CJ1 ethernet connect to eternet to serial

[Guest Dave]

Hello, I'm trying to do some data collection. I have up to six bar code scanners with serial connections. My plan was coonect each bar code scanner to a Digi One IA realPort Ethernet to Serial Gateway CPM2-ET1-L1. Then connect the Digi One to the CJ1 PLC using the ENT11 ethernet modular. Then go from the PLC back through ethernet to a PC for the data collection. Anyone have any experience doing this type of connection? With the Digi Key or another brand of ethernet to serial converter. I'm hoping to avoid adding 3 serial cards to the PLC which would require and additional rack. Does anyone have examples of using Fins commands such as a simple Ping command from a PLC? Any sugestions would be apriciated. Thanks, Dave

[Sleepy Wombat 27]

Mabey I am approaching this the wrong way but as I understand it, when you use Serial to Ethernet converters this is fine at the slave end (bar code reader, PLC ect) however at the master end (typically a Computer) you generally need to install some driver software to create virtual communicaitons ports on the computer so the software talks to the virtual comm's ports. How can we do this on a PLC ? In the past I have used such convertors to get CPM1 PLC's on to ethernet to talk to a SCADA package, the SCADA package was talking to it over the virtual comm's port. Why do you want to get the bar code readers on to ethernet in the first place ? You do not get a performance increase beacause ultimately the barcode readers are still talking serially. Might I suggest looking at a single serial card and the Protocol Macro function and Software. Omron has in my view the best Protocol building software going around that actually comes from the manufacture and not some third party. I have personnaly used a system communicating to 10 x Omron V600 RFID readers mulitdropped over RS485. A SCADA system talks to the PLC via controller link but this may also have been Ethernet, this enabled me to run the SCADA system and CX-Programmer concurrently the SCADA uses Finsgateway to talk to the PLC. This system has worked quite happliy for a number of years now. Anyways just a thought...