ControlLogix PLC to Foxboro/Honeywell DCS Interface

Has anyone out here successfully interfaced a ControlLogix PLC with a Foxboro or Honeywell DCS?
If any of these DCS's is to get data from the ControlLogix PLC what is the method of communication, hardware, etc. to be used?
Appreciate your help.

Typically the Foxboro or Honeywell DCS uses Modbus + as a comunication proticol. So what you need to do is find out exactly what proticol you have available to you, and go from there. If you have trouble finding a Control logix modual that can comunicate on this protocal, try a company called SST. They make moduals that can convert one type of protocal in to another. Sort of likea universal gate way. But they do make modual that would directly plug in to you control logix platform if you have the space.

ashley,
allen is pretty much correct, you'll need an interface to talk to that plc, there are many suppliers providing that bridge. There are software and hardware solutions. If hardware expansion is out of the question then look into software solutions using a Kep-type or other compatible server. I ran into a simular problem that had no hardware solution, ie. rack full! The KEP server used as a bridge through an HMI accomplished the communications I needed. The HMI provided the serial Modbus comm while the ethernet port on the HMI talked to the PLC.

bitmore

I have not interfaced a Controllogix PLC, but at my company we have several slc'c connected to a Foxboro DCS system. Foxboro has a piece of hardware called an Intergrator 30, that connects serially to an Allen-Bradley KF-2. Okay for monitor use, but not controlling.

Foxboro has recently came out with a Field Bus Module that communicates via Modbus TCP/IP, this would be a much better option.



Ken

I'm working on such a project right now. I'm using ControlLogix with a Prosoft Modbus module to communicate directly with a Foxboro FBM224. The Prosoft module uses RS-485 to connect to a termination assembly which then in turn connects to the FBM. I haven't gotten as far as actually connecting the hardware yet, but I expect to in the next few weeks.

You can check out the different modules that Prosoft makes for ControlLogix here: http://www.prosoft-technology.com/content/view/full/5628

The Cassandra Project is a good place to get Foxboro DCS help: http://www.thecassandraproject.org/

Jim Urban
FeedForward, Inc.

Thanks for all your replies.
I am currently working on a project where we decided to interface ControlLogix with Foxboro using the 1756-DHRIO and 1770-KF2 module.
I have done the ControlLogix to PLC-5 mapping, the network connections seem to be ok but the DCS guy says that he cannot read data from the ControlLogix.
The DCS should be seeing the ControlLogix as a PLC-5 but it doesn't seem to be the case.
Has anyone used this method to interface between ControlLogix and Foxboro?
We also have a PLC-5/40 on the same DH+ network. So what is being done right now is that all data from the ControlLogix is being transferred to the PLC-5/40 (through the 1756-DHRIO module) using MSG instructions. The DCS then accesses the data from the PLC-5/40.
Any suggestions?

Success?

Ashley,

What was the final outcome of your endeaver? We are currently experiencing the same anomoly with a Honeywell TDC 3000 PLCG to Controllogix DHRIO and are wondering what to try next.

Many Thanks!

I did it between a Control logix and an HPM (high performance manager) Honeywell, using for the control logix a MVI56MCM card from PROSOFT-TECHNOLOGY with modbus protocol. For the HPM, i used a serial communication card. With this configuration Honeywell is the master and Control logix is the slave.

ashley said:

Has anyone out here successfully interfaced a ControlLogix PLC with a Foxboro or Honeywell DCS?
If any of these DCS's is to get data from the ControlLogix PLC what is the method of communication, hardware, etc. to be used?
Appreciate your help.

Click to expand...

Thanks. We are familiar with the HPM, Modbus and ProSoft card you described. Unfortunately, the existing EPLCG communicates to other devices via Boxes 8 through 12 using the same DHP port to KE module. Replacing an existing PLC5/40 with the Controllogix is our endeaver. It does NOT seem to work utilizing a DH+/RIO Controllogix module as a direct replacement of the existing PLC5/40. We cannot understand why, especially when Read Message Instructions in other PLC5/40s on the DH+ highway can successfully obtain the exact data the Honeywell is trying to obtain without any problem.

Any/all suggestions are appreciated.

Joseph,

I've worked with a few systems like yours. EPLCG, KE, DH+, talking to PLC2s, PLC5s, ControlLogix with DHRIO. The good news is, it CAN work with ControlLogix and a DHRIO card.

If your system was working with the PLC5 and you replaced it with a ControlLogix and a DHRIO card set to the same DH+ node address. And, you mapped an integer array in the ControlLogix to the same file number the PLC5 was using to communicate with the TDC, you should be in good shape. You do need to set which slot the ControlLogix is in on the DHRIO config as well.

All the systems I've worked on have the EPLCG using PLC2 style messaging, and use the PLC2 mapping box on the ControlLogix Map PLC/SLC Messages dialog. You would have to check the EPLGC configuration for this though, there is a PLC5 mode in the EPLCG but I've never seen it used.

If you're still stuck, I think specifics of the EPLCG config, the KE node number, and the ControlLogix file mapping are needed to discuss it in more detail.

Good luck,

Mike Ellis

Mike,

How nice of you to help out. The EPLCG is set up with "PC1TYPE = APLC", "PC1PORT = 1" and "PC1PORTA = 54". The KE module station address is "25 - Octal". The PLC5/40 Port 1A has a Node Address of "54", Interger File Number "21 - Decimal" with 100 Elements. The DH+/RIO module is set up as Node Address "54", with a "N21" file mapped as "PLC 3,5 / SLC" with 100 Elements.

Do you need more information?

Joseph,

Here are the critical pieces of info:

1) The setup on the EPLCG end does not change at all. If it worked on a PLC5, it should require no changes to work on a ControlLogix.

2) The setup of the DHRIO card must include the slot number of the ControlLogix. You can check this with RSLinx over DH+, using Module Configuration. I mentioned this before, it is overlooked often. (if you haven't checked it, my money is on this one)

3) An integer array must be mapped to the appropriate file number. In your system, that magic number is 21. I can't say that using the PLC 3, 5/SLC mapping is wrong, it should work fine. But the examples I have available are simply putting the tag of the integer array in the slot labelled PLC2 mapping. You might want to give that a try.

So, how does using the PLC2 mapping map it to file 21 you say?

A little history is in order...
The file number 21 is derived from the KE card node number (21 decimal = 25 octal). The EPLCG is performing PLC2 style reads and writes through the KE module. In their infinite benevolence and wisdom, the guys at AB that designed the PLC5 gave it a way to deal with messages from a PLC2. They called this thing the PLC2 compatibility file. But in keeping with the arcane and cryptic design principles of the PLC2 they decided that it should be assigned automatically based on the DH node number of the PLC2 sending the message. So, the bottom line is: selecting the PLC2 mapping will work because the whole deal with mapping to file 21 was to emulate a PLC2 in the first place.

A couple of additional items to check as well:

The array tag in the PLC mapping is entered as N21[0] right?

You said your array is 100 integers. That seems kind of small to me. Are all your PLC addresses in the EPLCG below word 143 octal? (99 decimal) I generally make my array 1000 elements since that was the maximum size the PLC5 file could have. You may want to try it temporarily just for trouble shooting. Even if you only have 10 words of tags mapped to your PLC, if they start at word 500 decimal, you need to allocate 510 integers in your array tag minimum.

That's all the gotchas I can think of at the moment. Let me know how it turns out.

Good luck,

Mike Ellis

Mike,

We have followed your recommendations and everything is communicating as designed now. Thanks so much for the assistance. Hope all goes well with you and your endeavers.

Very Best Regards,

Joseph A Schill

ashley said:

Has anyone out here successfully interfaced a ControlLogix PLC with a Foxboro or Honeywell DCS?
If any of these DCS's is to get data from the ControlLogix PLC what is the method of communication, hardware, etc. to be used?
Appreciate your help.

Click to expand...

pl. write the CLX archnitecture, Foxboro Version u use.
Basicaly three methods are popular these are:
1. Older foxboro versions support DH+ Protocol only U can use u can use DHRIO module to achieve this.
2. Newer foxboro versions support EthernetIP as well, u can use ENBT module to interface with foxboro.
3. with both the versions of foxboro modbus is acceptable, which u can use by installing MVI56-MCM module

Alert!! 5 year old thread.