Beckhoff and Ethernet Communications

All - I am attempting to establish Ethernet communications between a machine with a Beckhoff controller and another system with a CompactLogix controller. The problem I am having is with what I am being told by the machine maker with the Beckhoff. He is telling me that Beckhoff has no ability to talk directly to an Allen-Bradley Ethernet/IP network?

Does anyone know if this is or is not true?

I am not interested in discussing the specific components in either system right now, I am really just interested in knowing what Beckhoff has to offer. Is there no way with anything they have for them to talk on the AB Ethernet network?

Thanks in advance,

Steve

Beckhoff offers an EtherNet/IP slave Supplement, documented here...
http://infosys.beckhoff.com/content/1033/tcethernetipslave/html/tcethernetipslave_intro.htm

To the ControlLogix, the Beckhoff just looks like a "Generic Ethernet Module".

SteveMaves - Thanks. That is exactly what I needed.

Steve

What would be really awesome is a TwinCAT function block to read/write data in a compactlogix over Ethernet. That way there would no need to configure the compactlogix or TwinCAT as an Ethernet/IP master-slave.

I have used the Beckhoff ethernet on several projects. It work great and the price tag is great as well. Yes You Can.

Alright then. We have downloaded and installed the Ethernet IP Slave on the Beckhoff machine and I have configured my CompactLogix to see it. Communications have been successfully established.

Now we have hit the next obvious hurdle.

How do pass information between the two? I am using Produced and Consumed tags elsewhere in my system and would like to program this similarly but can't seem to find any help files or manuals for this. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Thanks.

Steve

Hi Steve, do you mean using the tags on the ControlLogix side, or the Beckhoff side? On the ControlLogix side, once you have the "Generic Ethernet Module" present in the ContolLogix, you should be able to make alias tags that reference ModuleName:I or ModuleName:O, etc, or even use the Module Defined Tags directly.

On the Beckhoff side, you link PLC variables to the data items in the EtherNet/IP Slave Interface. Remember, after you change links you always have to "Activate Configuration".

I'm an idiot. It never occured to me to look for the Beckhoff machine as real I/O in my tag list. Now I see them.

Thanks guys.

Steve

I wish our products, Beckhoff products, and other companies devices would show up as what they are instead of these "Generic Ethernet Module." We have EDS files for the devices. All of Allen Bradley's devices show up as they are, why can't the other suppliers do the same as well in RS software. This is one of those things that really ticks me off about the Openness of Ethernet/IP. Does anyone else make a Ethernet/IP scanner?

Thanks,
Joe_WaZoo

Hmmm. I just checked my \TwinCAT\Io folder and found file TwinCAT_EtherNetIP.eds (see attached ZIP)

Can't remember was it a part of the TwinCAT installation or if I had it downloaded from Beckhoff web site later.

Hi, I am programing a slave/master Ethernet with beckhoff slave device and clx master.

I am having a hard Time making the comm work, I can send data from beckhoff to clx but clx to beckhoff nothing is Working. Does anyone faced this problems?

Thx