B&R Automation communication with AllenBradley PLC

[Beerad 0]

We have a production line with multiple PLCs (from different OEMs) running different segments of the process. Sometimes 1 area of the line will need to stop, or slow down or make adjustments, so the upstream and downstream PLCs will need to know this and adjust accordingly. Currently using discrete point-to-point wiring of digital and analog IO to accomplish this, but we are looking to setup communication by some sort of ethernet protocol to accomplish this. Does anybody have any experience using ethernet communication between PLCs of different manufacturers? Specifically we have B&R controllers, as well as Control Logix PLCs. Which protocol to use? TCP? UDP? Ethernet/IP? Are there any limitations of the respective manufacturers that would prevent us from implementing the communications protocol?

[Benlabrume 0]

Hello Beerad! I've already made a communication between a B&R PLC and a Ubuntu computer in TCP-IP. I was in charge of the PLC side and I've use AsTCP library from B&R to do this. In this case, we exchange an array of bytes in both directions. You can find exemples (TCp / UDp etc...) in Automation Studio (B&R programing tool) to do this in a good way. As I know, there is a library in Automation Studio to perform communications between B&R PLC and Rockwell directlly in Eternet/IP, name of the library is ASEthIP. Benlabrume

[Beerad 0]

Thanks Ben. Yeah as it turns out, they are using an ENBT Ethernet/IP card on the AB PLC, and AB doesn't allow open-socket communications on that card. You have to go up to an EN2T is what I am told. I haven't seen a Control Logix in a few years, and honestly I was surprised that they still don't have a standard ethernet port on it. Ethernet/IP is definitely the best way to go. B&R's help file on the AsEthIp library was key, all you have to do is edit a configuration data file and tell it where to point the variables. Best part: when we got it set up, they have an .l5k generating exe that will take the configuration data file and generate an .l5k that you can just import into your RS Logix project and you're good to go! B&R also doesn't limit the CIP connections