I a machine with a SCL 500 with data highway and in my system there is a s7-400 they are already building the project and the communication cable is a data highway cable does any body know if there is something to convert this data highway signal.
if found allready some solutions hope somebody have some for me too
There is a convertor on the market that converts DH+ to Ethernet
There is a module for this SLC500 so that you can connect profibus on it but than we have to change the cable
Or get a SLC 500 with ethernet but again change the cable and that is very hard to do.
What is it that you have to communicate ? How much data ? How often ?
The option to install a Profibus module in the SLC is probably the way to go. SST have such modules. Be sure to pick the version that is a slave on the Profibus network. The S7-400 may very well be master allready and have other slaves.
To lay DH+ cable before you know all the technical details is a bit silly. You will have to exchange it for Profibus cable.
Do not be tempted to go the ethernet way. Ethernet is wonderful, but the AB and the Siemens variants dont have anything in common.
I am a contractor of the company and they hired me just 2 weeks ago told them also that this is silly.
It is not much data some setpoints and some alarms.
Found also a box where you can connect ehternet from siemens and ethernet from AB and you can configere this box. dont know how it works but found it on the support site from siemens.
Then Profibus DP is perfect for the job.
I think the other device you are referring to is called AnyBus or something like that. But it will be expensive, and then you have a middle-man in between the two PLCs. With Profibus you go directly from PLC to PLC.
You could keep your existing DH+ cable that you already have and connect it to a 1770-KF2 device (an AB DH+ to RS232 converter). You would then have RS232 that could be connected to a protocol converter to such as this one (or something similar):
The media converter could then be configured to act as a gateway between your SLC and S7400. If you wish to communicate with the S7400 via MPI you would have to get one of the Siemens RS232 to MPI converters used with HMI's not the one used to communicate with a PC RS232 to MPI. I can dig out the part number for the HMI converter if you need it. The red Lion unit can also connect to the S7400 via ethernet.
I know this is rather messy but someone should have thought a bit more about the DH+ cable befoe it was installed, not sure what they had in mind there?
The module will be a Profibus DP Slave device, just like any other I/O adapter on the Profibus network.
This module will definitely work, and be easy to set up and maintain. It is used in hundreds of similar installations and is supported by the market leader in these network (Profibus) and platform (A-B) interfaces.
I realize it involves changing the cable, but it is by far the simplest and most reliable method for connecting these two dissimilar and competing systems.
