ML1100/Labview/Ether/DH485

I have a number of different protocols and things going on with this curernt job. I have a few questions, im wondering if anyone might be able to shed light on;

Setup: I have a loadbank, with an ML1200 and two output cards. It connects via NET-AIC to a DH485 network.
On the other side is a remote mounted contol box with a ML1100, on the DH485 netowkr via the 1763-NC01 dongle, and also a 10" EzTouch screen communicating with the ML1100 via Dh485. The customer is going to connecting to the remote cabinet via Ethernet. There is a switch for Local/Remote control of the unit, on the enclosure.

A. I know nothing about Labview. Can anyone describe it in lamens terms?

B. With the Contrologix, for the customer to connection and monitor, I have to create "produced" tags. In the Micrologix series/Logix500, do I have to do anything similiar to this, for the customer to access the program/tags?

C. With the Labview, If I want to make my end of the line ML1200 the "master" in terms of it controls everything, can the customer access that controller, over DH485, via the ML1100/Ethernet? The ML1100 would essentially be just for data in/out of the EzTouch, and for the customer to connect with Ethernet.

Im not familiar with "bridgeing" controllers like this, and Im not sure it can be done. Worst case, I just copy the bits to the ML1100 through MSG commands, for the customer to access.
And I have no experience with this Labview.

Any response is greatly appreciated.

NH

Since MicroLogix does not support Produced/Consumed Tag communications, there's nothing you need to do on the MicroLogix to allow Labview communications.

I have never seen an HMI system that used Produced/Consumed Tags... generally monitoring software only uses ordinary unscheduled Tag Data Access.

There is no "passthrough" or "bridge" function between the EtherNet/IP and DH485 network ports of a MicroLogix 1100.

In my opinion, this is not a correctly engineered system because it is relying on a low-performance serial network to provide "remote I/O" type functionality. Any MSG loading you put onto the DH485 network can interfere with the performance of that touchscreen.

I think that you're going to end up running some MSG instructions in the MicroLogix 1100 to transfer the "remote control" data from the MicroLogix 1200. Let's discuss what kind of speed performance you need between these two systems.

Application question: is your "load bank" a power distribution panel ? What is the system being controlled by the "remote" MicroLogix 1100 ?

Ken, thanks for the response.
Unfortunetly, this job has already been released, built, and is shipping within the next day or two. The original engineer left the company, and im taking it over to get it out the door for the customers shipping window.
The end product is a 480VAC loadbank @ 400HZ for aircraft power supply systems. Our typical product is for generator load banks, this particular unit is 400Hz however. The control power/fan power is 480VAC 3P3W 60Hz from the customer.

I may have worded it wrong. You had helped me two weeks back on the Contrologix pulling in Modbus values, and twos complement(signed integer problems.) That system was being "mimicked" by a third party Yokogawa system, that required the produced tags on my end.
I didnt think that same option/config was available in Micrologix, and I think you confirmed that. Labview (software?) will be able to access the controller via Ethernet and access any and all parameters, data files, etc.?
I am glad to entertain any and all opinions, and I respect yours in reagrds to it not being engineered properly. However, with many of these load banks that have remote control panels, we dont know the distance from the load bank that the customer plans to put the control panel. Thus we either want to supply a RS485 Modbus or DH485 network. This is our first attempt with using the DH485, and so far, have been impressed - and the latency seems to be almost nothing. We have looked for cost effective "remote I/O" solutions in the past, with little success. We found B&B offered ADAMM modules over Modbus, but they were not fail-safe. With this load bank, we need to be able to shut off the loadsteps and fans if there is any loss of communications, removal of a contact closure at either the remote CP or the actual loadbank, or a number of other variables.
Here is where im at:

Ive got 80% of the programming done, although I dont have the warm and fuzzy that im doing it the correct way, or even the best practice way.
Our customer will send us a "heartbeat" every 500ms over Ethernet. We will read this in the ML1100, send it over the DH485 to the ML1200 at the loadbank, and monitor it there. In my estimates, the worst case latency will be about an additonal 500ms, worst case 1 second. We have determined that we will remove load & shutdown if we loose the heartbeat for more than 3 seconds. This is our simple "Loss of Comms" control. It will protect either loss of Ethernet, or loss of DH485 connectivity.
Ive got most of the programming, controls and so on, in the ML1200 at teh actual load bank. The ML1100 was (is right now) mostly acting as a gateway to pull information from the Eztouch, and the ML1200 would read it with a MSG command. In retrospect right now, I think I should pull the Eztouch data straight to the ML1200.
Then, the thought was, the customer would be able to pull whatever information they wanted through Ethernet (being able to see the ML1200 through DH485 as well) - which I am understanding is not possible.

So at this point, knowing that shipping is imminent in the next 2 days - id like to rewrite the programmings, but im afraid I dont have that luxury.

Does this help any?

NH