USB to Ethernet Converter

callumleemeggett

Member
C
Join Date
Dec 2015
Location
dallas texas
Posts
5
Hello, New here so hello to everyone.

Ill start with the situation im having.
Previously we had a Data Discovery program which we used to collect live data such as supply temps and return temps etc. We stopped doing this for a long time and now we are trying to use it again but this program is old and requires a specified com port in which it can look to communicate to the PLC with (serial). Our new PLC's are mostly always Ethernet now and I need a USB to Ethernet converter and I'm looking for some advice on which one to buy if anyone has any suggestions or can point something out to me I would appreciate it.

We use Allen Bradley if that affects anything
 
Welcome to the Forum !

Does the Data Discovery program now have an Ethernet protocol driver, or will it still be using a Windows COM port ?

Is the Data Discovery program limited to a specific range of COM ports, like COM 1-4 or COM1-8 ?

Which family of Allen-Bradley controllers are you using; PLC-5, SLC-500, MicroLogix, CompactLogix, ControlLogix ?

USB to Ethernet converters are cheap and common; you can buy one at any office supply store. What I think you're asking for is something more specific that can help you connect your legacy software to a modern controller.
 
Ken Roach said:
Welcome to the Forum !

Does the Data Discovery program now have an Ethernet protocol driver, or will it still be using a Windows COM port ?

Is the Data Discovery program limited to a specific range of COM ports, like COM 1-4 or COM1-8 ?

Which family of Allen-Bradley controllers are you using; PLC-5, SLC-500, MicroLogix, CompactLogix, ControlLogix ?

USB to Ethernet converters are cheap and common; you can buy one at any office supply store. What I think you're asking for is something more specific that can help you connect your legacy software to a modern controller.
Click to expand...

It only has Windows Com ports

Its limited from 1-4

Its a CompactLogix

Basically yes you're right that is what im after, will a common one from bestbuy and staples work or is there something special I should look for?

Also If I connect to this through the Ethernet how would I be able to go online at the same time? Surely this isn't possible
 
Last edited:
Ethernet and TCP/IP protcols make it very easy to connect multiple devices to the CompactLogix at the same time.

The 1769-L24 family controllers can talk to at least 32 devices over unscheduled TCP/IP connections, so it's no problem being able to go online and communicate with a supervisory or data logging application at the same time. The limit might be higher but I don't have a reference manual handy.

If you're unfamiliar with the basics of how Ethernet networks function, with multi-port switches and IP addresses, turn to a co-worker or the Internet for a tutorial. You won't get too far with this project if you don't know the basics of Ethernet.

What you need is a device that can emulate a Windows COM port and translate a serial communication command into a Rockwell "EtherNet/IP" protocol command over Ethernet.

Do you know if that Data Discovery program works with CompactLogix controllers ? If it's so old that it only supports Windows COM ports 1-4, it's possible that it was intended for PLC-5 or SLC-500 family controllers.
 
What I would recommend for this application is two devices:

Tripp-Lite USA-19HS USB to RS-232 adapter.

Digi One IAP Serial to Ethernet converter.

The Tripp-Lite (formerly Keyspan) device is the USB/RS232 converter I always recommend. It has reliable hardware, good performance, and very good configurability. I know that I have configured one for COM1-4 in the past.

The Digi One IAP can be configured to take a DF1 protocol command on the serial port and translate it into an "EtherNet/IP" protocol command on the Ethernet port. It's the "IAP" industrial automation protocol feature of this device that makes that possible.

It's not plug-and-play, and will require some research and testing. But I'm confident it will work, based on the information you've supplied.
 
Ken Roach said:
Ethernet and TCP/IP protcols make it very easy to connect multiple devices to the CompactLogix at the same time.

The 1769-L24 family controllers can talk to at least 32 devices over unscheduled TCP/IP connections, so it's no problem being able to go online and communicate with a supervisory or data logging application at the same time. The limit might be higher but I don't have a reference manual handy.

If you're unfamiliar with the basics of how Ethernet networks function, with multi-port switches and IP addresses, turn to a co-worker or the Internet for a tutorial. You won't get too far with this project if you don't know the basics of Ethernet.

What you need is a device that can emulate a Windows COM port and translate a serial communication command into a Rockwell "EtherNet/IP" protocol command over Ethernet.

Do you know if that Data Discovery program works with CompactLogix controllers ? If it's so old that it only supports Windows COM ports 1-4, it's possible that it was intended for PLC-5 or SLC-500 family controllers.
Click to expand...

When i left work last night it came to me that obviously I would have to use a switch to connect to the PLC, thanks I will give it a try tomorrow right now I'm still waiting for some parts to arrive I will be sure to post what I've come across. It may be that it's to old, I've already had success doing this through 500 and using serial. Was a huge pain having to map addresses as the plant was updating from an old Honeywell system to a newer system.
 

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