Fen20-4dip-4dxp
- Thread starter roxusa
- Start date
Ken Roach
Lifetime Supporting Member + Moderator
Disclaimer: MicroLogix 1100 and 1400 controllers are not designed, advertised, or supported to use Ethernet networked remote I/O modules.
Although there are some workarounds using MSG instructions with some devices, the MicroLogix controllers cannot create an actual cyclic I/O connection using EtherNet/IP protocol the way that ControlLogix and CompactLogix can.
If I had to control one of those Turck modules using a MicroLogix 1400, I would use a MicroLogix 1400 Series B and Modbus/TCP protocol just because it's easier to troubleshoot.
I'd love to tear down one of Turck's FEN series modules and see what's under the hood. They seem to do too much: EtherNet/IP, Profinet, Modbus, BEEP, ARGEE... it's hard to document and support just one or two of those.
Although there are some workarounds using MSG instructions with some devices, the MicroLogix controllers cannot create an actual cyclic I/O connection using EtherNet/IP protocol the way that ControlLogix and CompactLogix can.
If I had to control one of those Turck modules using a MicroLogix 1400, I would use a MicroLogix 1400 Series B and Modbus/TCP protocol just because it's easier to troubleshoot.
I'd love to tear down one of Turck's FEN series modules and see what's under the hood. They seem to do too much: EtherNet/IP, Profinet, Modbus, BEEP, ARGEE... it's hard to document and support just one or two of those.
Ken Roach
Lifetime Supporting Member + Moderator
"Some workarounds" includes devices that emulate SLC/PLC data tables with A-B protocols and addressing, as well as devices that accept reads and writes of the same CIP Assembly objects as would be used by a cyclic I/O connection.
An example of PLC/SLC emulation are A-B VFDs like the PowerFlex 70/700.
They emulate an SLC Integer data table and you can read and write to specific addresses (I think they use data tables N41 and N42 but I'd have to look it up) to send start/stop and references and read and write parameters.
You also have to write to a Timeout register with a number of milliseconds. The drive will consider the lack of an Output command message for more than that period to be a loss of network-based control and will take a comms fault action.
The Turck would be handled with CIP Generic messages to Get Assembly and Set Assembly. Those Assemblies are what you see in the Generic Module configuration examples in the quick start document: Input Assembly instance 103, Output Assembly instance 104, Configuration Assembly instance 106.
I can't see where the timeout would be set if you used that with the Turck device. Maybe it's somewhere in the Configuration Assembly, or maybe it's another object, or maybe it's a default. When there's a true cyclic I/O connection, devices usually set their timeout to 4x the Requested Packet Interval (RPI).
Some devices are designed to accept unscheduled, non-cyclic, un-connected messages to read and write those Assemblies. Some require an actual scheduled, cyclic, connected configuration with a ControlLogix or equivalent controller.
An example of PLC/SLC emulation are A-B VFDs like the PowerFlex 70/700.
They emulate an SLC Integer data table and you can read and write to specific addresses (I think they use data tables N41 and N42 but I'd have to look it up) to send start/stop and references and read and write parameters.
You also have to write to a Timeout register with a number of milliseconds. The drive will consider the lack of an Output command message for more than that period to be a loss of network-based control and will take a comms fault action.
The Turck would be handled with CIP Generic messages to Get Assembly and Set Assembly. Those Assemblies are what you see in the Generic Module configuration examples in the quick start document: Input Assembly instance 103, Output Assembly instance 104, Configuration Assembly instance 106.
I can't see where the timeout would be set if you used that with the Turck device. Maybe it's somewhere in the Configuration Assembly, or maybe it's another object, or maybe it's a default. When there's a true cyclic I/O connection, devices usually set their timeout to 4x the Requested Packet Interval (RPI).
Some devices are designed to accept unscheduled, non-cyclic, un-connected messages to read and write those Assemblies. Some require an actual scheduled, cyclic, connected configuration with a ControlLogix or equivalent controller.
Ken Roach
Lifetime Supporting Member + Moderator
No Hack Goes Unpunished
That might even work, and you can try it.
Storytime:
Over 20 years ago I had a customer who assumed that because his SLC-5/05 and his PowerFlex 700 drives both had EtherNet/IP that they would work easily and reliably together. He called with a question exactly like this, and I explained it exactly the same way.
He tried to get it working, but the logic would lock up or not survive a power cycle. I went onsite and spent a day explaining how it works, then re-writing and testing and documenting the logic for his application.
And I got his promise that he would buy 1203-SM1 modules in the future, because all the drives are within a few feet and that's a supported, stable, and very reliable method of controlling SCANPort based drives.
Instead, he sent a note to my manager in appreciation of my support and announcing that they would build all of their systems with this architecture from now on because of what a money-saver it was.
That might even work, and you can try it.
Storytime:
Over 20 years ago I had a customer who assumed that because his SLC-5/05 and his PowerFlex 700 drives both had EtherNet/IP that they would work easily and reliably together. He called with a question exactly like this, and I explained it exactly the same way.
He tried to get it working, but the logic would lock up or not survive a power cycle. I went onsite and spent a day explaining how it works, then re-writing and testing and documenting the logic for his application.
And I got his promise that he would buy 1203-SM1 modules in the future, because all the drives are within a few feet and that's a supported, stable, and very reliable method of controlling SCANPort based drives.
Instead, he sent a note to my manager in appreciation of my support and announcing that they would build all of their systems with this architecture from now on because of what a money-saver it was.
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