Access Multiple Robotic Cells with identical IPs via Ethernet

oxlacey

Member
Join Date
Aug 2012
Location
SC
Posts
38
I have 5, standalone Fanuc Robotic Cells that all have the same IP address (for standardization and my poor memory).

I have a scrap conveyor PLC that I want to talk back and forth with to each of these standalone Cells without purchasing any equipment.

Can anyone think of how this could be done please?
 
You could write down the IPs and change the IP addresses (not in that order).

Or you could use spare I/O to send the signals you need.

Or you could plug them all into the nearest managed switch and get some NAT set up. (Again, not in that order!)
 
I think my 3 choices are:

1. unique IP addresses
2. using a managed switch
3. using a Natr

I'm hoping these's a cool way to have the Scrap Conveyor PLC access each cell's Robot PLC (MAC ADDRESS?!), even though this is essentially the purpose of an unique IP address - allowing access to the desired device.
 
Thinking aloud, a sometimes reckless and regrettable decision...

Could I poll each cell for a certain timeslice and pass info back and forth over ethernet (i.e. "yes, i'm running", "no i'm not running", etc.)?
 
I think my 3 choices are:

1. unique IP addresses
2. using a managed switch
3. using a Natr

I'm hoping these's a cool way to have the Scrap Conveyor PLC access each cell's Robot PLC (MAC ADDRESS?!), even though this is essentially the purpose of an unique IP address - allowing access to the desired device.

+1 for a NAT
 
If the only reason you don't want to use unique IP addresses is because they're harder to remember, a NAT device won't help.

A NAT allows each device (robot) on the private side to have the same IP addresses, but each NAT must have a unique IP address on the public side. Now instead of n IP addresses to remember, you have n+1 IP addresses to remember.

Doing NAT in a managed switch may reduce the number of IP addresses you have to remember, but at the cost of something that's complex and "hidden" in the switch configuration, as opposed to something that's obvious just by looking at it.

Unique IP addresses all the way, if I had my way. You can write them on the inside of the panel door in sharpie if you want. Or if you don't want to get up from your chair, an excel spreadsheet will take two minutes to put together.
 
[QUOTE oxlacey]I'm hoping these's a cool way to have the Scrap Conveyor PLC access each cell's Robot PLC (MAC ADDRESS?!)[/QUOTE]
What you are proposing is not possible with standard applications. You would have to write your own application (at both ends) to accomplish this. It makes all TCP or UDP applications inoperable. Still, I like your entrepreneurial spirit, never stop asking "what if...?"!


[QUOTE Peter Nachtwey]Most mills I have been to use IPs in the 192.168.xxx.yyy range.[/QUOTE]
Yes, I agree with this. oxlacey, if you modify only the third octet of the IP address for each machine, It shouldn't be too hard to remember the additional IP addresses.


[QUOTE ASF]If the only reason you don't want to use unique IP addresses is because they're harder to remember...[/QUOTE]
The other reason given was standardization. With duplicate IP addresses, you can pull the Drive#7 out of Machine 1 and slap it in place of Drive#7 out of Machine 3, and it will just run.

[QUOTE ASF]...n+1 IP addresses to remember...[/QUOTE]
I think it is closer to 5n IP addresses to remember for the unique IP addresses method, and 6n IP addresses to remember for the NAT option.

[QUOTE ASF]an excel spreadsheet...[/QUOTE]
You can also edit the C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts file and add nicknames for all of the IP addresses.
example line:

Code:
192.168.0.4 Machine2MainPLC
Now some applications will let you use the hostname in place of the IP address.
Others, you can just use the Command prompt (or Powershell for those of us who have finally seen the light)

Code:
ping Machine2MainPLC
and you will get the IP address which you can copy and paste.
 
Re the need for memorizing IP addresses.
IP addresses and DeviceNames absolutely must be in the documentation for the machine, incl. the electrical diagrams. Just my opinion.
Additionally, a label on each device with the information is nice to have.

One reason for not having unique addresses and/or DeviceNames is to standardize programs on identical machines.
I agree with the previously mentioned solutions. We use NAT routers for this scenario.

An additional possibility is to have an additional ethernet interface dedicated to communications across machines. This ethernet interface could be dynamically configured so that it would not jeopardize the standardization of the PLC or HMI programs.

But the requirement that it must be poassible without purchasing anything only leaves adapting the IPs and Names so that they are all unique.
 
As some of you have surmised, I am trying to be clever without having to purchase anything or lose my standardization of each cell's devices, over 15, IP addresses.

The only signal each cell needs to receive from the Scrap Conveyor PLC is that it's running.

I wondered if I could do a polling thing so that each cell has a timeslice to see if the Scrap conveyor is running; I don't know to sync each cell's PLC without running into the IP conflict. I guess I could run some dedicated wires to each cell and use it as a sync, but then this would invalidate my desire to not spend a dime and do this with just software. Hmmm....
 

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