BITS N BYTES

Ethernet/IP to Profinet IO with CompactLogix 1769-L18ER-BB1B

7 posts in this topic

I have an upcoming project that consists of a CompactLogicx PLC  with onboard I/O AND ProfiNet I/O Devices on a separate network.

This is my first time attempting to connect and control via different network protocols.

As best as I can tell I require a Gateway that transfers data between each network.

Either the Prosoft PLX82-EIP-PNC or AnyBus AB7649 Gateways appear to be viable solutions.

If anyone has used these devices would you kindly share your experiences with either of these products OR suggest other alternatives.

Pros, Cons and Suggestions always welcome.

Thanks B & B

 

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Remote I/O modules we are dealing with are solely Profinet RT [Real Time] so signals are of fast type NOT process.

Unfortunately Red Lion does not support Profinet I/O on their DSP or HMI's so using Crimson software is off the table.

So far I have found a number of Gateway suppliers but am trying to find best one from actual end user experiences.

When studying user manuals from above vendors the Gateway configuration seems overly complex and I am concerned I will struggle to get it working.

So other than the specific Gateway hardware selection, quality/response of support is really critical.

Very confused as to whether Gateway should be an Adapter or a Scanner and which is simplest to configure from Logix 5000.

Thanks for your response.

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Don't do it.

If you have an I/O system for which there is no alternative vendor and it is only available with Profinet RT, choose a Siemens controller or another one that natively supports Profinet RT.

Mixing a low-end A-B controller with a gateway device and a Profibus configuration tool and a third party I/O platform will make you want a time machine to go back and change your mind.

If you MUST use a gateway, I would use the Prosoft.     HMS and Hilscher are both very good, but their US-resident support staffs can be counted on one hand while holding a coffee cup.

Edited by Ken Roach
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If you want a good gateway that will take the Profinet I/O and send it to your AB PLC and vise versa, try Real Time Automations gateways.

I have used their Modbus to AB compact logix a couple of times.  A very solid product.  The sweet thing is that it will take the Profinet data and write it directly into a PLC address and also read a PLC address and send it to a Profinet address.  USA built and supported.  Sorry for sounding like a sales guy but I have just been super pleased with their product.

Edited by Tinkerman42

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I have used both the Prosoft and Anybus converters.

My general experience of both is that they were reasonably easy to set up- I was using Profibus and Profinet to talk to Modbus Plus and Modbus TCP Protocols (Anybus) and Profibus to Ethernet/IP (Prosoft).

To setup in Prosoft- you will need the software Prosoft Configuraton Builder. In prosoft the address ranges, data length etc are all entered into the config file. Obviously in your PLC software- you will need to configure the node with the correct data lengths etc.

This may vary depending on the protocols used (I can only vouch for the modules I have used). 

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I've used a ProSoft gateway to connect a ControlLogix to an S7-300 to get status information back and forth so the machines knew what each other was doing. Setting things up in the ProSoft module and the ControlLogix were both pretty straightforward using the support materials on ProSoft's website but the S7 side took a call to ProSoft to get sorted out because their tutorials at the time had already transitioned to TIA Portal while we were still using Simatic Manager. Once we got it initially set up, though, it's been flawless. We were able to copy-paste it pretty seamlessly to another line with the same machines but couldn't get it to work on a 3rd line that had a different S7 processor (it only supported Profibus on board and the add-on Ethernet module didn't support IO so it didn't work with the gateway).

All that to say that we've had good results from the ProSoft modules but we haven't tried to do what you're proposing. The information we're transferring is not particularly high speed but seems to be transferring at much higher than a 1-second update that another poster reported. But we're also not controlling IO, just messaging between processors.

My first thought is the same as Ken Roach's above: I suggest you buy a Flux-Capacitor-equipped Delorean before attempting this so you can go back and change your mind later. I'm not at all concerned with it being a CompactLogix instead of ControlLogix, but rather that you're mixing protocols in a way that they're not meant to be mixed.

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Feedback after project completion. The combination of a CompactLogix 1769-L18ER-BB1B and ProSoft PLX82-EIP-PNC worked like a charm.

Pretty straightforward to setup and after writing an AOI allowed quick and simple connection and control of multiple Profinet devices.

Only gotcha was figuring out that BYTE swapping was required on both input and output maps. The PROSOFT gateway allowed this change to be easily implemented vs. writing additional code in PLC.

Couldn't be happier with the results!!

 

Edited by BITS N BYTES

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