

Has anyone done anything with Etherent/IP within LabWindows?  Is there a third-party library that will accomplish this?

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Message 1 of 15
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Have you looked at CVI TCP/IP library and the related samples? See here for an introduction.



Proud to use LW/CVI from 3.1 on.

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Message 2 of 15
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What I am looking for is Ethernet/IP (Ethernet Industrial Protocol) support.  I am extremely familar with the TCP/IP features of CVI and use them all the time.  See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EtherNet/IP.

 

I need to develop a CVI application to control several servo-motor drives, which use Ethernet/IP as the control interface.

 

This is one of several industiral networking protocols, like DeviceNet, etc.  Wish everybody used TCP/IP....

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Sorry, I didn't focused to the exact spelling Smiley Embarassed (and I'm not used to that protocol, as you can imagine! Smiley Wink )



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Hi Hendra, 

 

We have an ethernet/IP toolit but it doesn't have a c-api. 

 

you can: 

 

1) look at wrapping the labview toolkit in a dll. We have done so sucessfully for other applications, like Veristand. 

2) Use an OPC server solution, which is slightly more complicated. You need to 

a) Use NI OPC servers, which are a part of the DSC module, to connect to the PLC. We should have an OPC server that supports an ethernet/ipc connection for your PLC. I would be your PLC supports other types of connections also.

b) Connect to NI OPC servers from CVI through data sockets. 

 

OPC servers will be pretty slow performance-wise but they may have other advantages, such as easier debugging and configuration, that give them an edge. 

 

Either way post back what works for you. I feel people get lost trying to implement systems like this and having a working system outlined would help immensely. 

Jesse Dennis
Engineer
INTP
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Jesse_D,

 

Missed your message.  Glad i went back to look at this thread.  Still looking for an Ethernet/IP solution.

 

My needs are pretty simple, and do not involve a PLC.  From within my CVI application I need to ocommunicate with 12 MTS Sensors Magnetostrictive measurement devices.  Also, I think I will need to use Ethernet/IP to communicate with a bunch of Kollmorgen Servo-motor Drives.

 

I do not do any work in LabView, so I don't have a clue how one would convert the Ethernet/IP set of VI's to a dll. 

 

I've been searching the internet for a library, or C source, taht I can include in my application.

 

Any help or further thoughts will be appreciated.

 

Gary

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Hi Gary, 

 

It is pretty simple (http://zone.ni.com/reference/en-XX/help/371361H-01/lvhowto/building_a_dll/). 

 

If you have someone who knows labview I would expect it to take 1-2 hours to create a dll. 

 

Alternately, if you don't have a LV licence, I would start looking at the OPC option above. 

 

The NI OPC servers home page is here (http://sine.ni.com/nips/cds/view/p/lang/en/nid/209059)

Jesse Dennis
Engineer
INTP
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Message 7 of 15
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Simply put, this can't be done using LabWindows since EtherNet/IP requires a subscription and "Vendor ID" from ODVA.  Getting licensed to use this protocol is not free of charge.

 

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Message 8 of 15
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I think it depends what you want to do. An Ethernet/IP device needs indeed a Vendor ID that you need to register for with the ODVA and which involves yearly membership fees. However to simply connect to Ethernet/IP devices, should be pretty straightforware for simple devices and doesn't need any Vendor ID.

The protocol is TCP/IP based and binary but that should not be a big problem in itself. Of course if you want to support cyclic data transfer and fail safe operation and what else can be part of the "Industrial Protocol" part of Ethernet/IP things get pretty hairy. But for simple acyclic queries this should be pretty easy. I'll try to see if I can dig up some example code from somewhere.

Rolf Kalbermatter
My Blog
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Message 9 of 15
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Excellent.  I hope you are right.  My LabWindows App. needs to be an EtherNet/IP server and as far as I could read it looked like I needed to be licensed.  Thanks for any help you can afford.

 

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