adccommunitymod (AutomationDirect) asked a question.
Created Date: November 28,2018
Created By: Aqeelles
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Hello I am working on a serious project where we 're building a Micro power grid, I will be controlling the Generator, Slack and Load through my interconnection PLC. I have been trying to add a slave PLC to my main PLC and i 've been following the tutorial provided by Automation Direct. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diKLuCE7zsI I am using a Direct Logic 205 and a Stride SE-SW5U as my switch. Where the two PLC's are connection to the Stride, I have also tried connected the two PLC's directly to each other. I am using do-more and a C-more interface, so all my inputs and outputs are through the HMI. Is that all I need to create the network? I am unable to detect the slave, but somehow when I connect the stride to our university's LAN I can defend the slave PLC but I an unable to control it. I might be missing something but I am pretty sure I followed the direction in the tutorial video. Regards.
Created Date: November 28,2018
Created by: Aqeelles
Hello
I am working on a serious project where we 're building a Micro power grid, I will be controlling the Generator, Slack and Load through my interconnection PLC.
I have been trying to add a slave PLC to my main PLC and i 've been following the tutorial provided by Automation Direct.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diKLuCE7zsI
I am using a Direct Logic 205 and a Stride SE-SW5U as my switch. Where the two PLC's are connection to the Stride, I have also tried connected the two PLC's directly to each other. I am using do-more and a C-more interface, so all my inputs and outputs are through the HMI. Is that all I need to create the network?
I am unable to detect the slave, but somehow when I connect the stride to our university's LAN I can defend the slave PLC but I an unable to control it.
I might be missing something but I am pretty sure I followed the direction in the tutorial video.
Regards.
Created Date: November 29,2018
Created by: franji1
Slave I/O or a slave PLC? I am guessing it's just slave I/O (that's what the video talks about), so it uses the Ethernet I/O protocol. Make sure your IP Addresses and subnet masks are consistent between the PLC and the Ethernet I/O slave. They must be on the same subnet. Use the NetEdit tool to configure that. If you have questions on subnets/addressing but you don't have an IT guy who can do that (many places are very specific about IP addressing, especially fixed IP addresses vs. DHCP vs. different Class IP addressing), definitely ask here.
Created Date: November 29,2018
Created by: Alexandru
When you add the plc to the switch, the plc has to have a static IP address. I would configure both pics up addresses in the same subnet. Then use modbus tcp, detection should be transparent. I have my plc connected to a switch which also connects a wifi access point. I can see the plc on the wifi. In plus, the plc sees an ra485 modbus sensor via an interface to rs485, also connected to the switch.
Created Date: November 29,2018
Created by: MikeN
Hello
I am working on a serious project where we 're building a Micro power grid, I will be controlling the Generator, Slack and Load through my interconnection PLC.
I have been trying to add a slave PLC to my main PLC and i 've been following the tutorial provided by Automation Direct.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diKLuCE7zsI
I am using a Direct Logic 205 and a Stride SE-SW5U as my switch. Where the two PLC's are connection to the Stride, I have also tried connected the two PLC's directly to each other. I am using do-more and a C-more interface, so all my inputs and outputs are through the HMI. Is that all I need to create the network?
I am unable to detect the slave, but somehow when I connect the stride to our university's LAN I can defend the slave PLC but I an unable to control it.
I might be missing something but I am pretty sure I followed the direction in the tutorial video.
Regards.
So to clarify:
You have an "interconnection " PLC as your main PLC?
You have a DL205 rack, with a Do-More CPU as a second PLC you are trying to connect?
The Do-More CPU is a real CPU, and not a remote slave unit?
You want the CMore HMI talking to both PLCs?
Are you trying to connect to the "slave " PLC with Do-More Designer software?
Are you using the Do-More driver in the CMore HMI to connect to the DL205 rack?
Just trying to make sure all the info is correct.
Created Date: November 29,2018
Created by: Aqeelles
Slave I/O or a slave PLC? I am guessing it's just slave I/O (that's what the video talks about), so it uses the Ethernet I/O protocol. Make sure your IP Addresses and subnet masks are consistent between the PLC and the Ethernet I/O slave. They must be on the same subnet. Use the NetEdit tool to configure that. If you have questions on subnets/addressing but you don't have an IT guy who can do that (many places are very specific about IP addressing, especially fixed IP addresses vs. DHCP vs. different Class IP addressing), definitely ask here.
I 've got Slave PLC's not I/O. I realized that the video is talking about slave I/O yeah.
I have configured the IP address myself and they 're on the same subnet. I 've used 192.168.0.1 for my main PLC and 192.168.0.2 for my slave plc. I can't find it when I do NetEdit.
Created Date: November 29,2018
Created by: Aqeelles
When you add the plc to the switch, the plc has to have a static IP address. I would configure both pics up addresses in the same subnet. Then use modbus tcp, detection should be transparent. I have my plc connected to a switch which also connects a wifi access point. I can see the plc on the wifi. In plus, the plc sees an ra485 modbus sensor via an interface to rs485, also connected to the switch.
I did that, I am not sure how to use a modbus tcp but I will look it up.
I also tried connecting the switch to the wifi access point I still cant see the slave PLC.
Created Date: November 29,2018
Created by: Aqeelles
So to clarify:
You have an "interconnection " PLC as your main PLC?
You have a DL205 rack, with a Do-More CPU as a second PLC you are trying to connect?
The Do-More CPU is a real CPU, and not a remote slave unit?
You want the CMore HMI talking to both PLCs?
Are you trying to connect to the "slave " PLC with Do-More Designer software?
Are you using the Do-More driver in the CMore HMI to connect to the DL205 rack?
Just trying to make sure all the info is correct.
Yes
Yes
Yes
the other group are working on their PLC, and I as an intConn I should have an access to their PLC using my HMI and control their system too.
so we 're like the central system that oversees all the other parts (Generators, Slack, Loads) and can modify real and reactive power, frequency ... etc
Yes
Yes I believe so, if I understood your question well.
Created Date: November 29,2018
Created by: Aqeelles
When I run NetEdit it says there is no GS drive or EBC100 connected.
But what I am looking for is the H2-DM1E and not any of the above.
Created Date: November 29,2018
Created by: Alexandru
it is possible that both your plcs come with the default ethernet ip setup. if that is the case, obviously they can not work on the same network. you will need to connect to one plc and change the default ip address to say "192.168.0.11 ", to distinguish from "192.168.0.10 " which is the default of the other plc. please check the default address on your plc, i only have click plc. aftter solving the dual ip address issue, then
what i would do:
1. troubleshoot the plc connection to local network:
1.1.i would connect both plcs to the switch.
1.2. i would connect the switch to the router
1.3. from computer i would ping each plc using "ping 192.168.0.10 " in terminal window. obviously, your plcs will have different ip addresses. if both plcs respond, then i know there is communication between plcs as well as to pc. from this point forward, is only a matter of programming the plcs to talk to each other.
2. troucleshoot the programs on each plc. you should be able at this point to connect to the plc using click software.
3. if nothing works, i would check the switch. please beware that a router can work as a switch. however simple the config might be, i would recommend a 20$ switch.
one more thing: nowadays routers have two access points: one for 2.4GHz and another for 5GHz. there is a chance you have even more access points via other routers or range extenders. although there should not be any problem, in my case one access point does not allow accessing the local network, while i can still exit on internet. Point being, make sure youre network setup allows the plcs to communicate locally.
Created Date: November 29,2018
Created by: MikeN
Can you simply plug in a USB cable to the Do-More CPU and connect that way? Then once connected make sure the IP is set properly.
Once you ensure the IP is set right after doing a USB connection, open NetEdit (make sure you have the latest version that comes with the Do-More Designer software package) and make sure that NetEdit can see the Do-More PLC over Ethernet. Your laptop or other development PC must be on the same subnet as the PLCs are. So once you know your own PC is set right, and the PLC is set right, then you can go into the CMore HMI and tell it that the device it is connecting to is a Do-More, and tell it the IP of the PLC. All of these should now be able to talk to each other.
In the Do-More, use a memory address that is easy to find and has an easy to use modbuss adddress. Write that address down someplace.
Next, log in to your interconnection PLC and ensure it has the proper IP on the same subnet as well. Once you know its IP, make a small test program that is just a network write over Modbus TCP. Use something like a button or switch or simulator input to trigger the modbus write instruction. Set the Do-More PLC as the target IP, and set the target modbus address and type to match whatever you are trying to write to in the Do-More. Execute the program and press the button. Watch whatever data view you have to ensure that a success bit has turned on after the modbus write. If an error bit turned on instead then you have something misconfigured somewhere, probably in the address or type of data.
Once you can trigger the write instruction in your main PLC and get a success bit, go over to the Do-More and look at that memory location. You should see whatever data you just wrote. Now you can expand your whole program to be whatever you need it to.
Alternatively, you could make your test program in the Do-more and use a modbus read instruction instead. And set the target IP as the main plc, and the address and type of whatever memory address you want to use to test. Initiate the program in the Do-More and look for the success bit. Whichever way you do it will probably depend on if you plan on writing most stuff from the main PLC to the Do-more, or reading most of the stuff in the Do-More out of your main PLC.
Once you have the modbus read or write working properly, in the HMI make a tag and set it to the memory address you have been using in the Do-More. Make a numeric display on a screen and set the tag used as the one you just made. Then, the HMI will display whatever data is in the Do-More memory address. As you change the data in your main PLC, the Do-More will receive it as soon as you do a modbus read or write, and then the HMI will update as it is reading directly out of the Do-More.