Alternate interface cards for Drive Executive

[Andy6]

Just a quick question to any of the resident experts. Bubba recently destroyed my 1203-USB ( USB to Powerflex Drives) module. I have a 1747-UIC (USB to DH485) and a 1747-PIC (Serial to DH485) sitting on the shelf. Is it possible to use either of these cards to connect to a PowerFlex 40? Or am I putting in a purchase order today?

I quickly tried out the 1747-UIC this weekend, couldn't get it to work. Although my problem might have been that I was using a crossover ethernet cable?

 

[Ken Roach]

The simple answer is no: the 1747-UIC and 1747-AIC cannot communicate to PowerFlex 4-series drives.

More detail: A-B's "Data Highway 485" is a communication protocol that can run both on electrical EIA-485 (aka RS-485) wiring or on EIA-232 (aka RS-232) wiring.

The PowerFlex 4-series drives use a similar EIA-485 wiring and signalling standard, but use a different communication protocol called Drive Serial Interface (DSI), which includes many standard functions of Modbus RTU protocol plus several nonstandard functions.

DH485 cabling and DSI use similar signalling methods but are not logically compatible and are not meant to be connected to one another.

Be very careful plugging into DH-485 and DSI connectors with "ethernet" cables. SLC-5/0x controllers and 1747-AIC isolators include +24V on those connectors, and more than one port has been smoked by plugging DH-485 into an Ethernet port. I believe that the DSI ports also include a power supply pin to run HIM modules.

I realize you're talking about drive interfaces, but since you are mixing and matching cables I figured it was a good time to bring it up.

 

[Andy6]

Thanks for the info Ken.

And it never hurts to stress the importance of knowing about the 24v on those cables. Also good for anyone that might come across this thread in the future.