Hello,

We have 7 Power Flex 700 drives with Etherent/IP communications cards. These drives are setup with Web enabled to give us access to some info.

We purchased a fieldserver device which is enable to read Ethernet/IP and convert it to BACnet/IP. http://www.fieldserver.com/products/driver...Ethernet-IP.php

We would like to know if anyone has worked with getting the power flex drvie communicting to a FieldServer - Without a control logix controller.

If so - what is done to do this.

Thanks

This definitely sounds like an unusual application. I certainly haven't done it.

I read over the Fieldeserver user manual briefly and it appears it can be an EtherNet/IP Client and perform PCCC Reads and Writes to A-B controllers.

The PCCC object is implemented in the 20-COMM-E module, so that the drive emulates certain "N-files" as though it was an SLC-5/05 or PLC-5E controller. These can be used to start and stop and control the speed of the drive, as well as to read and write drive monitoring and configuration parameters.

What data do you need to read and write from the drives ?

What have you tried already ?

Well this is positive news, I wasn't 100% sure that without a controller the fieldserver would work.

We would like to get basic info on faults, drive status etc. Nothing to complex.

We have the drive and fieldserver communicating together but no data is being passed. I was wandering if the drive had a parameter which needed to be changed to emulate a PLC controller.

Doing some testing on Monday to see what happens.

Thanks for the feedback

The PCCC driver in the 20-COMM-E is enabled all the time; there's nothing you need to do to set it up.

Again, I have not used this combination, so I'm not 100% sure either.

From what I've read in the Fieldserver manual, this configuration ought to work to read the Bus Voltage (I use it to test because it's always nonzero) from the drive:


Because the drive uses 32-bit DINT or REAL datatypes but expresses them as 16-bit elements for compatibility with PLC-5/SLC500, it is very important that you select the correct starting element (an even number) and an even multiple of elements.

You can read N150:24, Length 2 in order to get the Bus Voltage, but if you sent a request for N150:24, Length 1 it would fail.

Probably you'll want to read a whole block of parameters from the drive at once into the Fieldserver.

The "PCCC Object" appendix of the 20-COMM-E User Manual is the reference for this kind of messaging.

Hello,

This is what they are trying to capture for a test from the drive. This is the file in the fieldserver.

Map_Descriptor_Name Data_Array_Name Data_Array_Offset Function EIP_CON_TYP Node_Name EIP_SERVICE EIP_PATH File_Type File_Number Address Length
Read_N150a DA_N_150a 0 rdbc EXPLICIT EIP_01 EXEC_PCCC 0 0 N 150 0 2
Read_N150a DA_N_150a 2 rdbc EXPLICIT EIP_01 EXEC_PCCC 0 0 N 150 2 10
Read_N150a DA_N_150a 12 rdbc EXPLICIT EIP_01 EXEC_PCCC 0 0 N 150 12 100


Thanks

The only thing that looks like it might need adjustment is the "EIP_Path"; you show " 0 0" and I think it should be "1, 0".

EtherNet/IP Path arguments are pairs of numbers designating the Port and Address of a "network hop". Port 1 is usually the backplane of a ControlLogix, and Slot 0 is the default slot for a ControlLogix. "Port 1, Slot 0" is also the default path for a PLC-5E or SLC-5/05. I think "Port 1, Slot 0" makes sense for a 20-COMM-E as well.

Thanks,

I'll start some testing next week to see if we can get something

Eddie,

It looks like I'm getting info back - based on the following;

Map_Descriptor_Name Data_Array_Name Data_Array_Offset Function EIP_CON_TYP Node_Name EIP_SERVICE EIP_PATH File_Type File_Number Address Length
// Read the whole of file
Read_N150a DA_N_150a 0 rdbc EXPLICIT EIP_01 EXEC_PCCC 1 0 N 150 24 2



I can't find a list that which tells me what the other Address links to the powerflex700 description-> From what you told me "Address 24 is Bus Voltage". I put this in and it looks correct value wise. I sure would like to try couple others to verify this is indeed working.


Thanks if you can help me with this

Get out the Parameter List in the PowerFlex 700 User Manual, Publication 20B-UM002, in Chapter 3. Start with the Monitor parameter group.

Because each Parameter is 32 bits, but the "PCCC Object" we're using employs 16-bit data reads, you have to multiply the Parameter Number by 2 to get the "N150:xx" address.

Parameter 1 = N150:2, length 2 Output Frequency
Parameter 2 = N150:4, length 2 Commanded Speed
Parameter 3 = N150:6, length 2 Output Current
...
Parameter 12 = N150:24, length 2 DC Bus Voltage
Parameter 13 = N150:26, length 2 DC Bus Voltage Memory
...
and so on.

Other easy-to-verify parameters include drive rating parameters, which don't change during runtime, like Parameter 26 "Rated kW" or 27 "Rated Volts".


The parameter list also very helpfully describes the Units of each Parameter.

For example, the Output Current is in units of 0.1 Amps. A value of "70" would indicate 7.0 amps.

Eddie,

Thanks so much -> I'll be spending the weekend create a excel sheet with the conversions.


Couple of other questions if you don't mind.

1) Can you explain the functions of these
Map_Descriptor_Name Read_N150a
Data_Array_Name DA_N_150a
Data_Array_Offset 0
Function rdbc
EIP_CON_TYP EXPLICIT
Node_Name EIP_01
EIP_SERVICE EXEC_PCCC
EIP_PATH 1 0
File_Type N
File_Number 150
Address 24
Length 2


2) I also need to do the same thing with a 1336 Plus II drive. How would this be handled.



Thanks again for all your help with this

Have a great weekend