Ge fanuc CMM 311 communication problem??

I have a GE 90-30 PLC with a communication co processor module(CMM311) installed in it.Is it possible to connect(and see registers) the PC with PLC through the 25pin port of CMM module?I was not able to establish a connection between PLC an PC using this CMM module.
I am using VersaPro.All the serial port settings are mathcing.

Is there any free third party software with which I can read the register contents in a PC connected directly to this CMM module?

Yes, it is possible to view PLC data through the CMM311 module. You can not edit the program through the module's port, but you can read and write data. The port parameters must be correctly set in the configuration file and the configuration file must first be downloaded to the PLC through the programming port on the power supply.

You can configure the port to be a Modbus slave. Having done that, you might be able to find a freeware Modbus master. The other two protocols supported by the module are CMM and SNP. It's less like that there are freeware drivers for either of those protocols since they are less commonly used. All three protocols are published in sufficient detail for you to write your own driver. Take a look at the manual GFK-0582D available here .

Please don't start a new thread for a follow-up question. It will get too difficult to keep track of responses. You have RussB answering you on the other thread and my responses on this one.

Have you been able to establish communications with the PLC through the programming port on the power supply? Have you verified that the CMM311 is configured for SNP communications? Are you using port 1 or port 2 on the CMM311? What are the pinouts of the communications cable between the PC and the CMM311?

This is an inefficient method of resolving your difficulties. Can you get a representative of the dealer who sold you this sytem to come in and help you get started.

Sorry for the additional thread on same problem!
I have connected the PC to PORT1(configured as SNP slave)of CMM.I was able to download and run the ladder program through builtin serial port on the power supply.Can you explain a little more on creating and downloading configurtion file?

You say that Port 1 is configured as an SNP slave. How do you know that? Did you open 'hardware configuration' in Versa Pro and look at the configuration details of the CMM311 module?

Before you download to the PLC you are given three check boxes to let you decide what to download. The choices are the program, the configuration, and the data tables.

You can also upload the configuration from the PLC to your PC and check the port settings of the CMM311 module that way.

If you find that the port settings are correct, then the problem is most likely in your cable. Is it a prchased cable? If so, what is the part number? Did you make it yourself? If so, what are the pinouts? When you connect VersaPro to the power supply port you use a cable and a RS232 - RS485 converter. Did you use the same cable without the converter but with a 9-pin to 25-pin adapter? Have you tried adding a null modem to that configuration? I hope you're not trying to use the RS232 - RS485 converter with the CMM311 module. The converter gets 5 VDC power from the power supply port, but there is no 5 VDC on the CMM311 port.

Be certain to place the PLC in STOP mode and download hardware configuration then place PLC back into RUN mode.

You haven't mentioned the other side of your serial communication. What is the SNP Master device?

CMM 311 problem.......

1.PORT 1 is configured as SNP slave(in the HWC) and I downloaded it properly.

2.I'm using the same cable which I connected to power supply port to download the HWC and logic.But instead of RS232 to SNP converter,I used a 9 pin to 25 pin converter to connect to the 25 pin PORT1.

3.I have a RS232 to RS 485 converter.Can I try any thing with that?
The converter o/ps(RS485 side)are +ve,-ve and a GND.To which pins of the female 25 pin PORT,I should connect the above outputs?

4.When I tried connecting PC to CMM311(to PORT 2 configured in RTU with RS485 interface),using RS232 to S485 converter(pins 24,25,21 to +ve,13,9 to -ve and 7 to GND),I could see the CMM 311 PORT 2 LED glowing,In the RS232 to RS 485 converter, Tx LED were glowing but Rx LEDs were not.

5.The CMM 311 module is meant to interface with a Honeywell BMSystem.Before delivering the project to them, I just wanted to ensure that PLC registers are accesible through CMM311.

6.The BMS system is supposed to access six 90-30 PLCs(all with CMM311 modules,same setup)at six different locations.In that case do I need to specify different station IDs to all six CMM modules?What about the station IDs of six CPUs at six different locations?

Thankyou,
Abhilash Ponoli

When you're trying to communicate RS232 and using the same cable you use for connecting to the power supply port with the 9-pin to 25-pin adapter, try adding a null modem between the cable and the 9-pin to 25-pin adapter.

Forget about the RS232 to RS485 converter for communications with the CMM311 unless you have an external 5 VDC power supply for the converter. When the converter is plugged in to the 15-pin port on the power supply, it gets powered by 5 VDC on pin 5 of the power supply port.

For communications with the Honeywell BMS (presumably using Modbus RTU), you will have to use Port 2 of the CMM311 as it's the only port that can be set up for RS485, which you'll need for multi-drop configuration. And yes, you'll need to assign each CMM311 a unique Modbus ID. This does not have to be duplicated for the CPU.