I am looking for feedback from those who have setup and commissioned Devicenet networks. What software did you use to configure the network(Ex. RSNetworx, etc.)? Would you use it again? What other PC interface hardware would you recommend? (SST, Cutler Hammer, Beckhoff, etc.) And do they have a good configuration and commissioning software.

 

Well, I recently installed several DeviceNet networks, connecting GE Fanuc OCS displays to GE Fanuc 90/30 PLCs and ultimately into a SCADA
system. I found the configuration software not too user-friendly and I could envision configuration and application development to be quite difficult for all those with less than expert level familiarity with GE Fanuc 90/30 PLCs, its memory, and LM90 programming software. I also found it to be quite limited in the amount of memory a single DeviceNet "poll" message was able to transfer. This is due to the limitation
of the GE Fanuc 90/30 PLC backplane, and, translates to a maximum of 7 GE Fanuc OCS units on a single DeviceNet network that is controlled
by one GE Fanuc/Horner Electronic DeviceNet module. I would not recommend GE Fanuc^Òs implementation of DeviceNet.

 

I am not an expert in GE or DeviceNet so maybe a layman's experience will help. I use Allen-Bradley PLC/SLC/ControlLogix controllers and
recently bought and investigated the DeviceNet starter kit. It was a breeze to set up the hardware and configure the software. I used
RSNetWorx. I originally bought the starter kit for the PLC5, but later bought the 1756-DNB for the ControlLogix chassis in my test rack.
What a difference! I was able to access the DeviceNet through the backplane useing my existing ethernet connection to the 1756-ENET. There
were no additional RSLinx drivers to configure and no additional serial ports to find (Why haven't they gone to USB yet?).

The only trouble I had with RSNetWorx was due to built-in limitations of the demo version of the software that came with the DeviceNet
starter kit. I later got a full version with the RSLogix5 to RSLogix5 Pro upgrade (what a deal that was!) and that solved the innability to
change the characteristics of the stack lite that the demo version had.

That is the limit of my DeviceNet experience, but it was not painful or difficult. I was so impressed that I am trying to design my next
control system to use DeviceNet. Our processes are in gloveboxes (big stainless steel boxes with windows and glove ports). Rather than
continue to use multiple 50-pin feed-through connectors for the instrumentation wiring, I want to set up a devicenet inside the glovebox and
pass just the four DNet wires though the glovebox wall instead. Success will depend on finding DeviceNet versions of the all the
instrumentation.

Chip Hinde
Los Alamos National Laboratory

 

While we were commisioning our plant we used
RSNetworks for DeviceNet. It is very easy to use on AB parts as well as non AB parts. As for hadware, we use a 1770-KFD serial to DeviceNet converter when we did not go over our network.

Steve Godfrey

 

While we were commisioning our plant we used
RSNetworks for DeviceNet. It is very easy to use on AB parts as well as non AB parts. As for hadware, we uae a 1770-KFD serial to DeviceNet converter when we did not go over our network.

Steve Godfrey