Sign in to follow this  
Followers 0
Lawfish713

Message Read from GE RXi to 1756-L74 (v20)

7 posts in this topic

Hi guys,

I'm new to this forum, but I'm not a PLC newb as I've been immersed in the AB world for over 20 years.  I'm doing some contract work for a plant who wants me to read some data from an existing GE RXi controller (ICRXICTL000-CH specifically).  This controller has (2) profinet ports and (1) gigabit e-net port.  I'm not at all familiar with GE PLC's, but, since it has an e-net port, this may be possible.  The PLC doing the reading is a 1756-L74.  My initial thought was this:  If I give the GE guys IP addresses so they can connect to our network and have them move all of the pertinent info into (1) register, I should be able to read it.  Am I way off base?  Any input is greatly appreciated!  Thanks in advance!

Edited by Lawfish713

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Took a quick look at the GE RXi, the Profinet ports look like they are for IO and the Etnernet port is talking Modbus TCP.

You have choices:

Purchase, install and program a Prosoft MVI56-MCM.

Consider a protocol conveter by either Red Lion or Anybus.

Lastly, you might be able simply setup explicit messaging to read and write to specific registers within the RXi memory.  I strongly suggest the Red Lion or Anybus.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm not a GE expert, but I've seen those ICRXICTL000 controllers;  they're basically a PC platform running GE's Machine Edition control platform.

If this has to be a super-fast interface, you can use ProfiNet and a PN/EIP bridge device to connect to the ControlLogix.   I would use the HMS Anybus X-Gateway as a ProfiNet slave on one side and an EtherNet/IP Adapter on the other.

But that's relatively expensive and inflexible.

I would reach for a Red Lion DataStation Plus to connect to the controller through its general purpose Ethernet port.   You can get the Protocol Gateway-only model for under $700 (DSPLE) and it will happily read and write from the ControlLogix and the GE controller simultaneously, exchanging data in configurable blocks.     Crimson 3.0 software takes a little learning, but it's a very versatile device to have in your multi-platform arsenal.

Find out from your GE-equipped customer programmers what protocols they support.   The DataStation Plus will happily talk Modbus/TCP or GE's older SRTP protocol, which the RX3i almost certainly supports for backward compatibility with 90-30 and 90-70 series controllers.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks for the quick responses.  Now that I know a little more, I'll revisit the existing system and verify the existing hardware.  I may be in luck, there might already be a Red Lion DataStation Plus in the panel.  I'll let you know how this turns out.  Thanks again!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Good news (at least for me).  There is already a Red Lion Data Station Plus in the existing panel.  The GE plc and gen set controller are already talking to it.  I found some good documentation on how to read data FROM controllogix TO the Red Lion (L5K imports into the Red Lion nicely)....but how do you read FROM the Red Lion TO the controllogix?  I haven't been able find anything on that.  Any info would be helpful.  Thanks guys!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Look in the Red Lion manual for gateway blocks. That's what you would use to get information from one device to another.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!


Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.


Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this  
Followers 0