AB 850 Red Lion Ethernet help

Hi all,

First time poster, but long time lurker of this very helpful forum.

I have a AB 850 and red lion G307 to configure using ethernet. Having issues with coms, network status light on the 850 is flashing green telling me an IP address is established but no ethernet application is connected.

I have not used the 850 before, nor IP addressing. I have used red lion before (a long time ago) but used RS485.

Has any one used this combination? Vendor says to use Modbus?

Thanks in advance.

BP

Welcome to the Forum !

Which vendor told you to use Modbus ? They might be right.

The Micro 800 series are relatively new and their Ethernet communication isn't exactly like the ControlLogix or the SLC/MicroLogix family. Even Rockwell's own operator interface terminals and PC driver software had to be updated to support the Micro 850.

You could try to use the Crimson 3 Ethernet driver for ControlLogix and report back if it works.


I've used the Red Lion Kadet-series and Micro 830's together with RS485 and Modbus RTU protocol. It's relatively straightforward; you define the Modbus registers in the Micro 800 software and in Crimson 3.

Plan on making a nice column of addresses on graph paper for reference so you don't have to switch back and forth between programs so much.

You could also use Modbus/TCP instead of Modbus RTU.

Thanks for welcome.

I am quite a novice at IP addressing and feel this is where I could be going wrong.

Vendor is local supplier here in Australia, not AB. Are the IP addresses of the 850 and red lion set in stone so to speak?

Are the IP addresses of the 850 and red lion set in stone so to speak?

Click to expand...

Yes, you have to have STATIC IP addresses with the Red Lion and the PLC being on the same Sub Net. The first 3 sets of numbers have to be the same with the last set being different. Example 192.168.1.10 and 192.168.1.11

Thanks for quick replies.

So to manually configure IP address the last set are user set?

You might want to check out some other general-purpose tutorial resources for how IP addressing works.

The "Class C private subnet" of 192.168.1.x is a very common network where only the last number (called an Octet, or Host Number) varies. The Subnet Mask used with that is 255.255.255.0.

In automation systems, the IP addresses are generally fixed, meaning they are set by the user and are not reset automatically after every power cycle.

The IP address for the Micro 850 is set up in the CCW software. Likewise, Crimson 3 has setup fields for the terminal's IP address.

Thanks Ken,

This is where I stumble. So the user defined IP address say for example at the HMI, is it the plc address or HMI?

Both, you need to set a IP for BOTH the PLC and the HMI. In the Crimson Software you will then tell the HMI what IP address is for the PLC.

To make a Ethernet system work even if it is just 2 items plugged into a switch and not connected to the internet you will need to do the following as a minimum:
1. All Devices must have a IP address. No 2 devices can share a IP address. So like I said before the first 3 sets of numbers must be the same with the last set being different for each device. Remember this also will include the computer you are using to program your devices.
2. You will also need to set up a Subnet Mask in each device. This WILL be the same in all devices. It should be 255.255.255.0.
3. A Gateway address is not required if you are creating a simple network.

I have completed the following,

PLC IP = 192.168.0.1 sub net 255.255.255.0
HMI IP = 192.168.0.2 sub net 255.255.255.0

Not accessing network at this stage with my PC. But it may be a good idea so I can ping the IP address of my devices? Also a bit confused at to what protocol to use with the red lion?

Edit = Set pc IP = 192.168.0.3 sub net 255.255.255.0 and established coms via switch with PLC. No coms with HMI from PC or HMI to PLC.

Ping ok from PC thru switch to PLC and HMI.

I have also subscribed to PLC tips. Looks like a lot of good information

Thanks for your help.

Also a bit confused at to what protocol to use with the red lion?

Click to expand...

You will need to use Modbus TCP/IP protocol.

Thanks Bullzi,

Would that be master or slave?

Master

Modbus RTU: Master / Slave
Modbus/TCP: Client / Server

The terms get interchanged a lot, but in general your HMI is going to be the one initiating the data exchange, so it's the "Master" or "Client".

The PLC is going to be responding to requests from the HMI to read or write Modbus data elements, so it's the "Slave" or "Server".

Two hints that might save your heartburn in the future: the "host 1" address in many IP networks is used to point to the "default gateway" device that network members use to send messages outside the network.

So when I'm building an automation network that doesn't have a gateway to the outside, I make a point of not making any of my devices the "192.168.1.1" address, in case I have to add a gateway later (or somebody adds one I didn't plan on !).

In addition, that classic "192.168.1.x" address is extremely common for in-house WiFi or wired Ethernet networks. If you don't want your WiFi network to conflict with your automation network when you plug into both at once, make the automation network a different subnet, like 192.168.2.x.

In Crimson 3, the IP address assignments for the terminal itself and for each PLC on the network are done in different places. These screenshots should help illustrate those settings; the top (blue) is the IP address of the Red Lion terminal, and the bottom (magenta) is the IP address of the Micro 850 controller.