Ethernet Interface for PLC programming ?

Who have PLC with standard Ethernet Interface
for Programming and Scada connections?
Do You need and can we do something for it ?

We need big bag for all our Interface Cables and -adapters !

A-B : DH+, RS232, D-Net, C-Net; adapters, InterfaceCards and Cables
Simatic: S5, S7; adapters, InterfaceCards and Cables
Omron : 3 diffrent cables
Etc..

Have you looked at Schneider Electric? Their Momentum line has several processors with native Ethernet ports.

Most of the major vendors now have ethernet support. Try Allen Bradley, AutomationDirect.com

Baggage

As Tom said, most of the major players have ethernet capability.

Of couse, you'll need carry with you BNC cable, with T's and terminating resistors, RJ-45 cables (both regular and cross-over), a hub, a transceiver or two ....

Who said this was supposed to be easy?

Yes, I know that they have special processors with Ethernet and extra cards with extra costs, but their default Interface is something else as. RS232C, RS422, RS485, CurrentLoop etc.
In PC world LAN-Cards are allmost freeware, but not in PLCs.
Tey cost ~100 times more + extra software as SimaticNET.
(A-B is included to RSLinx, I think ).

Usually I need only X-connected and straight RJ45 cables, becourse The Industrial Network and Switches/Hubs are allready there.

DIGI INTERNATIONAL has a little signal converter wchich you can plug your serial cable into and the Ethernet cable on the other side.
I wonder if this would help.

GE Fanuc 90-30 CPU 364 has a built in Ethernet Interface on the processor

Been there, done that

seppoalanen said:

Usually I need only X-connected and straight RJ45 cables, becourse The Industrial Network and Switches/Hubs are allready there.

Click to expand...

Except that the hub is in the netwok room, and you need to be on the plant floor with the PLC and HMI to SEE what's going on.

Besides, the network room is locked, and IT is off for the weekend.

And you discover that the switch is fully utilized anyway.

And the plant ran BNC coax cable when it originally installed the network, because they didn't want to pay for a hub ("Another point of failure" was their logic back then. "Besides, the PLC is only 10-base, not 100-base anyway, so why bother?" was their rationalization.)


Mr. Murphy is always laughing behind your back.

My point is, you'll always find yourself in the field, without the right cable or equipement. I try to miminize it, by having a standard "kit" with me

• 2 x25' of 25-pin ribbon cable. I KNOW the pinout, it can be duct-taped flat to the floor without being tripped over or destroyed by a handtruck (I'll take my chances with forklifts). Nice thing about it is that it rolls up and fits in my pocket. 25-wire Belden doesn't.
• Assorted M-M F-F gender changers
• Assorted 9-25 adapters
• 2 Null modum adapters
• Breakout box to jury rig a cable (as yet unued - straight-through and null-modem have gotten be connected to everything I've tried so far)
• A 2-in long

If I need a "specialty" cable, I'll make one that's about 2 inches long (like a 9-pin to 3-pin DH+ adapter that I made years ago (since I work mostly with AB)), and use the rest of my kit to get me the length that I need. I don't wind up with a nasty tangle that way.

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seppoalanen said:

Yes, I know that they have special processors with Ethernet and extra cards with extra costs, but their default Interface is something else....

Click to expand...

Some PLC have built-in ethernet capabilities. AB's PLC-5/xxE series, and SLC 5/05 come to mind, at no "extra" price (The peanut gallery will remain silent regarding AB's "regular" pricing).

And if Rockwell's doing it, I'm sure that there must be others. (The peanut gallery is free to respond with their favorite PLC with onboard ethernet.)

Cable sanity on the cheap

I've found that the 1 gallong zip lock bags are just the right size for a coiled cable. Many come with a white area to write on.

Since I've started keeping the cables in these, I haven't once pulled out a cable from the bag only to find 6 others spidered to it.

Here in the US they have a commercial on TV for IBM, its about a UNIVERSAL BUSINESS ADAPTER....there aint one but the commercials are funny.

I think the poster is looking for one of those UNIVERSAL adapters that would plug into a Siemens MPI port, Allen Bradley DF1, DH485, DH+, Koyo/Siemens/TI/GE, GE Fanuc SNP etc etc. Something that will plug straight into their port and automatically convert it to Ethernet.

Let me know when you find one. PLEASE.

What do you think of this? Could this work as Universal adapter?

DIGI INTERNATIONAL has a little signal converter wchich you can plug your serial cable into and the Ethernet cable on the other side.
I wonder if this would help.

You only have 3 cables for Omron? Lucky lad. I have about 12 or so, and 2 host links, and a CIF interface and !!!!!!!.
Then I start on Hitachi, Sprecher & Schuh, AB, GE, Siemens National etc etc. The car boot is an interesting place to go when a cable is needed in a hurry.
I understand that soon Omron PLCs will have a USB port. Would it not be wonderfull if all manufacturers go the same way. 1 cable in the box.
Oh, sorry, forgot ASCII cards, Device Net loop cables, Modbus test cables, RS232/422/485 converters, Ethernet cables, OH DARN I left the crossover one at home. Guess I will not be able to buy a small car after all.
bawling

BoB,
sorry that don't have so many Omron cables than You have.
I has Omron project where was fiber-optic EthernetRing, Switches etc. between 4 PLCs, 4 Scada PCs and BlackBox (Linux of course) and my
Interface for My LapTop was direct RJ-45 cable for Scadas and PLCs !

Its backwards

DIGI INTERNATIONAL has a little signal converter wchich you can plug your serial cable into and the Ethernet cable on the other side.

Click to expand...

The problem isnt connecting a laptop to "whatever", a laptop has serial and or Ethernet readily available in most cases.

What he wants (and most of us here no doubt) is a device to attach to the PLC port that will convert it to Ethernet or serial, not all plc ports are serial (at least not RS232C). As I stated above there are many diverse connections used on plc's which makes this difficult. Most plc's support Ethernet BUT again you are talking about different adapters/cards for different plc's, the cost isnt justified in many cases when the machine is built.

This creates for a service tech the need to have multiple cables, Example: I have an AB PCMK (pcmcia) card, to connect to all AB plc's you need 5 (maybe 6 with Remote I/O network) but I didnt buy the PLC2 cable or the RIO so I have just 4 for that. With GE all I have is 90-30(excluding the old KOYO/TI type) so dont have but one adapter with associated cable. Siemens I have a PPI adapter for S7-200 with its cable and a CP5511 pcmcia card that works with S7 & S5 but I only use with S7 so only have one cable which I believe will work with both, maybe all 3, I will have to recheck that. Koyo/automationdirect line I have at least 3 cables and one Data Com unit, will have to double check that to see if there are more but I know there are 3. This doesnt mention some of lesser used plc's(Modicon, Omron,ABB etc), interfaces (Panelview, Siemens OP, Magelis, Maple, etc), and drives.

Like I said, when you find this Universal Adapter PLEASE let me know.