Micrologix 1100 controlling 1761-net-dni

Hi,
Getting some hands on training and putting together a Micrologix 1100 trainer that that will be used to control DeviceNet DrIves and Valves. I purchased a AB 1761-NET-DNI to give my plc access to DeviceNet network. Am I heading in the right direction and if this will work, where can I find documentation to tell me how. Allen Bradley is not very helpful since DeviceNet is discontinued.

If i remember correctly, the DNI is just an interface, not a scanner. It will allow your micro to be a slave on the DeviceNet fieldbus, but will not act as a master. I think you still have to have a scanner to act as the master.

I haven't read back through it, but had this PDF bookmarked from the last time i had to look at a DeviceNet setup:

https://copperhilltech.com/content/DeviceNet_Troubleshooting.pdf

EDIT: Looked through the manual on the DNI, and it can still be used to control devices through explicit messaging without a master present on the network, provided the devices are Unconnected Message Manager Compatible (UCMM). Page 78 in manual https://literature.rockwellautomation.com/idc/groups/literature/documents/um/1761-um005_-en-p.pdf

JBooth said:

If i remember correctly, the DNI is just an interface, not a scanner. It will allow your micro to be a slave on the DeviceNet fieldbus, but will not act as a master. I think you still have to have a scanner to act as the master.

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This is my impression as well from looking through the DNI manual.

The 1769-SDN would be compatible with a Micrologix 1500, but not the 1100 afaik.

Disclaimer: I've never used the 1761-NET-DNI, nor had a setup with both Micrologix and DeviceNet

Don Trop said:

Allen Bradley is not very helpful since DeviceNet is discontinued.

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I know this is just a trainer but I think I would put my efforts into something that is not discontinued.

geniusintraining said:

I know this is just a trainer but I think I would put my efforts into something that is not discontinued.

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Still lots of DeviceNet out there needing support (and thus people trained on it). Wouldn't want that to be the main training focus at this point, but there's definitely still a need for it imo.

There are also a lot of MicroLogix/SLC's using RSLogix 500 but I still would not recommend learning them unless you had a specific need and move to a newer platform (if possible)

Where I work, we got them all!

Our plant is a mix of every AB plc product line made going back to the PLC 5. We have a lot of Ethernet, DeviceNet, Asibus, and as well as Siemens.

Thank you for the links to some documentation. Any and all are appreciated!

The 1761-NET-DNI is not a DeviceNet scanner like the 1747-SDN or 1769-SDN or 1756-DNB.

Its usual purpose was to act as a DeviceNet slave node to a larger controller. It would exchange its Input and Output assembly data with specified integer data table files in the PLC/SLC/MicroLogix via the serial port.

While you *can* do some exotic and complicated things with it via explicit messaging from a MicroLogix, that's not its usual purpose.

If I were going to teach a class on legacy DeviceNet stuff, I would probably try to get a SLC-5/05 and a 1747-SDN.