Looking to network range of PLC's

[IT2Maunufature]

Hey guys, brand new here and happy to have joined a board like this in 2022 lol.

Just want to preface that I'm an IT professional normally, so getting into PLC configuration & programming is VERY new and scary to me haha

I've recently started a project at a manufacturing plant that hasn't networked any of their PLC's and is looking to get these connected to start getting SOME data off of them.

So far, I've connected an Allen-Bradley 1400 to the network and am gathering data using Vantron OS-based gateway, but I have a lot more to go.

Issue is, not all of these have an ethernet available (just an RS-232), or are already using the ethernet for an HMI. I've already used an AB NAT-R device to translate a subnet and allow for an HMI & PLC to be connected to a switch and still be functional, but that's VERY costly in the current market.

I've got some AB 1200's, 1500's, &1400s, National Instrument USB 6212's, and a Cincinnati C20.

Any pointers, guides, suggestions, or tips are greatly appreciated as a lot of these technologies are very new to me.

Thanks!

 

[theColonel26]

Why did you need to use a NAT device to connect the HMI and PLC to a switch? If they are running all of these old Micrologix PLCs I kinda doubt there are local IO networks to worry about So why don't you just change all of their IPs so they are on the same subnet and just use local switches

As for the PLCs that only have RS-232, you can get Adapter devices to translate Modbus RTU to Modbus TCP, they aren't cheap though, and if those devices do not have a spare RS-232 port and do not have RS-485 then

 

[strantor]

Moxa NPort 5100 serial device server will allow you to connect serial devices to the network.