Siemens to RTA

HI I am a little new to Siemens
I have a Siemens S7-300 CPU that I need to connect up an RTA module to it over Enet to send info to a printer over RS232. Is this possible and any ideas on how I would set it up?

What kind of printer are you connecting to?

It is a intermec

I had a similar application where I used an S7-315 PLC to communicate to a Zebra barcode printer over Ethernet. Do you know what data you need to send to the printer? If you do I can help you setup an TCP connection directly to the printer without an RTA. I made a function block that is designed for the Zebra, but could be tweaked for you Intermec.

I am sending over barcode info for intermec to print a label in desired formate with desired data.

http://www.plctalk.net/qanda/showthread.php?t=86641&page=2

Go to the link above and go to the very end of the thread. There I have posted my code of my TCP connection to the zebra printer. The only thing you should have to do is remove the part of the code where I send the Zebra Command to set the time on the printer. Otherwise it should work. Once you have established the connection, which should be automatic, then you simply put the data you want to send to the printer into the SEND_DATA string and then send the data by setting the PRINT bool on the FB. When the PRINT_COMPLETE bool comes on then activate the PRINT_COMPLETE_ACK to reset the PRINT bool you set. This works great with the zebra printer and except for setting the time, it shouldn't be any different for another printer with an Ethernet port.

got your FB and put it in and the TCON_BUSY is always on and never gets a connection. Any ideas?

I would check two things.

1. Make sure that you put in a unique connection_id that you are not using anywhere else in network pro.

2. Inside the FB I hard coded the port number for the zebra printer at the bottom of Network 2. Check to see if your printer has a different port number other than 9100. If it is something other than 9100 you will have to put in the HEX numbers for the port number. I attached a screen shot from the help manual on how to put in the port number. Port 9100 = 238C in HEX so REM_TSAP_ID[1] = B#16#23 AND REM_TSAP_ID[2] = B#16#8C.

The TCON is the heart of the connection. It should look like my other screen shot when it is up and running. The BUSY bit my flash every second from the timer above it once a connection is established.

Let me know what you find out. Good luck.

I just had to use my FB on another connection for a cognex camera. My busy bit was stuck on. I found out I put in my port number of 23 wrong. Port 23 = 0017 so REM_TSAP_ID[1] = B#16#0 AND REM_TSAP_ID[2] = B#16#17. My busy bit was still stuck on, but when I stopped the plc and brought it back up the connection was established.