Reading switch statuses using an Ethernet Base Controller

Hi everyone,

I just got a new Ethernet Base Controller, with two 16 input modules, in a 4 slot base (normally known as a PLC) with a 24V DC power supply.

I managed to get it all set up with power, hooked up from the power supply to a switch, then to the input modules, and I can flip the switch and watch the lights on the input modules turn on and off - a milestone!

I even managed to assign the thing an ethernet address and I plugged it in to my computer with a serial cable and the DirectSoft program recognizes it for what it is - an EBC. I can also ping it through its IP address through the ethernet cable.

Now - what I need to accomplish is reading the status of the 32 input "switches" - I need to know if each of them are ON or OFF - open or closed.

How do I go about this the smartest? Keep in mind that there is no CPU here as I don't need any processing. I just need the statuses of each of these switches fed into my computer. And I don't want to depend on a propritary Win32 program if I can help it as I need these PLCs to be able to be set up on many different computer systems and I don't want to have to go around setting up this program on each of those PCs.

Any help will be much appreciated.

- Bret B

You can either buy the KEPDirect OPC Server from AutomationDirect or you can create your own interface. Host Engineering offers a Ethernet Software Development Kit for the EBC for free. It is also possible in some cases to get the source code and I see that they have some customer created ports for Linux and Solaris.

http://www.hosteng.com/

I believe the EBC100's have Modbus/TCP as well. That is another alternative. You can roll your own with modbus or buy a component.

Or, do what Tark says.

figured it out...

We ended up figuring it all out.

For explaination of how, see:

http://cr4.globalspec.com/thread/7007/Setting-up-an-IO-device

Thanks for your suggestions.

- Bret