DDE or OPC server for communications to Honeywell TDC3000

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Thread Starter

Nelson Heck

Dear List,
I am looking for a DDE or OPC server to run on Win NT4 which will allow me to communicate with a Honeywell TDC3000 system.
Specifically I need to get data from many Advanced Multifunction Controllers (AMC’s).
Let me say I know very little about Honeywell equipment.
I have found a server from Standard Automation & Control which claims to talk to TDC3000 via Honeywells Personal computer Network Manager (PCNM) Server. I cannot find any info on the PCNM server. I do not believe the site I am installing this has a PCNM. Any ideas ? Is is Hardware, Software, $1K, $10K, $30K? To my knowledge the site has a Gateway module which currently connects the TDC3000 Network to the SCAN HMI system via RS232. I would like to use this Gateway module.
I also need to communicate with Honeywell Series 9000 Loop Control Modules (LCM’s) via ethernet. I think I have this one figured out using Standard Automation & Controls MASnet ethernet DDE Server. As long as MASnet is the only type of comms via which the LCM’s would communicate. I know the LCM’s have an ethernet interface but am unaware of the protocol installed. Any ideas or can anyone confirm?
If any one can help me out, even just a bit, I would greatly appreciate it.
Thanks Kindly,

Nelson Heck- Chief Engineer
Nu-Lec Systems (A.C.N.010 732 224)
37 South Street, Lytton, QLD Australia 4178.
Visit us on the World Wide Web at: http://www.nulec.com.au
 
The PCNM we had was a NT 3.51 Server PC running MS SQL Server 4.21. The two we had were about the cheapest PC Dell made with Honeywell’s name on the front. The fastest access was 15 seconds from the LCN. The DDE Server supplied with the PCNM was not capable of fastDDE access. Standard automations dde server allowed fastDDE access to the PCNM, from Wonderware’s Intouch. About 300 points every 15 seconds is all we ever used. We were told that the PCNM was dropped and is no longer supported, even though we did get an upgrade to NT 4.0 and SQL Server 6.5. I believe the cost of the PCNM was about $40,000 US.
Our PCNM has been replaced with Honeywell’s AppNode which is a NT 4.0 PC which appears to be about the same quality as the PCNM PC. This node can assume different personalitys depending on what services are enabled. It can be a GUS, History module, or Application Module (don’t quoted me on this as I might be misled) . The appnode is an OPC server and we are accessing data using Wonderware’s OPCLink with 1 second updates on about 200 tags. The appnode was about the same price as the PCNM. In other areas we used AB PLC-5’s and Wonderware’s Industrial SQL Server and had much better data collection and control capabilities.
 
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Hello Nelson,

Many years ago, I was one of the original software engineers involved in the development of PCNM. I’ve since left Honeywell so my information may not be current. PCNM is comprised of client and server components. The server side uses the TDC3000 Gateway which communicates over a serial link using HDLC to collect point data. PCNM also provided an API library which would allow custom C applications to read and write points on the TDC3000 network. These applications would run alongside the PCNM server software on the same node. This may be what is being utilized by Standard Automation and Control. If the site currently does not have PCNM installed this would seem a costly method of getting connected to the TDC3000 network.
I am aware that Honeywell’s HMI portion for Plantscape is both an OPC client and an OPC server. As such, if this HMI supplies a driver to gather data from the TDC3000 network then its OPC server interface could serve that up to an OPC client application.
Gord...

Gord Ellis, P. Eng.
Principal, Northern Dynamic Inc.
J103-155 Frobisher Drive
Waterloo, Ontario
Canada N2V 2E1
Tel/Fax: (519) 725-2071/2072
URL: http://www.nordyn.com
 
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Bruce Dawson

I have been playing with a DDE server on the TDC3000 DCS system. Honeywell have a DDE server called PCDE that runs on the H P Unix X-layer of the new type TDC3000 Op-Stations. This allows direct free access to point data on the LCN from any DDE compliant software. I have had live data going into Excel97 as a test. The Client machine must use NetDDE to enable the DDE link across the Ethernet network. I am using WonderWare's NetDDE application to do this on a 95 machine. WinNT's NetDDE is notorius for being fickle when setting up NetDDE links. An example of the Excel formula used is as follows :
=\\usx_dcs1\pcde|Pdp!'FIC0520O.PV:Sc= 4000:Rp= 4000:Fr= 4000'
Usx_dcs1 is the HP Unix machine name.
PCDE is the DDE server app on the Unix machine.
Pcp is the Topic configured on that machine.
FIC0520O.PV is the point data requested.
The rest is Update timing.

Hope this is of some help.

Bruce Dawson
Master Systems Technician
Sappi Forest Products
Ngodwana Mill
South Africa
[email protected]
 
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Eduardo Valbuena

The best solution is upgrade the PCNM to PHD, but the TPS system must be in Release 53x in order to accept this change (PCNM to PHD), PHD is a OPC server.

Eduardo Valbuena
Process Control Consultant
 
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