I am doing a monitoring project where I need to access data from an ABB Advant system (AC410). The monitoring software we are developing is running on Windows NT. Is there a simple way to connect to Advant or do I have to go via ABB's AEH/IMS.

Thanks,

Jan Sandvig
dk-TEKNIK Energy & Environment

 

We have been told recently by an ABB representative that they have taken to the market a new product: a sort of ABB OPC server.

Why don't you go to their Web page and snif a while to confirm this news.

...Hope this is useful.

Luis Villegas
Cali
Colombia

 

Jan: You cannot directly access the process data being controlled by the AC410 controller. You will need an IMS/AEH station to collect the data (by creating History Logs for your loops on the IMS station.) Then with the IMS history logs setup, the IMS will automatically collect the loop data from the AC410, and it will store it in the Oracle database on the IMS station. The name of the table is the NUMLOGVAL table. Then you can use SQL*NET and ODBC drivers running on your PC to connect to the Oracle database running on the IMS. In the instance which I have seen this done, the customer used Microsoft Access to link directly to the table on the IMS station via a TCP/IP network (The PC and the IMS were on the same network.) Then depending on your application, you could use VB or some other programming language to pull the data you need out of the MS Access database table, which is linked to the NUMLOGVAL oracle table on the IMS. I hope this helps. Tom Uldrich Systems Engineer ABB Automation

 

hi Guys, How about MODBUS/GCOM solution or Using ABB Advant OPC Server?? BR /Girish

 

Well said Girish,

That sounds to be the simplest thing to do. MODBUS being the standard protocol should turn out to better but would definitely require support from ABB for hardware and software. This in any case is inevitable.

 

I would also like to bypass the IMS station, I have seen the release of the Operate IT operator station, and it will do all that everyone needs. However, that requires the purchase of the station. My need is to get the data off of the AC450 and MP280 to numerous touchscreens throughout the mill. These are small processes and project that prohibit the purchase of an Operate IT station due to the small capitol costs of the projects.

Has anyone tried wonderware in these instances?

 

We are using the ABB Advant HMI and the IMS historian on one of our Gas Turbine based Power Plants. When investigating a Corporate Standard for Historical Storage & Retrieval, we found that the Pi Historian by OSI has drivers for the Advant/IMS system. Its based on Windows NT, and can provide both Real Time info as well as it main function of Historical Data Collection and Retrieval. It has the ability to publish WEB pages for TCP/IP intranet distribution as
well. You might want to investigate.
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T.W.(Wade) Carlson, P.Eng.
Senior Instrumentation & Control Engineer
SaskPower Corp.

 

Hi all,

You can use Wonderware InTouch loaded in a winNT machine for collecting the
data from MP280 which sits on GCOM.

BR / Kiran

 

Wade,
If you are running Advant Master in an APC environment, and using IMS on Windows Nt on something like B180 workstations, all controlling a gas turbine, then a complete Operator station and PI interface to hi speed Unix stations is now available.

For details, I would suggest you get in touch with www.workstatinsexpress.com.