GE Proficy Machine Edition

[sp_]

Hi,
I am still a beginner with PLCs and I have never worked with GE PLCs before so looking for some help.

I am using GE Proficy Machine Edition v9.5
I was given the PLC code already written. I have to download the program to the PLC and HMI. The system is using a Versamax Micro Plus Controller - IC200UDR064-EK and a QuickPanel+ HMI -IC755CSS06RDA-CR. I was able to download the program into the HMI via the serial port. I set the IP on the HMI and was able to download the HMI as well. The PLC has an ethernet module - IC200UEM001-DF. I was able to set the IP using the Telent method I found online. I have a Weidmuller remote IO module - UR20-FBC-MOD-TCP-V2 - connected via ethernet. I have configured the module with an IP address as well. All 3 modules are connected to an unmanaged switch. I can ping all of the devices with the IPs I have set.
The question I have is how do I configure the Weidmuller remote IO module in the GE program?
When I look at the hardware configs, there is no ethernet module and the option to add module is greyed out.
Do I add another Target to reach the remote IO? But when I go to add target all I see are GE modules. So how do I configure the remote IO in the program?
Could it be under PLC Access Drivers? Even if I set the IP for the "Device2" as the IP for the remote IO, it still doesn't seem to communicate with the PLC as I see a Bus Failure LED on the remote IO, which according to the manual is No connection to the Fieldbus - Check the Fieldbus cable and the PLC configuration. (Tested the cable - it is fine)
How do we add non-ge remote IO modules to a get project and configure it?
Where in the project tree will I find the remote IO data? Like where do I view the inputs and outputs related to the IO module?

 

[Steve Bailey]

That model PLC was not designed around remote I/O. Whatever you come up with will be a work-around to overcome that.
The Weidmuller remote I/O uses Modbus TCP. To use it, the PLC would have to act as a Modbus TCP client. I'm not sure if it has that capability. If it does, you will need to write logic using COMREQ instructions. Don't expect blazing speed. Your 'ethernet module' IC200UEM001 is a serial to ethernet converter.
If the data from the remote I/O is only required for display on the HMI, you can let the Quick Panel be the Modbus TCP client instead of the PLC.

 

[sp_]

Thank you!

There is a device under Modicon TCP/IP under PLC Access Drivers which I believe is the remote IO... and it is under HMI, so I am thinking the HMI is the Modbud TCP client..?

 

[Steve Bailey]

Yes, you can make the HMI the Modbus TCP client using that PLC access driver. "Device 2" in the third screeshot you posted should have the IP address of the Weidmuller unit. I've never worked with Weidmuller remote I/O, so I can't tell you how it maps its inputs and outputs to Modbus addresses. Presumably any discrete inputs will have 1xxxxx addresses, discrete outputs will have 0xxxx addresses, analog inputs will have 3xxxx addresses, and analog outputs will have 4xxxx addresses.

 

[sp_]

So I did do that..."Device2" has the same IP as the remote IO... but it still gives me a bus failure...
I was looking into the ethernet option module and I saw you have to download the ethernet driver using the PumpKIN utility... could this be why I am still having the fault?

Also, the manual says: "When the Ethernet option module is loaded with the Modbus image it cannot communicate with PME"

PME is the Proficy Machine Edition...But what does that statement mean exactly?

 

[Steve Bailey]

but it still gives me a bus failure

To what does 'it' refer? By that I mean what generates the fault message?

Also, the manual says: "When the Ethernet option module is loaded with the Modbus image it cannot communicate with PME"

The VersaMax Micro ethernet option module is a serial to ethernet converter. It can be set up to use either ModbusTCP or GE's SRTP protocol. It can't handle both protocols simultaneously. PME software uses SRTP to communicate with the PLC.

 

[sp_]

The remote IO has a bus failure LED...

When I look further into the logic, the remote IO is getting Analog Inputs, which are used in the program for control. In that case, the ethernet option card needs to be set up to use Modbus TCP in order to communicate with the remote IO module right?
And as you said if it is set up for MOdbus it cannot communicate with PME...so does that mean I cannot see the values at the analog inputs? or how does that work?
Also, how comes the remote IO appears under the HMI portion in the project tree? or is that not related?

 

[Steve Bailey]

Will your company allow you to share a copy of your project with me? If they're not comfortable with posting it on a public forum, send me a PM and I'll give you my email address. I can look it over and try to figure out what the designer had in mind. At the very least I can look to see if he included logic to communicate with the remote I/O.

The UDR064 has two serial ports. The ethernet option module takes over one of them. So you could use the ethernet port for communications with the HMI and have PME communicate with the other port over RS232.

I just looked this up. The (old) documentation I have on hand says the ports on the UDR064 can only act as a Modbus server, not as a client. That means the only way to get the data from the remote I/O into the PLC is by using the HMI as the Modbus TCP client pass along the data it gets from the remote I/O to the PLC. Same procedure in the opposite direction if there are any outputs on the remote I/O. That's not a very efficient way to use remote I/O in your control architecture.

This is speculation on my part, but I expect the Weidmuller unit is expecting constant communication with a Modbus client, otherwise it lights up the 'bus failure' LED.

 

[Steve Bailey]

I've had a peek at the file.
The HMI appears to only be used to display some status information and faults. There are no control devices on any of the screens. For some reason the original designer chose to use Modbus to communicate with the PLC instead of the native GE driver.
I see that the HMI has been assigned an IP address of 192.168.1.100. It has been configured to communicate with IP address 192.168.1.101, which I assume is the address you have assigned to the ethernet adapter attached to CPU port 2. I base that assumption on the fact that hardware configuration for the Port 2 ethernet adapter is set for a station ID of 54 which matches the Device 2 communications driver setup in the HMI target.
What IP address and what station ID did you assign to the Weidmuller? To have any chance of communicating with it you will need to set up another Modbus TCP/IP device driver in the HMI and create new HMI variables to match the I/O installed on it.
If your goal is to use the I/O points from the Weidmuller unit in the PLC ladder logic, you're going to be disappointed in the performance. There will be a perceptible lag between the time any input point is physically actuated on the machine and the time the PLC reacts to the change of state. If the actuation of an input at the Weidmuller is supposed to trigger an output on the Weidmuller, the lag will be even longer. If you're only adding input devices at the Weidmuller unit and you'll only be displaying them on the HMI, you might be able to live with the lag time.

 

[sp_]

Hi Steve,
Thanks for taking the time to look at it. I appreciate it.
I was in contact with Emerson tech support the whole day and figured it out.
So the UEM001 ethernet option module was assigned the IP 198.168.0.1; the Quickpanel HMI 192.168.0.3, and the UR20 remote IO 192.168.0.2.
I had to download the Modbus TCP driver using the PumpKIN utility to the ethernet module as explained in the manual. I had to ensure Modbus TCP Client was enabled on the ethernet module by going into the setup through the Telnet protocol. (As you mentioned early on, the PLC acts as the Modbus TCP client)
To configure the remote IO in the PME... the "Device2" was set to 192.168.0.2 with Unit ID and Port ID the same as it was. I think they replaced the COMM_REQ instruction with the MODBUS_TCP_RW instruction, so had to change the IP on that instruction in the logic to match the IP of the remote IO I set.

 

[Steve Bailey]

Well, I learned something new today. Starting at firmware version 4.0, the VersaMax Micro can act as a Modbus TCP client. That's certainly something that happened since I retired. As if I needed another reminder of of my galloping geezerhood.
Glad to hear you got it resolved.

 

[Josescueva]

It took me forever to find the drivers. See below for anyone looking for these drivers in the future.

https://emerson-mas.my.site.com/communities/en_US/Download/IC200UEM001-drivers

Once i installed the driver and configured through telnet, the unit works without additional logic as a modbus slave Service Port 502.

IC200UEM001 MODBUS DRIVER