Ethernet between CLICK Plus and SMC EX260

[SandwichMagic]

Hello resident geniuses,

Working on a new project that was initially slated to have a CompactLogix, but due to lead times the PM made the switch to a CLICK Plus C2-01CPU-2. PM has used this SMC EX260 module to control a bunch of pneumatic valves over ethernet before and it seemed pretty neat. When I was prepping for the CompactLogix, you could just install a really easy AOP and had direct control over the outputs. When looking at the CLICK software, it has wayyy less features which is understandable, but I am worried that these cannot technically communicate.

When looking at the send instruction, it seems that you can only send over ethernet using MODBUS, and it seems that the EX260 has to be special ordered to accept MODBUS and I don't think that the request was made. Does anyone have experience doing something like this? Is there anyway that I can get around it and get these things to talk?

Side note, and feel free to roast me, but I only got my hands on the hardware today and found this out. I was asked a little while ago if I thought that the CLICK PLC would work, which I agreed to, only to potentially run into this. Was this a reasonable thing to have missed? Asking cause I am about a year out of school now and want to know how many whips I deserve to give myself for this.

 

[jholm90]

I haven't played with this scenario on my workbench yet, but I know the Click Ethernet models can generate an EDS and another CompactLogix can read and write to it. I think that this acts as a "Device" with no way to connect to another "Device".

 

[rupej]

I don't know of any reasonable way to make that work. It's an honest mistake but that EX260 really wants to act as remote I/O for a CPX/CLX processor. In a pinch, you could throw in an older series CompactLogix and keep your CLICK PLC as remote I/O for the CompactLogix. But the cheapest fix may be to swap the EX260 out for the Modbus model if you really want to program the CLICK.

 

[OkiePC]

Your click can act as an Ethernet IP adapter, but not a scanner. EDIT: removed erroneous misinfo ... The BRX can act as a Modbus I/O master or Ethernet IP slave. The Productivity series PLC has some limited scanner capability, and free software, so you could try the software to see if the eds file will import before going further.

 

[drbitboy]

...But the cheapest fix may be to swap the EX260 out for the Modbus model if you really want to program the CLICK.

+1

Any hardware that makes this work via Modbus/TCP from/to the Click that costs less than several k$ is a bargain at this point.

E.g. you could put a CLX in the middle, or even a RaspberryPI or other SBC, but the custom development and setup time for such a Rube Goldberg/Heath-Robinson approach will almost certainly exceed any turnkey solution that already works.

 

[titanspark76]

Have you looked at using a gateway? I'd give Real Time Automation a call to see what they got. I've always found their products extremely easy to use.

 

[SandwichMagic]

Thank you all for the replies! I wish it was possible to simply use the CompactLogix cause MAN there is a lot of support for the EX260. I think that was the main reason we used the EX260 in the first place but now it is biting us in the ***. I have looked into some different gateways, but they all are around a grand. In my research though, I got a bunch of places to keep in the back pocket in case I need two things to talk that do not want to.

I will talk to the PM and suggest that getting the Modbus EX260 is probably the most efficient line of action. Thank you all!