EthernetIP SLC500 VI's

[olsen@rice.edu]

I have recently found some 'new' VI's that can help communicate with PLC's, most notably Allen-Bradley SLC500 PLCs, which is my exact system.  I have been using traditional datasockets to communicate with our OPC server in the past and have found it barely adequate.  I am wondering if the new EtherNet/IP Industrial Protocol VIs will improve the communication over datasocket.  Also, I have used the datasocket to read and write values to nearly all of the PLC files (Output 0, Input1, Status 2, Binary 3, Timer 4, Counter 5, Relay 6, Integer 7, and Float 😎 and I was a little puzzled to see that the protocol I found only handled the latter two.  Can the protocol handle reading/writing to individual bits of say...the binary file (i.e. write a 1 to B3:7/14)?

I give my thanks in advance.

Chris

[BlueCheese]

olsen@rice.edu wrote:

Can the protocol handle reading/writing to individual bits of say...the binary file (i.e. write a 1 to B3:7/14)?

Unfortunately not, only the float and integer types are currently supported. Binary register file support has been very much requested and has been on the TODO list for some time now. For now you would have to replicate your data into an integer register.

Eric

[olsen@rice.edu]

Is there an advantage to using the ethernet industrial protocol over datasocket (i.e. speed, simplicity, etc.)?

[BlueCheese]

Sure, both advantages that you mentioned and the fact that no OPC server is needed.

Eric

[olsen@rice.edu]

Thanks. I'll be looking forward to an update on when one can modify individual binary files.

[BlueCheese]

Hi Chris,

I just wanted to let everyone know that version 1.0.5 was just posted. This new release adds some highly requested features. We now have SLC500 read/write/masked write into Bit register files. Additionally, a Raw type was added for SLC500 so that customers can write to types that are not currently supported or are custom.

Also note that an official support thread has been opened here (http://decibel.ni.com/content/thread/7483) so please leave your feedback there so others can find it easily.

Thanks,

Eric