Colt Hero
Member
We have an upcoming software project that will be coded into a ControlLogix (Allen Bradley) PLC.
Some of the data items we would like to send back to our *proprietary* DCS for secondary display (the ControlLogix app will have local panels).
Previously, our proprietary DCS provided Function Blocks in its toolbox to communicate with PLC-5's and SLC's via a serial interface, but this functionality was never expanded upon and it is now gone (Controller hardware was 'upgraded' from 68000-based to PowerPC eliminating the serial interface).
So ... if we wanted to read the data directly from the PLC to the proprietary DCS Controller (via Ethernet) we would have to do what? Would we have to write an OPC-compliant piece of software to communicate with RSLinx?
Currently, the DCS Controllers use Ethernet to read live I/O from MTL PAC8000 Controllers. They also run some custom code that uses PI-API to push data up to PI Servers for archiving. On one particular Controller 'cluster', Wonderware is coupled as the front-end. I *believe* there is some OPC capability here in order to make this work. If this is true, is this specific to Wonderware, or could it be used for the PLC communications also?
I guess what I'm asking is: OPC is a standard, but you still have to write *specific* OPC interfaces for different clients or servers, correct??
FYI: The proprietary DCS Controller runs under Microware (a Unix variant).
Some of the data items we would like to send back to our *proprietary* DCS for secondary display (the ControlLogix app will have local panels).
Previously, our proprietary DCS provided Function Blocks in its toolbox to communicate with PLC-5's and SLC's via a serial interface, but this functionality was never expanded upon and it is now gone (Controller hardware was 'upgraded' from 68000-based to PowerPC eliminating the serial interface).
So ... if we wanted to read the data directly from the PLC to the proprietary DCS Controller (via Ethernet) we would have to do what? Would we have to write an OPC-compliant piece of software to communicate with RSLinx?
Currently, the DCS Controllers use Ethernet to read live I/O from MTL PAC8000 Controllers. They also run some custom code that uses PI-API to push data up to PI Servers for archiving. On one particular Controller 'cluster', Wonderware is coupled as the front-end. I *believe* there is some OPC capability here in order to make this work. If this is true, is this specific to Wonderware, or could it be used for the PLC communications also?
I guess what I'm asking is: OPC is a standard, but you still have to write *specific* OPC interfaces for different clients or servers, correct??
FYI: The proprietary DCS Controller runs under Microware (a Unix variant).